Audacity is a free and open source digital audio recording and editing software, the software was first developed by Dominic Mazzoni and Roger Dannenberg at Carnegie Mellon University and was released on 28th of May 2000 as version 0.8. The software is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Learning Audacity is very helpful for YouTube content creators, voice over artists, podcasters and anyone who is creating content that includes recording and editing audio, the software is very easy to learn and start using.

The aim of this post is to present and compare between free online sources that beginners can rely on to learn Audacity, the sources stated here are full-structured courses that beginners can follow along.

If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn Audacity) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

Getting Started with Audacity Online from Scratch

Udemy

Udemy is the first free online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity for free through video tutorials, You have to register in order to access the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 5 sections, each section is divided into a video or more lessons, each video lesson covers certain tools and techniques in Audacity.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just after registering and add the course to your list, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and the video will start.

Now the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training covers the basics beginners should be familiarized with in order to start using Audacity.
3. The training is well-structured and organized for complete beginners.

Cons

1. The training doesn’t cover every aspect of the software though that won’t be a problem for complete beginners.

Verdict: This is the best free online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity through video tutorials.

Alison

Alison is the second free online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity through video tutorials, you have to register in order to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 17 video lessons, each video lesson covers a certain tool/technique in Audacity.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the video lesson covering the topic you want to learn about, and you’ll be directed to a new window where this video lesson resides.

Now the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well structured and organized for complete beginners.

Cons

1. The training doesn’t cover every tool/technique in the software.

Verdict: This is an excellent free online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity through Video tutorials.

Lisa Hartwell YouTube Channel

Lisa Hartwell YouTube Channel is the third free online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity through video tutorials.

Structure: The training is divided into 11 video lessons, each video lesson covers certain tools/techniques in Audacity.

Interface: Standard YouTube interface.

Now the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and organized for beginners

Cons

1. The training covers an old release of the software, though that won’t be a problem for complete beginners

Verdict: This is a very good free online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity through video tutorials.

Free Audacity Tutorials

Free Audacity Tutorials is the fourth free online outlet with beginners can start learning audacity through video tutorials, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into three sections; beginners, intermediate and advanced, each section covers certain tools/techniques available in Audacity.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just select the level (beginner, intermediate or advanced) and you’ll be directed to a page where the video lesson resides, from there select the video that covers the tool you’re interested in learning, and the video will start right away.

Now the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training covers the basics beginners should be familiarized with in order to start using Audacity

Cons

1. The training isn’t well organized for beginners.

Verdict: This is a very good free online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity through video tutorials.

Audacity Website

Audacity Website is the fifth free online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity through a text-based tutorial, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into lessons and each of these lessons covers a certain tool/technique in the software.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the topic you’re interested in learning, and you’ll be directed to the page where the lesson resides.

Now the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well structured and organized for beginners.

Cons

1. The training covers only the basics of the software, though that won’t be a problem for complete beginners.

Verdict: This is an excellent free online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity through a text based tutorial.

Floss Manual

Floss Manual is the sixth free online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity through a text-based tutorial, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into sections, each section is divided into lessons, each of the lessons covers a certain aspect of the software.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the page where the lesson resides.

Now the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well organized for beginners.

Cons

1. The training only covers the basics of Audacity.

Verdict: This is a good online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity through a text based tutorial.

UC Berkeley Website

UC Berkeley Website is the seventh free online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity through a text-based tutorial, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: This training is a single web page, it’s divided into topics, each topic covers a certain tool/technique in Audacity.

Interface: A single web page.

Now the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and organized for beginners.

Cons

1. The training doesn’t cover every aspect of the software, though that won’t be a problem for complete beginners.

Verdict: This is a very good free online outlet where beginners can start learning Audacity through a text based tutorial.

Bottom Line

The recipe for learning Audacity:

1. Udemy is the best outlet for beginners to start learning Audacity through video tutorials.
2. Audacity Website is the best outlet for beginners to start learning Audacity through text based tutorials.

Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in learning Audacity.