Some people have asked what version of Pamela I was using in the previous video. I use the top package which is the professional version (although my interface is a little different looking from recent versions). It’s definitely worth the extra if you are planning on recording a lot via Skype and you can take a 30 day free trial just to be sure it’s what you want/need.

(apologies for the audio quality – I’m testing out different screen capture software and haven’t quite got to grips with all the settings)

I have since been looking at some screenshots of the latest version of Pamela and I can see that things are slightly different to the version in the video, and although you may not have the tabbed navigation that I have, if you click on Call Recording on the left, the options should appear beneath it as sub-categories.

You can click on the links below to access these programs:

Skype

Pamela

(these are affiliate links)

This video shows you how to go back and take mistakes out of your audio, add a retake and then mix them together into one audio track again. It’s really simple, and the good thing about Audacity is it makes it difficult for you to make any silly mistakes when editing and re-recording.

Hope this helps – let me know if you have any other questions about using Audacity

If you have the option, make sure you click the HQ button on the bottom right of the video in order to see it in higher resolution (otherwise it all looks a bit fuzzy).

Don’t forget to watch my previous Audacity videos for more tips by doing a search on the blog for Audacity Tutorial.

Unfortunately, my computer can’t handle it (time for a new computer asap). To learn more about your different options head to the Techsmith website.

It shows you how to add a new track to appear alongside your voice track, simply fade the music in and out, and mix the tracks together.

Unfortunately the video is 17 minutes long (and Youtube only allow a maximum of 10mins for videos) so this is the first half:

And this is the second half:

There are many other ways you can edit music and mix it, but this was the simplest one to demonstrate how quickly and easily it can be done (especially as you are unable to hear the audio I am mixing – must look into other ways of recording it so you can hear what I hear).

Firstly, how to make the audio louder or softer. Especially in interviews, you will often find one person is louder than the other. There is a very simple way to boost or quieten audio using Audacity.

Secondly, recordings of just voices sometimes have obvious background noise and various clicks and pops that you never noticed while recording. There are two features in Audacity that can help you screen out some of these noises.

My only suggestion with these tools is that you don’t over-use them, or have the settings too high. They can make the audio sound tinny, and I would personally prefer to hear a recording that has some depth (even if there is a bit of background noise) than a recording that sounds soulless. But it is very much a matter of personal preference and it is worth playing around with the settings until you like what you hear.

In the next Audacity tutorial I will show you how to bring in another track, which is useful if you want to mix some music with your voice track.

Thanks to Doug for pointing out another reason you might be having problems recording your voice. It may have nothing to do with your Audacity preferences, and be related to your computer’s audio properties. For more information on how to change your settings, this AGNR page has a good description.

I’ll be getting more advanced with editing and mixing in the next videos, so if you have a particular problem and wonder how it can be achieved in Audacity, please post your questions below in the comments section.

As always, you follow along in real time as I re-discover Audacity so apologies for any dithering

Today, I was being trained to gather and present travel news for a variety of radio stations around the UK. For the pre-recorded segments they use Audacity. The guy training me said “Do you know how to use Audacity?” Made me laugh!

In my recent series of guest posts on Alice Seba’s blog, I talked about how easy it is to get started with Online Audio. The free recording software I suggested you use is called Audacity.

Unfortunately, in the space of a blog post it wasn’t possible to explain HOW to use Audacity, so I have created a series of short videos to show you the basics. Audacity is a cross-platform recording and editing software for audio, although I believe MAC users may have better alternatives (I’ll tell you what they are when I eventually get a MacBook Pro).

This video tutorial explains how to download Audacity and the LAME mp3 encoder:

The LAME mp3 encoder is important because mp3s are the format required by most online audio players and podcast directories. They are also smaller than .wav files, which makes them better for offering as downloads.

In the next Audacity tutorial I will show you some of the configuration options for the program and how to do some basic recording and editing.

A lot of people have been asking me recently about how to get started in creating and selling information products. I realised it’s a topic I know a helluva lot about, so I am putting together a full course on the subject.

Of course, some of you will also realise that I have joined forces with two other wonderful marketers – Allison Reynolds and Barb Sabathil – to create the Secret Women’s Business Network. This will be a community designed to help women develop their business skills, learn new skills, and network and mastermind with like-minded women. SWBN will launch in November, and the Information Marketing course will be one of the future learning modules you will receive free for being a member (i.e. I haven’t created it yet but it is in the works, and will follow on from the already essential modules that have been created).

If you are a business woman trying to make a living online, or you have a business in the “real world” and need an online presence but don’t know where to start, then please sign-up for updates from the Secret Women’s Business Network and we will keep you informed of all our progress and when the network will be open for business! Also follow SWBN on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SWBN

And, if you are a guy feeling very left out of things, then my apologies. You’ll be glad to hear that you don’t need to pretend to be a woman to get the Information Marketing course as I plan to release it as a standalone course too. Watch this space!

Peggy asked:

I did a practice interview and you’re right, my voice isn’t so bad upon hearing it. What I did notice was that my transition from interviewee’s answer to my next question wasn’t very smooth.

Are there standard phrases you use at the end of the interviewee’s answer, and then another when you want to ask a new question? I’m looking for smooth segues.

This is a really hard question to answer, as I tend to respond based on the answer that has been given, and something I would say may not sound the same coming from another person’s mouth.

I even asked my friend this question as he is a journalist, but as someone who has also been interviewing for many years his response was there should be no need for a stock response as each conversation should be different.

But I do understand the need for some help with this. When you are conducting interviews for the first time everything seems so significant, and saying just a few words can be daunting. To even call it a “conversation” is alarming to many, as this implies a relaxed affair!

My advice would be to have a few stock responses for when an obvious response doesn’t spring to mind. Words and phrases like “absolutely” or “that’s true” or “that’s really interesting” can be useful, as can a simple murmur of agreement (“Uh-hmmmm” – not sure how you spell a murmur).

As long as it is something you would say naturally and it is done sincerely, it will ring true.

A good exercise is to pay attention to what you say when you are talking to a friend or colleague. How do you respond to them? These responses are so natural you never even realize you are saying them. Eventually, with practice, your interviews should become just the same.

As for how to segue to the next question… It’s vital that you pay attention to what has been said by the interviewee. That way you may find a new question arises, or you want further clarification on something, that is not in your original list of questions.

In these cases, phrases like:

• in that case, what would…
• can you expand on that..
• so, let me get this clear…
• for those who don’t know what <blank> is can you explain further?

If the question doesn’t lead to a new one, then you can segue with comments like:

• that leads us beautifully to my next question…[ask your next question – if this is true]
• you’re giving us loads of great information today. Thank you. What do you think….[ask next question]

Or simply, ask the next question. No one will think any less of you for getting on with the business at hand, as long as you aren’t rude.

Finally, at the end of an interview, always ask “before we finish, is there anything else you would like to add that we haven’t already covered?” And when they have finished speaking, thank them for their time and the wonderful contribution they have made. If they are plugging a book or website, mention it again or give them the opportunity to mention it.

I read somewhere that when interviewing you should be open to “infinite possibilities”. This can be really scary at first but it should become a great adventure. Who knows where the next interview will lead or what things the interviewee will reveal that have not been said before? Imagine your reaction if you had been Oprah interviewing Tom Cruise when he went jumping over the furniture, or Martin Bashir when Princess Diana admitted to there being 3 people in her marriage, her own affair and her eating disorders.

Well, maybe your interviews will never be that dramatic, but one unexpected answer from an interviewee could have your listeners raving about your interview and looking forward to future interviews.

The most important thing is to try to relax, sound genuine, and be yourself.