Recording Audio with Audacity

Introduction

This article provides a comprehensive guide on recording audio using Audacity. It covers the steps from setting up the microphone, trimming the recording, and saving the final audio file.

Instructions

1. Launch Audacity.
2. On the View menu, select Toolbars and then select Device Toolbar. The Device Toolbar displays the current microphone and settings for other devices.
3. On the Device Toolbar, select the microphone you want to use for recording.
4. When you are ready to record, click Record (red circle) and begin speaking clearly.
5. When you have finished recording, click Stop (black square).
6. To trim the clip, hover the pointer over the vertical lines at the beginning or end of the clip and drag the lines to shorten the clip to your preferred length. (Click the above image to view a video demonstration.)
7. When you have finished trimming the clip, on the File menu, select Export Audio.
8. You may see a pop-up window in which you select whether to export the audio to a proprietary cloud service or to your computer.
9. If you select On your computer, in the Export Audio window, enter a File Name, select a Folder, and a Format. Configure any additional audio options as needed, and then select Export to save the file.