[Tutorial] Audacity for ACX - Remove breaths, mouth noises and meet ACX Requirements

[@tashababyyy]

Hearing you misspeak makes me feel so much better. I want to do audiobook narration, but I tend to read faster than my brain can comprehend. So knowing I can fix where I say something incorrectly easily makes me feel so much better.

[@raytry69]

"The master is not who don't make mistakes. The master is who can correct mistakes like there were no mistake at all." - woodworking saying -

[@raytry69]

"The failure is not the opposit of succes. It's part of it."

[@SirGregory]

This is the most useful KZbin video I've seen in ages.

[@williamfurney9774]

PSA: I still don't know why Chains won't show up in older versions of Audacity but I did figure it out for the newest (2.3.0). They changed "Chains" to "Macros" and put it under a different/new tab: Tools. I hope this will save someone's sanity.

[@lpt5839]

Thanks!!

[@abdUllah-pq3mz]

you really helped me thanks.

[@nadinenagamatsu526]

Thank you for clarifying this, so glad I happened to scroll, before fumbling through more wiki pages.

[@goaldigger-r1m]

You did save my sanity!! Thank you!

[@MommyBoutique]

Thank you. Yes, I was searching forever lol

[@mapuanaba]

This was the most helpful tutorial I found on KZbin regarding meeting ACX requirements. Thank you SO much for this!

[@eruditeidiot]

Dude, you just saved me $200 on an online coarse. I knew I should google how to do this, but your video is more than I expected! Such complete detail! You're simply wonderful. Thank you

[@BrianMarcWhittaker]

Helpful tutorial. Especially the note about snapping to create visual peaking to signify a restart.

[@DominicFalcon]

Something that can help you visually identify breaths which don’t show up on the waveform: Click on the track name, and select “both” for the spectral/waveform display. Breaths show up as light blue on the spectral display, and clicks show up as bright red/white.

[@infiniterippleshypnosismed2817]

Thank you!!! 😄🙏🏼

[@Asperius_zockt]

Especially the part with the punch copy/paste plugin helped me a lot! - Since I´ve got a lack of lung capacity (I´m also not able to inrease the capacity with training), I need to take deep and audible breaths in between my sentences - it always annoyed the heck out of me, when I´m reading the scripts for my videos... Today, I finally had the first recording, which passed every ACX-Check! Thank you!

[@LeSaff]

An other way to get the same result: select the breathing, go to noise reduction, take that sample, and then adjust the settings to reduce/remove it but keeping your recording sounding natural

[@jimm9818]

This is the most useful Punch & Roll video I've found. Thank you so much for taking the time to post this!

[@amyoungil]

Thanks Jacob. Nice to see your process in such a complete and clear tutorial.

[@pamelabelote164]

This is great content! Thank you Jacob!! I agree with Mapuana, I have listened to many and searched several videos for Audacity and ACX tutorials. I just subscribed to your channel. Again thank you!

[@spanishflyIam]

Excellent video - im a newbie narrator. I am also "device challenged". I learned a lot and you answered many questions I had. Thank you so much. You have a new subscriber.

[@temitopeogungbadero5688]

Thank you, this was an EXCELLENT primer on getting my recordings ACX ready! Great work, and I appreciate it!

[@TappingtheMatrix]

Jacob, thank you SO much for this. I've only just started and didn't know how to deal with the breathing sounds. Your video is so clear and helpful.

[@JeffLifeInReview]

Great overview for people wanting to get started. I’m a big guy and worried my huffing and puffing would be a serious issue. Maybe not so much with some knowledge

[@devonsilvera6986]

This was the most helpful for me for sure...the link is where it's at!!!! Thanks a bunch.

[@eleanorford6493]

Excellent! Just what I was looking for. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

[@ericloes4977]

This was an excellent video on using Audacity. Best and most useful I have ever come across. I have installed the pluggins and use them. So much easier and faster. Wish I would have come across this a year ago.

[@ReadMeAClassic]

Fantastic video! I started out narrating just for fun, but have decided recently to try to educate myself in this area and turn it into a skill. This was extremely helpful. I will say however, that the "clean room noise" you were using was not clean on my headphone setup. I could hear some sort of bumping in the background. I'm using a Bravo Audio hybrid headphone amp with Sony MDR-XB920 headphones. I suppose nearly no one listening to audiobooks will be using headphone amps, etc. But I thought it was worth pointing out in terms of the importance of using quality headphones, etc. when editing your narration, etc. Again, thanks so much for sharing this information!

[@andrewhutton7641]

Great video. But i have to ask - with this being a 40 sec clip of speech, wouldnt this become nightmarishly tedious narrating say, a 30 hour book? Could one deliberately make some breathing and mouth noises at the beginning of the clip to create a more effective audio profile for the noise reduction tool?

[@xwolfmanx1]

I am not familiar with acx, But I am new and just starting out making youtube videos and this was wonderful, thank you!

[@UNIFYDLight]

Great video! definitely the most informative one I've found.

[@wpryan02358]

Why not use noise reduction instead of punch copy/paste? What's the advantage?

[@amberdawnhumphries6283]

A lot of things like ACS recommend having a small amount of room noise. Makes everything sound more natural.

[@rolandgarross1483]

Thank you very much for this tutorial! It solves the breath+click problems on so many levels!

[@jtenrec1]

New Version of Audacity is available for Win and Mac. Has a new Loudness Normalization that is amazing for ACX. Would love to see an updated video!

[@karenetaylor9743]

Thank you so much. I will be replaying this many times!!!

[@jtenrec1]

Thanks William. Once I figured out how to set up the macro, I set up the ACX Mastering.

[@cyrusjafari7392]

Thanks for coaching. Very valuable and helpful video clip.

[@jamesthompson7460]

Thank you for this tutorial. Really, it was well done and much needed. Would you consider creating an updated version?

[@jorgetrujillo4321]

What microphone do you use for the narration?

[@njiailiyonjema]

The sound of your video and the sound in audicity, they sound differently I don't know why??

[@KrabiAdventure]

Wait... does ACX require that there be NO BREATH SOUNDS? I'd have to comb through 8 hours of voice to find 6500 instances of breath sound to fix before submitting to acx? Isn't there a plugin or something - anything - that can fix this without spending hours and days on this?

[@gambit8167]

It's not true that you cannot meet ACX requirements with a USB mic- I do it all the time.

[@adammutsaers7406]

It's too bad this doesn't have more views. It was super helpful thankyou!

[@nihilo503]

It's only been up for two weeks. But thanks. Glad it was helpful.

[@adammutsaers7406]

@@nihilo503 my apologies for not checking the upload date. In that case, not bad traffic for 2 weeks! I enjoy your videos. Keep it up!

[@amanymohamed6534]

Thanks so much for this video But, I have a question. I record an average of 10 to 15 pages per day is that normal or I need to speed up ? And If I need to speed up how can I do that ,please ?

[@Paul-nf6ed]

I am trying to download the plug ins mentioned including ACX check but I get a pop up that says "there is no application set to open the document "acx-check.ny"". anyone have thoughts on that? thanks!

[@taritadeangel1]

That happened to me too. I don’t know how to fix it and I’m unable to download acx check

[@johngiraltbedford]

For the 2020 version are we adding the Macro_ACX only? Because I don't see equalization under Edit Macros.

[@herbsforlife3687]

your voice is incredible I'm sure you know. Wow!

[@jaclynrachellec]

I can't figure out how to get the ACX Check plug in to work/show up on Audacity, does anyone have any tips?

[@HunterOrock]

I have watched maybe 75 Audacity tutorials for VO/Narration and this is by far the most helpful one. Thanks for taking the time to put it together for us. I was manually doing some of the same steps without the plugins. Do you also remove background noise? My space is treated but it can still be a noisy environment.

[@nihilo503]

I don't use any noise reduction, but I have a fairly good space for recording. I think it's best to avoid noise problems by making sure your space is well treated and your mic is good.

[@HunterOrock]

Agree, time for a new mic. :D

[@LawrenceMeisel]

Well done. Very useful. What I was looking for. Gave you a like and a sub.👍

[@mimmycal]

Great teaching. I have spent 2 weeks ..guessing. God send! thank you!!

[@zcarm]

This exactly what I was looking for - Normally me as a Musician I am using Logic Pro X since many years and know how to master, but with regards, the ACX requirements its a bit tough for me. But this video, wow, really helped me a lot. Only concern now is the ACX Check. Even though I copied it into the Plug In folder, it does not appear under "Analyze" ..... Please can you help ? - - - Update: found the answer its its working now - You also need to enable it in the Plug-in Manager (use top item in either the analyse or Effects menu).

[@CerridwenVids]

I'd love to learn how to get rid of unwanted saliva and click sounds when speaking. Really annoying when you have a perfect take and it's ruined by that.

[@UnboxerofWorlds]

RX8 Standard is great for this.

[@johnathan2684]

Very informative. Great video! Was looking for Audacity ACX content.

[@zippycruz27]

DOes anyone know where the Punch Copy/Paste downloads are now?

[@Taoufik090]

That's good and all, but am I supposed to manually do that for a 30 min audio file?

[@TamaraE.222]

This was very helpful, thank you

[@PiscesRus]

I use a very nice USB mic and have had no issues...

[@jessbrohn1]

Jacob - I need your help!! Can I please HIRE you to help me download punch/copy/paste...this audio book won't edit itself!!

[@lindseycrystal6084]

What are the limiter requirements for ACX?

[@8pluvya]

Thank you for this video! I’m just wondering why shouldn’t a usb microphone be used?

[@elenamexicanvo9919]

Excellent video, it was really useful. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@Volunteerballoons]

Where is punch/copy/paste in version 2.4.2. I cannot find anything like it!

[@gsgidney]

Would you say that the ACX check AND CHAIN would good for most VO/VA work?

[@SteveGalliford]

One of the simplest & best short videos available on this this topic. Thanks. I'm very new and still learning before going "pro."My attempts still, however, sound a little tinny/trebly/mouth noisy (although they do pass Audacity's ACX Check) so I'm wondering how much I can afford to fiddle with Equalization without sounding too muffled? Personally, I find most audible samples of best-selling audio-books at Amazon quite muffled so perhaps it's simply personal preference . . . ?

[@authordaltonsmith3378]

Why is it when i run acx check and it says my audio passes everything. Then i submit then two weeks later Acx says i failed and does not meet the requirements. Is there an updated version of this acx check i should download?

[@veronicasaretsky6164]

same

[@realamericannegro977]

Sounds frustrating

[@maryellenl1974]

Can anyone help me please? I don't have the RMS Normalize under my effects menu. I'm reading and searching the audacity site and it seems like it should come with ACX check?? Which I finally managed to get installed but no RMS Normalize. I did at one point see it under my plug-in manager and enabled it but now it has seemed to disappear. I'm so frazzled for two days trying to figure this out. If anyone can help I would be REALLY grateful! :)

[@damarisfuenteslorenzo]

And how can you eliminate the room noise to a minimum without affecting the voice?

[@nicoleiheme]

so what kind of mic could we use if not a USB?

[@jermaineconnelly566]

So I followed the links to download the plug ins but the RMS Normalize and the ACX-Check both just lead to prompting to re-install Audacity but after it is done I cannot find the plug-ins. Can you or someone who sees this comment help with this?

[@evah7270]

I've got the same problem. I cannot install these plug ins and seem to be getting the "runaround". What am I not doing right?

[@Dancerphiliac]

what sample rate and bit rate do you have in your quality preferences?

[@deborahjkelly]

Hey Jacob, I'm just wondering when recording at home ok audacity (using a rode mic with pop filter) how strict are audacity on the background white noise? I'm recording at home and don't have sound proofing, and to me there is a little background sound but not sure how to reduce this.... As to reduce it I need to take a noise sample but don't have anything quieter than what I already have??

[@XXcartoonXcrazyXX]

Thank you so much for this! It was incredibly informative. Out of interest, when you made your chain did you just input the stuff from the Audiobook Mastering page? Or did you come up with the values yourself? I'm new to audacity and would like to use the chain function but am worried about making a mistake.

[@laurenc8512]

So helpful for this VO newbie. Thank you!

[@mrskisko]

Thank you for this! It's going to save me so much time in my editing process.

[@evanofain]

Greetings, I noticed a number of mouth sounds internal to words... do you try and fix those as well? If so, how do you do so when the waveform is "dense" - I just cannot make them out in those areas.... I get the non-dense areas, the mount sounds stick out like sore thumbs and then using the pencil you can trace them out (if you zoom in on the left hand scale you get to a point where you see dots - and you can redraw the waveform).... but those dense areas.... sheesh!

[@howdareyoureadbooks]

Just seems so time consuming (stone age) to have to manually copy/paste over every breath. Doesn't the 2.2.2 versions (& later) of Audacity have a feature like the "Noise Gate" feature that the old versions had?? Thx

[@aisha1827]

Thank you so much for your tips and love your voice.

[@PeterMatthess]

whats wrong with a USB microphone exactly?

[@AudacityTraining]

This is excellent. Thanks!

[@jnealla]

You are the best! I have learned a lot! Thank you!

[@Pumkyn]

What a wonderful video thank you so much!

[@patio317]

Great video. Thanks. One question though - I've downloaded ACX Check three times and it's in my downloads but does not show up in Audacity Tools or Analyze to enable

[@dful2519]

Josh Myer has a video on that if you go to his video list you will see HOW TO INSTALL PLUG INS I had the same problem.

[@teresafonscastillo4196]

Life saver, thank you!

[@elmirekidd1731]

I cannot get the plug-ins installed no matter what I do. Maybe it's my computer.

[@Kkaypalmer]

great video, I did everything you said,and I am failing my ACX check... its driving me mad !

[@timothyoneal8681]

Jacob are you using a Mac? Is there a version of this for PC? The video was very good and I will have to listen to it a lot to get all of the shortcuts down. Thanks for exposing Audacity learning points, I have been learning about VO for just over a year and it seems I have much more to learn. I wish I could see the moves you were making clearer, your screen was small on my computer but the content was great.

[@klbriceno]

Total newbie here, but I could follow you. Thanks! I cannot figure out how to install the punch copy/paste plugin (Mac). I did Google as you mentioned, but a lot of unhelpful things came up.

[@AsparroVideo]

I can't get punch copy-paste into my pc either. I've tried everything.

[@nadinenagamatsu526]

@@AsparroVideo I'm with you...my guess is that it's now called "Sound finder & Silence finder" under "Analyze". Since this forum dates back almost a year ago, I'm guessing some things have changed since ;-)

[@ericloes4977]

@@AsparroVideo manual.audacityteam.org/man/installing_effect_generator_and_analyzer_plug_ins_on_windows.html#nyquist_install

[@ericloes4977]

manual.audacityteam.org/man/installing_effect_generator_and_analyzer_plug_ins_on_mac_os_x.html#nyquist_install

[@janetaldrich.10036]

This feels cumbersome. One breathes a lot in reading 10 hours of audio books! Is there a better option? Or is it ok to be heard breathing? Perhaps the listener can breathe, too?

[@balhallak]

Very useful video, thank you.

[@raiduh899]

This was very helpful. Thank you very much!

[@nealrstevens]

Well done!

[@amystricker1850]

There is no ACX Check option on my Audacity screen. How do I get that as an option? I just downloaded Audacity yesterday so I should have the newest version.

[@amystricker1850]

Ok, I figured it out. Now when I apply the ACX chain to a selection, the selection disappears. Do you know why that happens and how I can prevent it from doing so?

[@ChrisWestVoiceOver]

@@amystricker1850 How did you figure it out??

[@amystricker1850]

@@ChrisWestVoiceOver wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Nyquist_Analyze_Plug-ins#ACX_Check You have to download the plug-in and then once you're in Audacity, click Tools, then Add/Remove Plug-in, then select ACX Check, then click Enable, then click Ok. Then when you've recorded and you're ready to apply the ACX Check, you select your audio, go to Tools, Apply Macro, ACX. Hope this helps!

[@jeffstewart1061]

Very helpful and to the point!

[@123tominator007]

Awesome! Thnx dude for the info. Very helpful indeed

[@valeriejmoss3325]

great video! thanks so much!

[@frankstarling3202]

Thanks for this Jacob

[@actorhenners]

My version of Audacity doesnt have Chains under File was this a plug-in?

[@16kcostello]

Someone said it has been changed to macros

[@beawellman9952]

It's been changed to Macros under Tools - Same process as chains - tutorials on YT are available if you search for Audacity Chains.

[@DanielleASMR]

This is great! I know this video is old, but hank you!

[@earlsewell1025]

Thank you so much for posting this video. I learned so much and it's really going to help me with my recording.

[@real.mariam]

Thank you so much !

[@davidoesterle1372]

VERY VERY HELPFUL...thanks

[@chickenmuffin]

Are you sure this is necessary for ACX or is it just personal preference?

[@dustinfrankovich5787]

I keep failing my ACX check. says my RMS isnt between -18 to -23. i set normalize at -20 ( couldnt find a RMS normal in the insert area). Help?

[@nihilo503]

I failed to mention it in the video, but you also need to download and install the RMS Normalize plugin from the Audacity Audiobook Mastering page. The link is right under the link for the ACX check: wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/AudioBook_Mastering

[@jonskerr]

@@nihilo503 YES! RMS Normalize was my breakthrough. Glad it's in here.

[@Bob-lr2xp]

Your link doesn't work

[@pfontenelle]

I've tried downloading but my Mac keeps saying there is no application to open the files. :(

[@mapuanaba]

You have to add it to your plug ins in audacity and then it will work.

[@jtenrec1]

New version if Audacity out now for Mac.

[@gregorylock]

I have Audacity 2.3.0 and under file I don't see anything that says "Chains"

[@kevintaylor136]

I don't see it either.

[@bibimama7864]

Neither do I. Is there a solution for this?

[@bobmccoy5382]

In the new version it's now Tools | Macros.

[@kevintaylor136]

I created a macro.

[@IllisiaAdams]

I learned so much!!! Thank yoooou! More videos, please! :-D (Subscribed!)

[@gsgidney]

Waveform dB will allow you to see ALL those breaths and extra click and pops