Introduction

This article will guide you through some of the options for editing audio quality in Audacity. This article will teach you 5 basic audio editing functions: 1) deleting segments, 2) generating silence, 3) noise reduction, 4) normalization, and 5) compression. There are more functions available in Audacity that can be used to solve unique audio issues. If you would like assistance with further functions of Audacity or solving audio issues, please contact support@fpcc.ca.

Deleting Segments (Optional)

Deleting segments in useful for removing interruptions, mistakes, or miscellaneous noises like throat clearing. This is most useful when editing phrases or stories.

1. Listen to your track and visually identify the segment that you want to delete.
2. Click to the left of the segment, drag your cursor to the right of the segment, and release. This will highlight the segment.
   
   
   
   
3. Press the "Backspace" button on your keyboard. This will delete the segment.
   
   

Generating Silence (Optional)

Generating silence is useful if you need to control the 'pacing' of your recording. This is sometimes necessary for stories or for word recordings that use repetition.

1. Listen to your track and visually identify the place where you want your segment of silence to begin.
2. In the Audacity window, go to the "Generate" menu. Find "Silence..." in the list, and click.
   
   
   
   
3. In the "Silence" window, enter the number of seconds, minutes, or hours of silence that you wish to generate. In this example, 0.5 seconds will be generated:
   
   
   
   
4. Your silence will appear as a highlighted segment with a flat waveform:
   
   

Noise Reduction (Optional)

Noise reduction is used to eliminate consistent 'background' noise. This works best for noises from appliances, wind, or other 'ambient' type noises. Noise reduction does not work well for 'interruptions' or noises that are similar in frequency to human speech. People talking, children playing, or dogs barking cannot be eliminated with noise reduction without distorting the speech on your recording.

1. Identify a portion of ambient noise. Click, drag, and release to select a portion of ambient noise. Notice the fuzzy noise surrounding the speech in the waveform in the following image:
   
   
   
   
2. In the Audacity window, go to the "Effect" menu. Find "Noise Reduction..." in the list, and click.
   
   
   
   
3. In the "Noise Reduction" window, click "Get Noise Profile". The window will then close.
   
   
   
   
4. Select your whole track by using the "Select" button on the track menu, hitting Ctrl+A on PC, or Command+A on Mac. This will highlight your whole track, giving it a white or light blue colour.
5. Repeat Step 2: In the Audacity window, go to the "Effect" menu. Find "Noise Reduction..." in the list, and click.
6. In the "Noise Reduction" window, click "OK". The window will then close.
   
   
   
   

7. Notice that the fuzzy noise in the waveform surrounding the speech has reduced:
   
   
   
   

   Always listen to your track before and after applying noise reduction. Use your best judgment to determine if the noise reduction has improved the overall audio quality without distorting the speech. This is particularly important if you have applied noise reduction multiple times, as this risks distortion of the speech quality.
   You are always able to press 'Undo' (just under the monitor bar) or Ctrl+Z/Command+Z to remove an effect that you have just applied. You cannot undo an effect if you save, close, and re-open your Audacity project.

Normalization (Recommended)

Normalization is used to amplify (make louder) sounds that are too quiet, or reduce (make quieter) sounds that are too loud. If your track is consistently too loud or too soft, (above -12db or below -6db), then it is recommended to apply normalization to your whole track. These examples show normalizing individual segments of a track.

1. Listen to your track and visually identify the segment that you want to amplify or reduce.
2. Click to the left of the segment, drag your cursor to the right of the segment, and release. This will highlight the segment.
   
   
   
   
3. In the Audacity window, go to the "Effect" menu. Find "Normalize..." in the list, and click.
   
   
   
   
4. Normalize your segment to -12db.
   
   
   
   
   1. Segments that are too loud will appear smaller:
      
      
      
      
   2. Segments that are too quiet will appear larger:
      
      

Compression (Recommended)

Compression should always be the last thing that you do before exporting. Compression smooths the waveform slightly, resulting in a 'cleaner' sound.

1. Select your whole track by using the "Select" button on the track menu, hitting Ctrl+A on PC, or Command+A on Mac. This will highlight your whole track, giving it a white or light blue colour.
   
   
   
   
2. In the Compressor window, un-check the box marked "Make up gain for 0 db after compressing". Click "OK".
   
   
   
   
3. You may notice minor changes to your waveform, resulting in a 'smoothing' effect.