I've been contemplating the future of this show and whether to shut it down for several months now and I've decided to do just that. So much of what I do depends on video that doing an audio-only show gets a little challenging. If I was doing interviews it would be different but that's not what I do. So this podcast will soon disappear completely from the podcast universe but as I mention in this episode, I'll still be carrying on in my other venues. Here are some links to those projects in case you're interested:

• Learn Audacity Website
• Learn Audacity YouTube
• Audacity Bootcamp: Beginner to Advanced
• ACX Audiobook Production Using Audacity
• Zoom H6 Audio Recording Essentials
• A History of Glen Canyon Dam and Page Arizona (YouTube)
• Navajo Generating Station Remembered (YouTube)
• The UnSunday Show Podcast

-Mike

Computers can't do anything with analog audio. In order for your computer to do anything with the audio you record, that audio has to first be converted into a digital format. Some sort of device has to be connected between your microphone (if that's what you're using to record) and your computer that converts the analog sound waves from your voice into a digital version of those same sound waves. If you're using a USB mic to record, that conversion takes place inside the mic. The USB mic itself has analog-to-digital conversion electronics built in to it that convert your voice to a digital version and then sends that version to your computer where Audacity (or any DAW) recognizes it and knows what to do with it.

If you're using an analog microphone (any XLR-connected mic is an analog mic) you'll need to plug it into an audio interface unit (like a Scarlett Solo or something similar) and that audio interface unit converts the analog audio from your XLR mic into a digital equivalent and sends that digitally sampled audio into your computer where Audacity displays it back to you as a digital representation of your recorded audio. From there, you can manipulate it in post production to add effects, etc.

In this podcast, I talk about 3 things related to digital audio:

1. Sample Rates
2. Bit Depth
3. Bit Rates

Here's the link to the video on this topic that I mention in this episode:

• VIDEO: Audacity Sample Rates and Bit Depth 

My setup for this episode:

• Audacity version 3.1.3
• 2017 MacBook Pro
• Zoom H6 Audio Recorder/Interface
• SYNCO D2 Hyper Cardioid Directional Condenser Shotgun Mic 

Find me online at https://learnaudacity.com/ 

About a year and half ago, I stumbled into my first experience at making instructional videos. A friend had suggested I make a couple of videos on using Audacity. I knew next to nothing about making videos but I decided to jump in and see what it was like. Now, a year and a half later, I've published over 200 instructional videos, most of them teaching Audacity. Based on the response I've received, instructional and tutorial videos have emerged as a strength of mine I didn't know I had until after taking that initial video plunge.

That being said, I've decided to put this podcast on hiatus for the time being to give more attention to the video side of things and develop that further. Videos are where I'm getting the traffic and traction so I need to turn my attention fully in that direction for now. While this podcast will still be there, I won't be adding any new episodes to it for the time being. I have a few ideas for it but now isn't the right time for me. I am still online at the following places:

• Learn Audacity Website
   
• Learn Audacity YouTube Channel

The 3 courses I teach can be found at:

• Audacity Bootcamp: Beginner to Advanced
   
• ACX Audiobook Production Using Audacity
   
• Zoom H6 Audio Recording Essentials

I recorded this episode in my Zoom H6 recorder using my Audio-Technica AT2040 microphone and I edited it in Audacity version 3.1.3 Beta 1.

-Mike

Audacity has announced plans to create a new online manual to replace the current one. The new manual will have a cleaner look and (it looks like) easier navigation. In addition, it can include video tutorials. I believe this would be a huge step forward in the betterment of Audacity. The link below will take you to Audacity's public announcement regarding the new online manual.

Audacity version 3.1.2 is out and includes a fix to the loop function that I mentioned in an earlier video. I created a video showing that fix and other functions of the new loop feature including the Play-at-Speed tool and the Effects Preview button. The link to that video is below as well. Check it out when you can.

Links:

• Audacity's new manual announcement: https://www.audacityteam.org/rethinking-the-manual/
• Audacity 3.1.2 loop function fix, Play-at-Speed, and Effects preview. https://youtu.be/OIdsfdvzULM

-Enjoy! 

I think I’ve uncovered a problem in Audacity version 3.1.0 regarding sync-lock tracks and the new way of moving audio clips. I use sync-lock tracks on every podcast I do to keep the intro/outro music and narration synched together but separate from the host and guest(s), who are also in sync with each other. When Audacity announced the new way of moving audio clips, beginning in version 3.1.0, my first thought was how that was going to work with sync-lock tracks enabled. It’s different now and you need to know about it if you use sync-lock tracks like I do. 

The video I mentioned showing these changes can be found here:

•  https://firstpersonaudio.com/2021/11/17/sync-lock-tracks-unexpected-behavior-in-audacity-3-1-0/

My recording setup for this episode. NOTE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases. This does not affect pricing:

• AT2040 Dynamic Microphone: https://amzn.to/3clg4YJ
• Zoom H6 Recorder: https://amzn.to/30ADjfb

Other places you'll find me:

• First Person Audio: https://firstpersonaudio.com/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/FirstPersonAudio

The on-demand video courses I teach:

• Audacity Bootcamp: Beginner to Advanced: https://learnaudacity.com/
• ACX Audiobook Production Using Audacity: https://bit.ly/30GIjyN
• Zoom H6 Audio Recording Essentials: https://bit.ly/30sv3xo

FYI: Audacity version 3.1.1 is out with some minor bug fixes.

-Mike

The loop function in Audacity 3.1.0 has changed significantly. This episode is a deeper dive into those changes and the new attributes of the loop function which are far more complicated than in previous versions.

Here's the link to the video I mentioned in this episode:

• What's New in Audacity Version 3.1.0?

-Enjoy!

It's been about a week since I launched my latest course at Udemy called ACX Audiobook Production Using Audacity. It's an Audacity-only course for creating exceptional audiobooks for ACX using Audacity and only Audacity. And the reviews from those enrolled are starting to surface. In this episode I share a few of them with you so you can hear what others are saying about this brand new course.

Here's the 1/2 off link I promised in this episode. Keep in mind that this link is only good until November 27, 2021.

• ACX Audiobook Production Using Audacity: https://www.udemy.com/course/acx-audiobook-production-using-audacity/?couponCode=EB9CBF74636B235268B7
   
• Here's the second link I promised to my best-selling course at Udemy called Audacity Bootcamp: Beginner to Advanced - https://www.udemy.com/course/audacity-bootcamp-beginner-to-advanced/?referralCode=2929789AFB4340922D9A

-Mike

I have been buried these last couple of months with creating a new online, on-demand video course called ACX Audiobook Production Using Audacity. I'm happy to say that this shiny new course has been rolled out onto the showroom floor as of this morning and it's ready for public consumption. Here's a feel for some of the topics in this new course:

• The ACX Requirement for Room Tone
• The ACX Standard for Noise Floor
• The ACX Standard for File Size
• The ACX Standard for RMS Loudness
• The ACX Standard for Sample Rate
• How to set Audacity Preferences for ACX audiobook recording
• Simple definitions of Noise Floor, Sample Rate, RMS Loudness, and Bit Rate
• How to fix narration mistakes as they happen using Punch and Roll Record
• How to apply Equalization and when
• How to apply Compression
• How to level your audio using RMS Loudness to meet ACX requirements for RMS
• How to apply the Limiter effect to meet ACX standards
• How to apply the De-Clicker effect to reduce/remove mouth sounds
• The importance of running Audacity's ACX Check Plugin
• How to build and run a Macro to automate our process
• How to clean up breath sounds using Punch Copy/Paste
• How to clean up breath sounds using Attenuation
• Content editing and final MP3 export
• How to meet the ACX requirements for MP3 file size and bit rate

The course consists of 19 videos, 8 practice assignments, 9 downloadable resources, and 5 quizzes to track your progress. We don't cover things like mic technique, mic placement, vocal technique or inflection, or room conditioning like soundproofing, etc. There are unlimited resources for those important subjects out there and I supply you with the links to several in the last lecture. Instead, we stay fixed on Audacity and how to make it work for us in producing great audiobooks that will pass ACX's requirements. We don't venture into 3rd party software or 3rd party plugins or effects. Instead, I show you how to create exceptional audiobooks for free, using Audacity. Here's the 50% off link to the course I mention in this episode. That's only $12.99 and the link is good for 30 days!

• ACX Audiobook Production Using Audacity

Here are the links to my two other courses I mentioned:

• Audacity Bootcamp: Beginner to Advanced
• Zoom H6 Audio Recording Essentials

-Enjoy!