← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10

Exporting audio at different quality levels in Audacity

Audacity menu path that saves a recording as WAV or MP3 at a chosen quality, so you can compare file size and sound quality of the same audio.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10 — Data Compression — Module 33

Understanding Exporting audio at different quality levels in Audacity in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10

What it does: A low bitrate such as 64 kbps in the export options saves space but removes more audio detail, so you can listen for what was lost. Listing both file sizes for the same recording shows how much space the MP3 compression saved compared with the WAV. Exporting is done from the File menu. Edit is for changing the audio, like cutting or copying. MP3 uses lossy compression to remove data, so the file is smaller. WAV keeps all the original samples. WAV is usually uncompressed, so it keeps every sample. That makes it high quality but large. Zooming in shows each sample as a dot. They show the sound's volume at one moment in time.

Common mistakes: MP3 bitrate is measured in kilobits per second (kbps), not Hz. Hz measures sample rate. It should be 'Choose bitrate 128 kbps'. Import brings a file into Audacity. To save a recording as a WAV you use File > Export. It should be 'File > Export as WAV'.

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Learning
Duo
You want to save your Audacity recording as a compressed MP3. Which menu path do you use?
File > Export > Export as MP3Edit > Undo > Export as MP3
Matches
Export as MP3 at 320 kbps to get the smallest file
↓
A high bitrate such as 320 kbps keeps more data, so it gives a larger file with better quality. For the smallest file you would choose a low bitrate such as 64 kbps.
Applying
Meanings
Term
File > Export
Meaning
Audacity menu path that saves a recording as WAV or MP3 at a chosen quality, so you can compare file size and sound quality of the same audio.
Practice
File > Export > Export as WAV
Testing
Gaps
File > > Export as MP3
Check Answer
Spots
2File > Export as MP3
3Choose bitrate 128 Hz

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Quick Questions

1. You want to save your Audacity recording as a compressed MP3. Which menu path do you use?
A. File > Export > Export as MP3 ✓
B. Edit > Undo > Export as MP3
Exporting is done from the File menu. Edit is for changing the audio, like cutting or copying.
2. You export the same recording once as WAV and once as MP3. Which file will usually be smaller?
A. The WAV file
B. The MP3 file ✓
MP3 uses lossy compression to remove data, so the file is smaller. WAV keeps all the original samples.
3. Which statement about a WAV export is correct?
A. It keeps all the digital samples, so it is not compressed ✓
B. It throws away sounds to make the file tiny
WAV is usually uncompressed, so it keeps every sample. That makes it high quality but large.
4. You export an MP3 at 64 kbps and another at 320 kbps. Which is likely to sound closer to the original?
A. 64 kbps
B. 320 kbps ✓
A higher bitrate keeps more detail, so it sounds better. The cost is a bigger file.
5. Your teacher wants the smallest file that is still OK for a podcast. What should you do in the export settings?
A. Choose a lower bitrate and listen to check the quality ✓
B. Always choose the highest bitrate
A lower bitrate saves space. Listening lets you check that you have not lost too much detail.

Match the Pairs

File > Export > Export as WAV → Saves the recording as an uncompressed WAV file that keeps every digital sample, so it has the biggest file size and full quality.
File > Export > Export as MP3 → Saves the recording as a compressed MP3 file with some detail removed, so the file is much smaller than the WAV.
To hear how much detail is lost, you choose a lower quality or bitrate setting when exporting an MP3 and then compare the result with the original. → Bit Rate Mode: Constant, Quality: 64 kbps
To check the exported files, compare the file size of each version in the folder and listen to each one. → song.wav = 50 MB, song.mp3 = 5 MB
Export as MP3 at 320 kbps to get the smallest file → A high bitrate such as 320 kbps keeps more data, so it gives a larger file with better quality. For the smallest file you would choose a low bitrate such as 64 kbps.
Exporting as WAV removes detail so the file is smaller than the MP3 → WAV keeps every sample and is not compressed in this way, so it is usually larger than the MP3. MP3 is the format that removes detail to save space.

Key Term

File > Export
Audacity menu path that saves a recording as WAV or MP3 at a chosen quality, so you can compare file size and sound quality of the same audio.

Fill in the Blanks

1. File > Export > Export as MP3
Hint: Type the File menu item used to save the recording as a new audio file type.
2. File > Export > Export as WAV # lossless, biggest file size
Hint: Type the uncompressed audio format that keeps every sample and gives the largest file.
3. Export as MP3 Quality: 128 kbps
Hint: Type the unit used to measure audio bitrate.
4. View > Zoom > Zoom In # see the individual samples
Hint: Type the zoom direction that lets you see single digital samples in the waveform.
5. size(MP3) < size(WAV) # lossy file is smaller
Hint: Type the comparison operator showing the MP3 file is smaller than the WAV file.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A Record a 10 second clip
B File > Export as MP3
C Choose bitrate 128 Hz
Line C — MP3 bitrate is measured in kilobits per second (kbps), not Hz. Hz measures sample rate. It should be 'Choose bitrate 128 kbps'.
Question 2
A Open the recorded track
B File > Import as WAV
C Name the file clip.wav
Line B — Import brings a file into Audacity. To save a recording as a WAV you use File > Export. It should be 'File > Export as WAV'.
Question 3
A Export clip.wav (lossless)
B Export clip.mp3 at 64 kbps
C Check both file sizes
D MP3 file is larger than WAV
Line D — WAV keeps all the sample data, so it is bigger. MP3 is compressed and smaller. It should be 'WAV file is larger than MP3'.
Question 4
A Zoom in on the waveform
B Each dot is one sample
C Samples are stored as letters
Line C — Each sample is a number that records the height of the sound wave at one moment. They are not stored as letters. It should be 'Samples are stored as numbers'.
Question 5
A Export MP3 at 320 and 64 kbps
B The 320 kbps file is smaller
C It keeps more sound detail
Line B — A higher bitrate stores more data per second, so the file is larger. The 320 kbps file is larger than the 64 kbps file.

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