How can I specify the duration of a recording?

RandomTroll · February 11, 2026, 8:05pm

I record streams unattended. Sometimes I’m gone or asleep for hours longer. Audacity keeps on recording. How can I schedule it to stop at a future time?

waxcylinder · February 11, 2026, 9:30pm

See this section in the Audacity Manual: Recording - Audacity Manual

Peter

RandomTroll · February 12, 2026, 1:53pm

Thanks. Is the ‘Selection Toolbar’ that thing at the bottom of the display to the right of the timer? Is the top the beginning of the selected region, the bottom the end? If I set the top to 0 and the bottom to 1h 1m 37s, will it stop recording 1h1m37s?

romontschun · February 12, 2026, 6:57pm

NO! You can only select something which is already recorded.

It is the Timer Record dialog which is called via the Menu “Transport → Recording → Timer Record…”

RandomTroll · February 12, 2026, 9:36pm

That’s what I thought, but it turns out that if I start record with shift-r after setting it it does stop at that time.