{"id":1755077,"date":"2019-07-25T19:39:07","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T19:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=1755077"},"modified":"2021-12-13T17:39:20","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T17:39:20","slug":"getting-started-with-audacity","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/articles\/getting-started-with-audacity\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Started with Audacity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 id=\"Overview\" class=\"wp-block-cgb-block-customheader blackHeader alignLeft noUnderline customh2 swheader\">Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In this guide, we will show you how to use different features in Audacity and also answer some of the most frequently asked questions. Follow below to get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"#Select-an-audio-device\"><strong>Select an audio device<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#How-to-create-and-record-audio-tracks-in-Audacity\">How to create and record audio tracks in Audacity<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"#Save-and-export-audio-in-Audacity\"><strong>Save and export audio in Audacity<\/strong><\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#How-to-save-a-project\"><strong>How to save a project<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Export-audio\"><strong>Export audio<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#How-to-import-audio-into-Audacity\">How to import audio into Audacity<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a href=\"#How-to-add-a-plugin-to-Audacity\">How to add a plug-in to Audacity<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"Select-an-audio-device\" class=\"wp-block-cgb-block-customheader blackHeader alignLeft noUnderline customh2 swheader\">Select an audio device<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"background-color:#fff5c7\" class=\"has-background\"><strong>IMPORTANT:<\/strong>&nbsp;Audacity does not officially support hardware that natively uses the&nbsp;<strong>ASIO&nbsp;<\/strong>driver protocol due to licensing issues. While it may work fine in some cases, there\u2019s no guarantee that your device will be recognized or function properly within the software.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first step when recording in Audacity is to set up your audio hardware. Whether you\u2019re using the computer\u2019s built-in sound card or an external audio interface, it needs to be selected within Audacity\u2019s audio settings. Mac users will use the <strong>Core Audio <\/strong>driver. Depending on the application, PC users must use either <strong>MME<\/strong>,<strong> DirectSound<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>or <strong>WASAPI<\/strong>. Learn more about different Windows audio driver formats <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"in our guide here (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/articles\/roland-difference-between-asio-wdm-mme-drivers\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>in our guide here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Navigate to the&nbsp;<em>Device Toolbar<\/em>, select the driver type from the far left drop-down box, and then use the next drop-down box to select your device.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Select the input source, either&nbsp;<strong>Mono&nbsp;<\/strong>or&nbsp;<strong>Stereo<\/strong>, and select the output source.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls loop muted src=\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2019\/07\/Audacity-Select-Audio-Device.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em> Selecting an audio device within Audacity. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"How-to-create-and-record-audio-tracks-in-Audacity\" class=\"wp-block-cgb-block-customheader blackHeader alignLeft noUnderline customh2 swheader\">How to create and record audio tracks in Audacity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once your audio device has been selected, you\u2019re ready to check the levels and start recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Check the level by clicking anywhere in the <em>Recording Meter Toolbar <\/em>to start monitoring. Adjust the input level on your interface as necessary.<\/li><li>Press the <strong>Record <\/strong>button to begin recording, then press <strong>Stop <\/strong><em>(or Spacebar)<\/em> once finished.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls loop muted src=\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2019\/07\/Audacity-Record-Track.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"> <em>Monitor then record audio in Audacity. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"Save-and-export-audio-in-Audacity\" class=\"wp-block-cgb-block-customheader blackHeader alignLeft noUnderline customh2 swheader\">Save and export audio in Audacity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019re satisfied with the recording you created, you can save and export your project. Saving and exporting are different from one another. When you save in Audacity, it creates a&nbsp;<strong>.aup&nbsp;<\/strong>file that you can only open within Audacity. Exporting will allow you to save the project as an audio file such as a&nbsp;<strong>.WAV<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>.MP3<\/strong>, or&nbsp;<strong>.AIFF<\/strong>&nbsp;file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"How-to-save-a-project\" class=\"wp-block-cgb-block-customheader darkBlueHeader alignLeft underline customh3 swheader\">How to save a project<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Click <strong>File<\/strong>, then select <strong>Save Project <\/strong>and choose one of the following:<ul><li><em>Save Project <\/em>&#8211; Saves the project as a <strong>.aup <\/strong>project file and creates a <strong>data <\/strong>folder containing the audio.<\/li><li><em>Save Project As <\/em>&#8211; Saves a copy of the project as a <strong>.aup <\/strong>project file. Using this option is useful if you want to save a copy of the project to a different location or with another name.<\/li><li><em>Save Lossless Copy of Project <\/em>&#8211; Saves a copy of the project in an uncompressed, lossless format. This is particularly useful for backup purposes. Due to the lossless format, the project will have a large file size, and any envelopes applied to a track will be rendered in place.<\/li><li><em>Save Compressed Copy of Project <\/em>&#8211; Saves a copy of the project and compresses all audio files to <strong>.OGG<\/strong>. Saving a project this way is helpful for very large projects.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Select the folder path you wish to save the project, and then click <strong>Save.<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"Export-audio\" class=\"wp-block-cgb-block-customheader darkBlueHeader alignLeft underline customh3 swheader\">Export audio<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Click <strong>File<\/strong>, select <strong>Export<\/strong>, and choose one of the following:<ul><li><em>Export as MP3 <\/em>&#8211; Exports the project as an MP3 file.<\/li><li><em>Export as WAV <\/em>&#8211; Exports the project as a WAV file. The file size cannot exceed <strong>4GB<\/strong>.<\/li><li><em>Export as OGG <\/em>&#8211; Exports the project as a compressed OGG file.<\/li><li><em>Export Audio <\/em>&#8211; Allows you to select the audio file type to export the project as.&nbsp;<\/li><li><em>Export Selected Audio <\/em>&#8211; Exports only selected parts of your project. If nothing is selected, this option will be greyed out.<\/li><li><em>Export Multiple <\/em>&#8211; Exports the project as multiple audio files. This is useful if you have multiple tracks you need to export at the same time.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Choose the format options, including the quality and channel mode, and then press <strong>Save<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"How-to-import-audio-into-Audacity\" class=\"wp-block-cgb-block-customheader blackHeader alignLeft noUnderline customh2 swheader\">How to import audio into Audacity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Importing audio in Audacity is simple. With the main window open, click <strong>File<\/strong>, select <strong>Import<\/strong>, and select <strong>Audio<\/strong>. Alternatively, you can click and drag the file into the main window. The following audio formats are compatible with Audacity:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<ul><li><strong>WAV<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>WMA<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>MP3<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>AAC<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<ul><li><strong>AIFF<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>FLAC<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>AC3<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>AMR<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"How-to-add-a-plug-in-to-Audacity\" class=\"wp-block-cgb-block-customheader blackHeader alignLeft noUnderline customh2 swheader\">How to add a plug-in to Audacity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"background-color:#fff5c7\" class=\"has-background\"><strong>IMPORTANT: <\/strong>Audacity supports <strong>32-bit <\/strong>.<strong>VST2 <\/strong>plug-ins, and cannot load virtual instruments. <strong>64-bit <\/strong>and .<strong>VST3 <\/strong>plug-ins are not compatible.&nbsp;  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Audacity can load <strong>VST<\/strong> and <strong>AU<\/strong> (<em>Mac only<\/em>) plug-ins. You will first need to place it in the Audacity plug-in folder and then enable it. Follow these steps to load a plug-in within Audacity. Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/articles\/which-plug-format-need-for-my-daw\/\">our guide<\/a> about different types of plug-ins, their file locations, and their compatibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Find the plug-in file you wish to load and copy it into the Audacity Plug-Ins folder:<ul><li><strong>PC:&nbsp; <\/strong><em>C:\/Program Files (x86)\/Audacity\/Plug-Ins<\/em><\/li><li><strong>Mac: <\/strong><em>\/Library\/Application Support\/audacity\/Plug-Ins<\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Click <strong>Effect<\/strong>, and then select <strong>Add\/Remove Plug-ins<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Find the newly added plug-in, and then click <strong>Enable<\/strong>.&nbsp;<ul><li>Alternatively, you can click the <strong>New <\/strong>button in the top-right section of the <em>Effect<\/em> window.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Click <strong>Effect<\/strong> again, and select the plug-in.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls loop muted src=\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2019\/07\/Audacity-Enabling-plug-in.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em> Enabling a plug-in within Audacity. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1755078,"template":"","categories":[142726],"tags":[36155,246702,54722,101290,36319,34259,34740,34954,53816,55506],"storecat":[],"itemids":[],"manufacturers":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v17.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this guide, we will show you how to get up and running and also answer the most frequently asked questions with Audacity. 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