practical step-by-step guide to edit audio in Audacity (PC

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Practical step-by-step guide to edit audio in Audacity (PC) for storytelling / life-lesson reels and short videos. I’ll cover recording, cleanup (noise reduction), voice processing (EQ, compression, de-essing), creative FX (reverb, delays), track organization, fades/crossfades, and export settings tuned for Reels/TikTok/YouTube Shorts. Follow it in order and you’ll have professional, clean voice audio ready to drop into your video editor.

Before you start — quick checklist

  • Use a decent mic (USB condenser or dynamic + audio interface).

  • Quiet room, close mic technique (6–12 inches), pop filter.

  • Install latest Audacity and confirm MP3/WAV export works (modern Audacity includes needed encoders).

  • Save project often: File > Save Project (.aup3).

1) Create project + set quality

  1. Open Audacity.

  2. Project Rate (bottom-left): set to 48000 Hz for video (or 44100 Hz for audio-only). 48 kHz is best for video editors.

  3. Edit > Preferences > Quality: Default Sample Format = 24-bit (best balance). Click OK.

2) Recording (or importing) voice

  • To record directly: press R to start recording, Space to stop/play.

  • To import recorded voice: File > Import > Audio or drag the audio file into Audacity.

  • Use Ctrl+B to add label at a selection for notes (like "Intro", "Line 1", "Music cue").

Tips while recording:

  • Keep input levels so peaks are between -12 dB and -6 dB (watch the meter; avoid red clipping).

  • If you have room noise, record a 2–4 second silent section at start — useful as noise profile.

3) Basic cleanup: trim, silence, and split

  1. Use Selection Tool to select unwanted starts/ends, press Delete or use Silence Audio (Ctrl+L).

  2. Split clips for small edits: place cursor, Edit > Clip Boundaries > Split (shortcut Ctrl+I).

  3. Move pieces with Time Shift Tool (double-click the 2-arrow icon).

Use Labels (Ctrl+B) to mark lines or sections to keep editing organized.

4) Remove background noise (Noise Reduction)

  1. Select 1–3 seconds of pure room noise from recording.

  2. Effect > Noise Reduction > Get Noise Profile.

  3. Select entire track (Ctrl+A), open Effect > Noise Reduction again and apply recommended starting settings:

    • Noise reduction (dB): 12 (12–18 dB works; if artifacts appear, lower it)

    • Sensitivity: 6.0

    • Frequency smoothing (Hz): 150

  4. Click Preview, then OK.

If speech sounds warbly, reduce Noise reduction (dB) or increase Frequency smoothing.

5) Remove pops / breaths manually

  • Zoom into waveform (Ctrl+1). Select breath or pop, use Effect > Amplify with negative value (e.g., -8 dB) to reduce volume, or press Silence Audio for very loud clicks.

  • For repeated breaths, use Envelope Tool to dip volume on breaths.

6) EQ (make the voice clear)

  1. Select entire track.

  2. Effect > Filter Curve EQ (or Graphic EQ). Use this preset approach:

    • High-pass at 80 Hz (to remove rumble): slope starting at 80 Hz down.

    • Slight presence boost around 3–6 kHz (+2 to +4 dB) to make narration intelligible.

    • Gentle cut around 250–500 Hz if voice sounds boxy (-1 to -3 dB).

  3. Preview and apply.

7) De-ess (reduce sibilance)

Audacity doesn't have a dedicated de-esser effect by name — use one of two approaches:
A. Manual EQ: Select sibilant region (listen), use Filter Curve EQ to reduce 4–8 kHz in those small selections.
B. Compressor + High-frequency cut: Use Light compression then gentle EQ cut around offending frequency.
If you have an updated Audacity with a "De-esser" plugin, use it with moderate threshold.

8) Compression (even out levels)

Purpose: reduce dynamic range so soft parts are audible and loud parts controlled.

  1. Select track. Effect > Compressor. Start with these conservative settings:

    • Threshold: -18 dB

    • Noise Floor: -40 dB

    • Ratio: 3.0:1 (3:1)

    • Attack: 5 ms

    • Release: 120–200 ms

    • Make-up gain: checked or adjust later with Amplify.

  2. Preview and apply. If voice sounds pumped, raise threshold (less compression) or lower ratio.

9) Loudness normalization (LUFS) & peak control

For social video platforms, aim for about -14 LUFS integrated (common target for online video) and peaks no higher than -1 dBTP.

  1. Effect > Loudness Normalization (if available). Set target -14 LUFS (or choose -16 if you prefer quieter).

  2. If Loudness Normalization isn’t available: use Effect > Normalize to -1 dB (this sets peaks but not LUFS).

  3. For peak limiting, use Effect > Limiter: Type = Hard Limit or Soft Limit, input gain as needed and limit to -1 dB to avoid clipping in exports.

10) Add reverb for atmosphere (use sparingly)

A touch of reverb makes storytelling feel warm, but keep it subtle for voice.

  1. Duplicate voice track (optional) for more interesting blends.

  2. Effect > Reverb (or GVerb): suggested starting preset: Small Room / Vocal with tweaks:

    • Room size: small to medium (0.8–1.6)

    • Pre-delay: 10–30 ms

    • Reverberance / Decay: 1.2–1.8 s

    • Wet gain: -18 dB to -12 dB (very low)

    • Dry gain: 0 dB (keep original clear)

  3. Use Preview and apply minimally. Often better to create a separate reverb track and mix it under the dry vocal.

Alternative: use Delay set to a tiny slap delay (20–70 ms) for presence.

11) Add background music / SFX

  1. File > Import > Audio to add music track below the voice track.

  2. Use the Envelope Tool to dip music under the voice: create nodes and lower music volume during speech. Aim for music at -18 to -22 dB under spoken sections (depends on track).

  3. To create natural transitions, use Effect > Fade In / Fade Out on music clips. For overlapping music clips, use Crossfade Tracks or use Envelope Tool to create smooth crossfades.

12) Crossfades between clips

  • Two methods:

    1. Crossfade Tracks effect: select the overlapping region on both clips and Effect > Crossfade Clips (if available).

    2. Manual: Create overlap, use Envelope Tool to lower the outgoing clip volume while raising incoming clip — this is precise and commonly used for narration lines.

13) Final listen & fixes

  • Play the whole project at normal listening level, listen for pops, breaths, volume jumps.

  • Use Ctrl+1/Ctrl+2/Ctrl+3 to zoom in/out for visual fixes.

  • Use Undo (Ctrl+Z) if something went wrong.

14) Export for reels / video editors

A. For best quality (recommended for editing) — export WAV to import into video editor:

  • File > Export > Export as WAV

  • Sample Rate: 48000 Hz, 24-bit PCM.
    B. For direct upload / smaller file (MP3) — export MP3:

  • File > Export > Export as MP3

  • Bitrate: 256–320 kbps, joint-stereo.
    C. If your video editor expects an MP4 audio track (AAC), export WAV then let the video editor encode to AAC (best workflow).

Export checks:

  • Ensure you export stereo (even if voice is mono, stereo is safe). If recorded mono, Audacity will export mono unless you convert to stereo.

  • If the platform requires max loudness, consider final LUFS target -14 LUFS for Instagram/TikTok; you can measure with Loudness Normalization or third-party LUFS meters.

15) Handy keyboard shortcuts (Windows)

  • R = Record

  • Space = Play / Stop

  • Ctrl + Z = Undo

  • Ctrl + Y = Redo

  • Ctrl + A = Select all

  • Ctrl + I = Split

  • Ctrl + B = Add label at selection

  • Ctrl + 1/2/3 = Zoom in / normal / out

  • Ctrl + L = Silence Audio

16) Quick preset summary (copy-paste)

  • Project rate: 48000 Hz / 24-bit

  • Recording peaks: -12 to -6 dB

  • Noise Reduction: 12 dB, Sensitivity 6, Smooth 150 Hz (tweak)

  • High-pass: 80 Hz; presence boost 3–6 kHz +2–4 dB

  • Compressor: Threshold -18 dB, Ratio 3:1, Attack 5 ms, Release 120–200 ms

  • Limiter: Ceiling -1 dB

  • Reverb: tiny wet -18 to -12 dB, pre-delay 10–30 ms, decay 1.2–1.8 s

  • LUFS target: -14 LUFS (for social video)

  • Export: WAV 48 kHz 24-bit (best), or MP3 256–320 kbps (smaller)

Troubleshooting common issues

  • Voice sounds hollow/phasey after effects: undo recent effect, reduce reverb/wet level, avoid doubling the same vocal.

  • Too much noise reduction artifacts: reduce Noise Reduction (dB) and increase Frequency Smoothing.

  • Sibilance still harsh: manually reduce 4–8 kHz around sibilant syllables or use a de-esser plugin.

  • Loudness too low on platform: aim for LUFS target and raise overall gain; avoid clipping — use limiter.

Quick workflow example (one-pass order)

  1. Import/record → 2. Trim & label → 3. Noise reduction → 4. Remove breaths/pops → 5. EQ → 6. Compression → 7. De-ess (if needed) → 8. Add reverb/music → 9. Normalize/Limit → 10. Export WAV → 11. Import into video editor → Final master export with video.

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