I wrote this tutorial last year, but I thought that I would repost here if anyone needed it (these steps should still apply):
Here’s a brief overview on how to use Audacity to record something (like a podcast) and save it as an MP3.
1) Open Audacity. If you are recording something, make sure that you plug in whatever microphone you are using.
2) Audacity is incredible simple to use; to record, just hit the button with the red circle in the left of top taskbar when you’re ready to start. When you are finished, click the stop button. If you want to pause while recording without actually stopping the recording process, just click on the pause button. If you want to add more recorded sound without starting a new track, hold down the Shift button and press the record button; it should add your new content to the end of the track.
3) You can now play around with your track to get it to sound however you need it to. Go to Effects at the top menu bar to find different effects you can add to your track. You can import other sound files in by going to File > Import. You can mute tracks by bringing down the volume slider to the left of each track.
4) When you are finished with your project, you must export it so that you can listen to it elsewhere. First, go to File > Export. Choose where you want to save your file and the format you want to save it in (.wav, .mp3, etc). Click Save. You can then add any information about the file, and then click OK.
*MP3 INSTRUCTIONS*
Here’s where it gets a little tricky. If this is your first time using Audacity on a certain computer, you need to have the LAME file somewhere on the computer. The LAME file is an MP3 encoder; without it, Audacity cannot make MP3s. Go to this link to find instructions and the download for the LAME file.
Once you have the LAME file on your computer, go to File > Export. Change the format to MP3, and choose where you want to save your audio file. When it asks for the location for the LAME file, click Browse and navigate to the place where you have saved it. Double click on it, and then click OK.
Note: You only have to do this process the first time that you make an MP3.
You have now created an MP3, and can upload it or use it however you want!
