Audacity

Overview

Audacity is an open source software program that is used to record and edit digital audio files.

After editing, you can save the audio file as an mp3 file to upload to the internet, burn to disc, or play on most audio devices.

Click the button below the image for more information or help using Audacity!

Features

  1. Record audio from one or more inputs

  2. Edit the start time, stop time, and duration of any sound on the audio timeline

  3. Fade into, out of, or between clips

  4. Apply simple or advanced effects or filters

  5. Cut, copy, splice, or mix sounds together

This is an image of a sample file of Audacity with recordings downloaded.

The Interface

This is an image of Audacity's interface. The image is colorfully labeled and breaks down the different toolbars and sections of the interface. The labels include: Control toolbar, Tools toolbar, Meter Toolbar, Mixer Toolbar, Edit Toolbar, Ruler & Playback Controls, Track Panel, Project Sample Rate, and Selection Bar.

Best Practices:

Curriculum Connections

  • Fluency – Students can record their voices and listen to check their intonation and pronunciation.

  • Foreign Language – Teachers can record proper pronunciation of a foreign language so students can listen and practice. Students can record and listen to see if they are using proper articulation.

  • Podcasting/Language Arts – Use Audacity to record a “show” to inform others about class news, current events, and areas of interest. Students can persuade their peers to help others, make a difference, or try something new. Podcasts can also entertain others with various stories, poems, and/or jokes. Once the “show” is recorded, convert it to an mp3, and place the file on a website or burn a CD to share.

  • Other Ideas

      • reading poetry aloud to hear rhythm and rhyme

      • teaching skills with song

      • recording reader’s theater

      • storytelling

      • reading famous speeches or student created speeches

      • recording debates

      • publishing personal narratives

      • creating a class storybook

      • making sound recordings from the first person point of view (diary or journal style)

      • making audio books for younger readers

      • recording/listening to interviews

      • recording how-to instructions or directions

      • create songs with lyrics that match a curricular unit of study

      • making classroom news reports

      • rapping vocabulary

      • using an LCD projector to demonstrate the shape of sound waves

      • singing or playing instruments in Music class

Getting Started

Download Audacity and the Lame encoder (which will enable you to convert .aud files to mp3 files) from the Software Center.

    • Download and install Audacity first.

    • Next, locate the Lame Encoder executable file, click on it to download and install Lame. Once installed it works in tandem with Audacity.

Equipment Needed:

  • Computer

  • Once Audacity and the Lame encoder is installed, you do not need an Internet connection.

  • Computer with microphone and speakers. It is better to use a headset with a built-in microphone to record a voice, but if that is not available, a built-in microphone can be used.

Tutorials and Resources

Credits

Frederick County Public Schools https://education.fcps.org/trt/audacity

Audacity logo is a trademark by Dominic Mazzoni and used under a Creative Commons Attribution License, version 2.0.