Video:Create a Podcast Using Audacity

Transcript:Create a Podcast Using Audacity

Hi, I m Don Schechter for About.com Computing. Today, I will show you how to create a podcast using Audacity.

Get Started with Audacity

Audacity is a free program you can download at audacity.sourceforge.net. Once it's installed, open Audacity and then click File, New.

Make sure any external microphone is plugged into your computer and is recognized. It s always a good idea to do a test run with your mic also before you record your podcast.

Recording and Editing Your Podcast Using Audacity

In Audacity, click the record button to begin recording your podcast audio. When you're finished, press the stop button in the top navigation bar to stop the recording.

Now you can edit your track. To import external audio, like music or sound effects, click Project in the toolbar and click import audio. Find your audio file and click open.

How to Add Effects Using Audacity

Add effects to your tracks by highlighting a portion of track you want to change then clicking on Effect. Audacity has a number of great features here, including Amplify which lets you raise the volume on a quiet portion of track. Equalization lets you modify your entire track, and Noise Removal allows you to target unwanted noise and remove it.

Mixing Tracks with Audacity

You can also mix your tracks. The easiest way to do this is to click Quick Mix under Project in the toolbar. You can also set the volume to each track by adjusting the top slider, the downward arrow icon, left or right. When you click on the slider you ll see the word Gain. If you set the volume too high it can result in clipping, which happens when the volume goes too far in the red zone. For more specifics on modifying each track, go to the toolbar and click on Help, Table of Contents, and then click on Audio Track.

How to Export Your Tracks

Lastly, you can export your track as an MP3. You'll need something called the LAME library to do this. Go to Audacity.sourceforge.net and download the LAME library. Once downloaded, look for the LameLib file on your Mac, or the lame_enc.dll file on your PC. Save it in your Audacity program folder.

Now, go back to the file you want to convert in Audacity. First, edit your ID3 Tags by clicking Project, Edit ID3 Tags. The ID3v2 Option is already selected. This field allows more data for tags so leave it alone. Fill in the fields supplied, including: Title, Artist, Album, Track Number, Year, Genre, and Comments. Click OK when you're done. If you need to change the bit rate, go up to Edit, Preferences, then click the File Formats tab. Under the MP3 export setup section, click find library. Click the Lame file you downloaded earlier and click open. Finally, click on the file menu and select, Export as MP3.