A Complete and Comprehensive Guide to Audio Editing

Digital audio editing technology has created many ways to edit audio. While professional studios use specialized equipment such as studio microphones and mixing boards to create sounds of higher quality, basic editing can be done quite easily with just a virtual studio installed on a home computer. The basic features of the sound editing software remain the same. This wikiHow article teaches you the basics of audio editing whether you are looking for some thing basic to make quick edits, or if you are interested in learning how to record and mix audio.

How to Edit Audio

You can use a program called a digital audio workstation (DAW) to edit audio. Import or record the audio clips you want to edit. Cut or trim the audio clips to remove unwanted audio. Use effects to enhance the audio. Once you are finished, mix all the audio tracks to make sure they sound balanced. Then export your final audio mix as a single file.

Section 1 of 11:

Basic Audio Editing

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1
Download a basic free editor. If you are looking to make a few quick edits to a piece of audio, you can do so using free basic audio editing tools. The following are a couple of free basic audio editing tools you can download:
- Audacity : Audacity is free, open-source software for PC, Mac, and Linux that can record and edit multiple tracks, with a simple, easy-to-use interface. It also has a very effective noise removal function to remove hissing, static, and humming by simply selecting a sample of the noise and then removing it from the whole track. Audacity is a good tool for making quick and simple edits to audio files.
- WavePad Audio Editor : WavePad Audio Editor is another free and open source audio editor that is free on all platforms, including mobile devices like iPhone and Android. You can also use WavePad Audio Editor to make quick edits for audio clips. You can download WavePad Audio Editor from the official website, or from the Google Play Store on Android, or the App Store on iPhone and ipad.
- Power Sound Editor : Power Sounds Editor is a free audio editor that can record and change tracks that need to be mixed with other parts of a musical composition. You can also alter the audio data by adding time-shifting effects such as Echo, Chorus, and Reverb. Power Sound Editor allows you to easily share your edited audio online or through email.
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Open your audio editing program. After downloading a simple audio editing program, click or tap the icon to open whichever audio editing program you use.

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3

Import the audio file you want to edit. To do so, you typically clicking or tapping File in the menu bar at the top, followed by Import . Then select the audio file you want to edit.
4
Cut or trim audio sections. You can remove sections of audio from the clip by cutting and trimming the audio clip. Use one of the following steps to do so:
- Cut audio: To cut sections of audio from the clip, highlight the section of audio you wan to delete and then press the Delete key on your computer, or tap and hold to open the menu on mobile, and then tap Delete .
- Trimming Audio: You can trim audio at the beginning or end of an audio clip. To do so on PC or Mac, click and drag the edges of the audio clip starting at the beginning or end of the clip at the top of the audio file where the filename is. On mobile phone, tap Edit followed by Trim Start or Trim End . Tap and drag to select how much you audio you want to trim. Then tap Edit followed by Trim to trim your selection.
5

Add effects to enhance the audio. You can use audio effects to enhance the audio. Effects such as reverb or delay can add an echo to the audio. You can add EQ to enhance certain frequencies of a clip. You can add Noise Gate or a noise remover effect to get rid of background noise or unwanted static. Click or tap Effects in the menu bar at the top to see what effects are available. Highlight the section of audio you want to apply an effect to and tap the effect you want to use. Select an effect to apply it. Some effects may show a menu with different parameters you can adjust.
6

Save and export your audio. Once you are finished making the edits to your audio, go ahead and click or tap the File menu at the top and then tap Save or Save As to save the changes your audio file. Click Export to export the audio file as a separate audio clip. Select the file format you want to export it in, and click

Section 2 of 11:

Understanding the Terms and Tools

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Know what tools you need to edit audio. There are a few terms and tools you need to understand before you start editing audio. They are as follows:
- Audio Clip: An audio clip is a file that contains audio. This could be an MP3, a song, a voice recording, audio taken from a movie or video (a sample), or a sound effect.
- Digital Audio Workstation (DAW): A digital audio workstation is the software you use to edit audio. It has all the tools you need to edit and mix audio as well as export it.
- Timeline: In a digital audio workstation, the timeline is the horizontal spaces in a track that show how audio files and waves progress over time in an audio mix.
- Tracks: A track is where you can place an audio file or record and audio file. Most digital audio workstations have multiple tracks that allow you to layer multiple tracks on top of one another.
- Playhead: When you play audio in your digital audio workstation, you will see a vertical line that move from left to right across the audio file(s). This is the playhead. This indicates the current time in the timeline. This is the moment you are editing. You can usually move the playhead by clicking where you want to place it.
- Wave: Audio is just sound waves flowing through the air. Editing analog audio is the process of editing sound waves. In fact, if you zoom in on an audio clip in your DAW, you can see the wave patterns in the audio file.
- Frequency: Frequency is the audible spectrum of sound vibrations that humans can hear. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz). The low-end frequencies produce low bass tones. High-end frequencies produce higher treble frequencies.
- MIDI: MIDI is another type of audio file. Rather than using analog waves, MIDI files use digital data to indicate when notes of a song are played, the volume or dynamics they are played, and the voice (or instrument) these notes play.
- Mix: When editing multiple tracks, the mix refers to the overall sound of all tracks playing together at the same time.
- Dynamics: Dynamics refers to the differences in volume between the loud parts and the quiet parts of an audio clip or mix.
- Clipping: Clipping is when audio gets too loud for the audio equipment and it causes the audio to distort.
- Mono: Mono is an audio clip or mix that is produced for one speaker. If played on a stereo system, the same sound will come out of both speakers.
- Stereo: Stereo is an audio clip or mix that is produced by two stereo speakers. There is usually slight variations in the left and right speakers. This simulates spatial sound between the two speakers.
- Panning: To pan an audio clip is mixed it to the left or right speaker in a stereo mix. A clip can be panned 100% to the left or right, somewhere in between the two, or directly in the center.

Section 3 of 11:

Installing a Digital Audio Workstation

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Download a digital audio workstation. There are a variety of digital audio workstations you can download. Each have different features. Some are free to use, some require you to purchase them, or are available through a paid subscription. Many paid digital audio workstations have a free trial you can take advantage of. The following are some digital audio workstations you can use: ^{[1]
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- Reaper : Reaper is a powerful and complete digital audio workstation (DAW) and music creation tool. While Reaper isn't free, it does have an indefinite trial period that allows you to continue to use the software for as long as you want. When you are ready to purchase, personal and commercial licenses are very reasonably priced.
- GarageBand : GarageBand is a powerful audio editor developed by Apple with a is fully equipped DAW. GarageBand is free to download, but it is only available for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
- Avid Pro Tools: Avid Pro Tools has long been the industry standard for professional audio editing. It is a complete digital audio workstation with the largest compatibility base, allowing you to collaborate with other artists and producers. If you are interested in getting into professional audio editing, Avid Pro Tools is where it's at. The only downside is licenses are pretty expensive.
- Steinberg Cubase : Steinberg Cubase is another professional digital audio workstation that is used for music mixing and editing. It is excellent for mixing MIDI tracks as well as tracks that use virtual instruments. While Cubase is not free, it's less expensive than Avid Pro Tools.
- Adobe Audition : Adobe Audition is a full-featured digital audio workstation that is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud series of applications. If you have a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud, you can easily access Adobe Audition. If you use other Adobe products (i.e. Premiere Pro, After Effects, Animate) Adobe Audition is a great addition. You can use Adobe Audition to edit audio files for videos and import them into Adobe Premiere Pro.
- Image-Line FL Studio : FL Studio (also known as FruityLoops) is another professional digital audio workstation that specializes in recording electronic music and loops. This is useful for recording music that makes extensive use of MIDI and looping beats.

Section 4 of 11:

Starting a New Session

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Open your audio editing software and start a new session. Regardless of what DAW you download, the first thing you will want to do is start a new session. If your DAW doesn't open to a new session automatically, you can usually start a new session by clicking File followed by New , or clicking the option to start a new project on the title screen. When you start a new session, you will see a blank timeline. Most audio editing programs or digital audio workstations have multiple tracks that allow you to import or record multiple audio tracks and layer them on top of one another.

Section 5 of 11:

Importing Audio

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Import the audio file(s) you want to edit. To import audio, select the track you want to import an audio file to. You can usually import an audio file by clicking File followed by Import or something similar. Select the audio file you want to edit and click Open . You will see the audio file appear as a wave in the timeline.
- Different DAWs and audio editing software may support different audio file formats. The most common audio file format is MP3. This is a compressed audio format. Wave (.wav) files are the most common uncompressed (or lossless) audio format and will produce the highest quality sound.
- Other audio formats include PCM, AIFF (for Apple products), AAC, WMA, FLAC, and ALAC. ^{[2]
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- Once you import your audio file, you can typically click and drag the audio file to any starting point in the timeline.

Section 6 of 11:

Recording Audio

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Record audio with a microphone or an instrument. Most computers have a built-in microphone. However, the audio quality you get from your computer's microphone may not be the greatest. You can purchase a USB microphone that you can connect to your computer. The best way to record is to purchase an audio interface that you can connect to your computer. The audio interface typically connects via a USB connection. Then you can connect a microphone or instrument to your audio interface.
- When you record, you typically will need to arm the track you want to record on. Then click the record button to begin recording.
- Some audio interfaces have multiple inputs for multiple microphones or instruments.
- Make sure you purchase the right microphone for your needs. Some mics are directional and only pick up sound directly in front of them. These mics are useful for recording singing or instruments. Other mics are omnidirectional and pick up sound from all around. These types of mics are better for recording speech and audio from out in the field.
- Musical instruments can be connected to an audio interface via an analog or MIDI input. Instruments such as an electric guitar will be connected via an analog input. Synthesizers, electric drums, and 808 drum machines can be connected via a MIDI or analog input.

Section 7 of 11:

Cutting, Splitting, and Trimming Audio

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You can remove audio by trimming it, cutting it, or splitting it. Being able to remove unwanted audio is a key aspect of audio editing. You can do this by splitting, cutting, and trimming.
- Trimming: Trimming audio is when you shorten audio by removing audio from the beginning or end of an audio clip. You typically do this by clicking and dragging the ends of the audio clip in the timeline. Trimming is a non-destructive method of audio editing because it doesn't actually delete the audio data. If you trim too much, you can click and drag the end of the clip to regain some audio.
- Splitting: Spliting is when you cut an audio clip into two or more separate audio clips. Most DAWs have a razor or knife tool you can use to cut an audio clip at the location of the playhead or your cursor. Once you split an audio clip, you can move or delete individual clips.
- Cutting: Cutting is when you delete a part of an audio clip, such as an awkward silents or unwanted banter. Some DAWs allow you to highlight the section of the clip you want to delete and press the Delete key. You can also cut a clip by splitting it before and after the section you want to remove and then deleting the clip with the section you want to remove.

Section 8 of 11:

Fading and Cross Fading

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Use fades when transitioning from one clip to another. Fading is when the volume gradually rises from or lowers to 0 over a period of time. A slow fade may take several seconds, while a quick fade may happen over a second or two Fading is often used when transitioning from one audio clip to another. There are a couple of different fades you can use when editing audio:
- Fade-In: A fade-in is when the volume starts at 0 and then gradually rises to full. This is usually done at the beginning of an audio clip.
- Fade-Out: A fade-out is the opposite of a fade-in. This is when the audio lowers from full volume to 0. This usually happens at the end of an audio clip. You may have heard songs that end with a fade-out.
- Cross-Fade: A cross-fade is when one audio clip fades out while another audio clip fades in simultaneously. This makes for a smoother transition from one audio clip to another.

Section 9 of 11:

Adding Effects

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Use effects to enhance audio. There are a variety of effects you can add to a audio clip or track to enhance the sound. The following are some effects you can use when enhance audio:
- Reverb: Reverb (or reverberation) is when sound bounces off surfaces in a room. Reverb effects simulate sound reverberating through a room. Most reverb effects allow adjust the size of the 'room'. Reverb adds ambiance by creating a slight echo effect that lingers in the air.
- Delay: Delay is an echo effect. Delay repeat a sample of the sound multiple times. Typically the delay will gradually fade with each repeat. You can adjust the speed and intensity of the delay effect.
- Chorus: Chorus duplicates the audio wave and intrudes slight variations in the second wave that modulate over time. This creates a lush and full sound.
- Phaser: Phaser alters the frequency of a sound wave and varies it over time. This creates a swooshing sound effect. The effect can be fast (simulating a rotary speaker effect) or slow, creating movement in the audio.
- Flanger: Flanger duplicates the audio wave a applies a varying delay to the duplicate wave. This creates a spacy, jet-engine-like effect.
- Equalizer (EQ): Equalizer or graphic EQ is one of the most common effects. It is used to reduce or boost certain frequencies of an audio wave or input. You can use equalizer to shape the tone of an audio clip or the overall audio. For example, a low-pass EQ allows lower bass frequencies to pass through while limiting higher frequencies. A high-pass EQ allows higher frequencies to pass through, while limiting lower frequencies.
- Compression: Compression reduces the dynamic range of an audio clip. It reduces the range between the loud and quiet parts of an audio clip or input. It can also prevent distortion from clipping.
- Distortion: This is when the audio wave file is intentionally altered to create a distorted sound. This is usually done by increasing the input gain to the point where the wave starts clipping. This is most commonly used on electric guitar, however it can be used on other instruments as well.
- Noise Gate: A noise gate blocks audio waves below a certain volume level. This is useful for removing background noise or static hissing.
- Pitch correction: Pitch correction (also known as Auto-tune) allows you to manually correct the pitch of out-of-tune vocals or instruments. This is usually used on vocal tracks. When used overtly, pitch correction can create a robotic-sounding tone, as made famous by the rapper T-Pain.

Section 10 of 11:

Mixing Audio

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Mixing is the process balancing the individual tracks and elements into a final mix. Once you have your audio tracks recorded, and arranged, and you have added all the effects you want to add, the final step is to mix everything to produce a final mix. The mixing process involves the following:
- Balancing: Most DAWs have individual volume sliders for each track. Balancing is when you adjust the volume of each individual track to make sure no individual instrument is too loud or too quiet. You don't want one track to be overpowering the rest of the mix. You also don't want a track that's too quiet and barely audible You also want to make sure the prominent parts of the mix (i.e. the vocals) are mixed slightly higher than the rest of the mix so that they stand out.
- Tonal balancing: Tonal balancing is when you use EQ to adjust the frequencies of individual tracks and the overall mix. When recording a musical composition, you want each instrument to occupy it's own sonic space within the audio spectrum. This means having instruments, such as bass guitar more prominent on the lower frequencies, and electric guitar more prominent on the mid-range frequencies. Vocals and lead guitar may be more prominently featured on the high end of the spectrum. Applying EQ to the overall mix ensures that the mix doesn't have too much treble or bass.
- Stereo Imaging: Stereo imaging is the process of panning individual tracks to left, right, or center sides of the stereo speakers. This creates space in the mix and makes it sound like different instruments are placed in different locations. Double-tracking is a common practice whereby an instrumental part is recorded and then panned to the left or right side. Then the same part is recorded again and panned to the opposite side. This creates a thicker sound with slight variations on both sides of the stereo mix.
- Dynamic control: Dynamic control is when you mix the audio so that no section is too loud or too quiet. This can be done using compressor, adjusting the volume on certain channels, or boosting or reducing the volume on certain audio clips during parts of the song.

Section 11 of 11:

Export Your Audio

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Export the final product when you are finished. You are done editing and mixing the audio, it is time to export or render the final product. You can usually find the option export or render the audio in the File menu of most DAWs. Make sure to select the highest-quality audio settings when you export your final audio.
- The final mix is not always the final mix. You may produce several rough drafts before you settle on a final mix.

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How can I fix an audio recording that has too much background noise without affecting vocals?

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To do that in Audacity specifically, you have to select a part of the video where you don't speak, then go to "Effect." Next choose "Noise reduction," and click "Get noise profile." Then you use CTRL+A to select all of the recording, and go again into "Noise reduction" and click "OK." Be sure you have selected "Reduce."

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How can I choose one section of a voice recording file?

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If you want to keep the track you're working on unchanged, you select the section you need to extract, then you go to Edit--> Copy and open a new file in File. Then paste that file in.

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How do I remove the noise that sounds like somebody is walking on plastic, and how do I fix voices that are too close to the microphone?

Matthew Weil

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You either have to resize the length of the microphone to reach a point, or you have to record while they are away.

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Be sure to save your work frequently. You don't want to loose your hard work.

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Most programs have a Help menu where you can learn more about the program's features and benefits. Even if there is no Help menu you can usually find many review and short video tutorials online to learn more about the software.

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- Listen to your mix on multiple devices. Just because it sounds good on your computer speakers doesn't mean it will sound good on other devices. Listen to your mix in mono and stereo to make sure it sounds good in both modes. See how your mix sounds like using headphones, on your phone, in your car, on your smart speaker, and anything you have laying around.

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A Complete and Comprehensive Guide to Audio Editing

How to Edit Audio

Steps

Basic Audio Editing

Understanding the Terms and Tools

Installing a Digital Audio Workstation

Starting a New Session

Importing Audio

Recording Audio

Cutting, Splitting, and Trimming Audio

Fading and Cross Fading

Adding Effects

Mixing Audio

Export Your Audio

Community Q&A

Video

Tips

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