There are several things that you can do in Audacity to improve
your voice recording. We'll be showing you how
to use the following tools. Use our clickable sections below to keep track of what step
you're on during this tutorial. Be careful when using
our suggested effects. Overdoing these can cause your voice to become too boomy or grating. First, let's add some fullness
and presence to your voice using two different EQ
methods in Audacity. In order to process your audio files using the methods described, double-click your audio
file to select the section that you want to clean up. We'll start with Audacity's
bass and treble effect. It's a quick way to add some presence to your voice recording. Go into the effect menu and
select "Bass and Treble." Try increasing both the bass
and the treble just a bit to increase your volume level, no more than 2 to 3 dB. Click "Start Playback"
to hear your effect. And when you're satisfied, click "Apply." Another method is using
Audacity's filter curve EQ. This will give you more nuanced control over the frequencies in your recording. Make sure your audio is still selected, then go into the effect menu
and select "Filter Curve." The filter curve EQ allows you
to select a frequency range so that you can make
more granular adjustments based on your preference. Click on the graph to insert points at the frequencies you wish to adjust. For the low end, let's start somewhere between 100 to 130 hertz. Insert your points, and then drag them up or down to adjust the gain of that frequency range. Don't add more than a couple of decibels, or it will sound too gloomy. Click on the preview
button to test your effect. It may take a second or more for Audacity to prerender the effect, depending upon the length of your audio. For the high end, do the same
for the upper frequencies. Try starting around 2.5 kilohertz and bringing that up just a bit. Again, your adjustment should not be above 3 decibels at the most. Once you're satisfied, click "OK." Another method of improving voice quality is to use a compressor. This type of processor helps even out the differences in amplitude over the length of your recording. Select your audio file, go into the effects menu, and select "Compressor." Set the threshold to about -30 decibels. Set the noise floor to about -50 decibels. The ratio should be set
to about 2:1 to 3:1 or so, higher if you really want
that in-your-face radio voice. The attack and release should both be set to very short times. And, finally, make sure that the "Make-up gain for
0 dB after compressing" option is selected. Again, you can preview the effects to make sure you are
satisfied with the changes. Then click "OK." The final thing you can
do to bring out your voice is to normalize it. This is a process that
brings your recording up to its fullest potential
without adding distortion. Make sure your audio is selected. Go into the effects menu and click on "Normalize." Ensure that both the "Remove DC offset" and "Normalize peak amplitude
to" options are selected. Set the "Normalize peak
amplitude to" setting to about -1 dB. You can preview this to hear it, and then click "OK."
