Effect Menu
Audacity includes many built-in effects and also lets you use
plug-in effects (VST plug-ins) on the Macintosh and Windows
formats.
To apply an effect, simply select part or all of the tracks you want
to modify, and select the effect from the menu. Titles which end in
an ellipsis (...) will bring up a dialog asking you for more parameters.
- Amplify...:
This effect increases or decreases the volume of a track or set of
tracks. When you open the dialog, Audacity automatically
calculates the maximum amount you could amplify the selected audio
without causing clipping (from being too loud).
- Bass Boost...:
This is a safe, smooth filter which can amplify the lower frequencies
while leaving most of the other frequencies alone. It is most effective
if you don't try to boost too much; 12 dB is usually just right.
- Echo...
A simple delay line. For this to be effective, you may want to
add silence to the end of your track(s) first so that there's plenty
of time for the echo to die out gradually.
- Fade In
Applies a linear fade-in to the selected audio. For a logarithmic
fade, use the envelope tool.
- Fade Out
Applies a linear fade-out to the selected audio. For a logarithmic
fade, use the envelope tool.
- FFT Filter...
This effect is fully functional but the dialog box is unfortunately
still under construction. You can still use it, but there are no
axes to tell you which frequencies are which, or how much gain you're
applying.
This is the most general type of filter. If you're careful, you
can use it to highlight exactly the frequencies you want.
However, doing an FFT filter is more likely to result in
artifacts, especially if the filter you draw is not smooth.
- Phaser...
Spice up your sound effects!
- Wahwah...
Just like that guitar sound so popular in the 1970's.
- Plug-ins:
To use a VST plug-in effect, put the effect in the directory (folder)
called "VST", which should be in the same directory where Audacity
resides. If there is no directory called VST, create one. The next
time you launch Audacity, any plug-ins you added will appear in the
Effect menu.