Audacity is an excellent free, open-source Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that is perfect for anyone who wants to record any audio source to a computer. This software is not only used for recording, but it can also be used for editing and enhancing audio files because it comes with many effects.
In this post, I will explain step by step how to install Audacity on Windows 10, so that you can use this excellent DAW for your next recording project. Let’s Get Started.
What is Audacity
Audacity is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems[1]. A group of volunteers developed it as open-source DAW, releasing the first version in the year 2000. Audacity is continually updated and expanded, thanks to coders from around the world who are part of this project.
In 2007 and 2009, Audacity won the SourceForge Community Choice Award for Best Project for Multimedia. [2]
There are endless applications for which you can use Audacity. Here are a few examples of what you can use it for:
- Record live audio using an audio interface or by using the computer’s sound card.
- Record the computer playback sound on any Windows Vista or later machine.
- Convert tapes and vinyl records into digital recordings or CDs.
- Edit WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP2, MP3, Ogg Vorbis sound files.
- Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together.
- Use numerous effects, such as changing the speed or the pitch of a recording. Also, use it to remove the vocals from a song.
Downloading and Installing Audacity for Windows 10
For downloading and installing Audacity on a Windows 10 computer follow these steps:
1. The first thing you need to do is download Audacity (link to Audacity’s Official website). Select the download link for Windows 10 and Make sure to get the latest stable version.
2. After selecting the download link for Windows, it takes you to the Fosshub website for downloading the file. Click the Audacity Windows Installer to download the .exe file for installation. Just for clarification, Fosshob is the content delivery partner for Audacity.org. To read more about safety online when downloading online, read this article.
3. After downloading the installation file, double click it. Windows will prompt a warning to make sure that you want to install the program, click “Yes” to continue.
4. The next window is for you to “Select Setup Language” to use during installation. After selecting the language of your choice, click “Ok” to continue with the installation.
5. At this point, the Audacity setup wizard opens and asks if you want to continue with the installation, click “Next” to proceed.
6. The following window is the license agreement. If you would like, read the information and click “Next” to continue with the installation process.
7. This window allows you to select the destination folder where you want to install the program. I recommend leaving the default and click “Next.”
8. Select if you want a shortcut on your desktop, then click “Next” to continue installing.
9. Up to this point, you have selected the language, agreed to the license, and created a shortcut on the desktop; it’s time to click on “Install” so that the program installs on your hard drive.
10. When it’s finished installing, click on “Finish,” and the program is going to load.
11. If everything installed correctly, you should see the program interface like the image below.
What do Next
Now you can try recording your voice using the microphone that comes with your computer to test it. If you have an audio interface, connect it to a USB port and select it from the drop-down menu, just as shown in the image below, to start recording.
Another thing you can try is loading any MP3 song stored on your computer and start using the different effects to get used to them.
Here are a few tutorials that use Audacity that you can try:
- How to Remove Vocals from a Song Using Audacity.
- How to Connect a Microphone to a Laptop for Recording.
Final Thoughts
To start recording audio on your computer, you need a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). There are different paid DAW software to choose from, but why not use a free DAW like Audacity to start learning? You can always select other DAW software later on if you feel like Audacity has limited functionality.
If you are starting a podcast or you’re a singer who wants to start recording songs, follow this tutorial to install Audacity and start recording. You can use a USB mic, audio interface, or audio mixer.