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The true benefits of the waveform editor lie in their graphic interfaces and their ability to surgically isolate, tweak, repair and polish a single sound or sample. While some editors do have multitrack functionality, I prefer to record and mix in a DAW.
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In programs like Audition for example, clicking on a True Peak level in the amplitude statistics panel will move the cursor directly to the problem spot on the editing window. This allows you to instantly identify and locate problems with inter-sample peaks, RMS and perceived loudness levels, correlation and phase problems, clipped samples, etc. While you can edit audio files or regions in any standard DAW, dedicated waveform editors are optimized for this purpose.Īdobe Audition Amplitude Statistics panelĪ feature-rich editor will allow you instant access to amplitude, frequency and phase statistics on a specific file or a selected part a file. Difference Between a DAW and a Dedicated Waveform EditorĭAWs like Pro Tools and Logic Pro are intended for multitrack session projects.
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If you find yourself editing single sound files on a regular basis, finding the right editor will be time and money well spent.
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There are also freeware and shareware choices such as Audacity and Ocenaudio, low cost apps like WavePad and Loop Editor, and even browser-based applications such as Hya-Wave. While most DAWs are capable of waveform editing at some level, anyone that wants to get surgical about sound editing will need some sort of dedicated waveform editing application, such as Adobe Audition, Sound Forge Pro, SpectraLayers Pro and iZotope RX 6 to name a few. Knowing the basics of waveform editing is essential for sound designers, field recordists, composers and performers that use samplers or loop-based material, dialogue editors, and anyone that’s involved in audio editing in general.
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