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<body class="mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Tutorial_-_Using_Multi-track rootpage-Tutorial_-_Using_Multi-track skin-monobook action-view"><div id="globalWrapper">
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<h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading" lang="en">Tutorial - Using Multi-track</h1>
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<div id="bodyContent" class="mw-body-content">
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<div id="siteSub">From Audacity Development Manual</div>
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<div id="jump-to-nav" class="mw-jump">Jump to: <a href="#column-one">navigation</a>, <a href="https://alphamanual.audacityteam.org/man/Tutorial_-_Using_Multi-track#searchInput">search</a></div>
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<div id="mw-content-text" lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr"><div class="intro">Audacity is a multi-track editor which will allow you to create and manage many different sounds or performances and have them play at the same time.
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<dl><dd>For example, you can add music to your audiobook presentation after you finish reading, and you can sing all the harmony parts of a song by yourself one after the other. You can create a good-quality mixed podcast from performers in several different time zones without Internet distortion.</dd></dl>
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<div style="margin-top:12px; margin-bottom:12px; margin-left:24px; margin-right:24px">
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<table style="background:#FEFFD0; color:black; border:1px solid #999999; padding-left:12px; padding-right:12px" width="100%" align="center">
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<td width="30px" valign="top" align="center"><img alt="Advice" src="../m/images/b/ba/warningicon.png" title="Advice" width="24" height="24" />
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</td>
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<td align="left" valign="top">The images on this page have <b><a href="glossary.html#rms" title="Glossary">RMS</a></b> display turned <b>on</b>, the light color in the center of the waveform.
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<ul><li>The RMS display is now <b>off</b> by default .</li>
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<li>You can enable it with <span class="menu">View > <a href="view_menu.html" title="View Menu">Show RMS in Waveform</a></span>. See <a href="audacity_waveform.html#rms" title="Audacity Waveform"><b>RMS display</b></a> for more details. </li></ul>
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</td></tr></table></div>
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<div id="multi"></div>
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<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Multiple_Tracks">Multiple Tracks</span></h2>
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<p>Different parts of the audio mix are on different 'tracks'. You can add and remove tracks and adjust the tracks individually or together.
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</p>
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<dl><dd><span title="Image of three mono tracks vocals, guitar and drums.png"><img alt="Three mono tracks vocals-guitar-drums.png" src="../m/images/2/21/three_mono_tracks_vocals_guitar_drums.png" width="788" height="334" /></span></dd></dl>
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<p><br />
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</p>
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<div id="create"></div>
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<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Creating_Multiple_Tracks">Creating Multiple Tracks</span></h2>
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<p>You can add new empty tracks using the edit menu:
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</p>
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<dl><dd><div class="noresize"><map name="ImageMap_1_676449810"><area href="tracks_menu.html" shape="rect" coords="25,5,73,27" alt="Tracks Menu provides commands for creating and removing tracks, applying operations to selected tracks such as mixing, resampling or converting from stereo to mono, and lets you add or edit labels" title="Tracks Menu provides commands for creating and removing tracks, applying operations to selected tracks such as mixing, resampling or converting from stereo to mono, and lets you add or edit labels"/><area href="generate_menu.html" shape="rect" coords="73,5,136,27" alt="Generate Menu lets you create audio containing tones, noise or silence" title="Generate Menu lets you create audio containing tones, noise or silence"/><area href="effect_menu.html" shape="rect" coords="136,5,179,27" alt="Audacity includes many built-in effects and also lets you use a wide range of plug-in effects" title="Audacity includes many built-in effects and also lets you use a wide range of plug-in effects"/><area href="analyze_menu.html" shape="rect" coords="179,5,234,27" alt="The Analyze Menu contains tools for finding out about the characteristics of your audio, or labeling key feature" title="The Analyze Menu contains tools for finding out about the characteristics of your audio, or labeling key feature"/><area href="tools_menu.html" shape="rect" coords="234,5,275,27" alt="The Tools Menu contains customisable tools" title="The Tools Menu contains customisable tools"/><area href="extra_menu.html" shape="rect" coords="275,5,316,27" alt="The Extra menu provides access to additional Commands that are not available in the normal default Audacity menus" title="The Extra menu provides access to additional Commands that are not available in the normal default Audacity menus"/><area href="help_menu.html" shape="rect" coords="316,5,353,27" alt="The Help Menu lets you find out more about the Audacity application and how to use it. It also includes some diagnostic tools." title="The Help Menu lets you find out more about the Audacity application and how to use it. It also includes some diagnostic tools."/><area href="tracks_menu_add_new.html" shape="rect" coords="25,27,231,49" alt="Adds a new track" title="Adds a new track"/><area href="tracks_menu_mix.html" shape="rect" coords="25,56,231,78" alt="Mixes down selected tracks to mono or stereo tracks" title="Mixes down selected tracks to mono or stereo tracks"/><area href="tracks_menu.html#resample" shape="rect" coords="25,78,231,100" alt="Allows you to resample the selected track(s) to a new sample rate for use in the project" title="Allows you to resample the selected track(s) to a new sample rate for use in the project"/><area href="tracks_menu.html#remove_tracks" shape="rect" coords="25,107,231,129" alt="Removes the selected track(s) from the project" title="Removes the selected track(s) from the project"/><area href="tracks_menu_mute_unmute.html" shape="rect" coords="25,136,231,158" alt="Mutes or unmutes audio tracks in the project" title="Mutes or unmutes audio tracks in the project"/><area href="tracks_menu_pan.html" shape="rect" coords="25,158,231,180" alt="Pans left right or center audio tracks in the project" title="Pans left right or center audio tracks in the project"/><area href="tracks_menu_align_tracks.html" shape="rect" coords="25,187,231,209" alt="Commands that provide an automatic way of aligning selected tracks with the cursor, the selection, or with the start of the project" title="Commands that provide an automatic way of aligning selected tracks with the cursor, the selection, or with the start of the project"/><area href="tracks_menu_sort_tracks.html" shape="rect" coords="25,209,231,231" alt="Sorts all tracks in the project from top to bottom in the project window, by Start Time or by Name" title="Sorts all tracks in the project from top to bottom in the project window, by Start Time or by Name"/><area href="tracks_menu.html#synclock_tracks_onoff" shape="rect" coords="25,238,231,260" alt="Ensures that length changes occurring anywhere in a defined group of tracks also take place in all audio or label tracks in that group" title="Ensures that length changes occurring anywhere in a defined group of tracks also take place in all audio or label tracks in that group"/><area href="tracks_menu_add_new.html#mono_track" shape="rect" coords="231,27,434,49" alt="Creates a new empty mono audio track" title="Creates a new empty mono audio track"/><area href="tracks_menu_add_new.html#stereo_track" shape="rect" coords="231,49,434,71" alt="Adds an empty stero track to the project" title="Adds an empty stero track to the project"/><area href="tracks_menu_add_new.html#label_track" shape="rect" coords="231,71,434,93" alt="Adds an empty label track to the project" title="Adds an empty label track to the project"/><area href="tracks_menu_add_new.html#time_track" shape="rect" coords="231,93,434,115" alt="Adds an empty time track to the project" title="Adds an empty time track to the project"/><area href="menu_reference.html" shape="rect" coords="0,0,1000,1000" alt="The Menus" title="The Menus"/></map><img alt="Tracks-Add NewMenu.png" src="../m/images/b/bd/tracks_add_newmenu.png" width="484" height="273" usemap="#ImageMap_1_676449810"/></div></dd></dl>
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<div style="position:relative;">
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<div class="note" style="width:150px;position:absolute;left:384px;top:-15px;"><div class="floatleft"><a href="click_tip.html" title="Click for details"><img alt="Click for details" src="../m/images/6/63/bigpointercursor.png" width="20" height="33" /></a></div><b>Click on the image to learn more</b><br /></div>
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</div>
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<p><br />
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</p><p><br />
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</p><p><br />
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These new tracks 'stack up' one above the other. You can record into these tracks <a href="https://alphamanual.audacityteam.org/man/File:Record.png" class="image" title="Record tool"><img alt="Record tool" src="../m/images/e/e8/record.png" width="16" height="16" /></a>, or generate sound into them using the <span class="menu">Generate</span> menu. When you click <a href="https://alphamanual.audacityteam.org/man/File:Play.png" class="image" title="Play tool"><img alt="Play tool" src="../m/images/9/90/play.png" width="16" height="16" /></a> you hear the tracks mixed together, that is, all the tracks at the same time.
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</p><p>You can also record directly to a new track using record to new track <a href="https://alphamanual.audacityteam.org/man/File:Record_New_Track.png" class="image" title="Record New Track tool"><img alt="Record New Track tool" src="../m/images/7/72/record_new_track.png" width="16" height="16" /></a> which is obtained by holding shift down before clicking the record button.
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</p><p><br />
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</p>
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<div class="note">On Mac and Linux it is possible to record more than two tracks at the same time with Audacity <a href="multi_channel_recording.html" title="Multi-channel Recording">Multi-channel Recording</a>. Not so on Windows, usually. Instead on windows you will typically build up a mutli track recording by overdubing.</div>
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<p><br />
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</p>
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<div id="move"></div>
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<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Moving_Audio_between_Tracks">Moving Audio between Tracks</span></h2>
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<p>You can move clips in one track, and between tracks, by clicking and dragging in the Clip-Handle drag-bar.
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</p>
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<dl><dd><span title="Dragging clip down to another track"><img alt="Dragging a clip.png" src="../m/images/5/5e/dragging_a_clip.png" width="663" height="272" /></span></dd></dl>
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<p>For more details see <a href="audacity_tracks_and_clips.html" title="Audacity Tracks and Clips">Audacity_Tracks_and_Clips</a>
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</p><p><br />
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</p>
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<div id="listen"></div>
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<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Listening_to_the_Mix">Listening to the Mix</span></h2>
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<dl><dd><table>
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<tr valign="top">
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<td> <span title="Track Control Panel"><img alt="TCP Track with Select button.png" src="../m/images/c/cf/tcp_track_with_select_button.png" width="99" height="181" /></span>
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</td>
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<td>
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<div class="note">
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<ul><li> <span class="button"><a href="audio_tracks.html#panel" title="Audio Tracks"><b>Mute</b></a></span> button to temporarily silence just this one track.</li>
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<li> <span class="button"><a href="audio_tracks.html#panel" title="Audio Tracks"><b>Solo</b></a></span> button to temporarily play only this one track on its own.
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<ul><li>Solo button behavior can be changed in <b><a href="tracks_behaviors_preferences.html" title="Tracks Behaviors Preferences">Tracks Behaviors Preferences</a></b>.</li></ul></li>
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<li> <b>Gain/Volume slider</b> (with + and -) for adjusting the volume of this track </li>
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<li> <b>Pan slider</b> (with L and R) to position the audio of this track 'Left' or 'Right' in the stereo sound stage.</div></li></ul>
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</td></tr></table></dd></dl>
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<p><br />
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</p>
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<div id="sync"></div>
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<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Keeping_Tracks_Synchronized">Keeping Tracks Synchronized</span></h2>
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<p>When you select audio, you can select in multiple tracks, and then a cut will remove the selected audio in all tracks and keep the audio synchronized.
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</p><p>You can also lock the various tracks together so that that they stay synchronized, using <span class="menu">Edit->Sync-Lock Tracks</span>. Cutting and pasting audio will now affect all tracks together. This is shown by the clock icon in the selections, which indicates that Sync-Lock has selected additional tracks.
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</p>
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<dl><dd><span title="A pair of Sync-Locked mono tracks, selection extending to second track"><img alt="A pair of sync-locked tracks 3-3-0.png" src="../m/images/6/6a/a_pair_of_sync_locked_tracks_3_3_0.png" width="492" height="272" /></span></dd>
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<dd><b>A pair of Sync-Locked mono tracks: selection extends automatically to the second track</b></dd></dl>
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<p>For more details see <a href="sync_locked_track_groups.html" title="Sync-Locked Track Groups">Sync-Locked_Track_Groups</a>
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</p><p><br />
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</p>
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<div id="duck"></div>
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<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Auto_Duck"><a href="auto_duck.html" title="Auto Duck">Auto Duck</a></span></h2>
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<i><b>Auto Duck</b></i> reduces (<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducking">ducks</a>) the volume of one or more selected tracks whenever the volume of a single unselected "control track" placed underneath reaches a particular threshold level. <p>The effect can be used to create voice-overs for podcasts or DJ sets, for automatic "ramping" of background music in radio productions and for turning down a voice in original language as soon as its translation kicks in.</p>
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<p>For more details see <a href="auto_duck.html" title="Auto Duck">Auto Duck</a>
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<div align="center"><ul id="f_list"><li>This version created on 2025-12-04 - <a href="https://alphamanual.audacityteam.org/man/Tutorial_-_Using_Multi-track">Check current version of this page (development Manual)</a></li></ul></div>
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