- 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 |
- Video |
- Expert Interview |
- Q&A |
- Tips
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.
Steps
Basic Audio Editing
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1Download 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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2Open your audio editing program. After downloading a simple audio editing program, click or tap the icon to open whichever audio editing program you use.Advertisement
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3Import 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.
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4Cut 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.
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5Add 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.
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6Save 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
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow can I fix an audio recording that has too much background noise without affecting vocals?Community AnswerTo 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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QuestionHow can I choose one section of a voice recording file?Community AnswerIf 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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QuestionHow 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 WeilCommunity AnswerYou 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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Tips
- Be sure to save your work frequently. You don't want to loose your hard work.Thanks
- 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.Thanks
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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.
Expert Interview
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Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about audio editing, check out our in-depth interview with Isabelle Garson .