Audacity Editing

[last updated: 2025-06-20]
Audacity
Audio Recording notes
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• Open/load file to be edited:
  • File (top menu bar) --> Open
    browse to desired file, double-click
  • You can edit (at least) mp3, wav, mkv (from OBS Studio), ...
  • Opening another file will open a new instance of Audacity.
  • Note that if two waveforms are displayed, then in fact you have opened a Stereo file
• Export edited file (when done editing):
  • File (top menu bar) --> Export --> Export As (select desired output format)
    (suggest .wav file)
  • enter desired filename --> Save

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• Deselect all:
  • Select (top menu bar) --> All
  • Select (top menu bar) --> None

• Select a section of the waveform:
  • One way to do it:
    • position cursor at desired start position in waveform
    • click-hold & drag to end position
      release click
    • Notice the desired section now has a white background,
      indicating that indeed it has been "selected."
    • Notice also that the "time" row at the top of the waveform now has a double-ended arrow showing the extent of the selection.
    • Notice also that the parameter box in the bottom bar, near the left, labeled "Start and End of Selection" (default option)
      will now show the timestamp of the start and end of your selection.
      • The two timestamp boxes (start and end) will both be at zero when you first open a file.
      • If you do a Select-All, then the left (start) timestamp will be 0,
        and the right timestamp (end) will be the time at the end of your file.
      • But if you click anywhere in the waveform, first notice that the waveform background will revert to grey, indicating that you have "deselected" everything,
        and both the start and end timestamps will now show the time of the cursor position where you clicked.
        
    • Another way:
      • Directly enter into "start and end of selection" box:"
    • Another way - Not?:
      • click in waveform at start of your desired section
        Select (top menu bar) --> Region --> Left at Playback position --> OK
      • click in waveform at end of your desired section
        Select (top menu bar) --> Region --> Right at Playback position --> OK
      • However, even though I think I made this work once, I can't repeat it...
    • When done, or to cancel the selection:
      Select --> All

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  • Zoom view selected region:
    • Once you have selected a region,
      View (top menu bar) --> Zoom --> Zoom to Selection
    • To return to normal, ie. zoomed into entire track,
      Select --> All, Select --> None, View --> Zoom --> Zoom to Selection

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  • Edit a selected region:
    • When you have selected a region (as above) that you want to edit...

    • Delete the section:
      Edit (top menu bar) --> Delete
      ----------------
    • Copy the section:
      Edit --> Copy
      • Once you have copied a section, you'll want to paste it somewhere
      • Click in the waveform (of whichever track/file - see track stuff below...)
        at your desired insertion point, then:
        Edit --> paste
      • The copied section will overwrite anything that is already there in the timeline at the insertion point.

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    • Fade-in, fade-out:
      Select section at start or end of track, typ. 5 - 15sec,
      menu: Effect --> Fade In, or Fade out
      ----------------
    • Change tempo - keep pitch same:
      • Effects --> Tempo

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  • Mix/Merge tracks:
    • Tracks (top menu bar) --> Mix and Render to new track
    • If you have two (or more) tracks loaded, and you hit play, all of them will play.
      If you only want one to play, you must click the Solo button (on the left...)
      Same applies to exporting: If you want to only export one track, you must select Solo, else all tracks in your project will be exported

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