Audacity is probably the best free audio editing software: it is open source, “runs” on all major PC operating systems (Windows, macOS and Linux) and offers a wide range of functions capable of satisfying all users, from those novice to more experienced ones. It can be used to create audio recordings, podcasts and even songs, to improve the quality of existing recordings or music, to mix two or more audio tracks and much more.
Now, illustrating all the features of Audacity would be almost impossible, or rather, it would take dozens of guides to do it, but if you want I can tell you about the most important ones and help you get started with this extraordinary program.
So, what do you think? Are you ready to start? Good. Take five minutes of free time and find out how to use Audacity thanks to the information I’m about to give you: find all the information you need right below. Enjoy your reading and have fun!
Index
- Preliminary information
- How to download and install Audacity
- How to use Audacity to record
- How to use Audacity to cut songs
- How to use Audacity to enhance audio
- How to use Audacity to remove the voice
- How to use Audacity to mix
Preliminary information
Before getting to the heart of the tutorial, going to explain how to proceed to use Audacity , there is some preliminary information , in this regard, which is my duty to provide you.
As I told you at the beginning of the guide, Audacity is totally free and is compatible with all major computer operating systems: Windows , macOS and Linux . Here, then, are the recommended requirements to make the best use of this software.
Windows
- Operating system: Windows 10and Windows 11 ; it may also work correctly on Windows 8.x , Windows 7 and Windows Vista , but they are now obsolete operating systems.
- RAM:minimum 2G; 4 GB recommended.
- Processor:at least 1 GHz; 2 GHz recommended.
macOS
- Operating system:macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later; on Mac with Apple Silicon chip it “runs” through the Rosetta 2 emulator integrated in macOS.
- RAM:at least 2 GB; for long multi-track projects a minimum of 4 GB is recommended.
- Processor:at least 2 GHz; for long multi-track projects at least 4 GHz is recommended.
Linux
- Operating system:latest version of GNU / Linux of the distribution used.
- RAM:at least 1 GB.
- Processor:at least 2 GHz.
Also keep in mind that unlike what happened with older versions of Audacity, it is now possible to intervene on MP3 files without the need to install additional components, as the software patent for the LAME library (i.e. the component of the program that allowed exporting files in the format in question) has expired and, consequently, the latter has been integrated into the versions of Audacity for Windows and macOS (on Linux it is almost always installed as a dependency).
How to download and install Audacity
At this point, I’d say we’re there: we can finally get to the heart of the tutorial and find out how to use Audacity. First, you need to download and install the program on your computer.
So, if you are using Windows , you can access the relevant section of the Windows 10/11 Microsoft Store and press the button to proceed with the download . Alternatively, connect to the appropriate section of the Audacity website , and wait for the download to start automatically (if it does not happen, to fix it, click on the Audacity xxx 64 bit installer link or on the Audacity xxx 32 bit installer link , depending on whether you are using a 64-bit or 32-bit computer ). Instead, if you want to download the portable version of the software, select the link Audacity xxx 64 bit zip file or thatAudacity xxx 32 bit zip file (always depending on the version of Windows used).
When the download is complete, if you have chosen to use the installable version of Audacity, open the EXE file obtained and, in the window that appears on the desktop, click on the Yes button . Subsequently, choose Italian from the drop-down menu that appears , click on the OK button and complete the installation of the program by pressing the Next button five consecutive times and the Install , Next and Finish buttons .
If, on the other hand, you have decided to use the portable version of the program, extract the ZIP file obtained in a folder of your choice and start the EXE file that is inside it.
If you are using macOS , instead, visit this other section of the Audacity website and wait for the download to start automatically (if it doesn’t, click on the Audacity 3.1.3.dmg file link to fix it ).
When the download is complete, open the DMG package obtained and drag the Audacity icon from the window that appears to the Mac Applications folder . Then, open this folder, start the program by double clicking on the Audacity icon you just copied and press Open button , in order to go around the limitations imposed by Apple against non-certified developers (an operation that must be carried out only in conjunction with the first run).
If you have a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip (eg M1), you may be prompted to proceed with the installation of Rosetta 2 , a software that allows you to run programs initially designed for Intel processors even on Apple-branded ones. If this happens, click on the Install button in the Rosetta window and, when done, restart your Mac and reopen Audacity.
At this point, regardless of whether you are using Windows or macOS, you should find yourself in front of the program window. Click, therefore, on the OK button to close the various information windows that open.
Then check that the software is translated into Italian. Otherwise, click on the Edit menu at the top left, select the Preferences item in it, then the Interface item from the sidebar of the new window that is shown to you and choose the Italian option from the Language drop-down menu . To save the changes, click on the OK button .
How to use Audacity to record
Now, you can start using Audacity, so I would say not to lose too much in small talk and first of all go find out how to use the program to record .
To start a recording in Audacity, you must first choose the input device, i.e. the microphone you want to use for the recording. So, click on the drop-down menu located next to the microphone icon at the top of the window and select the name of the microphone you want to use by the latter (e.g. integrated microphone to use the microphone integrated in the PC).
Next, choose whether to make a mono or stereo recording from the adjacent drop-down menu and set the recording volume using the appropriate adjustment bar located next to the other microphone icon . Personally I suggest you leave the volume bar in the center or even a little below to avoid the annoying “croaking” effect.
If you’re using a Windows PC, you can also set the computer’s speakers as Audacity’s audio source. In this way, the program will not record your voice but all the sounds that are reproduced by the PC sound card (eg the audio of a video, a Web radio, etc.). To do this, select the Windows WASAPI item from the drop-down menu located next to the microphone icon on the left and the Speakers item from the drop-down menu for selecting the input device (instead of the microphone).
At this point, click on the Audacity Rec button (the one with the red circle ) located at the top left and create your audio recording. If necessary, you can pause the recording by clicking the Pause button at the top left and resume the recording later.
When you have finished your recording, press the Audacity Stop button which is always located at the top left and save the final result by clicking on the File menu , on the Export item present in it and then indicating the output format you prefer from the further menu appeared. In the window that opens, assign a name to the file you are about to create, adjust any options related to bitrate, quality, etc. and click the Save button to start exporting the recording to a location of your choice.
How to use Audacity to cut songs
Among the most used functions of Audacity there is certainly the one that allows you to cut songs or in any case to delete portions of audio files.
To cut a part of your recording or an existing audio file that you can load into the program by clicking on the File menu at the top left and then on the Open item , select the latter in the Audacity graph, then go to the Edit menu and select the Cut item or Delete item in it. The difference between the two options is that with the first you have the option of pasting the trimmed audio portion to another point in the recording, while with the second the audio portion is permanently deleted.
If you are unable to correctly select the portion of audio you want to remove, make sure that the button for the Selection tool is active in the Audacity toolbar (the one with the black “I” ) and help by increasing the zoom level of the graph by pressing on magnifying glass icon with the symbol (+) .
For more details, you can read my guide on how to cut audio with Audacity .
How to use Audacity to enhance audio
Now let’s see how to use Audacity to improve audio (within the limits of the possible, of course), going to act both on recordings made personally and on existing audio files open in the program.
One of the most useful functions, in this sense, is that for removing noise , which allows you to automatically delete all disturbing noises present in the recordings (eg background buzzing, sirens, etc.). To use it, select a portion of the audio that contains the noise to be eliminated, then go to the Effects menu and choose the Noise Reduction item from the latter.
In the window that opens, click on the Process noise profile button , let Audacity process the noise profile to be deleted and select the entire recording graph (or in any case the part from which you want to remove the disturbing noises), then return to the Effects menu> Noise Removal , adjust the noise reduction settings according to your preferences and first click on the Preview button to listen to a preview of the final result and on the OK button to apply the changes.
Another very useful function for improving recordings is compression , which allows you to reduce the “volume” differences between the various audio sources present in a recording each time a certain dB threshold is exceeded. To use it, select the entire recording, go to the Effects menu and choose the Compression item .
In the window that opens, adjust the settings for threshold, background noise, etc. according to your tastes and click first on the Preview button to listen to a preview of the final result and then on the OK button to apply the changes.
You might also find it handy to know how to adjust the volume and speed of the audio. In the first case, if you want to increase the volume of an audio file or a portion of it, select the latter in the Audacity graph, go to the Effects menu , select the Amplify item and, in the window that opens, choose the dB number to increase the volume of the recording using the appropriate adjustment bar, then click first on the Preview button to listen to a preview of the final result and on the OK button to apply the changes, making sure in advance that there is no check mark next to the item Allow clippingto avoid sound distortion.
If you want to normalize the volume so that there are not too many differences between the various parts that compose it, select the entire track in the Audacity graph, go to the Effects menu and select the Normalize option from the latter.
To change the speed of an audio or a position, on the other hand, select the portion in the Audacity graph in relation to which you want to act, go to the Effects menu and click on the Change tempo item and, in the window that opens, bring the time adjustment bar forward (to speed up the audio file) or backward (to slow down the audio file) and first click on the Preview button to listen to a preview of the final result and on the OK button to save the changes.
If you want, you can also change the speed of the voice in a recording without affecting the overall length of the song. In this case, you must select the part of the audio to be modified in the Audacity graph, go to the Effects menu and click on the Change pitch item .
For further information on the practices described in this step, you can consult my guides dedicated specifically to how to improve the recorded voice , how to equalize a song and how to slow down a song .
How to use Audacity to remove the voice
Audacity can also be used to remove vocals from recordings and songs that are fed to him. How? I’ll explain it to you right away.
To begin with, click on the Audio Track menu to the left of the graph and on the Split Stereo Track option from the menu that appears to separate the stereo channels of the song.
At this point, fully highlight one of the two graphs in the main window of the program, by double clicking on it, then expand the Effects menu located at the top, choose the Invert item from the latter and select the inversion mode you prefer from the ‘further menu proposed.
After completing the above steps, first click on the Audio Track item (to the left of each of the two graphs) and then on the Mono option , to convert the two channels of the song from stereo to mono. Done!
To conclude, click on the Play button to listen to the changes made and if you are satisfied, proceed with saving the modified audio file, by going to the File menu at the top left, choosing the Export audio from the latter option and the format of output you prefer.
For more details, you can refer to my guide dedicated specifically to how to remove vocals from a piece of music .
How to use Audacity to mix
Audacity is a multi-track editor, this means that it allows you to operate on more than one audio track at the same time and to mix multiple audio tracks into one.
To import multiple songs or recordings into the program, go to the File menu at the top left, select the Import item in it and then the Audio one , then select all the audio files of your interest (together or one at a time, it makes no difference ). When the operation is complete, you can modify each track individually as I have already explained to you or you can mix everything using the tools that Audacity offers.
To adjust the volume or the orientation of a track (ie if the sound should be heard a little more to the right or to the left) you have to act on the adjustment bars located next to it, on the left.
If, on the other hand, you want to move a track so that it starts earlier or later than the others, move the mouse pointer over its graph, wait for a hand icon to appear and by left clicking and continuing to hold it moves everything, then release the socket. If you need it, you can also add a new “live” recording to the tracks already in Audacity by clicking on the program’s Rec button .
After creating your “mix”, click on the Play button to listen to a preview in real time and, if you are satisfied with the result, save it by going to the File menu at the top left, selecting the Export audio from the latter option and the output format you prefer.
More information on the whole procedure can be found in my previous tutorials on how to mix MP3 and how to mix vocals . In case you need to isolate the voice from a song or, vice versa, to extrapolate the backing track of a song, take a look at my guides on how to isolate the voice from a song and how to remove the voice from a song. piece of music .