How Do I Record Audio Using Audacity?

Audacity is a free, open-source tool for recording and editing audio. In this Help and Information tutorial, you will see how to record audio using Audacity.

Prerequisites

Audacity

Note: This tutorial is for the use of Audacity installed on a Windows computer

Instructions for recording in Audacity

Step 1

Click the Audacity icon, which was installed on your desktop during the Audacity installation process

Step 2

Once Audacity opens, you will need to select your microphone and speaker

From the dropdown list select your preferred microphone
From the dropdown list select your preferred speaker

Step 3

The Audio Control Panel is located in the toolbar at the top of Audacity. The Audio Control Panel contains the Pause, Play, Stop, Reverse, Forward, and Record buttons. You will use this panel in every recording

Step 4

Click on Record from the Audio Control Panel to begin the recording

Step 5

Speak clearly into the microphone to record your audio. Take note of a few items that you will see as you record your audio

The record button will remain depressed while you are recording.
The audio level from your microphone will be displayed in the microphone meter at the top
The left and right channels of the audio you are recording will be displayed graphically in the main display area. Notice the peaks when you are speaking loudly and valleys during moments of silence
The timeline will help you track how long you have been recording

Step 6

At any time during your recording, click Pause from the Audio Control Panel to temporarily pause your recording. This is useful to provide you time to clear your throat or collect your thoughts without it appearing in your recording

When you pause a recording, you will notice:

The pause button will remain depressed until you click it again or stop the recording
The timeline progress freezes

Step 7

When you are finished recording, click Stop from the Audio Control Panel to stop your recording
Once the recording is stopped the timeline progress will also stop

Step 8

Click File from the menu at the top of Audacity
Click Save Project As to select where the file will be saved

Step 9: Browse for Save Location

In the Save Project As screen that pops up, navigate to the folder on your computer where you want to save your project
Enter the name of the audio recording in the File Name box
Click Save to save the Audacity project file on your computer

Important: The file that is saved in this step is only the Audacity project file and will not be playable in any media player. You must continue to step 13 to learn how to export your project as a playable audio file

Step 10

After your project is saved, click Play from the Audio Control Panel to listen to your recording. When you are playing back your recording:

The play button will remain depressed while you are listening to the recording
The audio level from your recording will be displayed in the speaker meter at the top
The timeline will help you track where you are in your audio playback

Note: You may need to edit your audio recording at this stage. How to edit an audio recording using audacity is included in a separate tutorial

Step 11

Once you are satisfied with your audio recording, you will need to export it in a playable format

Click File from the menu at the top of Audacity
Click Export Audio.. to export your audio file

Step 12

In the Export Audio screen that pops-up, navigate to the folder on your computer where you would like to export your audio file
Enter the name of the audio recording in File Name box
Click Save to save the audio recording file on your computer. I recommend leaving the Save as a type set to WAV (Microsoft) signed 16-bit PCM, unless you have the required plugin to export to an MP3 file

Step 13

Optional: Enter the Artist Name and other track information by clicking Add
Click OK to finish the save process and save the audio file on your computer