Audio EditingAudio Editing
DRDR
What Is Audio EditingWhat Is Audio Editing
Audio editing refers to the cutting, placing, fading, cross-fading, shifting and duplicating of audio to best serve the project you are working on
Editing is an integral part of audio production. It is an important part of many industries - music, tv, film, radio etc.
As cheaper studios open up to smaller, amateur bands, the role of editing increases. Good editing can make a sloppy drummer sound spot on.
Audio editing refers to the cutting, placing, fading, cross-fading, shifting and duplicating of audio to best serve the project you are working on
Editing is an integral part of audio production. It is an important part of many industries - music, tv, film, radio etc.
As cheaper studios open up to smaller, amateur bands, the role of editing increases. Good editing can make a sloppy drummer sound spot on.
Non Destructive EditingNon Destructive Editing
The job of the producer/editor was made a lot easier with the rise of digital audio. Editing with analogue tape involves cutting and splicing the actual tape. If you make a mistake, you’re in trouble. This is called destructive editing because once you make the edit you can’t decide to return to the source audio
The invention of digital audio workstations like Pro Tools allowed editors to do the same edits with a few clicks of a mouse and without losing the source audio. Non destructive (sometimes called non linear) editing was born.
The job of the producer/editor was made a lot easier with the rise of digital audio. Editing with analogue tape involves cutting and splicing the actual tape. If you make a mistake, you’re in trouble. This is called destructive editing because once you make the edit you can’t decide to return to the source audio
The invention of digital audio workstations like Pro Tools allowed editors to do the same edits with a few clicks of a mouse and without losing the source audio. Non destructive (sometimes called non linear) editing was born.
Non Destructive EditingNon Destructive Editing
The original sound files remain intact at all times. The edited master only exists as a series of instructions to
replay certain parts of certain sound files at times, with certain signal processing overlaid
Effectively, your edit is a map which the computer uses to jump between different parts of the original sound files.
A single sound file can be used as many times as desired in different locations and on different tracks without the need for copying the actual audio data
This allows the user to rearrange the audio much like they would words in a word processor
The original sound files remain intact at all times. The edited master only exists as a series of instructions to
replay certain parts of certain sound files at times, with certain signal processing overlaid
Effectively, your edit is a map which the computer uses to jump between different parts of the original sound files.
A single sound file can be used as many times as desired in different locations and on different tracks without the need for copying the actual audio data
This allows the user to rearrange the audio much like they would words in a word processor
Editing Using DAWsEditing Using DAWs
The term Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) refers to a general combination of multitrack software and high-quality audio hardware
In DAWs, we generally get a visual representation of the waveform to compliment the audio. This is very useful when editing as it helps you to easily identify a section, for example, if you are looking at a waveform of a drum sample (see next slide), you can clearly see where the beats are.
The term Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) refers to a general combination of multitrack software and high-quality audio hardware
In DAWs, we generally get a visual representation of the waveform to compliment the audio. This is very useful when editing as it helps you to easily identify a section, for example, if you are looking at a waveform of a drum sample (see next slide), you can clearly see where the beats are.
Editing using DAWsEditing using DAWs In these visual representations, amplitude is measured
vertically, so it follows that in the drum loop below, the big fluctuations in the waveform clearly happen when a drum is struck
In these visual representations, amplitude is measured vertically, so it follows that in the drum loop below, the big fluctuations in the waveform clearly happen when a drum is struck
Editing using DAWsEditing using DAWs If your dealing with rhythm based audio (anything with
drums), it’s a good idea to edit on the beat. This makes it much easier to create a seamless, beat matched edit
If possible, always edit at points where the amplitude is zero (called zero crossing points - see below) and try to follow the natural flow of the waveform (as in A) i.e. you don’t want the wave to drop down to the zero line and jump straight back up at your edit point (as in B)
A B
If your dealing with rhythm based audio (anything with drums), it’s a good idea to edit on the beat. This makes it much easier to create a seamless, beat matched edit
If possible, always edit at points where the amplitude is zero (called zero crossing points - see below) and try to follow the natural flow of the waveform (as in A) i.e. you don’t want the wave to drop down to the zero line and jump straight back up at your edit point (as in B)
A B
CrossfadingCrossfading Digital clicks sometimes occur when waves are not
properly matched. These can be eliminated by using crossfades. During a crossfade, the source audio begins to fade out as the destination audio fades in.
It is a good idea to put crossfades on all of your edits, even ones that sound like they don’t need it. Put very short crossfades on good edits (50ms) and slightly longer ones on edits where you can hear a digital click (up to a second).
Digital clicks sometimes occur when waves are not properly matched. These can be eliminated by using crossfades. During a crossfade, the source audio begins to fade out as the destination audio fades in.
It is a good idea to put crossfades on all of your edits, even ones that sound like they don’t need it. Put very short crossfades on good edits (50ms) and slightly longer ones on edits where you can hear a digital click (up to a second).
Pro Tools Short CutsPro Tools Short Cuts Heres a few short cuts that make editing in pro tools a lot
faster: New Track: Cmd+Shift+N Create Fades: highlight fade region+Cmd+F Separate Region: Cmd+E Duplicate: Cmd+D Cut : Cmd+X Copy: Cmd+C Paste: Cmd+V Select all audio on selected track: Cmd+A Add to selection: Shift +grab with grabber tool
Heres a few short cuts that make editing in pro tools a lot faster:
New Track: Cmd+Shift+N Create Fades: highlight fade region+Cmd+F Separate Region: Cmd+E Duplicate: Cmd+D Cut : Cmd+X Copy: Cmd+C Paste: Cmd+V Select all audio on selected track: Cmd+A Add to selection: Shift +grab with grabber tool
One More Thing…..One More Thing…..
For the class editing exercise you’ll need to import audio.
Click on the bar that says AUDIO at the top of your regions list (right hand side of the edit window)
Click import audio Select the audio from file and when its finished
grab it from your region list onto a track
For the class editing exercise you’ll need to import audio.
Click on the bar that says AUDIO at the top of your regions list (right hand side of the edit window)
Click import audio Select the audio from file and when its finished
grab it from your region list onto a track
Pro Tools : The Basics -Starting a new session
Pro Tools : The Basics -Starting a new session
Launch Pro Tools File…New Session (shortcut Cmd
M) In dialog box, enter desired name
and select save location for your session
Standard session setup - Audio File Type = AIFF, Sample Rate = 44.1 kHz, Bit Depth = 16 Bit, I/O Settings = Last Used
Launch Pro Tools File…New Session (shortcut Cmd
M) In dialog box, enter desired name
and select save location for your session
Standard session setup - Audio File Type = AIFF, Sample Rate = 44.1 kHz, Bit Depth = 16 Bit, I/O Settings = Last Used
