Sound editing is a process that requires both skill and instinct. Today, most sound editing is done digitally using specialized software. It wasn’t always this way. Magnetic tape and tape recorders were first invented in the late 1940s. Using magnetic tape for recording and editing sound was the status quo until the mid 1990s when computers and digital software revolutionized the sound editing process.
The editing process was slow, tedious, and sometimes unstable. To edit sound with magnetic tape, the user had to find both points on the tape where the splice needed to occur, place the tape in an “editing block” which provided a pre-cut splice area sunken at a 45 degree angle, place the tape in the block, use a razor blade to cut the tape in the 45 degree angle groove, and then physically join the magnetic tape back together with a specially designed editing tape.
And if you screwed up the splice, then you had to undo everything, use the editing tape to put the magnetic tape back the way it was, and then try again. It was tedious and sometimes frustrating work. The user had no visual of the recorded sound to refer to, either. It was all done by ear.
Editing Today
Now a computer user can own software which is as powerful as an older magnetic-tape based 64-track recording studio. It’s an amazing amount of power and a user can acquire many software applications, may free or extremely low in cost.
Editing is both a skill and an art. Yes, there are proven methods which allow an editor to create a better product that anyone can learn but the proficient editor over time also acquires a sense for eliminating, adding or accentuating audio for projects.
Why do we edit? Mainly for aesthetics but proper editing also keeps a listener’s attention. Long audio pieces - or audio that has extraneous sound in it - tends to bore listeners. Shorter audio accentuated by music, sound effects or sound punctuation keeps a listener’s attention and helps you make your point.
Whether you are editing sound for personal or professional reasons, a home video, a website, a powerpoint presentation or any other project, you will achieve more personal pride from a good product and your listener will be treated to a more enjoyable experience.
Tools you will need
This course was designed using Audacity, a free sound editor. It is available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux/Unix systems. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Today's task is to download Audacity and install it. Once you have done this, familiarize yourself with the program.
The help file is very well done and can easily help you learn the basic commands for opening, editing and saving files. (It is important you do this because this editing course is not a course in how to use this program.) Although Audacity is a very powerful program, the only thing you need to do now is learn the very basics. In our next lesson, we will begin editing.
