Audacity Quick Start Guide

Audacity is a powerful tool, but you only need to know a few key moves to handle 90% of your audio tasks. Whether you’re cleaning up a recording or making a ringtone, here is how to do it.

1. The “Golden Rule” of Editing

Before you do anything, find the Selection Tool. It looks like a capital “I” (the I-Beam) in your top toolbar.

• Shortcut: Press F1.

• This tool works just like highlighting text in Word. Click and drag across the “wave” (the blue shapes) to select the audio you want to change.

2. How to Trim (Keep only the “Good Stuff”)

If you have a 10-minute recording but only want a 30-second clip:

1. Use the Selection Tool to highlight the part you want to KEEP.

2. Press Ctrl + T (Windows) or Cmd + T (Mac).

3. Everything outside your selection will vanish instantly.

To Delete a Mistake: If you just want to remove a “cough” or a pause in the middle, highlight the bad part and hit the Delete key. The audio will automatically “snap” together to fill the gap.

3. How to Remove Background Noise (Hum/Hiss)

This is Audacity’s “magic” trick. It works in two steps:

• Step A: The Fingerprint. Highlight about 2 seconds of “silence” in your recording (where there is just background hiss, no talking). Go to Effect > Noise Removal and Repair > Noise Reduction and click “Get Noise Profile.” The window will close—it now knows what “noise” looks like.

• Step B: The Clean-up. Select your entire track (Ctrl + A). Go back to Effect > Noise Removal and Repair > Noise Reduction and simply click OK.

• Audacity will now mathematically “subtract” the hiss from your entire recording.

4. How to Save as an MP3

Audacity saves its own projects in a special format, but to play your audio on a phone or car, you need to Export it.

1. Go to File > Export Audio… (Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + E).

2. Choose Export to Computer.

3. Under Format, select MP3 Files.

4. Give it a name, hit Export, and you’re done!

Pro Tip: The “Undo” Button

If you accidentally delete the wrong thing, don’t panic. Just press Ctrl + Z. Audacity has an “infinite” undo history, so you can always go back as many steps as you need.