The Audacity Channel

Audacity version 3.4.0 is out but there's a bug you need to know about, along with a temporary fix if this bug is bugging you! I'm also a little disappointed with this update because even though it's a major update, there isn't any real change or improvements for us spoken word content creators. There are some updates and improvements for those in the music world but little if anything it seems, for those of us who don't do music creation. Audacity's overview video of version 3.4 for musicians: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgdYuSHdkso&t=0sOther Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

I've been presented with a couple of business opportunities that I'm going to take advantage of. That means that I'm going to have to channel my audio and video resources and skills elsewhere for a time. To clear off my plate a little, some things have to be rearranged. So I'm putting The Audacity Channel podcast on hiatus for the time being. It will still be here - I'm not taking it down - and I may drop a new episode from time-to-time. We'll see what the future holds. Thanks to everyone who follows this podcast. I appreciate you all. Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

Welcome to season 3 of the Audacity Channel podcast. I'm building the theme of season 3 around Audacity how-tos. In this first episode I take a look at how to fix a loud noise floor using the built-in effects in Audacity. I'm assuming a couple of things here, namely that the noise floor we're trying to fix doesn't have any weird artifacts in it like barking dogs or other background noises that don't belong. That's a problem for a different episode. https://support.audacityteam.org/troubleshooting/missing-features#audacity-wikihttps://youtu.be/akizoySBus4Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

Due to circumstances beyond my control (like moving, hanging endless curtains on thousands of windows, endless back-to-back meetings with contractors and repair people, policing the landscapers, being an amazing husband, and finally putting together a vocal booth, I've had to delay the start of Season 3 until next week, May 31st. I hope you'll join me! Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

In this final episode of Season 2, I talk about exporting your project as an MP3 file and some of the things that are easy to overlook in Audacity when exporting. I also mention a couple of things related to ACX audiobook requirements to keep in mind if you're exporting your project as an audiobook chapter or chapters. Don't forget I teach in-depth Audacity training courses at the Audacity Bootcamp. You'll find me there by visiting https://www.audacitybootcamp.com. I'll see you in Season 3, beginning May 24th. Here's a look at where we've been in this season of The Audacity Channel podcast: Episode 11: Exporting Our Audacity Project as an MP3 (This Episode)Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

Setting the correct loudness level (LUFS) for your podcast is an important step in post-production that shouldn't be overlooked. Leveling your audio helps ensure consistent loudness from beginning to end and gives the listener a better listening experience because they don't have to constantly adjust the volume of your podcast as it plays. Doing loudness leveling minimizes the loudness fluctuations that can otherwise occur, things like audio trailing off at the end of a sentence or loudness differences between multiple hosts or guests. The LUFS level for a stereo podcast is -16dB LUFS. For a mono podcast, it's -19dB LUFS. In this episode I suggest a few different tools that are available to help you hit your LUFS target level for the kind of podcast you're doing, either stereo or mono. Resources for LUFS leveling I mention in this podcast: In addition to Audacity's built-in loudness leveler, I talk about... Here's a look at where we've been and where we're going in this season of The Audacity Channel podcast: Episode 10: Setting The Correct LUFS Level For Your Podcast (This Episode)Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

I'm taking a short detour from our regular Season 2 episodes to let you know Audacity has released version 3.3.0. I made a video outlining what's new and what's changed in Audacity 3.3.0. The link is below, as well as a link to Audacity's GitHub page which outlines the changes. I'll post our regular Season 2 video in a couple of days. The link to my Audacity 3.3.0 Video: https://youtu.be/-qzvqn-08D0 Audacity's GitHub Page: https://github.com/audacity/audacity/releases Enjoy! Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

Let's take a few minutes to talk about using realtime effects in Audacity. The ability to add realtime, non-destructive effects takes Audacity to an entirely new level as a mainstream digital audio workstation. Plus, it's free! My purpose in this video isn't to recommend specific plugins (there are so many out there, making that a near impossible task). My purpose is to talk about how to add realtime effects and then describe my order of realtime effects when editing a podcast. I don't mention compression as one of my effects because I use a hardware compressor (my DBX 286S) so my audio is compressed before it ever gets recorded. Here's a look at where we've been and where we're going in this season of The Audacity Channel podcast: Episode 8: Adding Realtime Effects in Audacity (This Episode)Links I talk about in this episode: https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/updated-de-clicker-and-new-de-esser-for-speech/34283https://youtu.be/EQHaWQRYViwOther Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

Let's talk about recording and editing in multi-track as opposed to single track where everyone in the show is recording on the same track and possibly even the intro and outro music. I've been doing multi-track recording and editing for years now. But when I began doing podcasts, I recorded everything onto one track. That's a challenge because if you have more than one person on your podcast, what works for EQ and other tonal adjustments for one of them, probably won't work as well for the other. In addition, if the person not speaking makes a sound while the other person's talking it's going to be hard, if not impossible to delete that piece of audio. Multi-track makes post-production so much easier. Here's a look at where we've been and where we're going in this season of The Audacity Channel podcast: (This Episode)Episode 7: Editing Multi-Track Projects in Audacity (This Episode)Links I talk about in this episode (these are affiliate links so I get a couple of dollars if you purchase using these links). https://amzn.to/3mv6DyDhttps://amzn.to/3UsOvlshttps://amzn.to/43n7nqaOther Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

What is sample rate, bit depth, and bit rate? It's important to know what each of these is and what settings to use for each because all three contribute directly to the overall quality of our final audio. So let's take some time to talk about them using easy-to-understand definitions. Here's a look at where we've been and where we're going in this season of The Audacity Channel podcast: Episode 6: Audio Quality: Hitting the Mark with Sample Rate, Bit Depth, and Bit Rate (This Episode)Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

One of the things that helps me be a better podcaster and spoken word content creator is seeing what other creators do. Getting a glimpse of the hardware and production processes of other podcasters and audiobook creators challenges me to improve where I can. In this episode, I give you a rundown of the hardware I use in my recording chain. Enjoy! Here's a look at where we've been and where we're going in this season of The Audacity Channel podcast: Episode 5: My Recording Hardware Chain (This Episode)Reminder: MARCH MADNESS IS HAPPENING NOW AT THE AUDACITY BOOTCAMP! There are only a few days left in The Audacity Bootcamp 50% off March Madness sale. To take advantage of this 50% off sale, simply enter the coupon code MADNESS when signing up for a course. This is 50% off the already low cost of my Audacity courses and I cover your sales tax!! To take advantage of this March Madness sale, point your web browser to The Audacity Bootcamp Online School for Podcasters and Audiobook Narrators at: https://www.audacitybootcamp.com/Once there, select the course(s) you're interested in, enroll and enter the coupon code MADNESS. But hurry! This sale ends in just a few short days! Once you enroll, you own the course. There is no recurring fee and there are no strings attached. My course videos are comprehensive and will give you the skills and confidence you need so you can produce exceptional audio using Audacity. But don't take my word for it. Check out the reviews while you're there and take advantage of the free preview videos I've provided. Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

Arguably, knowing how to speak correctly into the mic you're using for the room you're in is the single biggest factor when it comes to recording good initial audio, as opposed to bad or mediocre audio. Good microphone technique can make audio recorded in a bad recording environment, sound good. On the flip side, bad microphone technique can make audio recorded in a well-treated room sound mediocre, or just downright bad. Good microphone technique is tied to the type of mic you're using and is one more ingredient to making sure our initial audio is as good as it can be. Here's a look at where we've been and where we're going in this season of The Audacity Channel podcast: Episode 4: Microphone Technique (This Episode)Reminder: MARCH MADNESS IS IN FULL SWING AT THE AUDACITY BOOTCAMP! The Audacity Bootcamp 50% off March Madness sale is happening the entire month of March. To take advantage of this 50% off sale, simply enter the coupon code MADNESS when signing up for a course. This is 50% off the already low cost of my Audacity courses and I cover your sales tax!! To take advantage of this March Madness sale, point your web browser to The Audacity Bootcamp Online School for Podcasters and Audiobook Narrators at: https://www.audacitybootcamp.com/Once there, select the course(s) you're interested in, enroll and enter the coupon code MADNESS. Once you enroll, you own the course. There is no recurring fee and there are no strings attached. My course videos are comprehensive and will give you the skills and confidence you need so you can produce exceptional audio using Audacity. But don't take my word for it. Check out the reviews while you're there and take advantage of the free preview videos I've provided. Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

Let's talk next about good microphone placement. Depending on the conditioning of our recording room and the type of microphone we're using, where we place our microphone can have an impact on the quality of our initial audio. For example, audio reflections tend to converge at or near the center of a room, especially in a poorly treated space or an untreated space. Bass tones like to hang out in the corners of a room and those reflections can get back into our mic and become a problem. So let's take a few minutes and talk about it. Here's a look at where we've been and where we're going in this season of The Audacity Channel podcast: Episode 3: Microphone Placement (This Episode)Reminder: MARCH MADNESS IS IN FULL SWING AT THE AUDACITY BOOTCAMP! The Audacity Bootcamp 50% off March Madness sale is happening the entire month of March. To take advantage of this 50% off sale, simply enter the coupon code MADNESS when signing up for a course. This is 50% off the already low cost of my Audacity courses and I cover your sales tax!! To take advantage of this March Madness sale, point your web browser to The Audacity Bootcamp Online School for Podcasters and Audiobook Narrators at: https://www.audacitybootcamp.com/Once there, select the course(s) you're interested in, enroll and enter the coupon code MADNESS. Once you enroll, you own the course. There is no recurring fee and there are no strings attached. My course videos are comprehensive and will give you the skills and confidence you need so you can produce exceptional audio using Audacity. But don't take my word for it. Check out the reviews while you're there and take advantage of the free preview videos I've provided. Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

In this episode we continue the theme of Season 2, the ingredients for good audio, with a look at microphone types. The microphone we select will contribute significantly to the quality of audio in our initial recording. Choosing a mic that compliments our room is imperative. Choosing the wrong microphone for the room we're in can result in the majority of our post-production time being spent trying to fix bad audio instead of making good audio, better. Here are some microphones to consider. Full discloser, these are affiliate links. That means that while the price is the same, I earn a little bit (very little) from each purchase using these links. Condenser Mics https://amzn.to/3IK2pKshttps://amzn.to/3ZsObF5https://amzn.to/3ZlAUhGhttps://amzn.to/3ywQf3fhttps://amzn.to/3KUVMHZhttps://amzn.to/41KKlsthttps://amzn.to/3EUCrDehttps://amzn.to/3L0KFxuhttps://amzn.to/3ZlD4xzDynamic Mics https://amzn.to/3SPIezuhttps://amzn.to/3F0oROqhttps://amzn.to/3Jh3smAhttps://amzn.to/3ZZySDVhttps://amzn.to/3mubSOVhttps://amzn.to/3SUe5ivhttps://amzn.to/41P0wF2https://amzn.to/3ybgHz0https://amzn.to/3ydAFJrhttps://amzn.to/3KXcvKQhttps://amzn.to/41OBWo0It's March Madness at the Audacity Bootcamp! Save 50% on my courses at https://audacitybootcamp.com Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

Welcome to Season 2 of The Audacity Channel podcast. This season of the show is dedicated to making our initial audio as good as it can be. Making sure we've done all we can do to make our initial recordings the best they can be can save hours of editing and post-production mastering and cleanup. In this initial episode of Season 2, we return to the topic of room treatments. Good recorded audio for our podcasts and audiobooks starts with a well-treated room or recording space and room treatments don't have to be expensive to work well. In fact, you may already have everything you need to treat a room for spoken word recordings. Here's a look at the topics we're covering in each episode of Season 2 of The Audacity Channel podcast: MARCH MADNESS STARTS NOW! The Audacity Bootcamp 50% off March Madness sale is happening the entire month of March. To take advantage of this 50% off sale, simply enter the coupon code MADNESS when signing up for a course. This is 50% off the already low cost of my Audacity courses and I cover your sales tax!! To take advantage of this March Madness sale, point your web browser to: The Audacity Bootcamp Online School for Podcasters and Audiobook NarratorsOnce there, select the course(s) you're interested in, enroll and enter the coupon code MADNESS. Once you enroll, you own the course. There is no recurring fee and there are no strings attached. My course videos are comprehensive and will give you the skills and confidence you need so you can produce exceptional audio using Audacity. But don't take my word for it. Check out the reviews while you're there and take advantage of the free preview videos I've provided. Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

[S1, Ep12] Let's talk about Audacity's powerful tools for ACX audiobook production. Audacity lends itself seamlessly to ACX audiobook production. Meeting the ACX requirements for audiobooks can be a real challenge but it's a challenge that Audacity simplifies if we know where the right tools are and how to use them. In this episode we look at: A Look Ahead at Season 2: This episode of the Audacity Channel podcast brings Season 1 to a close. We'll resume in Season 2 beginning March 1st. Season 2 will consist of 10 episodes dropped over a 10-week period and the entire season will be dedicated to making our initial recording as good as it can be. In Season 2 we'll explore topics like room conditioning that doesn't have to cost a lot, microphone types and their strengths and weaknesses as it relates to podcasting and audiobook narration, microphone placement and microphone technique. We'll also take a look at the role of an audio interface and we'll talk about sample rates, bit depth, and bit rates and what each of those terms is referencing. We'll also talk about non-destructive editing and using realtime, stackable effects, and I'll show you the order of effects I usually use and we'll take a look at my recording hardware chain. We have a lot to cover in Season 2 and I will see you there, beginning March 1st. The Link I Mention in This Episode: For a deeper dive into using Audacity for ACX audiobooks, be sure to check out my online, on-demand video course, ACX Audiobook Production Using Audacity at https://www.audacitybootcamp.com/p/acx-audiobook-production-using-audacity Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

[S1, Ep11] In this episode I want to talk about the importance of knowing Audacity fundamentals. Even though we now have the ability to use realtime non-destructive tools in Audacity, knowing the fundamentals and how to get around in Audacity, as well as knowing when and how to use some of the pre-packaged effects remains relevant. This is why I still teach the fundamentals in my online Audacity courses, in addition to the more recent, realtime capabilities. I'm a fan of both! You'll find the iZotope sale I mentioned in this episode at: https://www.izotope.com/ Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

[S1, Ep10] The release of Audacity version 3.2.4 includes a fix of the Meter Toolbars. Previously, any resizing of the meter toolbars would be lost when Audacity was closed. But with the release of version 3.2.4 that is no longer the case. Now when we resize a meter toolbar, it retains that size until we change it again. I also give Chris Curran a shout out for having me on his YouTube channel to talk about Reaper. Here's a link to that video and to Chris's Podcast Engineering Show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfWCkfGKeoMhttps://podcastengineeringschool.com/https://podcastengineeringschool.com/category/show/ Don't forget, I teach Audacity for podcasters and audiobook narrators at the Audacity Bootcamp online school. If you're looking for a deep dive into Audacity for spoken word production, the Audacity Bootcamp can meet that need. And now, I even pay the sales tax when you purchase a course. Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

[S1, Ep9} There is a de-clicker plugin available on the Audacity website that can be downloaded and installed in your version of Audacity. The de-clicker is useful for removing unwanted mouth sounds and other unwanted clicks in your audio. Here's a link to the de-clicker. You'll see it about halfway down the page, on the left side. https://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic.php?p=245549#p245549 If you need help installing it or if you want to see how to install a Nyquist plugin in Audacity, this short video of mine can help. https://youtu.be/BMZ5gwkn2uo -Enjoy! Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me

[S1, Ep8] Post-production editing of our podcasts can be grueling. It can be an exhausting time-consuming part of our audio production if we're not intentional about the recording phase. There are things we can do before pressing record that will save valuable time in post-production. Getting a good initial audio recording is indispensable because it can literally save us hours of cleanup later on. Not everything can be fixed in post but doing everything we can to make sure our initial recording is as good as it can be, means fewer problems in post. And ensuring our recorded audio is as good as it can be, doesn't have to be expensive. Other Places You'll Find Me: The Audacity BootcampAudacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to AdvancedACX Audiobook Production Using AudacityAudacity Version UpdatesThe Learn Audacity YouTube ChannelThe Learn Audacity HomepageThe Audacity Channel on YouTubeFacebook Contact Me