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I like Sound Forge more.
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Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

T e c h n o f i l e
Recording sound on your computer, Part 3: Sound Forge Studio and Cool Edit 2000 top the Windows charts


June 22, 2003


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, The Post-Standard

   Windows users have a wide choice of audio-recording software. Among the best are two highly respected programs used in recording studios and broadcast stations, Sound Forge and Cool Edit Pro.
   Both programs cost too much for most users -- $350 for Sound Forge and $250 for Cool Edit Pro -- but they're each available in "lite" versions that make them attractive to serious audio enthusiasts. These are the versions I recommend.
   The two affordable versions are Sound Forge Studio 6.0 (www.sonicfoundry.com) and Cool Edit 2000 (www.syntrillium.com/cooledit). They're each $70.
   These versions are not missing any standard audio recording or editing functions. Their expensive counterparts sometimes work more quickly (by being able to perform multiple editing processes at once, for example) and sometimes come with extras that might be needed only in a professional setting.
   I've used the full and "lite" versions of Sound Forge and Cool Edit many times. I like Sound Forge more, mostly because it has a more polished "look and feel," not because it necessarily does a better job. Recording is a simple matter with either program, and they both have easy-to-see audio level meters so you can set the input volume carefully. (Computer audio recorders usually sound terrible if signal levels get too high.)
   A step down in price and features is GoldWave, a $40 audio recording and editing program from www.goldwave.com. GoldWave was the first serious audio editor I used under Windows many years ago. I tried the latest version (5.04) and was impressed with how easily it records and how well it handles editing.
   Three interesting alternatives are Audio Mulch, $50, from www.audiomulch.com, which is especially good at multitrack editing under Windows; and WaveFlow, $25, from www.waveflow.com, an unusually powerful audio editor, and AudioEdit Deluxe, $40, from http://audioedit.mystikmedia.com.
   Free audio software can help you get started and can sometimes work as well as commercial programs. Among Windows freeware programs, I've found these worth trying:
   WaveTools by Paul Kellett (www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/Sonogram), which provides a audio signal generator, a spectrum analyzer and an advanced audio level meter, among other functions.
   Silent-Bob, from a German developer (www.silent-bob.de). It's a simple recording program that's caught on big in Europe.
   Next: Putting it all togther to make CDs and MP3s of your tapes and records.