Best Audio Editing Software?

[NotoriousTIMP]

Hey guys, I've been out of the loop for so long when it comes to audio editing software I thought I would dip into this section of ETS to get some help. I'm gearing up again to record the upcoming west coast NIN shows and I would like to get an idea of what software people are using to edit their music/recordings. I'm looking to do very basic editing so 'free' is the ideal price range for me, but please post up other programs you currently use so others who see this thread will have options!

I'm currently running a Mac and this will be my first time editing audio on this platform. Back in the day when I was recording concerts left and right I used to use Sound Forge for PC (to give you an idea of how far removed I am from the world of editing music).

[Leviathant]

http://www.reaper.fm

[Jinsai]

If you have Mac, GarageBand is free. Reaper is best bang for buck, and will have all you need. Free good stuff: Cakewalk, StudioOne Prime, Audacity, Cubase LE

[NotoriousTIMP]

Thanks for the pointers guys. I downloaded a copy of Sound Forge and its buggy as all hell on the mac. When I get home tonight I will look into the options you guys have posted.

[SM Rollinger]

I still use Audacity

[botley]

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Adobe Audition guy, but I'm weird and don't mind the things about it that infuriate other people.

[NotoriousTIMP]

So I have another question for you audio experts...

I recorded the APC show in Anaheim a couple of nights ago but I used my iPhone XR and it recorded the file type in .m4a. I'm trying to convert this file type into .mp3 but can't seem to get programs like reaper to open the .m4a. Are .m4a files already a lossy format? Given that my recordings are mono and already sound pretty meh should I bother trying to convert these to .flac or would it just be pointless?

[Pillfred]

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Adobe Audition guy, but I'm weird and don't mind the things about it that infuriate other people.

I used that years ago to edit songs for a radio show at college and to make a couple bad remixes when teh With Teeth tracks got released for garage band, which is when i also think i first came here??? I liked it better than sound forge and acid for sure at the time.

[botley]

So I have another question for you audio experts...

I recorded the APC show in Anaheim a couple of nights ago but I used my iPhone XR and it recorded the file type in .m4a. I'm trying to convert this file type into .mp3 but can't seem to get programs like reaper to open the .m4a. Are .m4a files already a lossy format? Given that my recordings are mono and already sound pretty meh should I bother trying to convert these to .flac or would it just be pointless?

It's lossy. If you can find a program that will split the M4A original into individual tracks without adding a further generation of loss, that's your best bet.

[wizfan]

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Adobe Audition guy, but I'm weird and don't mind the things about it that infuriate other people.

I'm pretty comfortable with Audition myself (even when it was called Cool Edit Pro, before Synthrillium was swallowed by Adobe's big mouth), though Audacity is a real time-saver, since it has a portable edition. Though I recently started using Reaper and... whoa... I'm floored by what this thing can do. I'm seriously considering buying a license once the free trial is up.

[Jinsai]

So I have another question for you audio experts...

I recorded the APC show in Anaheim a couple of nights ago but I used my iPhone XR and it recorded the file type in .m4a. I'm trying to convert this file type into .mp3 but can't seem to get programs like reaper to open the .m4a. Are .m4a files already a lossy format? Given that my recordings are mono and already sound pretty meh should I bother trying to convert these to .flac or would it just be pointless?

It's Lossy, but I'm surprised Reaper can't handle m4a.... especially a standardized default version that's on the most popular smart phone. 99.9% certain Audacity will set you right here... then again, you said you're on Mac, and I'll be shocked if Garageband doesn't handle iPhone standard compression

[Substance242]

I've got a feeling you're looking for something like Audacity, just one single wave, not multitrack recording. In that case, free WavePad is pretty good, even includes batch processing for tasks like format conversion (Windows, Mac, Android):

https://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/index.html

[NotoriousTIMP]

I've got a feeling you're looking for something like Audacity, just one single wave, not multitrack recording. In that case, free WavePad is pretty good, even includes batch processing for tasks like format conversion (Windows, Mac, Android):

https://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/index.html

This is exactly what I was looking for! Super simple to use and doesn't come with a truck load of features that I dont need. Thanks again for posting this!

[mexicoler]

every software is free... if you are willing



you can get some serious noise reduction help with audacity and run it through reaper for further treatment with EQing if "basic" is the order of the day.

if you feel like having fun though, and are... willing, i advocate for ableton.

EDIT: by willing, i clearly mean "finding a sound engineer that is also a sugar daddy". get off me arse, fbi