If you are a filmmaker, video editor, content creator, indie filmmaker – you will always be on the lookout for top of the range audio editing programs, and Audacity has it all. As a filmmaker, you will need to split audio on a regular basis to ensure your content, film or interviews are in sync and of the highest quality when complete.
Following the simple steps below you will be able to split or join your audio without incurring any hiccups or losing any of your recordings.
Why would you split audio in Audacity?
Splitting audio is where you split your audio to make it more concise, especially if there are moments of silence and or additional noise to get rid of. The audio is split and edited to the liking of the audio editor and then merged together to create a more concise piece of audio.
A great technique for voiceovers and interviews as you can get the flow of the audio by joining and emerging the audio strands with these simple techniques:
How to split audio in Audacity
To split the audio in Audacity simply follow these few steps:
- Using the Selection Tool click on the desired split point in the clip you wish to split.
- Then select Edit, and click on Clip Boundaries.
- Now from the pop-up menu, click on Split.
- Or you can also do this using keyboard shortcuts. Using the keyboard shortcuts Command + I on Mac or Control + I on the computer.
- If you want to put the clip on its own track:
- Before editing your clip, click Edit, then click Clip Boundaries, and finally click Split New from the pop-up menu.
Why would you join audio in Audacity?
You join or merge audio in Audacity for a number of reasons. These range from long periods of silence you wish to close up, or if someones stuttering through an interview you can reduce the noise.
Merging the clips will help you seamlessly alter your audio and fit it right into the correct part of your film or documentary keeping the quality intact.
READ MORE: Top Audacity tips when audio editing on a budget
How to join audio in Audacity
- Using the selection tool, click on the areas of each clip that should be joined together.
- Then click edit, and then clip the boundaries by selecting “clip boundaries”
- Now, using the pop-up menu, you can select Join – or if you prefer, you can use the keyboard shortcuts Command + J on the Mac or Ctrl + J on the computer.
- This will then join the clips and also create a silence in the areas which were previously between the two clips.
- However, if you do not want the silence, then you can then use the time shift tool and pull the clips together to remove the silence.
We hope this article has helped you out a little, and please check out our other Audacity articles.
