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I like Sound Forge more.
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technofile
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.
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