Editing programs

Don Randall · Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007, 04:33 (GMT) Post subject:

I have Goldwave, Diamond Cut DC6 and Sony SoundForge. I used to have WavePad, but I deleted it.

I haven't used Diamond Cut much at all. What they do best is brag about how good they are, but ain't. WavePad did not impress me at all. Sony SoundForge was available as a 30 day trial. I tried it a few times the first couple of days and have ignored it since then - I guess I'll just uninstall it, too. I would like to have an opportunity to play with Adobe Audition and Pro Tools, but only if I can do so "on approval" or some such.

I am always willing to look at something new - and I do, when it makes sense. So far - for me at least - Goldwave is still the winner and reigning champion.

It is very intuitive, which makes it quick and easy to get going. Once you begin using it, you can explore the many, many built in tools that are native to the program - tools that just aren't there in some competitors.

Courvo mentioned the outstanding noise filter in Goldwave. Yep, he is right on the money there.

Ed Gambill · Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007, 17:13 (GMT) Post subject:

Sound Forge 9.0 here

This post started with a question about Editing Software and it has grown to include a host of programs useful to sound recording, editing and mixing. My thoughts on this are straight forward and supported by others who have either taught production sound and/or do production sound work

I favor the Sound Forge software and have used it for over 10 years. I never embraced the Vegas Multi Track software, tried ProTool and found it too hard to get along with. Nuendo seem the most intuitive to me.

It’s about how you the user feels about a software package that counts. If you like the pride of ownership that comes with high prices gear that’s good. If you like a lean mean low cost sound machine (Audacity) that’s good too.

I see program like Sound Forge for PC and BiasPeak for Mac as sound editors. The others are great for mixing and finishing files that have been put in good shape by the Editing Software.

Some year ago ProTools abandoned it Editor “Sound Design” and BiasPeak took over in that spot. A friend of mine, who is Head of Sound Dept at NC School of Arts Film School, uses BiasPeak to edit and then Mixes in ProTools. He is one of those who make a distinction between Editing software and Mixing software.

Ronald T Robinson · Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007, 02:12 (GMT) Post subject:

I would agree that unless someone has plans to get into multi-tracking in a big way, ProTools is an overkill on capacity and, certainly, on price.

My comments here must be brief, however, as ProTools is the only software I have ever used. I did have a cup of coffee with a CuBase demo, but that - at the time - seemed far less intuitive than ProTools.

I come from an analogue background when 1/4-inch, 2-track tapes were being couriered to clients. You know... before dinosaurs ruled the earth. Smile

Bret Brizzee · Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007, 11:06 (GMT) Post subject:

Those of us with radio background will remember Cool Edit Pro. (CEP became Adobe Audition when Adobe acquired the application.)

I think Ed makes a great point when he differentiates editing apps from mixing apps.

Up until recently, I was using Audition for recording from start to finish. Record, EQ, effects, mix, EQ, effects, export. Adobe recently released Soundbooth to complement their Creative Suite 3 launch. Soundbooth is a truly simple sound editor. It doesn't allow for multi-track anything, focusing instead on single source recording and mastering. After playing around with it for a few days, I've found myself paying much closer attention to my actual vocal recordings and less attention to the mixing process and the external audio. Now, I'm in somewhat of a predicament as I use Soundbooth in Mac OSX, then switch to Vista (via Bootcamp) to run Audition 2.0.

Even still, I think the change in my workflow has created some interesting new possibilities. Audition is still my primary workhorse for projects where I must process the complete master, but Soundbooth's ease-of-use allows me to pump out processed solos with ease.

David Oxford · Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007, 04:09 (GMT) Post subject:

Bret Brizzee · Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007, 22:50 (GMT) Post subject:

Hey David!

Yes, I've used Parallels and VMWare's Fusion virtualization applications in the past. Originally I planned to use a mixture of Bootcamp AND a virtualization app for my daily ventures. Unfortunately, there's a conflict when it comes to Vista and Office 2007 activation procedures. Each time I switch between virtualization (running Windows IN Mac OSX) and Bootcamp (running Windows in full form), I'm met with another activation demand. This is impractical, and calling Microsoft for a new activation key upon each reboot is not my cup of tea.

I currently use MacFUSE+ntfs-3g to read NTFS from Mac. MacDrive allows me to access my Mac partition/drives from Windows.

I work in IT as well, so I can see where your nephew is coming from. For his corporate work, virtualization can offer a number of advantages. In daily work, however, Bootcamp suits my needs more closely. As opposed to virtualizing Windows, Bootcamp allows me to take full advantage of my system's hardware resources (namely, the RAM). It also tends to run with fewer bugs in my specified fields.

I'd LOVE to use Parallels in conjunction with Bootcamp (Fusion and Parallels offer an option to virtualize the Bootcamp partition), but until they can find a workaround for the never-ending cycle of activation, I'll stick with the free and stable Bootcamp.