Cannot Use Effects

[gsvgary]

I am trying to use Effects to get rid of background noise. All the options under effects are grayed out. I have tried opening effects before selecting a file, after selecting a file, while the file is playing and when the file has stopped. No matter what I do the options are all grayed out. Can anyone tell me why I cannot acces the effects menyu? I have Audacity 1.2.6 Thank you.

[steve]

Make sure that Audacity is in "Stop" mode and not just "Paused". Effects are only available when stopped.

[gsvgary]

I have already saved the file and cannot use effects even when stopped.

[gsvgary]

I tried a new recording and hit stop but Effects is still grayed out.

[steve]

Do you mean all of the effects, or just some of the effects?
What operating system are you using? The old 1.2.6 version of Audacity is known to have problems on modern operating systems such as Vista and Windows 7.
Do you have some audio selected? (Ctrl+A should select all of the audio).
Has it ever worked on this computer or has the problem been the same since you first installed Audacity?

[gsvgary]

Steve,

I think I figured it out with your help. I will try and let you know. Thank you very much.

[gsvgary]

Hi I found it but it idstorts the voice on the recording. I see the Remove Noise Slider bar but not the sensitivity bar. How do I find it??

[steve]

The "Sensitivity" control is a new feature that is currently only available in the alpha version of Audacity.
The alpha version is not recommended for general use as it contains new features that have not been adequately tested for suitability in a release version.
If you are not already using it I would recommend upgrading to Audacity 1.3.12