Dependable, quality information that you can use.
I’m not an engineer, so creating my DVD, “Depression What You Must Know,” and my Podcast, “Psychiatric Secrets Revealed with Dr. Mike” involved a lot a research and learning. The information listed below is a compilation of that work. I hope you find it helpful. Mike Kuna
Podcast recordings. ACL allows for you to manipulate two stereo tracks at a time offering at least some compositing capability. Like MMM, ACL also has the hidden and powerful “Wave Editor II.”
Sound Forge Studio is a cheaper version of Sony’s professional Sound Forge. Its simple interface hides its very powerful features. It is an excellent editor and offers superb quality Fx. Although it is not a multi-track program (stereo only) it does allow you to join multiple sound files together and to do some limited mixing of sound files.
Diamond Cut Millennium is the little brother to Diamond Cut 6. This software probably offers the most comprehensive tools for audio restoration. Unfortunately, it also has a much higher learning curve than other options.
One late weekend night I was trying to edit a wedding video. To my horror one of the wireless mics was bad and critical video was unbelievably noisy. I tried ACL on the audio but when I removed the noise I also made everyone’s voice sound mechanical and robotic. In desperation I downloaded a trial copy of DCM and it perfectly cleaned things up with almost no artifact. Now that is quality software. Unfortunately DCM only allows one stereo track.
Video Editing Software
Surprisingly NLE (non-linear editing) software often offers excellent sound capabilities which includes Fx’s, multi-tracking and independent audio recording. Even simple programs like a free and very light version of Ulead’s Video Editor that I got with a cheap MP4 camera will independently record audio and allow compositing with at least one other sound track. Pro-level software like Sony’s Vegas can stand alone as a powerful audio editor with many advanced features. If you already have this kind of software around, you may want to give it a look. This is especially the case if you are already familiar with using it.
CD Burning Suites
Full versions of Nero and Easy CD have wave editors and multi track editors as part of their bundle. I explored the software provided by Nero and was surprised to find that it was not only easy to use but pretty powerful. Many of the function were destructive (they altered the original audio file) so it would be a good idea to use a copy of your recording in case you make a mistake.
Even OEM light versions of these software packages have hidden wave editors and filters. They can be found in the audio CD burning section. Often you have to actually burn a CD to use these features, an inconvenience.
Other free software can sometimes be found bundled with hardware like MP3 players, USB interfaces and sound cards. These programs are typically limited but they may allow you to record and convert into MP3 files. Some will also offer limited Fx and compositing capabilities. If you have them, why not take a look!
Lastly, the free iTunes can be used to convert wav files into mp3 files with little effort.
Sound Forge Studio is a cheaper version of Sony’s professional Sound Forge. Its simple interface hides its very powerful features. It is an excellent editor and offers superb quality Fx. Although it is not a multi-
Diamond Cut Millennium is the little brother to Diamond Cut 6. This software probably offers the most comprehensive tools for audio restoration. Unfortunately, it also has a much higher learning curve than other options.
One late weekend night I was trying to edit a wedding video. To my horror one of the wireless mics was bad and critical video was unbelievably noisy. I tried ACL on the audio but when I removed the noise I also made everyone’s voice sound mechanical and robotic. In desperation I downloaded a trial copy of DCM and it perfectly cleaned things up with almost no artifact. Now that is quality software. Unfortunately DCM only allows one stereo track.
Video Editing Software
Surprisingly NLE (non-
CD Burning Suites
Full versions of Nero and Easy CD have wave editors and multi track editors as part of their bundle. I explored the software provided by Nero and was surprised to find that it was not only easy to use but pretty powerful. Many of the function were destructive (they altered the original audio file) so it would be a good idea to use a copy of your recording in case you make a mistake.
Even OEM light versions of these software packages have hidden wave editors and filters. They can be found in the audio CD burning section. Often you have to actually burn a CD to use these features, an inconvenience.
Other free software can sometimes be found bundled with hardware like MP3 players, USB interfaces and sound cards. These programs are typically limited but they may allow you to record and convert into MP3 files. Some will also offer limited Fx and compositing capabilities. If you have them, why not take a look!
Lastly, the free iTunes can be used to convert wav files into mp3 files with little effort.