[Mobius]

I was wondering if Audacity could be used for the mass production of audio recordings which may be used in game reviews. Sadly, I don't have the program myself but there are so many people here who know the program very well and may help me out. Does Audacity like OGG Vorbis? Is it capable of handling several audio files, and combine them into one (4-5 minutes long, in total)? Does Audacity require any special equipment to work correctly? Are there any comparable programs?

Thanks in advance for the much needed replies.

[The E]

Audacity can do all of that, and doesn't need any equiüpment beyond that found in most modern PCs.

There may be some issues with its ogg encoder; FSO's built-in ogg decoder seems to have issues with some of the files it produces. In those cases, I would recommend exporting to wav, then using oggenc or oggenc2 to convert to ogg vorbis.

[Bobboau]

I have also noticed it's ogg output seems to have some degree of improvement remaining. I'm sort of supprised it doesn't just link to an external library.

[Liberator]

If you are going to be making recordings and are on a limited budget, Audacity will do the job.  A few important things though, get a decent microphone, try to position it so you don't breathe into it, and practice your lines.  Also, and this is just a pet peeve of mine, most people "pop their p's" when they speak into a microphone.  This happens because you are using too much air to produce the sound most likely because you are trying to be louder than you need to be.  Just speak normally and do many takes of each segment till you get something you are happy with.  Lastly, don't be afraid to get some of your friends to listen the (semi)finished product while you are producing it and ask them for feedback on how to make it better.


As far as comparable programs, the big one seems to be Sony Vegas, which usually runs about $500 to $600 USD.

[Mobius]

Does anyone have experience with videos featuring audio files recorded with Audacity? I'd like to know if the results were encouraging.

Even a link to one of these videos would help.

[The E]

Err.

Audacity is audio-only. It doesn't do video. At all.

What are you looking for? Audio or Video editing software? Because those are quite different beasts, you know.

[Mobius]

Yeah, I know, but I guess its output can be used in video-editing programs, effectively replacing music.

[The E]

Of course, but unless some video creator out there explicitly states what his toolchain consists of, finding examples is hard.

Besides, most video editors I know incorporate at least basic audio-editing functionality as well.

[Ransom]

Yeah, I know, but I guess its output can be used in video-editing programs, effectively replacing music.

Video editing software isn't worried about how you made the audio files, only that they're in a format it understands.

Audacity'll do everything you mention. The E and Bobboau are right about its ogg support, though.

[Mobius]

Thanks!

[swashmebuckle]

A few important things though, get a decent microphone, try to position it so you don't breathe into it, and practice your lines.  Also, and this is just a pet peeve of mine, most people "pop their p's" when they speak into a microphone.  This happens because you are using too much air to produce the sound most likely because you are trying to be louder than you need to be.

You can take care of this problem by making a pop filter (a really quick project) and anchoring it to something that's not attached to the mic.  Having the filter in front of you can also help you control your distance from the mic, which is sometimes difficult to do if you aren't used to it.  As long as you can stay a decent distance back (experiment to find the best spot for your mic) you shouldn't be troubled by heavy breathing noises--in fact, having a bit of breath in a recording is essential for a natural sounding delivery.  It's also perfectly fine to speak either directly towards or slightly off center to the mic, depending on how much of the room you want to hear.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_filter