What are the best ways to use Audacity to improve the audio quality of live recordings?
I use Audacity a lot, and it has its place. Cleaning up sketchy live audio recordings isn't its strong point. There are tool sets available for Audacity, but they are not very good for this type of job (they can't be used in real-time).Besides starting off by recording live audio to the best quality possible with the best equipment choices possible suitable for the conditions (good mixer/soundboard, good directional or condenser microphones or line recording when possible), your best bet to clean up live recordings would be to use Pro Tools or something similar with a good suite of mixing and mastering tools (i.e. compressors, limiters, noise filters/EQ, de-essers, etc).
How to improve lecture recording quality?
I have started to record lectures with my netbook's built in microphone last quarter and found that the recordings are helpful as I can listen to things that I missed from my instructor while copying notes down. However, this quarter I am not allowed to use my netbook or any other PC in some courses since other students have been doing other things on their PCs while in class. I tried to record my lectures this quarter with a digital voice recorder. When I listened to it I found that heavy accented professors were unintelligible in the recordings. I already placed the recorder flat on my desk with the microphone facing the instructor. Even attempts to enhance the recording with Audacity (Dynamic range compression, noise reduction, low/high pass filters) seems futile. What should I do to improve my recording? Right now, I am looking at: 1. Buy an omnidirectional microphone for the digital recorder(it has plug-in power mic jack). 2. Buy a new digital recorder all together. This time I'll buy a recorder that records in a non- proprietary format and does not compress the audio in any way.I would possibly consider something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-LS-10-Linear-PCM-Recorder/dp/B0012754UG BTW, my recorder model is Panasonic RR-US360.
Does audacity have the same recording quality as protools?
The software itself will have almost no bearing on the quality of a SINGLE sound source.The reason for this is because the quality of any sounds you capture is dictated by the quality of the analogue to digital converters (ADC's) in your soundcard.If you record into audacity with the best quality ADC you can buy, it is conceivable that you will end up with a much better sounding file than if you recorded into pro tools with a really cheap nasty soundcard (of course, this would only be possible on later versions of pro tools, after they opened up the software for use with non-proprietary hardware).However, once you get beyond a single audio source, everything will change. Mixing multiple sources together is then a matter of the math used in the mix engine of the software in question. And on that front, I'm not sure about the philosophy is the software engineers who created audacity.Hope this helps.
How can I lower the sound quality in Audacity?
Interesting question. Lots of options. It depends what you mean by audio quality.You could start by setting a low pass filter at 10khz or even 5khz. This will cut off the high frequency harmonics and take a lot of character out of voices or instruments (think FM radio compared to CD quality).You could reduce the bit rate from 16 to 8 or even lower. This will massively affect the dynamic range removing detail from the sound. Think early 90s computer game sound track.You could mix in some white noise (or other arbitrary waveform) to increase the noise floor. Think 80′s cassette tape copied too many times.You could compress the audio using e.g. mp3 codec at a very low bit rate (64kbps or lower) introducing strange sounding artefacts especially to the higher frequency sounds.Or you could just download and import some modern pop music. (The point I’m trying to make there is that everything to do with audio quality is subjective).Btw Audacity is a great tool but I’ve not used it for a long time so I don’t have any tips on how to implement any of these suggestions. I’m sure there is good documentation on-line. If you experiment with some combination of the above you can achieve the affect you want.
Can Audacity be used to make a voice recording sound better?
Having used Audacity extensively, I can certainly vouch for it's ability to make a voice sound its best. When I turn in an audition, or use the program for narration, I almost always employ some of the many available plugins to make what I've recorded sound more pleasing to the ear. I may use a compressor to make it sound fuller and more even throughout, a high pass filter to subtly remove minor pops, etc. I typically don't want to alter my natural voice too much, to avoid angering the client when I show up and sound nothing like the audition I submitted. If I did want to change my voice, however, there are plugins that would let me do that, as well. I can change the pitch, tempo, and almost any other aspect of the performance. As Patrick has already pointed out, however, this is no substitute for having a talented, capable narrator, with a pleasant voice, to begin with. I can tell you from experience that trying to fix poor-quality narration in post-production can be excruciating, and should be avoided, if at all possible.
How do I get good audio recording without microphone for videos?
Film indoors, in a room that doesn’t have too much reverb. Bare walls and empty rooms create reverb, so a room with curtains and rugs, and furniture, will help to absorb it.Close windows, and turn off noisy appliances like air-conditioners.Also, shoot close to the subject, if it is a person speaking; this will give you a stronger audio signal.In the editing stage, you can clean up the audio a little bit, by removing hiss and noise in a good sound editing program, as well as giving the volume level a boost.But besides this, it is best to get a good quality external microphone when you can afford it. You don’t need to spend too much, and there are lots of good videos on youtube about choosing a microphone for video work.
How can I record my voice in the most proffesional way at home?
You can try these two. They are both FREE. Audacity ( http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/ ) Audacity is a free, easy-to-use and multilingual audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. You can use Audacity to: * Record live audio. * Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs. * Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files. * Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together. * Change the speed or pitch of a recording. * And more! Free Audio Editor ( http://www.free-audio-editor.com/index.htm ) The easy way to record, edit and enhance your sounds! Edit audio files visually; Record audio from a microphone or any other available input device; Apply various effects; Burn audio CDs from MP3, WMA, WAV, and OGG; All in one program, simple and intuitive - FAE (free audio editor). Completely free! * Powerful audio recording feature * Edit audio files visually * Apply various effects easily * Powerful noise reduction tool * Easy to use interface will get you started editing in just minutes * Real-time effect preview is supported * Easy to use bookmark and region manager * Supports a number of file formats including wav (multiple codecs), mp3, wma, ogg and many more. * Burn your sound files to CD * Tools include speech synthesis (text-to-speech) * Completely Free! OR If you want the best paid one, you can try Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/audiostudio Award-winning Sound Forge digital audio editing software includes a powerful set of audio processes, tools, and effects for manipulating audio. Sound Forge software allows you to edit, record, encode, and master nearly any form of digital audio including WAV, AIFF, and MP3. Whether you're new to editing audio or you're a seasoned audio engineer, there is a Sound Forge product that is right for you. ABOUT E-MAILING THE RECORDING: If the size of the recorded audio file is small in size (depending up which e-mail provider you use), you can sent the file as an attachment through your e-mail. Example: Yahoo can send a maximum file size of 25MB Gmail can send a maximum file size of 20MB
Audacity Question-Buzz with voice..!?
Try the Noise Removal effect. You need to select and sample just a sliver of the buzz for step 1. It's step 2 and the adjustment sliders that takes some getting used to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqeG2ZiN_... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49tRaaFac...