Audacity is free, open-source software with powerful tools for recording and editing audio. Whether you’re a musician, podcaster, or voice-over artist, Audacity offers a user-friendly interface and versatile editing features. In this guide, we will discuss how to install and use Audacity on Windows 11.
We will also explore editing tools such as cutting, pasting, removing background noise, and applying effects to enhance your recordings. With Audacity, you can achieve professional-quality results. So, let’s dive into the steps.
How to Install Audacity on Windows 11
Before diving into audio editing, you need to install Audacity on your Windows 11 system. To do that, you can follow these steps, which will ensure you have this powerful tool at your fingertips for all your audio projects.
1. Open any browser, search for Audacity, and open the link from audacityteam.org
2. After that, to download the software click on Download from the menu bar. It will redirect you to a new page, click on Audacity for Windows.
3. Now, click on Audacity 3.3.3 64-bit installer and download the Audacity Window Installer file.
Note
You can even download the Audacity 3.1.3 zip file.
4. The download will automatically start. If you face any problems while downloading Audacity then you can download it from the links provided on the download page.
5. After the download is completed, open the downloaded file. Then select your language and click the OK button.
6. Now, you will get the Audacity Setup Wizard; here, click the Next button to continue.
7. After that, agree to the license agreement, and then click on Next.
8. Now, if you want to change the installation location, you can do so by clicking on Browse. Simply select the location where you want to install Audacity and then click Next.
9. In the next window, select the additional tasks. If you want to create a desktop shortcut, you can check the option, and then click Next.
10. Your setup is now ready. Finally, click on the Install button.
The installation process will take some time, so please wait until it is complete. That’s it! This is how you can download and install Audacity on Windows 11.
How to Use Audacity on Windows 11
With the help of Audacity, you can record your audio, edit it, add various effects, and much more. Audacity is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder. Let’s discuss how to use it.
1. Record Audio Using Audacity
If you want to; record audio directly into Audacity, you can do that. For that, ensure your microphone is connected and functioning properly.
After that, you can follow the steps mentioned below:
1. Open the Audacity software in your system. This is how the screen appears on the first launch.
2. To record the audio, you have to select the recording device. For that, click on the Audio Setup icon and select the Recording Device option.
3. Then choose the microphone you want to use as a recording device.
4. Once you have selected the microphone, you are ready to record your audio. To record the audio, click on the red Record button in the top toolbar.
5. After that, speak into the microphone to capture your audio.
6. Once done! Click on the Stop button to end the recording.
That’s it! This is how you can record your audio on Audacity using the Record feature. You will find the recorded audio on the audio track. Now, you can use it to edit the audio.
2. Import Recorded Audio into Audacity
However, if you already have audio that you want to edit, you can import it into Audacity.
To do so, you can follow the following steps:
1. Open the Audacity software.
2. Go to File > Import > Audio or use the shortcut key Ctrl + Shift + I.
3. Then, select the audio file you want to edit in Audacity and click the Open button.
3. Edit Audio using Audacity
We hope you have gained an idea of how to record and import audio using Audacity. Once you have the audio on the Audacity timeline, you can begin editing it. Now, let’s discuss how to edit the recorded audio to achieve a professional sound.
Here are the steps you can follow to edit audio using Audacity:
1. Select the audio, for that, press Ctrl + A and then go to Effects > Volume and Compression > Compressor.
2. It will open a window; here, leave the default values as it is and click on the OK button. This will amplify your audio slightly so that you can clearly hear the audio.
3. After that, you have to normalize your audio to level up the high and low-pitch audio. For that, go to Effects > Volume and Compression > Normalize and leave the values to default then click on the OK button. It will equalize where your volume is more or less.
4. After that, you can remove the background noise from the audio. For that, you need to select the noise part of the audio.
5. Then go to Effects > Noise Removal and Repair > Noise Reduction option.
Note
The best practice is to leave a small part at the beginning while recording the audio where the noise is recorded.
6: After that, click the Get Noise Profile button to analyze the selected background noise.
7. Once you have the noise profile, select all the audio.
8. Then again, go to Effects > Noise Removal and Repair > Noise Reduction option. Adjust the values, and check the audio by clicking on the Preview button, when you are satisfied with the audio, click the OK button.
Note
If you overdo it, your audio will sound like a robot is speaking. So, carefully adjust the audio and preview it before applying the settings.
9. Once the noise is removed, you can add some treble and bass to the audio. For that, select all the audio, then go to Effects > EQ and Filters > Filter Curve EQ option.
10. It will open the Filter Curve EQ window. Here, click on the Presets & Settings option and select the Factory Presets option.
11. Now, to apply the bass and treble to the audio, select the Bass Boost and Treble Boost options, adjust the value one by one, preview it, and click on the Apply button to enhance the audio.
12. Now, trim the beginning and end of the audio to remove the white space. To do this, select the portion you wish to cut and click on the Edit > Cut option
13. After that, you are ready to export your edited audio. To do so, simply navigate to File > Export and select the audio output format (eg. MPS. WAV, OGG) to save the edited audio file.
14. Choose the desired file format, specify the location to save the file, and give a name to the edited audio file.
Conclusion
Now you are ready to use Audacity to record and edit your audio on Windows 11. That’s it! This is how you can Install and use Audacity to record and edit audio. However, if you are having issues with the Audacity import and export option, you have to install FFmpeg import/export library. For that, you can follow the linked guide.
