San Francisco, CA, March 1, 2011—The numbers speak for themselves: with more than 75 million downloads and counting, Audacity is the world's most popular digital audio editor. But while users can easily learn the basics in just a few minutes, there's more to Audacity than meets the eye.

In The Book of Audacity (No Starch Press, March 2011, 384 pp., $34.95, ISBN 9781593272708), digital audio maven Carla Schroder shows readers how to unlock the power of Audacity to transform their personal computers into full-fledged recording studios. Each chapter covers a different project, so readers can jump directly to recording live performances, preserving legacy media such as old vinyl LPs and 78s, and much more.

"The digital revolution is wonderful because it's made it possible to create high-fidelity audio recordings without a lot of expensive equipment," Schroder says. "It's faster and more portable, and a lot easier to do all kinds of processing and customizations of your audio files without degrading quality. You can create everything from a tinny ringtone to the finest symphony recording, all from the same source file."

The Book of Audacity also shows readers how to:

• Record podcasts and interviews
• Be their own backing band or chorus
• Edit, splice, mix, and master multitrack recordings
• Create super high-fidelity and surround-sound recordings
• Digitize their vinyl or tape collection and clean up noise, hisses, and clicks
• Create custom ringtones and special effects sounds

With clear, step-by-step instructions and screenshots to illustrate each project, The Book of Audacity will turn amateur podcasters and open source enthusiasts into professional digital audio producers in no time.