Hello,
I am brand new to Audacity 2.1.2 (Win 7-64); and I’m a bit bewildered by the complex control functions in the UI.
Can someone tell be if the UI has a newbie/simple/dummies mode, and if so, how to invoke it? (I have Searched the Forum for this, without success.)
The first thing I would like to do is excerpt specific clips from an MP3 file, and save them separately. The ability to apply tone or equalization (to improve legibility) would be a big plus.
Also, does Audacity have any auto-level/auto-gain function available? (My source material has uneven recording levels.) If so, this would be another big plus.
Many thanks for any pointers you might have… 
Ed
I don’t think Audacity has a simple mode any more.
What’s the job. Sometimes that will give is an idea which way to go.
Koz
The first thing I would like to do is excerpt specific clips from an MP3 file, and save them separately.
Select/highlight the part you want to save.
File → Export Selected Audio.
The ability to apply tone or equalization (to improve legibility) would be a big plus.
Effect → Equalization or Effect → Bass and Treble.
After bass/treble boost or equalization it’s a good idea to run the Amplify effect to make sure the levels don’t go above 0dB. If you export a file that goes over 0dB it may be clipped to 0dB (distorted).
Also, does Audacity have any auto-level/auto-gain function available?
Effect → Leveler, or you’ll probably get better results manually with the [u]Envelope Tool[/u].
Can someone tell be if the UI has a newbie/simple/dummies mode, and if so, how to invoke it? (I have Searched the Forum for this, without success.)
It can be difficult if you are learning new concepts, new terminology, and new software at the same time… If you’ve done audio editing before it’s just a matter of learning how Audacity works, and that takes some time too…
from an MP3 file
NOTE - If your original files are MP3s, Audacity (like all “normal” audio editors) will decompress the file when you open it. If you then re-export as MP3 you are going through a 2nd generation of lossy compression. You may not notice the quality loss, but it’s something to be aware of, and there are special-purpose MP3 editors such as mp3DirectCut that can do some limited editing (such as volume adjustment) without decompressing/re-compressing. (mp3DirectCut can’t do equalization.)
Hi DVDdoug,
Many thanks for your prompt, detailed, and very helpful reply! I have inserted a few follow-ups below…
Sincerely, Ed
As a newbie, I didn’t know how to make a selection. I found nothing on that topic in a Help Search. After a bit of hacking, I settled on noting the Start and End times I wanted, and entering them in the Selection boxes at the bottom of the Window. Is there a point-and-click method?
I tried Equalizer first, but didn’t like it. Then I tried Bass/Treble, with quite good results.
Calling a gain reduction to get below 0 dB “Amplify” is rather counter-intuitive; but I think I tried Amplify once, and nothing bad happened.
Leveler is the one I ended up using. But there seem to be several others that sound similar, including Compression.
I’ll gradually figure things out well enough for my simple tasks.
Fortunately, my source material isn’t hi-fi music, but rather lo-fi voice recordings. All I need is legibility, and sound that’s not too abrasive. But I’ll avoid sequential edit/save cycles. This seems similar to editing JPEGs, another form of lossy compression. I always retain the original file, in case my edits become a train wreck, and I need to start over.
Hi Koz, Thank you for your helpful reply!
Per my OP, my simple goal now is:
I would like to do is excerpt specific clips from an MP3 file, and save them separately. The ability to apply tone or equalization (to improve legibility) would be a big plus.
Also, does Audacity have any auto-level/auto-gain function available? (My source material has uneven recording levels.) If so, this would be another big plus.
I inserted further details on my initial efforts in my reply to DVDdoug.
Hi OldEd,
Could you preview your posts please before submitting? It was near impossible to tell who was saying what in your post.
If it’s easier, just use e-mail style quotes by putting “>>” before the text you want to quote.
Thanks
Gale
No. And really it’'s better to post-process than try to limit while recording.
Gale
Yes - click with the left mouse button, then drag. We have a FAQ: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/faq_editing.html#select.
Gale
You are correct. It is very highly recommended to save the original works separate from the edit in case anything goes wrong.
It is a New User error to lay corrections on top of original work. The first time the computer does something wrong, the whole show is non-recoverable trash all the way back to the microphone.
Koz
There is a silly joke that “Simplified Mode” means “only the tools I want.”
Audacity had an abbreviated mode and it was constant trouble. The other thing everybody wants is complex tools with one button. “All I want is:” followed by a laundry list of insanely complicated demands.
In a fit of evil I posted an April First software kit which could turn what every you shot into a studio quality production. It was insanely popular on the video forums (they have the same problems the audio people do along with video problems), until they put together the suspiciously unlikely software talents with the date.
Simplicity and Ease of Use is hard to make.
Since The whole Audacity Development Team is three guys living in a windmill outside of Delft, there’s only so much they can do.
The forum elves make an assumption of how talented you are on the computer when we answer your questions. We invite you to slow us down or speed us up to more accurately match what you need.
Koz