Audacity is a free audio editing tool available from

1. 
   Go to http://audacity.sourceforge.net/, click “Download,” then save and install the Audacity program.
   
2. 
   Audacity requires a free encoding program called LAME, available from http://www.free-codecs.com/Lame_Encoder_download.htm.
   
3. 
   Go to this website, and download the last version, which should be at the top.
   
4. 
   The LAME program will be in a zipped folder. Extract the file “lame_enc.dll” and save it, preferably into your Audacity program file.
   
5. 
   Make sure that the input device is plugged in before starting the program. The next step is getting a microphone. A USB headset is often a better option than a standard microphone for this type of recording, but either one will do.
   

Set-Up

1. 
   Open the Start menu on the lower right-hand side of the screen if you are using Windows, or the corresponding menu if you are using a Mac.
   
2. 
   Select “Audacity” and open the program.
   
3. 
   Select “Edit.”
   
4. 
   Select “Preferences.”
   
5. 
   Select the “Audio I/O” tab.
   
6. 
   Choose the “Channels” drop down box.
   
7. 
   Select “Mono.”
   (Also, if using a USB recording device such as a USB headset or webcam,
   you may need to change the Recording Device as well).
   

8. 
   Now, select “File Format.”
   
9. 
   Select the option, “Make a copy of file before editing (safer),” as this will create a copy of whatever sound file you are working on.
   
10. 
    Select “Find Library.” Browse to where you saved your “lame_enc.dll” file and select it. Note: if this step was done upon installation of Audacity, it may not need to be done here.