Audacity Tutorial
From LIS5313
This tutorial provides instructions for how to download and install [Audacity] and necessary plugins.
Contents |
[edit] Step One: Download and Install Audacity
If you are not familiar with open source software, sourceforge.net is one of the major websites for open source developers to publish and maintain their software. You can read About Audacity to get an idea what this software is about and what open source software is.
The latest version of Audacity is 1.2.6 for Windows and Mac OSX (PPC), and 1.2.5 for Mac OSX (Intel). Please use one of these earlier stable versions instead of the newer beta version (1.3.3).
For Windows Computers: Go to Download Audacity for Windows. Installing Audacity is like installing most Windows programs. By double clicking the Audacity 1.2.6 installer, the installation will automatically begin. During the installation, I suggest you keep the default settings for the destination location (C:\Program Files\Audacity) where Audacity will be installed. When the installation is complete, it will remind you and there is a default check for "Launch Audacity." You may also choose to download the LADSPA plugins (listed under Optional Downloads). These plugins will allow you to add more effects to your audio. If you installed Audacity in the default folder (C:\Program Files\Audacity), I suggest you also install your plugins to the default folder (C:\Program Files\Audacity\Plug-Ins).
For Mac Computers: Go to Download Audacity for Mac. By double clicking the Audacity 1.2.6 or 1.2.5 installer, the installation will automatically begin. A disk image containing the program files should appear on your desktop (although you might first need to unzip the downloaded file). Open the Audacity disk image or folder and drag all of the Audacity-related files and folders into Applications. (I suggest creating a folder in Applications called "Audacity" and then dragging all of your files into this folder.)
[edit] Step Two: Download and Install the LAME MP3 Encoder
You will also need to download the LAME MP3 Encoder, which enables Audacity to export mp3 files.
For Windows Computers: Go to the LAME MP3 encoder Download Page and follow instructions for downloading the lame encoder. The file you will download is called "libmp3lame-win-3.97.zip". This is a zip file and you can unzip it to any folder in your local drive. There are actually 3 unzipped files and you only need to use one of them: lame_enc.dll. Please remember where you unzipped this file because you will use it later.
For Mac Computers: Go to the LAME MP3 encoder Download Page and follow instructions for downloading the lame encoder.
- If you have an Intel Mac, you should download the LAME MP3 encoder file called "libmp3lame-osx-universal-3.97.zip". It should download as a folder with several files inside. The file you need is called "libmp3lame.dylib." You can save this file anywhere on your computer, but remember where you save it because you will use it later.
- If you have a PPC Mac, you should download the LAME MP3 encoder file called LameLib-Carbon.sit. Once the file is unzipped, it is called "LameLib." You can save this file anywhere on your computer, but remember where you save it because you will use it later.
[edit] Step Three: Use Audacity
Getting started with Audacity:
- Creating a New Project (1:27 minute Flash Tutorial)
- Audacity Preferences Written Instructions and/or Flash Tutorial
- Audacity Toolbars and Controls Written Instructions and/or Flash Tutorial
Recording, Importing Music and Sounds, and Editing Audio:
- Recording Audio Written Instructions
- The Editing Tools (intro) and Recording Audio (1:46 minute video)
- Basic Editing and Trimming Your Audio (1:36 minute video)
- Adjusting Levels (2:30 minute video)
- Importing Audio and Adding Music (4:53 minute video)
If you installed LADSPA plugins (PC Only):
- Choose “Effect” from the menu and then you will see the difference between built-in plugins and the plugins package we installed.
[edit] Step Four: Export Your Audacity Project as an MP3 Audio File
Creating an MP3 File: Once you have mixed and edited your project, you will need to export it as an mp3 file. To do this, first click "File" menu and choose "Export As MP3". Then follow the steps to name and save the file.
Locating the LAME MP3 Encoder: The first time you export your audio as an mp3 file and click save, another dialog box will appear asking you if you want to locate the LAME MP3 Encoder (which it will refer to as "lame_enc.dll," "LameLib," or "libmp3lame.dylib"). Because Audacity does not natively support the mp3 format, it has to use the LAME MP3 Encoder which we downloaded to perform this task. Therefore, click "Yes" and then locate and select the appropriate lame encoder file where you saved it earlier. Once you select the correct file, your project will begin exporting as an mp3 file.
Editing ID3 Tags: When you export your audio project for the first time, you will also be prompted to edit the ID3 Tags for the audio file. (Later, you can also edit ID3 tags by selecting "Edit ID3 Tags" from the Project Menu.) ID3 Tags are metadata attached to your audio file (such as the name of the artist). Audacity allows you to edit two kinds of ID3 tags, ID3v1 and ID3v2. Either one is fine for you to use. ID3v2 is a relative new standard and gains more and more supports, especially in the Linux world, but ID3v1 is more compatible today. If you want to learn more, the difference between ID3v1 and ID3v2 can be found here.
Playing Back the MP3 File: Now that you have exported your audio as an mp3 file, play it back using an audio player such as iTunes or Quicktime, and check the audio quality. If you want to edit your audio further, you'll need to go back to your Audacity project file, make your edits, and export your audio again.
You may also wish to view this short video on Saving Your Project and Exporting the MP3 (5:24 minutes), which reviews the steps of the process (but does not include the step of identifying the LAME MP3 Encoder).
