Wait, What? Audacity Records In The Background?!

Photo by Nicolas Hoizey on Unsplash

Hey, there!

Audacity records perfectly, even when you can’t see it working.

In a recent workout, I casually mentioned viewing your scripts on your screen when auditioning, rather than printing them out.

One of my students happily freaked out, and claimed she didn’t even think that was possible.

It is. Here’s how.

Hope this helps!

David

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  1. Yes, Audacity will keep recording whether you can see it or not. BUT, and this is a big but, keystrokes will only go to the foreground app. So in the case of stair step method where we are using the space/end/r keys (or their shortcuts), those keystrokes will go to the foreground app, be it Adobe Reader, Word, or whatever. The moral of the story? If you’re using stair step, you need to keep at least a sliver of Audacity in the foreground.

  2. I hated using ProTools and was so excited when I found out that you teach Audacity. I still have a lot to learn about it but it’s already so much better than ProTools. Recording in the background is a great feature for Audacity. Thanks for the video David.

  3. I didn’t know this. I didn’t even think to wonder if it did, honestly, I just print out scripts and put them on the stand. This will definitely make that process a lot smoother once I get used to recording in the background while scrolling the digital version of the script. Thanks, David!

    1. Randy, it’s still better to keep Audacity in the foreground if possible—either putting the script behind or next to it. This allows you to continue to use the keyboard controls that Stuart mentioned to speed along, basically uninterrupted as you create your stairsteps.

  4. Yep it happily records in the background—in Windows it will continue recording even when minimized. This makes it perfect for recording coaching sessions and workouts, too.

  5. David,

    I am sure you won’t be surprised when I tell you I had no idea that Audacity could do this. Thank you for the scoop!

    Mary

  6. Yes, Audacity will do this. I learned that it is easier to leave Audacity alone and ad scripts of off a tablet. This is especially true for long form recording. No need to switch screens to stop and start Audacity and no paper noise in the booth.

  7. I didn’t know that! and didn’t know about BBEdit. Thanks so much for sharing! I’m so impressed with the announcer world community. I’ve been in the TV business for over 15 years and I’m seeing how different and cool people are with sharing information. There’s enough for everyone, they say….