How to select audio

[mr-b]

Hi

I haven’t used Audacity for a year or so and now want to do some noise removal - however the basic task of selecting audio has me utterly stumped!

I try to select part of the track as per http://audacityteam.org/manual-1.2/tutorial_align_1.html.
I click Selection tool, place the cursor somewhere on the track then hold down the mouse button, drag the mouse and release the mouse button - but then it starts playing!

If I drag the cursor from the very start of the track then at least it doesn’t start playing. The left and right markers are now separated with a light grey line, but there’s no dark grey highlighting the “selection”, nor does there seem to be no ‘Select This’ option in the Edit menu.

If I try the Effect > noise removal tool with the light grey line, it just selects the entire track (highlighted in dark grey) which obviously is not what I want.
How do I do this basic task?

[steve]

@mr-b

I try to select part of the track as per http://audacityteam.org/manual- … ign_1.html.

That is the old (obsolete) Audacity 1.2 manual.
The current manual for Audacity 2.x is here: Audacity Manual
If you installed Audacity 2.x with the recommended installer, there will also be local help files on your computer that can be accessed through the Help menu.

@mr-b

I click Selection tool, place the cursor somewhere on the track then hold down the mouse button, drag the mouse and release the mouse button - but then it starts playing!

You’re probably clicking and dragging too high. You need to click and drag on the actual blue wiggly waveform, not on the ruler above it.

See here: Audacity Manual
Good luck

[mr-b]

@steve

You’re probably clicking and dragging too high. You need to click and drag on the actual blue wiggly waveform, not on the ruler above it.

That was it - many thanks!