Audacity: Audio Mixing and Recording

Audacity: News flash

Project Description: "Audio Recording and Mixing. Using Audacity, create an instructional, promotional, commercial, or business audio. You must have at least 3 audio clips join and mix together. The final audio must last 2 to 5 minutes with the attributes (32 bit, stereo, 44,100 Hz sample rate)."

Overview: Audacity software was surprising to me because it was loaded with sound editing capability, more so, than I thought free, online software would be. Other software applications covered in this class have been very straight forward and user friendly, but I cannot say that Audacity falls into that category, and that may be because it is not as limited as some of the other software applications we have covered. Audacity is definitely an application that will require practice and trial and error. Much of the error part will be user error, if you are doing your own voice recordings. You will gain a new appreciation for news casters and voice actors, because it seems as though as soon as you hit the record button in Audacity, your tongue will immediately become tied.

However, Audacity recordings are pretty easy to delete or edit and, as I said, there are lots and lots of features that will allow you to manipulate your digital recording for any number of desired outcomes. For my class project, I could not resist the temptation of making a gag news reel. The background noises, music, and sound effects were a breeze to incorporate and I was able to alter the pitch of my voice to sound more (or less?) news worthy.

Because this is one of the more detail oriented software applications covered in the class, I most likely would not assign my own students to make a digital recording of their own as an assignment. However, because this software is free and online, I also feel that it would be neglectful not to at least show my students that this exists. A lot of my students are interested in music, particularly rap and hip-hop, and I feel that this would be of interest to them as it simulates studio recording equipment. I enjoyed learning about and using Audacity, but because it is audio only, and has no visual element, I will most likely use it for presentations or promotional work for the faculty, staff or professional development associated with my job, rather than use it with my students in the class room.