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Get some software

Windows users have a wide choice of audio-recording software. Among the best are two highly respected programs used in recording studios and broadcast stations, Sound Forge and Cool Edit Pro.

I was brought up on free or low cost versions of Cool Edit but since it was acquired by Adobe the pricing has moved way out of my price range. The software is now called Audition – It looks lovely but only for the professionals and the rich.

Happily, a new package is available to replace Cool Edit. The newcomer is Audacity. It joins some other memorable pieces of 'open source' software.

Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

'Free software is not just free of cost (like “free beer”). It is free as in freedom (like “free speech”). Free software gives you the freedom to use a program, study how it works, improve it, and share it with others.'

The software is referred to as open source because anybody can join the Audacity development community. Such cooperative ventures have given us some great software including Linux operating system, the Mozilla browser and Open Office which is a useful alternative to MS Office.

Download and install Audacity. (You should follow the links to download the MP3 exporter which, for copyright reasons, cannot be included within an open source package like Audacity. There are versions for all the major operating platforms, including Mac and Linux)

It is going to take you half an hour to download, install and checkout your software.

	After you launch Audacity, select microphone as the recording source from the drop-down menu at the top of the screen.
	Open the Audacity *Preferences* from the File menu. On the Audio I/O tab select your sound card as the device for playback and recording.
	In the Channels drop-down box under Recording tab, choose 1 (Mono) to keep it simple. You can add a studio full of microphones much later.
	On the Quality tab check that 44,100 Hz and 16-bit are set as the Default Sample rate and format.
	Click the mic monitor near the top right hand of the screen and talk to the mic. Make sure that the sound meter is moving.
	It is good practice to give the file a name and location before you start recording. Set up a directory or folder to hold your audio files.
	When you are ready, click the (red) record button.
	When you have finished, click the (yellow) stop button.
	More about using Audacity

Setting the volume

All the output devices produce signals at different levels. You need to set the gain control to ensure that the signal levels are suitable for your software and electronics. The signal should neatly fill the display. If it is too low, you get a lot of background noise. If it is too loud, you get clipping.

You will soon get used to the settings. If you have to set the gain near the min or max, your input is not matched to the device.

There is plenty more to learn about Audacity. But it is very similar to your word-processor, you can cut, copy and paste from your file. Instead of letters there are wave forms. It is surprising how soon you will be able to remove 'ums' and 'ahs' from the recording.

You will soon be able to mix in sounds but content yourself for the moment with storing one good sound file.