Once you download Audacity from the link provided and install it on your computer. This will be what you see when you first open Audacity:
Starting From the top left:
- File: standard save, load, new. Plus exporting project as...
- You can make a .wav file, mp3, and Ogg Vorbis (if you don't know what that is then you probably won't need it, I don't know what it is. You can't open or save as a .wmv, copyright issues with Microsoft)
2. Edit: standard cut, paste, etc. Plus delete, silence, split and duplicate.
3. View: standard stuff, experiment with it as needed.
4. Project: this is where it gets interesting
- Import audio: any audio files (.wav, mp3, Ogg Vorbis) on your computer can be loaded with this and then be edited
- Import labels, MIDI, raw data, and edit ID3 tags: can experiment with, but you won't need it for Machinima
- New audio, stereo, label, and time tracks: forms a new track in the editing area
- Align tracks: obvisously it lines the tracks up
5. Generate: allows you to generate random or rythmic sound
- Silence: no sound for specified length of time
- Tone: A single note for specified length of time
- White Noise: Static for specified length of time
- Click Track: A series of clicks with features you specify
- Pluck track: Similar to Click track
- Sine, Cosine oscillator: Also similar to click track but the sound is less sudden
6. Effect: adds effects to the audio you have selected in the editing area
- You'll need to experiment with each of these (there are a lot)
- List includes Reverse, change tempo, change speed, change pitch. Tempo affects speed of audio not the pitch, change pitch affects pitch but not tempo, and change speed affects both
- It also has noise removal: you select a sample of noise you want removed (the longer the better) then you select an area of audio that you want the noise removed (if you include something you want to keep in the first selection it will screw up your audio, that is why there is an undo button)
Using the program is pretty self explanatory (If you have a question that isn't answered submit it here)
