Now that you know how to navigate your screen, it’s time to learn how to make basic edits to your audio in Audacity. Here’s how you can efficiently cut, add, and adjust audio segments.
Basic Audio Edits: #
Step 1: Removing Unwanted Audio
Listen to your audio in real time. Place your cursor at the start of the section you wish to remove. Highlight the unwanted section by dragging your cursor to the endpoint. Press the Delete key to remove the selected audio. The track will shrink, and the section will be deleted.
Step 2: Adding Audio to the End of a Track
Import the additional audio by going to File > Import > Audio and selecting your file. The imported audio will appear on a new track (e.g., Track 2). Use the Time Shift Tool to slide the new audio so that it aligns with the end of the existing track.
Step 3: Copying and Pasting Audio
Highlight the desired portion of audio on Track 2. Press Ctrl + C (Cmd + C on Mac) to copy. Place your cursor at the point on Track 1 where you want to insert the audio. Press Ctrl + V (Cmd + V on Mac) to paste the copied audio onto Track 1.
Step 4: Removing Added Audio
Click the X on Track 2 to remove it after copying. Highlight any unnecessary sections of the pasted audio on Track 1 and press Delete.
Step 5: Viewing the Entire Track
Go to View > Track Size > Fit to Width to ensure the entire track is visible for easier editing.
Normalizing and Noise Reduction: #
Step 1: Normalize New Audio Sections
Highlight the new portion of audio. Go to Effect > Normalize and click OK to apply normalization with the default settings (-1 dB).
Step 2: Apply Noise Reduction
Assuming the same noise profile as the original track, highlight the new section. Go to Effect > Noise Reduction, leave the default settings as they are, and click OK to apply the noise reduction profile.
By following these steps, you can perform basic edits such as cutting, adding, and adjusting audio to create a seamless spoken word project.