Comparing two files...

[SteveY]

I have never used Audacity but just downloaded it based on research online. It looks like it can help me with what I want to do.

I will be recording people reading the same text passage using a digital recorder. The format will be wav. I also assume that I can then open each wav file individually.

From reading the posts on this site, it sounds like the program allows me to open two wav files simultaneously to compare the soundwaves. I am interested in differences in reading expression (pitch, speed, loudness, and so on).

Can anyone tell me if Audacity can make this comparison possible?

Thanks very much.

[steve]

You can import two files into Audacity and they will appear as two tracks, one below the other. You can then use the "Solo" button to listen to just one or other track while playing. Is that what you want to do? If so, I'd recommend going into "Preferences" (in the "Edit" menu) and set the Solo button behaviour to "Simple" http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Tracks_Preferences

[SteveY]

Thanks. That's basically what I'm trying to do but I'm also interested in getting some quantitative data to go along with the comparison. I am assuming I will be able to fiddle around with the controls to get information such as frequency.

[DVDdoug]

to compare the soundwaves. I am interested in differences in reading expression (pitch, speed, loudness, and so on).

If you are talking about comparing by listening, that's fine. But, you won't get too much information (other than some idea of the volume level) from looking at the waveforms or the spectrum.

Technical or mathematical analysis of waveforms can get complicated. You might need some spectrogram software. Apparently, some skilled audiologists can sometimes "read" a spectrogram and know what word was spoken. This is impossible with a regular (time domain) waveform display. And, you might need to learn about FFT and how to use MATLAB (or a MATLAB clone).

[DVDdoug]

I am assuming I will be able to fiddle around with the controls to get information such as frequency.

Analyze -> Plot Spectrum will show you the frequency content of a short section. Keep in mind that most real-world sounds are not pure tones and they contain multiple frequencies.

[steve]

"Quantitative data" for speech is an extremely complex thing, though you can learn a great deal just from listening.
If you want to get into the scientific analysis thing, here's a couple of links that might be useful:
http://www.sonicvisualiser.org/
http://speech.cs.cmu.edu/