Blog . Getting Started with Audacity
04/28/14 | Posted by Leah Yochman | Posted in Digital Creativity
Things To Know About Sound Files and Audio
You should only import uncompressed audio into sound editing programs, such as .wav and .aiff files. This gives you a high quality audio file when you finish. It is possible to import and edit compressed audio files, it will just decrease the audio quality once it’s exported. This website allows you to convert audio files to a .mp3, .wav, .wma, or .ogg file type. It also gives you four different options for the audio quality.
If you want to edit the audio, you first need to select the area you want to edit. You do this in a similar way to selecting text in a word document. Take the cursor to the start of your audio, click, and drag it to the end point of the area you want to edit. Once it is highlighted you can start editing your audio.
If you have a part of your audio you want to fade in or out, select that part of the file. Once it is selected, “Edit” “Fade In” or “Fade Out” and it will change that selection of the audio to the effect. If you want it to fade in more, you can “Command”/”Crtl” “R” to continue adding the effect to your audio until you are pleased with the sound. This can be used at the beginning and end of your audio file, but it can also be useful in other spots too. If you want a part of the audio to fade in or out in the middle of the sound file, or have a section gradually get louder or softer, this effect will do the job.
To remove audio, you can chop out the section and get rid of it completely by selecting the area and then pressing “Delete” on the keyboard. If you are having a hard time finding the area on the audio track you can zoom in by clicking the magnifying glass with the “+” in the upper right hand corner. Another option is to reduce the volume in that spot. You can do so by selecting the area, and then “Edit” “Amplify”. If you move the slider to the left, choosing a negative value, the volume lowers.
If the audio has unwanted noise, hums, or any recurring sounds that take away from what the audio is supposed to be, using noise removal will be a big help in getting the audio distraction-free. Select the area you want to rid of noise, and then “Edit” “Noise Removal.” A new window will pop up and you need to select “Get Noise Profile.” Reopen the noise removal window and press “Ok” to apply the effect. You can keep applying the same effect by pressing “Command”/”Crtl” “R” on the keyboard. Noise Removal will reduce constant sounds, but cannot get rid of interruptions or distinct sounds from the audio.
You will have the option to choose what file type to export to, I would suggest an MP3 file type.