Using Audacity

     In week nine of Multimedia Apps and Tools at CCV, we were introduced to Audacity and asked to make a short recording to familiarize ourselves with the software. 

    I chose to read Baby's Santa Mouse by Michael Brown. It is a short children's book that my parents read to me and I now read to my kids. Please enjoy!

Baby's Santa Mouse by Michael Brown, read by Liz Merritt 

    I enjoyed getting back into the swing of using Audacity. I had used it a lot when I was in high school (10+ years ago) to record the audio from YouTube videos of my favorite songs. Basically, the updated version of recording a song from the radio, and the old school version of... whatever kids do now to pirate terrible copies of music. 

    The basic controls in Audacity are clearly labeled and easy to use. When you hover over a button, it tells you what that button is for. This is fantastic for anyone who isn't entirely sure what the little pictures all mean. Hovering also gives you the shortcut key for that button. I enjoy learning how to control my computer without using a mouse or trackpad, so those hints were fun. 

    One thing I found while exploring the software is an entire set of editing tools that are a little bit more complex than those on the main screen. These are under the "effects" tab at the top of the screen. I was letting my daughter record a song on Audacity. Her voice and the background music were at very different volumes. I could turn down the music, but that didn't give me the sound I wanted. Instead, I was able to use the "loudness normalization" effect. which automatically changes both the music and the voice so their volume matches better. 

    Overall, Audacity is a fantastic tool and I will continue to use it as the need arises. 

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