diff --git a/src/Audacity.h b/src/Audacity.h
index e6c62546e..aa1039846 100644
--- a/src/Audacity.h
+++ b/src/Audacity.h
@@ -34,12 +34,30 @@
 
 
 // We only do alpha builds, beta builds, and release versions.
-// Most of the time we're in development, so IS_ALPHA should be defined
-// to 1.
-// Its value may be more than 1 for pre-release "Beta" builds that differ only in the
-// welcome screen.
-// Use "#if IS_ALPHA" not #ifdef
-#define IS_ALPHA 2
+// Most of the time we're in development, so AUDACITY_BUILD_LEVEL should be
+// defined to 0.
+// Its value may be more than 0 for pre-release "Beta" builds that differ only
+// in the welcome screen, and hiding of some development menu commands, but
+// still link to the alpha manual online.
+#define AUDACITY_BUILD_LEVEL 1
+
+// used #ifdef not #if for IS_ALPHA, IS_BETA, IS_RELEASE, USE_ALPHA_MANUAL
+#undef IS_ALPHA
+#undef IS_BETA
+#undef IS_RELEASE
+#undef USE_ALPHA_MANUAL
+
+#if AUDACITY_BUILD_LEVEL == 0
+   #define IS_ALPHA
+   #define USE_ALPHA_MANUAL
+#elif AUDACITY_BUILD_LEVEL == 1
+   #define IS_BETA
+   #define USE_ALPHA_MANUAL
+#else
+   #define IS_RELEASE
+#endif
+
+
 
 // Increment as appropriate every time we release a NEW version.
 #define AUDACITY_VERSION   2
@@ -47,9 +65,9 @@
 #define AUDACITY_REVISION  0
 #define AUDACITY_MODLEVEL  0
 
-#if IS_ALPHA > 1
+#if defined(IS_BETA)
    #define AUDACITY_SUFFIX wxT("-beta-") __TDATE__
-#elif IS_ALPHA
+#elif defined(IS_ALPHA)
    #define AUDACITY_SUFFIX wxT("-alpha-") __TDATE__
 #else
    #define AUDACITY_SUFFIX    wxT("") // for a stable release
@@ -147,7 +165,7 @@ void QuitAudacity();
 // Put extra symbol information in the release build, for the purpose of gathering
 // profiling information (as from Windows Process Monitor), when there otherwise
 // isn't a need for AUDACITY_DLL_API.
-#if IS_ALPHA
+#ifdef IS_ALPHA
    #define PROFILE_DLL_API AUDACITY_DLL_API
 #else
    #define PROFILE_DLL_API
diff --git a/src/AudioIO.cpp b/src/AudioIO.cpp
index f4e7f7d26..c2c787d5e 100644
--- a/src/AudioIO.cpp
+++ b/src/AudioIO.cpp
@@ -3498,6 +3498,7 @@ wxString AudioIO::GetMidiDeviceInfo()
       s << wxT("No MIDI playback device found for '") << playDevice << wxT("'.") << e;
    }
 
+   // Mention our conditional compilation flags for Alpha only
 #ifdef IS_ALPHA
 
    s << wxT("==============================") << e;
diff --git a/src/HelpText.cpp b/src/HelpText.cpp
index afb258d57..eea664361 100644
--- a/src/HelpText.cpp
+++ b/src/HelpText.cpp
@@ -212,10 +212,10 @@ static wxString HelpTextBuiltIn( const wxString & Key )
       /* i18n-hint: Preserve [[file:quick_help.html as it's the name of a file.*/
       wxString result = 
          wxString(wxT("")) + 
-#if IS_ALPHA
+#if defined(IS_ALPHA) || defined(IS_BETA)
          wxT("<hr><center><h3>") + _("Get the Official Released Version of Audacity") + wxT("</h3></center>") +
          VerCheckHtml() +
-#if IS_ALPHA == 1
+#ifdef IS_ALPHA
          alphamsg
 #else
          betamsg
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ static wxString HelpTextBuiltIn( const wxString & Key )
          _("More:</b> Visit our [[http://wiki.audacityteam.org/index.php|Wiki]] for tips, tricks, extra tutorials and effects plug-ins.") + wxT("</p>");
 #endif
 
-#if IS_ALPHA
+#ifdef USE_ALPHA_MANUAL
       result.Replace( "//manual.audacityteam.org/quick_help.html","//alphamanual.audacityteam.org/man/Quick_Help" );
       result.Replace( "//manual.audacityteam.org/","//alphamanual.audacityteam.org/man/" );
 #endif
diff --git a/src/Menus.cpp b/src/Menus.cpp
index 9106b3395..549dd1883 100644
--- a/src/Menus.cpp
+++ b/src/Menus.cpp
@@ -1224,7 +1224,7 @@ void AudacityProject::CreateMenusAndCommands()
 
 // PRL: team consensus for 2.2.0 was, we let end users have this diagnostic,
 // as they used to in 1.3.x
-//#if IS_ALPHA
+//#ifdef IS_ALPHA
       // TODO: What should we do here?  Make benchmark a plug-in?
       // Easy enough to do.  We'd call it mod-self-test.
 
@@ -8285,7 +8285,7 @@ void AudacityProject::OnCheckForUpdates()
 // Only does the update checks if it's an ALPHA build and not disabled by preferences.
 void AudacityProject::MayCheckForUpdates()
 {
-#if IS_ALPHA
+#ifdef IS_ALPHA
    OnCheckForUpdates();
 #endif
 }
diff --git a/src/widgets/HelpSystem.cpp b/src/widgets/HelpSystem.cpp
index 6e772e42b..ac811fcb3 100644
--- a/src/widgets/HelpSystem.cpp
+++ b/src/widgets/HelpSystem.cpp
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
 #include "ErrorDialog.h"
 #include "HelpSystem.h"
 
-#if IS_ALPHA
+#ifdef USE_ALPHA_MANUAL
 const wxString HelpSystem::HelpHostname = wxT("alphamanual.audacityteam.org");
 const wxString HelpSystem::HelpServerHomeDir = wxT("/man/");
 const wxString HelpSystem::HelpServerManDir = wxT("/man/");
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ void HelpSystem::ShowHelp(wxWindow *parent,
       webHelpPath = wxT("https://")+HelpSystem::HelpHostname+HelpSystem::HelpServerManDir;
    }
 
-#if IS_ALPHA
+#ifdef USE_ALPHA_MANUAL
    webHelpPage = webHelpPath + PageName;
 #else
    webHelpPage = webHelpPath + releasePageName;