Basic Recording and Editing Techniques in Audacity

This 2-page document describes the basic recording and editing techniques in the free and open source software Audacity. In brief the document describes the following steps: start by using a USB microphone for better quality. Select the mic from the dropdown menu and adjust the input using the toolbar slider. Click the record button to start, allowing a few seconds of silence before speaking, then click stop to end the recording. You can import audio files by clicking “File,” then “Import,” and selecting “Audio.” For editing, tools are available to zoom, shift, fade, mute, delete, and adjust gain. Save your project frequently, ensuring both the file and accompanying folder are copied to external storage if necessary. To export as MP3, install the LAME MP3 encoder, select MP3 in the export menu, and provide a filename and metadata.