Audacity introduction Gerhard Lock Tallinn University Institute of Fine Arts Department of Music e-Course Multimedia in Music Education

1. Study guide for week 5:
Sound editing II
Introducing with Audacity
KUM7088 Multimedia in Music Education
Composed by
Gerhard Lock

2. Audacity 2.02
Simple free audio recording/manipulation programm [for multiple platforms:
PC & MAC]
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/
To export sound files as mp3 an additional software is needed. It can be found on
the websites below, but while exporting sounds Audacity leads you also
automatically to the install websites:
http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/faq_installation_and_plug_ins.html
http://lame1.buanzo.com.ar

3. Audacity 2.02
Open the program
Read Quick help installed or web-based
See Manual installed or web-based
See Audacity Wiki: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Audacity_Wiki_Home_Page

4. Audacity 2.02
Introduction of basic functions: see also next slide
Generating sounds: Menu Bar → Generate → DTMF tones (e.g.)
Add Tracks: Menu Bar → Add New → Audio (Mono) / → Stereo / → Label / → Time
Region including waveforms is a virtual representation of the sound.
Cutting/deleting in Audacity a region will not enable to restore the cutted/deleted part!
Label track: to include verbal commentaries: Add Tracks (see above)... → Label track. Use
CTRL+B to include a window to the Label track where to write and which can be moved freely
Waveform regions:

increase/decrease view size → choose transport tool bar symbol

activating a region → choose transport tool bar cursor symbol and activate the amount of
a region you need while holding the mouse left button

copying to a new track → after activating a region use Ctrl + C, insert it to the new (activated)
track (same stereo/mono like copied region) with Ctrl + V

moving → choose transport tool bar symbol and move the region you need while holding
the mouse left button

5. Audacity 2.02
Interactive guide: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Main_Page
Keep standard
Project rate
44100 Hz
If sound is not
playing control
I/O settings:
Menu Bar →
Audacity →
Preferences
→ change into
Playback
Device: Built-
in Output

6. Audacity 2.02
Manipulating a Region
See in detail: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Effect_Menu
Speed change: Menu → Effect (like Vinyl disc tempo changing principle causing proportional shift
of pitch up/down as well)
Tempo change: Menu → Effect (changes the tempo preserving the pitch)
Pitch change: Menu → Effect (enables to change pitches or frequencies, also fluently with slider)
Save Project As .aup format: Menu → File (Audacity native project format)
It is supposed to copy the original files into the project to ensure the projects functioning after
copying/transport to another disc/stick, computer etc.
Export: Menu → File (the whole project or Selection, e.g. WAV, AIFF, mp3 – needs LAME encoder
(see slide #2)
Import: Menu → File → Audio (nt WAV, AIFF, mp3) opening and inserting (also from CD)
.aup faili re-opening

7. Audacity 2.02
Manipulating a Region
See in detail: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Effect_Menu
Reverse = Reverses the selected audio, so that it will sound as if it is playing from the end to the
start.
Normalize = Use the Normalize effect to set the maximum amplitude of a track, equalize the
amplitudes of the left and right channels of a stereo track and optionally remove any DC Offset from
the track (generally use -1 – -3)
Gain/Amplify = Increases or decreases the volume of the audio you have selected.
Noise removal = Removes constant background noise such as fans, tape noise, or hums. It will
not work very well for removing talking or music in the background. Normally you need to clean
your own recorded sounds. It may be useful to normalize it first to get low leveled noise emerging
as well. Sometimes un-cleaning may be an aesthetic choice, normally you should clean your files,
because each sound (willingly included or not) will be affected by further manipulations and may
cause unexpected artefacts and quality loss.
Step #1: Get Noise profile → activate the part of the file/region with only noise and tell the program,
what are the frequencies to remove
Step #2: after activating the whole file/region/part of the region start the function again and press
OK (you may play with the detailed changing function, but normally the standard settings work fine)
Pan = Panoram: left-right channel balance
Delay = Repeting
Reverb = Echo (different rooms)
Paulstretch = Use Paulstretch only for an extreme time-stretch or "stasis" effect.
Wahwah = Rapid tone quality variations, like that guitar sound so popular in the 1970's.

8. Audacity 2.02
Use Audacity only for preparing (cutting, manipulating, denoising, normalizing)
soundfiles.
Audacity does not enable professional multitrack functions! Why?
Cutting/deleting in Audacity a region will not enable to restore the cutted/deleted part!
Moving region together causes their melting on they can't be differentiated (separately restored)
later.
Volume changing function is problematic, because it works to roughly and needs extended
zooming to get a qualitative result.
Use for professional multitrack functions and refinement REAPER (or other professional
programms): See slideshow in WEEK 6.