Marsha Chan demonstrates Audacity, a free, cross-platform, downloadable audio editor-recorder that she uses for language learning. She creates and broadcasts narratives, model dialogs, instructions, songs, and other types of podcasts. She uses recordings to provide students personalized audio feedback and correction on their speaking. She embeds sound files into web pages and multimedia. In this presentation, she shows how to get started.

1. Creating Sound Files
with Audacity
Marsha Chan
Mission College
Santa Clara, CA, USA


2. What is Audacity?
 Audacity® is free, open source, cross-platform software for recording
and editing sounds.Audacity is available for Windows®, Mac®,
GNU/Linux® and other operating systems.
 You can use Audacity to:
 Record live audio.
 Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
 Edit MP3, WAV, AIFF, and other sound files.
 Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together.
 Change the speed or pitch of a recording…and more!
 When you access the website, you'll see the latest updates.

3. Download Audacity software
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
http://audacity.sourceforge.net
/

4. Download LAME mp3 encoder

5. Audacity Manuals
 Installers
include a built-
in copy of the
Manual.
 You can also
view the
Manual online.

6. Getting started
1. Plug in your microphone.
2. Launch Audacity.
3. Open Audacity Preferences.
4. Select your recording and playback device(s),
e.g., built-in audio or external mic.
5. Select record in Mono.
6. Set default sample rate at 11025 Hz.
7. Set default sample format at 16-bit.
8. From the File menu, Save Project with an
appropriate filename in a place where you will
be able to find it easily. Example:
Joanne_ch07c.aup

7. Getting started
1. Plug in your microphone.
2. Launch Audacity.
3. Open Audacity Preferences.
4. Select your recording and playback device(s),
e.g., built-in audio or external mic.
5. Select record in Mono.
6. Set default sample rate at 11025 Hz.
7. Set default sample format at 16-bit.
8. From the File menu, Save Project with an
appropriate filename in a place where you will
be able to find it easily. Example:
Joanne_ch07c.aup

8. Getting started
1. Plug in your microphone.
2. Launch Audacity.
3. Open Audacity Preferences.
4. Select your recording and playback device(s),
e.g., built-in audio or external mic.
5. Select record in Mono.
6. Set default sample rate at 11025 Hz.
7. Set default sample format at 16-bit.
8. From the File menu, Save Project with an
appropriate filename in a place where you will
be able to find it easily. Example:
Joanne_ch07c.aup

9. Getting started
1. Plug in your microphone.
2. Launch Audacity.
3. Open Audacity Preferences.
4. Select your recording and playback device(s),
e.g., built-in audio or external mic.
5. Select record in Mono.
6. Set default sample rate at 11025 Hz.
7. Set default sample format at 16-bit.
8. From the File menu, Save Project with an
appropriate filename in a place where you will
be able to find it easily. Example:
Joanne_ch07c.aup

10. Getting started
1. Plug in your microphone.
2. Launch Audacity.
3. Open Audacity Preferences.
4. Select your recording and playback device(s),
e.g., built-in audio or external mic.
5. Select record in Mono.
6. Set default sample rate at 11025 Hz.
7. Set default sample format at 16-bit.
8. From the File menu, Save Project with an
appropriate filename in a place where you will
be able to find it easily. Example:
Joanne_ch07c.aup

11. Record your project
Click Record and other buttons on the main tool bar:
Click on the red Record button to begin recording.
Click on the blue Pause button to pause the recording. Press
it again to continue.
Click on the yellow Stop button to stop recording. The
cursor will return to its previous position, before the
recording was started.
Click on the green Play button to listen to the audio in your
project.
Click on the purple Go to Start button to place the cursor at
the start of the project.
Click on the purple Go to End button to place the cursor at
the end of the project.

12. Edit volume
 Check the amplitude
(volume) of your recording. If
it is low, select the sound clip
(or a portion of it).
 Then select Effect > Amplify.
Audacity calculates an
appropriate amplification rate
with the default Don’t allow
clipping. Click OK.

13. Save your project
 If you plan to do a lot of editing, File > Save Project often.
Example: skiing_with_my_family.aup

14. Export your project
as an MP3
 An MP3 file is a compressed file that
occupies much less space than the
original or a WAV file. For example,
an Audacity project of 14.6 MB is
exported as an MP3 of only 3 MB.
 From your Audacity project, select
Edit > Export As MP3.
 Name the file. Example:
skiing_with_my_family.mp3

15. Ways to use mp3 files
 Import the file into a multimedia project.
 Send the file to students as an email attachment.
 Upload the file to a web server and link to it on a web page.
 Burn the file to an audio CD and play it in the classroom.
 There are lots and lots of options.

16. Online demonstration
 Marsha’s screen recording, a tutorial on how to
record and edit a sound file in Audacity
 Several tips and tricks for using Audacity, e.g.
deleting sections, adding and mixing tracks, fading
out, etc. (Created in Apple iMovie and Quicktime)
 http://youtu.be/fI6U5qgAzII

17. Have fun speaking with
Audacity!
Marsha Chan
Mission College
Santa Clara, CA, USA
marsha_chan@wvm.edu
marsha@sunburstmedia.com


18. You may also be interested
in Marsha Chan’s
Using Audacity
to Give Oral
Feedback
to Students
