Audacity Step-by-Step Tutorial for Beginners

How to use Audacity to Record & Edit Audio - Beginners Tutorial (2024). In this step-by-step tutorial, learn how to record and edit audio using Audacity. Audacity is free, open-source, and works across platforms, including Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Audacity has the easiest interface and hence very easy to get started as a beginner. Though Audacity is free and lightweight, it is a very powerful audio editor if you know how to use it properly. I have tried to show you some nice editing techniques and features of Audacity in this beginner-level tutorial.

Professional Podcasters and Voice-Over artists use Audacity as it does the job properly. People also use Audacity to edit audio for YouTube videos.

Audacity 3.2.5 has been used, the latest version at the time of making this beginner-level tutorial. After completing this tutorial, please check other tutorials on this channel, like how to make your sound better using Audacity or how to use multiple tracks in Audacity.

Covering how to record, how to edit, and how to make your voice sound better. In this step-by-step tutorial, learn how to record and edit audio using Audacity. Shows the basic use of all the necessary tools in Audacity and discusses all the necessary audio effects.

Covers everything from how to set up a microphone to how to get polished audio from a recording. Watch this mega Audacity tutorial, and you will become very comfortable and confident using Audacity.

Some TimeStamps:
00:00 How to record
15:38 Add labels
20:25 How to add effects
40:54 Real-time effects

[StephenCarterStressExpert]

I've used Audacity for years and watched scores of videos focused on how to use it from beginner level to advanced user. This gentleman provides tips and Audacity features I have never seen shared in other tutorials. This video and his other Audacity tutorials are excellent resources no matter if you're a brand new user or you've used the application for years. Highly, highly recommended.

[rhylin]

“EQ is the process of editing volume by frequencies.” I’ve done audio for awhile and this one sentence made the concept of EQ finally click for me!

[Steve-cpvl]

I couldn't have watched this at a better time. I'm learning Audacity now and loving it. Thank you for an excellent video. I am forever subscribed. 😃

[roydunstan]

Thank you very much this has been a great help to me but I will have to watch it over a few more times before It sinks in

[ArjunTheSeekerOfTruth]

Thanks a lot for making this tutorial. God Bless You.

I agree that locking the label to the audio would be very useful! It frustrates me no end that they aren't locked now.

[esal.]

This was excellent, thank you very much. I hope you get as much attention as you rightfully deserve!

[romualdyomkil]

Thanks for giving hope to beginners!
You nailed it.

[guntergrenner]

I should have looked at this info when I started working with Audacity. It would have saved me a lot of time and frustration.

[jemandthemystery]

Creating a tempo/click/ rhythm track would be good to know.
Example use case:
Recording some rhythm guitar tracks to a certain tempo in a home recording environment before exporting them elsewhere (eg. A music studio) to continue there in other DAW software. You will want the home recorded guitars to match the studio project tempo.

Use case #2: importing a rough stereo mix from a studio and matching the tempo in Audacity before recording some extra tracks on top and sending those back.

As you can see, I’m asking if Audacity can be used as a simple setup as a complement to a larger, DAW setup elsewhere for making quick additions to that larger project.

[Ravitsinger]

Great learning experience, this tutorial covers it all for me! I'm using Audacity for voice over and singing as well

[lukasfletcher]

Very informative video. Would just like to point out that at 34:22 when comparing EQ'd vs original, there are more changes than just the EQ. Would have been nice to hear the difference with just the EQ changes isolated.

[suzannefrank]

Fantastic! I will return with feedback once I have mixed the first podcast 😂

[chrisherry]

Thank You Mike.. very clear explanation to follow through while watching. i think it could be much better with time track to jumpin' rounnd / search a certain issue. Great Job

[nathansr-jitq]

Very Helpful Tutorial. Thanks a lot for sharing !

[andrewk]

I'd like some more tutorial on the topic of when I've made a mistake (I do that often!) in my voiceover and I need to re-record a section of audio.
I have done the second recording and it was placed at the end of the track. So far, so good. But when I attempted to copy that second recording and place it in the original track, everything went askew. The first error I encountered was "There is not enough room to paste the selection." But I managed to figure that one out.
But I can't figure out why the segments I record later (to correct my errors) are pushing everything all over the place. Sometimes it seems like my original is being overwritten, but at other times, it is not being overwritten.
I'm so confused that I don't even know if what I've said now makes sense!

[KofiBonsrah]

Please make a video on ways of recording and mixing music on audacity

[richardarsto]

Thank you for sharing
why I do not have Project Rate in my screen

[SonicVibe-Jason]

That's good stuff. I missed one thing, in the audio settings should I use the Host MME? I am about to start an audio book, so this helped alot. Any tips and tricks about basic narration would be highly appreciated. Again, great video and thanks alot... Subscribed!

[hopeforamerica]

Long video with a lot of info, thank you. I would suggest putting a lot more timestamps in a video like this as I found it difficult to go back and find specific info, but thank you. Here is my question: You began the effects portion saying that the effects needed to be done in the order of, 1-Noise reduction, 2-EQ, 3-Compressor, 4-Normalize. However, when you got to the Real-time effects portion those were not done in that order. So, in real-time effects it does not matter what order to do them, correct? (The Normalization was not addressed in the real-time effects?) But if done the other way, in Audacity settings, they do need to be in the first order, correct?