Editing audio is pretty simple once you get the hang of what does what and where to find the button that will allow you to do what you want. After reading this guide, you will be able to do simple sampling, equalize levels, and eliminate dead air time amongst other things. For this guide, we'll assume you know nothing about editing audio.

What Programs You May Need

1. Download Audacity for Windows/PC or Mac - A free, open-source digital audio editor with all the features of an expensive professional program without the steep learning curve.

2. Download the LAME MP3 encoder for Windows/PC or Mac and put it in the same directory as Audacity. You will need to locate it the first time you export to MP3.

The Basics

1. Open Audacity

2. Select File-->Open and choose the file you wish to edit (we're assuming you already have your audio file. If you are looking to record audio, see the "Create" section of How to Make a Podcast).

3. You should see a graphic display of your file. If your file was recorded in stereo, you will see two identical images, one for each stereo channel. Any changes you make on one will apply to the other, so for now, just pick one and ignore the other.

4. For now, we'll focus on two major tools: the selction tool and the zoom tool. You can see both along with a few other tools in the upper left hand of the program just below the main menu. By default, your mouse is set to the selection tool, which looks like a word-processing cursor when you mouse over the audio image. We'll get back to this because you're going to use it a lot. The zoom tool looks like a magnifiying glass and does exactly what you would expect. When you select the zoom tool, left-clicking the audio image will zoom in and right-clicking will zoom out.

5. There are two ways to play the audio and navigate to other portions of the file. One way is to press the space bar on your computer. This will play and stop the audio. If you are using the selection tool, you can click on any part of the audio image and press the space bar for the audio to play from that point (like if want to start listening in the middle of a song instead of the beginning). You will see though, that if you stop the audio and start it again, it will play from the original part you clicked on, NOT from where you stopped it. If that doesn't make sense, don't worry, you will recognize it as soon as you start playing around with the program. The other way to play, stop, fast-forward, etc. is by using the familiar stereo-type buttons under the main menu.

6. Don't be afraid to play around. If you are ever unsure of what you just did, press "Ctrl+Z" to undo your changes.

Let's say you are making a podcast and everything is cool, but you want to cut out 45 seconds of dead air that got recorded at the beginning of the file while you set-up your equipment. Here's how:

1. Magnify your file until you can clearly see the dead space at the beginning of the recording (or wherever else it is). In the graphical representation of your audio file, the taller an area, the louder it is. So you are looking for the area that's like a flat line.

2. Switch to your selection tool and click on one end of the dead area (it doesn't matter which side you start from). While holding the mouse cursor down, drag your cursor to the exact opposite end of the dead area and release your mouse button. If the flat line is selected properly, it will be highlighted in grey.

3. To remove the selected area, simply push delete on your keyboard. Audacity will automatically snap everything back together so there aren't any gaps left from the deleted area.

Basic Mixing: Equalize Levels

There may be parts of your audio that are annoyingly louder or softer than others (maybe you got too close or too far from the mic or an ambulance drove by). This is what you can do:

1. Find the area of your audio file that is too loud or too soft (either by listening to it or by looking for areas of the image that are taller or shorter than the others) and zoom in enough to see what you are selecting.

2. Select the area where you would like to increase or decrease the volume using the selection tool (see the section on Simple Editing above if you are having trouble).

3. Under the main menu, select Effects-->Amplify. To decrease the volume, move the slide bar to the left. Move the bar to the right to increase the volume. If you increase the volume too much, you will have to select the check box to "Allow clipping." You'll have to play around a bit untill you get a feel for how much you can increase or decrease the volume. Generally, you shouldn't need to go more than "+" or "-" 5dB in either direction (but there are plenty of exceptions). Remember, you can always hit "Ctrl+Z" on your keyboard to undo any changes.

There are a number of ways to share and host your photos online for free. One option we will discuss here is Flickr.

1. Sign-up for a free Yahoo! email account if you don't already have one.

2. Log in to Flickr with your Yahoo! account.

3. You can now begin to upload your photos. If the buttion is not immediately visible, select "Upload Photos" under the "You" tab.

4. Once your photo has been uploaded, you can change the title, add a description and tags, or create a set (or photo album). If you do not want others to see a photo, make sure the privacy setting is at "private."

5. If your photo is public, Flickr offers a number of licensing options. You can change the licensing on your photo by selecting the photo and looking under the "Additional Information" heading to the right of the image. We strongly urge anyone to select one of the Creative Commons licenses that are available.

6. Your images are now hosted and can be posted on other websites that do not offer hosting themselves. To find your image's URL, select the image and click "All Sizes." At the bottom of the page is a box entitled, "Grab the photo's URL."

Step 4. Assessing the options and taking action.

The possible responses to a takedown notice are limited. Most ISPs will "expeditiously" take down the targeted material. The person whose material is taken down can choose to let it go (that is, to acquiesce); to try to get it restored; to try to resolve the dispute through compromise; and/or to take a proactive approach through media attention or a lawsuit.

Although acquiescence comes first in this list, that does not suggest that that acquiescence is the best solution in any particular situation. Rather, takedown notice targets should understand their own rights, and respond accordingly. Fair use and other free expression safeguards in IP law can atrophy if they are not understood and used.

It may be worthwhile to consult an attorney.

Below we discuss what a recipient, or her attorney, might do in response to a section 512 takedown.

Acquiesce / let it go. Someone whose material has been targeted may decide to just let it go, either because he concludes that his material may in fact infringe the sender's copyright, or because he feels it's not worth the effort to fight it. Acquiescence may not be the end of the matter, though. While getting information successfully removed from the Internet, or de-indexed, might mollify the rights holder, she may still decide to sue for damages or harm she feels has already occurred.

File a counternotice. If the use is justified, it is a fairly simple matter to file a counternotice. Reviewing sample counternotices can provide guidance, as can Chilling Effects' counternotice generator. Filing a counternotice makes it no more or less likely that the user will win if the dispute ends up in court.

Counternotice Samples

Cease & Desist 101 for claims other than DMCA § 512 takedown notices

Try to resolve the dispute. The person targeted by a takedown notice can try to resolve the dispute, often by proposing some sort of compromise. He could offer to edit the work to take out some of the challenged content, to give credit for the original work, or to pay a licensing fee to use it. He doesn't need to agree that his conduct was infringing in order to make such an offer. Many, perhaps most, courts would look at such compromises as good faith attempts to avoid litigation, not as admissions that the original conduct was infringing. It may be helpful, however, to consult with an attorney to avoid any appearance of admitting to wrongdoing.

Take the initiative. People targeted by cease and desist senders may also take a proactive approach. The DMCA itself includes a section, DMCA § 512(f), for users to file suit if the takedown notice made a "material misrepresentation" that material was infringing.

If the sender has threatened to sue, then the target can file a "declaratory judgment" lawsuit asking a judge to rule that the use is fair and lawful. If the sender has a bad motive for sending her notice, such as trying to stifle politically important speech, some states provide "anti-SLAPP" procedures that may be applicable. If a sender's claims are harassing or abusive, the target may be able to seek an injunction or damages for harassment, abuse of legal process, or intentional or negligent harm. Or a lawsuit may simply be a way to resolve a genuine legal dispute, with IP or other claims on both sides.

Find More Help. Anyone who receives a DMCA § 512 notice may wish to talk with an attorney who has expertise in the area of electronic civil liberties, or the particular subject. Targets of takedown notices who feel they have a strong or sympathetic case may wish to contact the media and civil liberties organizations to draw attention to the situation, or gain legal representation in the case.

Directory of legal assistance organizations[link]

Document the process. Keeping good records is an invaluable part of any legal process, including section 512 takedown interactions. The target of a takedown notice should document everything that has happened. This includes listing how and when he began developing his work; when he posted it or made it available to others; how he distributed it; how much it cost and whether or not any profits have been made from it. He should also keep copies of any relevant correspondence. Having this material in advance will also help attorneys assess the matter more quickly. Be aware that if the matter ends up in court, such records may be subject to "discovery" by the other side.

Some people choose to publicize cease and desist letters and takedown notices on their websites. They may do this as part of a media strategy, to draw attention to what they see as a wrongful or abusive claim, or just to explain why they have taken the information down. Some senders may try to dissuade recipients from publicizing the action, by claiming that the letter is confidential, privileged, or protected by copyright. However, Chilling Effects has posted thousands of such letters and notices, as have many online activists who thought it was in the public interest to alert others to the types of claims made by some IP owners.

Submit notice to the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse. We encourage everyone to submit their notices to the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse. Chilling Effects collects cease and desist letters for two major purposes. First, publishing and annotating the notices for public viewing enables other recipients and targets to compare and learn about the law and the ways it is applied. Private information is generally redacted, and notice recipients can edit out any other private or identifying information before submitting it to Chilling Effects. Submission to the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse will also help users identify repeat senders.

Second, since cease and desist letters are sent by private mail and not usually publicly filed in a court, there is no way to know for sure whether their use is increasing or decreasing, what they are being sent for, or if the process is being abused. By contributing this legal correspondence to a clearinghouse, attorneys and researchers can look at the senders, targets, and types of claims made, to get a better sense of whether the law is working, or whether it's dysfunctional. Contributing to Chilling Effects may help reform bad laws, or prevent abuses in the future.

Submit your notice to Chilling Effects or to New Media Rights to have it published