Audacity for Podcasting

When it comes to podcasting and audio editing, there are many different software packages available for creators. Some swear by Adobe’s Audition, others Apple’s GarageBand. For me though, Audacity stands ahead of all competition and reigns supreme. Not only is it free and open-source (meaning various user-generated plugins extending the core functionality), it offers both a simple, accessible set of features for novices and robust advanced tools for the experienced user.

I began using Audacity in 2011. I had just started volunteering with ULFM - the student-run radio station on campus here in UL. Part of my role was converting the show I presented into a podcast to be uploaded to the station’s website each week.

Upon opening the program for the first time, I was intimidated by what appeared to be a vast array of complicated settings, buttons and menus. The waveform (the visual representation of the audio you are editing) was an alien concept to me. But very quickly, I began to learn the basics. Once I started to think of the waveform as analogous to the text in a document, things became much clearer to me. In practice, there is little difference between the basic editing of audio and editing text. You select the relevant clip, cut, copy, paste or delete it, add formatting (in the form of effects), then save the file. In later years, when I would become responsible for training new volunteers to use Audacity, I discovered that drawing this comparison helped alleviate peoples’ initial concerns about what can seem like a daunting task.

As I got more comfortable with the application, I soon learned how deep the feature-set is. There are so many useful tools which can improve the professionalism of almost any recording. You can use simple things like Fade In/Out (allowing you to begin or end clips smoothly), Amplify (which boosts low-volume sound) and the ability to change track speed. But then you have access to powerful options like filters to remove background noise like fan noise from your computer or the tell-tale “hiss” of budget-friendly recording equipment.

In Semester One, we were tasked with making an instructional podcast on a topic of our choosing. Naturally, I used Audacity while creating this. My previous experience meant I encountered very few challenges in using the program to its’ full potential, but I still found I learned even more new features during the process.

We had a very strict time limit to which we needed to adhere. After hours of editing and revising both the script and audio to remove any information which was not completely necessary to the lesson, I was still just over the allotted length. While browsing the menus to determine whether there were any other tools which may help, I encountered the Change Tempo option. This feature allows you to speed up a clip but, crucially, maintain its’ pitch. Preserving the pitch means the audio you change doesn’t end up sounding like a tribute to The Chipmunks. Using this, I was able to speed up the music samples I was using to the point that preserved the pace of the podcast I was aiming for and cut the required seconds needed so that I could meet the specified length.

I would recommend learning Audacity to everyone. Being able to edit audio is a very valuable skill, and for a relatively low investment of time, you can rapidly gain a decent level of competency. I think it’s a particularly important skill for Instructional Designers or Technical Writers to possess. Knowing how to personally edit your instructional podcast or interview with a subject expert will be hugely advantageous. It may just set you apart from the competition when employers are perusing CVs – at least, I hope it will.