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Audio editing software question.
- Thread starter classic1
- Start date
classic1 said:What would be the best audio editing software for use at home? I am trying to put together a great sounding demo, and have no access to a production studio.
I like Acid and Vegas.
But of course Adobe Audition is great.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Free runs on Windows, Mac Linux. A good basic app and you can't beat the price. Adobe Audition started out as COOL EDIT and wasn't much more than Audacity when it started.
Free runs on Windows, Mac Linux. A good basic app and you can't beat the price. Adobe Audition started out as COOL EDIT and wasn't much more than Audacity when it started.
Most people participating in the R-I Forums use a non-revealing identification so it may be pointless to ask you to tell us much of anything about yourself.
When you ask for a suggestion of THE BEST audio editing software, you haven't indicated whether you have the experience and training to make full use of THE BEST.... which we will never agree on when it comes to deciding which is THE BEST.
If you are wanting to build a demo that is designed to get you a job, as in employment, you may be able to go hire studio time cheaper than you can establish your own recording facility. Keep that in perspective.
If you are wanting to build "a great sounding demo" to use for soliciting future production work, voice over work, then you need to acquire the software and whatever equipment is needed, or you won'tbe able to produced the future revenue-producing work if your demo is successful.
A home recording facility does not have to be born fully grown. If you have the available funds and you really want this thing, go for the best. Otherwise, take it a step at a time. Use a free software like Audacity until you outgrow it, or have the available funds to buy what makes you feel good about the project. (Feeling good about the project and having confidence is part of being able to voice good sound.) In spite of all the advice that YOU MUST have a professional level card, and may an EXTERNAL card, start with the built-in card your computer has.
Here comes the tough choice. You say you do not have access to a production studio. Define your terms here. The definition you give will change the advice we offer you. In your mind, is there a difference between a voice-over studio and a PRODUCTION studio? Depending on your answer to that conceptual question, our advice to you on software might change significantly.
When you ask for a suggestion of THE BEST audio editing software, you haven't indicated whether you have the experience and training to make full use of THE BEST.... which we will never agree on when it comes to deciding which is THE BEST.
If you are wanting to build a demo that is designed to get you a job, as in employment, you may be able to go hire studio time cheaper than you can establish your own recording facility. Keep that in perspective.
If you are wanting to build "a great sounding demo" to use for soliciting future production work, voice over work, then you need to acquire the software and whatever equipment is needed, or you won'tbe able to produced the future revenue-producing work if your demo is successful.
A home recording facility does not have to be born fully grown. If you have the available funds and you really want this thing, go for the best. Otherwise, take it a step at a time. Use a free software like Audacity until you outgrow it, or have the available funds to buy what makes you feel good about the project. (Feeling good about the project and having confidence is part of being able to voice good sound.) In spite of all the advice that YOU MUST have a professional level card, and may an EXTERNAL card, start with the built-in card your computer has.
Here comes the tough choice. You say you do not have access to a production studio. Define your terms here. The definition you give will change the advice we offer you. In your mind, is there a difference between a voice-over studio and a PRODUCTION studio? Depending on your answer to that conceptual question, our advice to you on software might change significantly.
O
Onesimus
Guest
Adobe Audition. It's a nice program to have at home because there's a good chance you'll be asked to be familiar with it once you get the job you want. Pro Tools is a better program than Audition, but that's like killing a gnat with a bazooka for most production projects.
To answer your question Cowboy, I am looking for software to put together a demo for seeking employment. I have years of experience with Adobe Audition/Cool Edit Pro, but I do not have access to a station's production studio to put my demo together. You had mentioned renting a studio, but other than the local stations here in Kokomo, I only know of one recording studio, and they are way out of my price range, and I have never heard of a station letting someone come in to use their studio to create a demo. Even if they did, I am not sure what they would charge me.
It has been a long, long time since I sat where you are now. I don't have a good understanding of what potential employers of today expect from a demo of your skills. Part of that probably depends on the type of station(s) you plan to approach.
First, I hope some kind, neighborly Hoosiers who read this and are within reasonable driving distance of you will PM you (the private message feature of this forum) and offer to let you use their recording facility. Seems like the neighborly thing to do.
If the talent and style you want to demo can be done with straight voice work, consider digging deep and buying one of the USB mics like the Sampson or the AT2020. ($125 tops) One of those coupled with just about any computer and the free Audacity software will let you create a straight voice recording that demonstrates your pipes, and you ability talk, emote and whatever it is you consider your talent to be. If you feel it is essential that you be able to demonstrate you ability to create production pieces with sounds, booming echoes, repeats, what ever else goes into some of today's production, this suggestion will fall just a little bit short.
First, I hope some kind, neighborly Hoosiers who read this and are within reasonable driving distance of you will PM you (the private message feature of this forum) and offer to let you use their recording facility. Seems like the neighborly thing to do.
If the talent and style you want to demo can be done with straight voice work, consider digging deep and buying one of the USB mics like the Sampson or the AT2020. ($125 tops) One of those coupled with just about any computer and the free Audacity software will let you create a straight voice recording that demonstrates your pipes, and you ability talk, emote and whatever it is you consider your talent to be. If you feel it is essential that you be able to demonstrate you ability to create production pieces with sounds, booming echoes, repeats, what ever else goes into some of today's production, this suggestion will fall just a little bit short.
Most radio stations are using an off the shelf computer somewhere. Do you have one?
If you have a freeware of cool edit pro you can edit airchecks at will at home. They have to be transferred into the computer using the mini jack on the computer.
It has been years since I have airchecked. Are stations still using crappy cassettes or are they now on crystals ala Superman?
Transferring any format audio is easy.
Once in I would think that you could match beats or audio transitions from intro to outro. These days with little talk this is probably not as important as it used to be. Use mix paste to lay down your voice then transition to your next talk set.
We have allowed folks to edit airchecks when canned. The drive from Kokomo to the Indy area is long but the offer is there. Essentially though, this would be the use of a stock computer. We don't have any cassette decks. Everything is digital.
If you have a freeware of cool edit pro you can edit airchecks at will at home. They have to be transferred into the computer using the mini jack on the computer.
It has been years since I have airchecked. Are stations still using crappy cassettes or are they now on crystals ala Superman?
Transferring any format audio is easy.
Once in I would think that you could match beats or audio transitions from intro to outro. These days with little talk this is probably not as important as it used to be. Use mix paste to lay down your voice then transition to your next talk set.
We have allowed folks to edit airchecks when canned. The drive from Kokomo to the Indy area is long but the offer is there. Essentially though, this would be the use of a stock computer. We don't have any cassette decks. Everything is digital.
A local station may not only allow you to make a demo, they may not charge we. We let people do that all the time, way back when. The station will have better equipment than you can put together to make a demo.
There are also LOTS of people within a few miles of where you are who have home recording studios. Do a Google search. If you were in my town, I'd record the demo for you for free, and I have full professional equipment with an excellent mic collection. It never hurts to ask.
There are also LOTS of people within a few miles of where you are who have home recording studios. Do a Google search. If you were in my town, I'd record the demo for you for free, and I have full professional equipment with an excellent mic collection. It never hurts to ask.
Well Chief, all I have is my home PC with Windows XP and a flash drive with all of the air checks I could record. The last station I worked at used a PC in the studio to record air checks, and had it networked to the prod studio. I am ALWAYS willing to travel, and pay...if it's in my budget...to a station, or a private studio, to either put together a demo myself, or work with someone to put one together. At this point, I will do ANYTHING I can to get back into the business and out of my current situation. I chose radio as a career, not working at a convenience store/gas station.
O
Onesimus
Guest
Hang in there classic! There are a lot of people in your shoes. Most are saying; "God please give me a new dream." This business will probably get worse before it gets better (if it ever does get better). People will argue that you have to be a multi-tasker to survive in this business. Multi-taskers make about 30k a year. Those who specialize in ONE thing (morning shows, production, talk shows) make MUCH more but there are fewer jobs. Pick your poison and pursue it.
Back on topic, a copy of Cool Edit Pro would be sufficient. If you can run that, you can handle Adobe Audition (they're very similar and you're familiar with both).
Back on topic, a copy of Cool Edit Pro would be sufficient. If you can run that, you can handle Adobe Audition (they're very similar and you're familiar with both).
On a budget, free or cheap... Audacity or Reaper... Pro-Tools, Adobe and Vegas are all good pro stuff. I use mostly adobe at home, Reaper is on one machine. They do the job.
It would depend on what you want out of your demo as to what you should do as far as recording it. If you simply want to do a dry read for a minute to show off your ability to deliver a line and to do the weather, and you’re not interested in doing any production work at home after the fact, then go to a recording studio. A big or small one would be fine. However, if you want to showcase more of your talents and talk up the music, do bits, etc., my advice is to go to a bigger facility. Major facilities will have a lot of experience with broadcast. Smaller independent ones primarily deal with music production for local bands, and those guys have no experience in radio. Someone else would be producing, and you’ll waste money sitting there telling him where to drop in the music and how you want everything situated in the tracks.
In my studio, I have monitors, an external card, a mixer board, Shure SM7B, a processor, you name it it’s here, but you wouldn’t need all of that to simply do a read. I don’t recommend your computers card. It's a bad idea because it sounds like crap. You're cramming all that signal through something that is designed for Skype and other telephony stuff. It's meant to talk to your buddy, not for professional recording. An external card, a decent MIC, a DAW and you’re pretty much set. Plugging straight into the card would mean you would have to record dry, but you can compress with decent software. Again, a lot of this depends on what you want out of your demo.
If you’re familiar with Audition, keep becoming familiar with it. It’s standard in radio. Pro Tools is standard for everything else. If you go to these big market stations though you’ll see Pro Tools. It has always been a full featured DAW and they stand by it. Features were added to Audition, and now it is a full featured DAW. Audition is great, I use it everyday.
I have a Sampson CO1U, a USB MIC if you decide to go ahead with your computers card. If you decide to go with an external card, I have the Sampson CO1 that I would be willing to part with as well. Both MIC’s were hardly used. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I ever did use the CO1. I also have a shock mount and XLR cables.
Do you have Audition? I have two licensed 3.0’s. One I bought online, the other I have in a box. I’d be willing to part with the online one. I would have to license it over to you so you could do updates, etc. We could work out a deal on that if you would like.
In my studio, I have monitors, an external card, a mixer board, Shure SM7B, a processor, you name it it’s here, but you wouldn’t need all of that to simply do a read. I don’t recommend your computers card. It's a bad idea because it sounds like crap. You're cramming all that signal through something that is designed for Skype and other telephony stuff. It's meant to talk to your buddy, not for professional recording. An external card, a decent MIC, a DAW and you’re pretty much set. Plugging straight into the card would mean you would have to record dry, but you can compress with decent software. Again, a lot of this depends on what you want out of your demo.
If you’re familiar with Audition, keep becoming familiar with it. It’s standard in radio. Pro Tools is standard for everything else. If you go to these big market stations though you’ll see Pro Tools. It has always been a full featured DAW and they stand by it. Features were added to Audition, and now it is a full featured DAW. Audition is great, I use it everyday.
I have a Sampson CO1U, a USB MIC if you decide to go ahead with your computers card. If you decide to go with an external card, I have the Sampson CO1 that I would be willing to part with as well. Both MIC’s were hardly used. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I ever did use the CO1. I also have a shock mount and XLR cables.
Do you have Audition? I have two licensed 3.0’s. One I bought online, the other I have in a box. I’d be willing to part with the online one. I would have to license it over to you so you could do updates, etc. We could work out a deal on that if you would like.
The built in sound card may sound like crap if the card permits "optimizing" the mic for
voice; they often then enact gating action designed to combat echoes, and it does sound like crap.
This happened to me after a crash/burn/rebuild on an HP laptop.
I'd suggest looking at all settings on the sound device to see if the mic imput can be set to "no proceesing".
I'm pretty damn critical and cannot find fault with what my Soundmax HD stock card is giving me in recordings, set properly.
voice; they often then enact gating action designed to combat echoes, and it does sound like crap.
This happened to me after a crash/burn/rebuild on an HP laptop.
I'd suggest looking at all settings on the sound device to see if the mic imput can be set to "no proceesing".
I'm pretty damn critical and cannot find fault with what my Soundmax HD stock card is giving me in recordings, set properly.
Keith Kidd said:I have a Sampson CO1U, a USB MIC if you decide to go ahead with your computers card.
If you use a USB mic, your computer's sound card is not part of the recording circuit.
The computer's sound card would be involved in playback.
Goat Rodeo Cowboy said:If you use a USB mic, your computer's sound card is not part of the recording circuit.
The computer's sound card would be involved in playback.
You're right Goat Rodeo, a USB MIC has a card built within the MIC itself. Actually, the whole purpose OF the USB MIC is to replace the computers sound card. Not sure why I added card to what I said above. I meant to say if he wants to go with just using his computer and a MIC, I have a Sampson CO1U.
...and most broadcast supply houses have packaged deals for mini studios-in-a-box, complete with your choice of mikes, media, software and hardware...some for less than $1K.
There are all kinds of good deals and combinations you can go for. Again, it depends on what you are wanting to do. Just My MIC and Auralex totals a grand, probably more. I do some loud vocals and no way could I get away with the basics. I've got foam on the ceiling, the walls ...one of the walls is even carpeted. There would be all kinds of slapback if the room wasn't treated. Wanna do a read to showoff your style? Go cheaper and basic. Wanna do loud stylish vocals over music, do bits, produce hours of programming, do pro sounding VO's, etc., etc., that will cost more. The bigger the production, the more of a need to hear things correctly as well, which means investing in good monitors.
@ Tom, there are lots of different voltages. +4dBu and -10dBV are line level, but +4dBu is pro level (mixer or preamp) and -10dBV is consumer level, like the sound card. Mic level is different than instrument level, which is different from phono level. If all of these are not accounted for, the sound suffers. Are your recordings for broadcast purposes?
OK, I'm done being a know-it-all. Now I'm gonna go and slap my old lady right in the mouth for no goods reason. Catch ya all later.
@ Tom, there are lots of different voltages. +4dBu and -10dBV are line level, but +4dBu is pro level (mixer or preamp) and -10dBV is consumer level, like the sound card. Mic level is different than instrument level, which is different from phono level. If all of these are not accounted for, the sound suffers. Are your recordings for broadcast purposes?
OK, I'm done being a know-it-all. Now I'm gonna go and slap my old lady right in the mouth for no goods reason. Catch ya all later.
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