What Is Audacity and How to Record Computer Audio with Audacity

Looking for a way to record music, lecture or podcast? It is tough to go wrong with Audacity. It is an open-source audio solution with a full set of tools that you can use to handle needs involved with audio and sound.

However, there are still many questions around Audacity, such as what it can do, whether it is safe to record audio with Audacity and more. If you have the same questions, you are at the right place, since this is a comprehensive guide of the free audio recorder and editor.

Part 1: Introduction of Audacity

Briefly speaking, Audacity is an open-source audio recording and editing application with extensive pro-level features, such as:

• 1. Record computer audio, online music, and microphone.
• 2. Put audio recording or audio files onto tracks for editing.
• 3. Offer a full set of audio editing tools, like trim, effect, etc.
• 4. Available to both Windows, Mac OS 12/11/X and Linux.
• 5. Convert audio files to MP3, WAV, AIFF or OGG.
• 6. Built-in amplitude-envelope editor and spectrogram mode.
• 7. Expandable with a wide range of plugins.

A Brief Review of Audacity

Pros

• 1. There is a large collection of resources to learn Audacity.
• 2. The list of effects that you can use on audio files is long and comprehensive.
• 3. It contains some professional functions, like Amplify, Auto Duck, etc.
• 4. Audacity supports multitrack audio and batch processing.
• 5. It can Record audio with sample rate as high as 192,000Hz.

Cons

• 1. The audio editing features will destruct your audio quality.
• 2. The audio recording function is exceedingly basic.
• 3. The interface looks messy and beginners may feel frustrated.
• 4. Some functions require the use of third-party plugins and a part of them are expensive.

How to Record Computer Audio with Audacity on Windows 10

According to our research, it is secure to use if you download Audacity from the official website. To record your voice along with computer audio, you have to connect the microphone and test it first.

Step 1: Right-click on the Sound or Volume icon at the bottom right corner of your desktop to open the sound devices box. Select Playback devices option and look at the default playback device.

Step 2: Open Audacity, go to the Edit menu, select Preferences to open Preferences dialog. Select Devices from the left side, choose Windows WASAPI from the Host drop-down list, and pick your default playback device under Playback section. Set the Recording section and hit OK.

Step 3: Click the Record button in Transport Toolbar at the top left side of Audacity to start recording computer audio on Windows. You can pause or stop by hitting the corresponding buttons at any point.

Step 4: When you feel enough, click the Stop button. The audio recording will appear on the track. Edit it as you wish. Then select Save Project in File menu and export it to your computer.

Part 2: Best Alternative to Audacity

Audacity is not developed for audio recording primarily. Therefore, you'd better find an alternative solution to record computer audio or sound from microphone. AnyMP4 Screen Recorder is the best alternative to Audacity. It provides more custom options and useful tools focusing on audio recording.

Main Features of the Best Alternative to Audacity

• 1. Record audio from system, microphone and other sources.
• 2. Pre-listen to audio recording with built-in media player.
• 3. Make schedule and record podcast automatically.

In a word, it is the best alternative to Audacity to record computer audio on Windows and Mac.

How to Use the Best Alternative to Audacity

Step 1: Install alternative to Audacity

Launch the best alternative to Audacity when you want to record computer audio. Select Audio Recorder from the home interface to open the audio recording window.

Step 2: Record audio

There are two options, System Sound and Microphone. The former is used to record computer audio and the latter can capture your voice. Set them based on your need and click the REC button to begin recording audio without Audacity.

Step 3: Save audio recording

When audio recording is done, click the Stop button to enter the preview window. Listen to the audio recording, remove unwanted clips, and click Save button.

For more audio recording software, you can refer to this post.

Part 3: Comparison of Audacity and Alternative

Features	Audacity	AnyMP4 Screen Recorder
Setup	Manually	Automatically
Output formats	WAV, AIFF, MP3 and OGG	MP3, AAC, M4A, CAF and WMA
Schedule recording	No	Yes
Edit audio recording	Yes	Yes
Share audio recording	No	Yes
Hotkeys	Shift + R	Customizable hotkeys
Destructive audio editing	Yes	No
Online Support	No	24 hours

Part 4: FAQs of Audacity

Conclusion

This post has talked about one of the best free audio recording and editing software, Audacity. Now, you should understand what it can do, whether it is worth you to use, and how to record computer audio with Audacity. To be honest, it is a good starting point for beginners, partly because Audacity is free of charge. If you need an advanced option, we suggest you to try AnyMP4 Screen Recorder. If you have other problems related to audio recording, please feel free to leave a message below.