by Tina Gasperson

Making multi-track recordings was once the province of those with access to a recording studio, but with the help of a free application called Audacity, anyone with a computer and a microphone can record and edit multi-track audio.

Audacity is an open source audio manipulation application that is easy to download and install. Follow the on-screen instructions, and then launch the application. To begin recording, plug a microphone into your computer or check to see if your computer has a built-in microphone and use that. Recording with a microphone is the default state in Audacity, so click the record button and begin speaking or singing. If everything is working as it should you’ll see the level indicators moving. When you’re done recording this first track, play it back to make sure it is the way you want it to be, then save it as a new project by clicking on File, then Save Project As. Give it a name and click Save.
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