The Audacity Channel

I begin this episode with a quick health update and then we turn our attention to four key ingredients for recording exceptional initial audio. Taking the time to get the best audio we can initially can save hours in post-production. Here's a look at the four ingredients for a great recording:

• Room Treatments
• Microphone Placement
• Selecting the Right Microphone Type
• Good Microphone Technique

Links I talk about in this episo...

Audacity version 3.6.2 is out and it includes the Legacy Compressor and the Legacy Limiter that were part of Audacity prior to version 3.6. In this episode I show you how to get to these legacy effects and the right way to add them to a macro.

Other Places You'll Find Me:

1. The Audacity Bootcamp online school for podcasters and ACX audiobook narrators. The school consists of the following online courses:
   • Audacity Step-b...

If you're running a macro that was built for earlier versions of Audacity prior to 3.6.0, and part of that macro includes the Limiter and/or Compressor, it's probably going to fail when invoked. The reason is that the new versions of these plugins have been rewritten for realtime use and the setting options have changed. In this episode I suggest 3 options as a workaround.

Here's the link I mentioned to hotf...

Welcome  to episode 30 of The Audacity Channel Podcast. Yes, this podcast is no longer in the seasons format but I've changed it to a serial format. Let's talk about version 3.6.0 of Audacity that came out today. After we do, I'll be giving you a short cancer update. Was diagnosed with cancer in April and I wanted to talk about it in case you hadn't heard. Plus, it explains my absence. 

I'm providi...

This episode of The Audacity Channel podcast is for MAC users of Audacity and it concerns a compatibility issue that's in Audacity when running Mac OS 14.2.1, Sonoma. The record and playback toolbars have a problem, so let's talk about it.

Other Places You'll Find Me:

1. The Audacity Bootcamp online school for podcasters and ACX audiobook narrators. The school consists of the following online courses:
   • Audacity ...

In this episode of The Audacity Channel podcast, I share with you my Audacity wishlist for 2024. To simplify my wishlist, I've divided it into 2 major sections: Tracks and Plugins. We look first at tracks and then we turn our attention to plugins. If your podcast app has this feature, see the timestamps for specific topics. In the event your podcast app doesn't support timestamps, here they are for your reference:

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 ...

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...

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....

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:

1. The Audacity Bootcamp online sc...

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 th...

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 occu...

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...

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...

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 o...

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...

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 th...

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....

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 ...