How to Record Vocals in Audacity

To record vocals in Audacity, set your microphone as the recording device, choose mono for a single mic, set a healthy input level, enable monitoring through headphones, then press Record. Audacity is free, runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, and is one of the simplest ways to capture a clean vocal.

This guide assumes a mic connected via an audio interface or a USB mic. If you are deciding which to use, read USB mic vs audio interface first.

Step 1: Select your recording device

Connect your mic before launching Audacity. In the Audio Setup toolbar (or Edit > Preferences > Audio Settings), set:

• Recording Device: your audio interface or USB mic.
• Recording Channels: 1 (Mono) for a single vocal mic. Recording a single mic in stereo just wastes space and puts the voice on one side.
• Project Sample Rate: 44100 or 48000 Hz.

If your microphone needs phantom power, enable 48V on your interface — see what is phantom power. Interface drivers and connections are covered in how to set up an audio interface.

Step 2: Set your recording level

Audacity’s input slider does not replace your interface gain. Set the gain on your interface while you sing at full volume, watching Audacity’s recording meter. Click the meter to enable monitoring of levels, and aim for peaks around -12 to -6 dB — not touching 0, which clips. Strong, clean levels at the source are basic gain staging.

Step 3: Monitor through headphones

Always wear closed-back headphones so the backing track does not bleed into the mic. To hear yourself live, enable Transport > Transport Options > Software Playthrough — but be aware Audacity’s software monitoring adds noticeable latency. If you hear an annoying delay, turn software playthrough off and monitor directly from your audio interface’s hardware monitoring instead, which is zero-latency. This is the same audio latency issue every DAW faces.

Step 4: Position the mic and record

Place the mic about a hand’s width from your mouth, slightly off-axis, with a pop filter to control plosives. Distance and angle shape your tone, as explained in microphone placement for vocals. Press the red Record button (or R) to start, and Space to stop. Each new recording lands on its own track, so you can capture several takes and choose later.

Step 5: Clean up the take

Audacity is strong at simple editing and noise reduction:

1. Remove background noise: select a short patch of silence, open Effect > Noise Reduction, click “Get Noise Profile”, then select the whole track and apply. Use a light setting so you do not introduce artefacts.
2. Trim and silence: cut unwanted regions and use Effect > Special > Silence Audio to clean gaps between phrases.
3. Normalise or amplify: use Effect > Volume and Compression > Normalize to set a consistent peak level.
4. Basic dynamics and tone: a gentle compressor and a high-pass filter (Effect > EQ and Filters) tidy up the vocal.

Step 6: Export your vocal

When finished, use File > Export Audio to save as WAV for further mixing in another DAW, or MP3 for sharing. Audacity is excellent for capture and tidy-up, but for serious vocal mixing you may move the WAV into a more featured DAW and follow how to mix vocals. For the broader workflow, see recording vocals at home and the recording techniques hub.

Frequently asked questions

Why is there a delay when I hear myself in Audacity?

Audacity’s software playthrough adds latency. For zero-delay monitoring, turn software playthrough off and use your audio interface’s built-in hardware monitoring instead.

Should I record vocals in mono or stereo in Audacity?

Record a single vocal mic in mono. One mic captures a mono source, so a stereo recording just duplicates or pans it unhelpfully and doubles the file size.

How do I remove background noise in Audacity?

Select a quiet section, run Effect > Noise Reduction and click “Get Noise Profile”, then select the whole track and apply with a light setting. Avoid heavy reduction, which makes the voice sound watery.