Can an Audacity file be named before it is recorded?

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

I would like to use Audacity for recording live singing lessons. At the end of the lesson, the student would leave with an mp3 file on a removable hard drive.

I have previously used another program (RecordPad by NCH Software), which I could set to prompt me for a file name when I selected the Record button. At the end of the session, when I selected Stop, the file would be saved automatically to a preset folder and to the file name and type I had set as a preference. I have scrolled through the Audacity preferences, but I do not see this kind of process or option available.

Can I name a file before recording it in Audacity?
Can I ask/tell Audacity to export something to an Mp3 file before I record it?
If not, might this kind of functionality be added in the near future?

I suspect that, given Audacity’s current state–loading data first to a project, then exporting that data to a particular file type–what I am asking for may not be possible. The desirability of the process described above has much to do with tradition and with users who have followed the same routine for years/decades, first with analog audio cassettes, now with a computer. Our previous software emulates the old way very well, but we have to pay for software and updates, which is increasingly difficult in our current fiscal climate. I am wondering if Audacity can emulate our earlier technology in the same way. Thank you.

Geoff (friegeof)
Windows 7 Pro
Audacity 2.0.5, from .exe installer (I think)

2

You can name the project before you start recording.

  1. Open Audacity
  2. “File > Save Project As”

Note that the project should not be saved on a network drive while you are working on it because of the large amounts of audio data that need to be regularly updated as you work.

The name now appears in the title bar at the top of the Audacity window.
Using “File > Save Project” will now update the saved project.
“File > Export” will now use that name by default (can be changed if you want).

Audacity will remember what format you used last and will default to that format when you go to export.