# How to use Audacity

From Audacity Development Manual
Jump to: navigation, search

## How to use Audacity

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - most common questions are answered in the FAQ

■ Return to the Reference Manual
■ Tutorials for Audacity
■ Searching the Manual

## How To Use Audacity

### Quick Help

- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - most common questions are answered in the FAQ
- Getting Started - Recording, Importing, Editing, Exporting...
- Audacity Tour Guide - quick tour of selected features of Audacity
- Audacity Setup and Configuration
- Changing language
- Connecting audio equipment - Microphones, instruments, USB devices...
- Effects, Generators and Analyzers
- Crash Recovery

### Playing and Recording

- Playing and Recording
  - Playback
  - Recording
- Monitoring
- Quick-Play
- Looping
- Scrubbing
- Timer Recording
- Punch and Roll Recording

### Importing and Exporting Audio Files

- Importing audio and Exporting audio files - For use in other applications
- LOF Files for Importing sets of audio files
- Metadata Editor - when exporting
- LAME MP3 export - only required for Linux

### Editing with Audacity

- Selecting audio
  - Navigating and identifying audio for editing
  - Boundary Snap Guides
  - Track focus
- Audio Alignment
- Copy and Paste a section of audio
- Clips - individual sections within an Audio Track
- Splitting and Joining Stereo Tracks
- Zooming Overview and Vertical Zooming
- Creating a Crossfade
- Mixing Audio Tracks
- Undo, Redo and History
- Spectral Selection and Editing

### Help with Advanced Topics

- Macros - for batch processing and effects automation
  - Scripting Reference - list of commands for use in Macros
- Mixer - analogous to a hardware mixer board
- Accessibility - Audacity for the visually impaired
- Sync-Locked Track Groups
- Portable Audacity
- Multi-channel Recording - recording more than two separate channels of audio
- Creating Nyquist plugins
- Scripting - allows Audacity to be driven by an external Perl or other script that supports named pipes. Currently you must compile Audacity to use this feature

## Further guidance in the Muse Audacity Support website

### Installing and updating Audacity

- Installing and updating Audacity
- Resetting Audacity to default settings
- FFmpeg import/export libraries for more import/export audio formats
- Themes - learn how to select your preferred Audacity look and feel
- Installing plugins - you can download and install plugins to add extra functionality to Audacity

### Help with Other Topics

- Importing audio files - import existing audio files (like WAV or MP3) for editing
- Exporting audio files - For use in other applications
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Using realtime effects
- Macros - for batch processing and effects automation
- Latency compensation - when recording overdubs or using Punch and Roll

## -