Digital Audio Editing

On December 23rd 1900, Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden, was the first person to successfully transmit voice and music over the radio while he working for the United States Weather Bureau.

Over the next 20 years, many inventors made improvements to radio transmitters and receivers and by the 1930’s almost every home in North America and Europe had a radio, making radio the first mass communication medium.

In millions of homes, people gathered daily to listen to their favorite news, music, sports and entertainment programs which included comedies, dramas and science fiction. If you imagine television as it is today without any pictures, only sound. Here are a couple of examples

The Adventures of Superman radio program ran for 10 years. At its peak it ran five episodes a week.

Superman 1944

The Suspense radio program ran weekly for 22 years. In 2012 the program was revived with a series of new episodes and it is broadcast on 250 radio stations world wide

Suspense 1952

During this era, the ability to edit and mix audio tracks did not exist so most of these programs were performed live and broadcast live. They were recorded as they were performed on vinyl record discs for future repeat radio broadcasts. The following clip from television program Fraser demonstrates how this was done.

Fraser: The Bloodbath

In this clip from the sit-com Fraser, the cast acts out a live radio drama using old time props but things go sideways when one actor decides to ad lib.

Cadillac Ad - 2016

Radio has been around for over 100 years and over that time the technology used to produce, transmit and receive radio has changed dramatically but the basic processes used to create a radio broadcast remained virtually unchanged since the 1930’s.

Digital Audio Editing Assignment

For this assignment, the script and all of the audio files you need are already prepared for you. What you will be required to do is to follow the script, edit, assemble and export the finished audio file.

Click here for a sample of the finished file.

If you wish you can write, record edit, assemble and export your own audio file which runs between 30 and 45 seconds in length.

Step 1 – Copy the Digital Audio Folder

Go to the BBT 10 Student Files folder located on the student share drive and the right click on and copy the folder called Digital Audio.

This folder contains the script and all of the files you will need to create your audio file.

Step 2 - Paste the Digital Audio Folder into Your Student BBT 10 Folder

Go to and open your BBT 10 folder, right click on your mouse and paste the Digital Audio folder into your BBT 10 folder.

This may take a couple of minutes and if a warning pops up, click Skip.

Step 3 – Rename the Digital Audio Folder

Once the Digital Audio folder has been copied to your BBT 10 folder, right click on the folder and re-name it Your Name Digital Audio.

Step 4 – Open and Print and Read the Script

Once you have re-named the Digital Audio folder to Your Name Digital Audio, open the folder and double click on the file: Shopping with Rob Zombie Script.

The Shopping with Rob Zombie Script will open in Microsoft Word.

Print and read the script as you will need to use it as a guide.

Note the script format shown below. This format has been used since the 1930’s and is still in use today.

Step 5 – Start Audacity

Start the program Audacity from either the Start Menu or by clicking on the Desktop Icon.

The image below identifies the tools you will most frequently use.

Step 6 – Importing the First File.

Inside the Digital Audio folder, you will see that there is a Spoken Lines (parts not bolded) folder which contains all of the dialogue files and a Sound Effects (parts in bold) folder which contains all of the sound effects.

This will help keep files organized and it is important you do not move these files from their folders

The first line of the script is a sound effect which describes Rob growling through the entire script.

Click here to see how to import and edit the first sound effect of the script.

Once completed, check this effect off on your script.

Step 7 – Importing and Placing Other files.

Click here to see how to import, edit and place the next few parts of the script.

Play and listen to you audio file to see if changes or adjustments are needed.

Step 8 – Save Your Work Frequently

Because audio editing involves the use of many files, it is important you save your work frequently.

Save the file as: Your Name Audio Editing Ver 1.

Click here to see how to save your file.

Step 9 – Repeat the Process

Repeat Step 7 and add the next 4 or 5 parts of the script to the file

This time however save the files as: Your Name Audio Editing Ver 2.

It is a good idea to save your project frequently and to save multiple versions of the file. If one of your edits doesn`t work as planned, you have the other copy to fall back on.

Repeat these steps and add the next 4 or 5 parts of the script to the file

Save the files as: Your Name Audio Editing Ver 3.

And so on…..

Step 10 – Finish and Then Export the Finished File.

When you have completed the audio file, save the file as:

Your Name Audio Editing Final

Once finished, you must export the finished file in a format that will work on most computers. This format is MP3.

Click here to see how to export the finished file.

Step 11 – Copy Your Audio Editing folder to the BBT 10 Drop box.

Copy and then paste the entire Your Name Digital Audio folder to the BBT 10 Drop Box.

If a warning pops up, click on Skip.

Audacity Tutorial – If Needed

Click here for an Audicity Basics Tutorial