Sound editing program?

Just curious as to what you people are using to mix sound on your programs, primarily shows being aired on television, AND how much time do these programs take to get familiar with?

Good question. Would make a good poll if we had that software.

Dont dismiss what is right in front of you though. FCP's audio tools are quite good.

A step up is Pro Tools LE, Bias Peak or Deck, Logic, MOTU's Digital Performer.

All have steep learning curves although MOTU makes more sense to me than any of the others. I'm not an audio guy though. I let others do the mixing and most folks I know use Pro Tools LE

mike

<<<Pro Tools LE>>>

Pro Tools Limited Edition? It's been my experience that "LE, Personal, Lite, and DV" versions of tools always leave something out that you really need.

"Why is the [valuable] tool grayed out?" "Where's my checkbook?"

Got burned so many times......

Everybody keeps telling me they use "Pro Tools" and I believe them. Are they really telling me they're using "Pro Tools Light" and forgetting to finish the sentence?

Koz

Check it out. It ain't that limited.

[www.digidesign.com]

Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit (seperate purchase) will do the job. Pro Tools is the "industry standard" for audio post. I've also had good success with Nuendo but it's now $2K. OMF/AAF/XML is not working properly in Logic Pro so wait until it's fixed before considering...it also has a sharper learning curve IMO.

Hi,

If you need to interface with any other part of the post world, use Pro Tools, preferably a TDM version. PT LE will work fine (I have two LE rigs and a TDM rig) but the caveat is you have to know a few things about about audio and timecode, or be willing to spring for the DV Toolkit, another 1K$.

If you are a composer, Digital Performer and Logic are the tools of choice due to superior MIDI implementation, but are not refined audio editorial tools.

Many post houses are doing everything from dialog edit to final mix in Pro Tools. Perhaps even "most".

If you are trying to do your audio post "in-house", it can certainly be done in FCP, but you will a lack few tools of convenience and polish. I've been considering cutting SFX (I'm a sound designer, amongst other things) in FCP, but have yet to have a good opportunity to bollocks it up on my own dime, so the tried-and-true PT, for all it's warts, is still my big hammer.

How long does it take to learn? How's your attention span? You can achieve a fair mastery of the tool in weeks, but I've been using it since the early nineties and still discover new things and ways to use it all the time. Like After Effects or FCP, it's a pretty deep program, and many features are available that go un-noticed till you need them. Did I mention I have a pretty strong obsessive/compulsive streak?


If all you want is to do a edit/mix for your own "internal" purposes, use the tool that you know the best- A simple show with few SFX and no complicated gain riding on the score could easily be finished in FCP; just render out the mix as a stereo file*, re-import it and apply the nice multi-band limiter plug-in across the whole file(to taste- and whatever broadcast level you need to acheive, may take some time to find the right settings), render and print to
tape.

*If you're talking surround TV, you have to go to PT or Nuendo, or something else with well-implemented routing options.

No sweat!

Just one man's opinion-Good luck

tc

My only problems with Pro Tools is that it is SO expensive and absolutely no way does it need to be. Which is why many are just throwing up their hands and moving away.

For low budget Indy filmmakers, PT just isnt a choice.

Mike

I still think that, if you're skilful enough, GarageBand and even Audacity -a real freebie- have what it takes to take care of audio in most video productions.

I agree with both Michael & Hauffen, on a couple of levels- I'm using LE mostly because of the expense of upgrading to Pro Tools HD and the associated plug-ins- it's simply too much money for the benefits in my little world. Lotsa folks are running the last iteration of PT hardware with OS9.2.2 as long as they possibly can.

I also like fewer things spinning, twirling or generating heat- Host-based programs are good in my world. We're finally getting boxes with enough horsepower to do what's needed.

However:

I've used Audacity and Deck, Peak, Spark, and have vendors/clients who use Nuendo, DP and Logic and Fairlights. Nothing is as clean(in an editorial sense- they're all fine audio-wise), fast, and intuitive as PT is overall. Or compatible, for that matter- through sheer numbers of seats, if nothing else.

This is not a Digidesign commercial. Having being purchased by AVID was not all that helpful from the user point of view, IMHO.

Hauffen is right in that a hammer is only as good as the painter using it- wait- I'm mixing metaphors, not audio...

I guess it all comes down to need and creative use of the tools, whether you get them at Home Depot or download them off the net.
When I want to get something done quickly, and turn it in to a client in a format they can use, I choose PT.

For the time being.

tc

Great posts TC. Thanks much for sharing your expertise

Mike

<<<Did I mention I have a pretty strong obsessive/compulsive streak?>>>

No, but it's pretty obvious from your posts. They're clear, informative, perfectly formatted, and there are no spelling or punctuation errors that I found.

Gotta be an O/C.

Koz

Achieve. I mis-spelled "achieve". Damn.
Now I'll be up all night...
;.P

tc

My 2¢:

I use the NLE's to edit audio (FCP HD / Avid). There os NOTHING wrong with these tools as Mike stated - very powerful & intuitive (especially the Avid's Audio Suite). I do complete music / VO / Sound Design projects in the timeline.

RECOMMENDATION:

Can't skimp here, folks. Get a really good Professional Studio headset (Sennheiser) and Professional Audio Monitors (not computer speakers / Cambridge / etc... with the floor sub-woofer)

I suggest Fostex 63001beav (kick a$$), any Genelec units (pricey, though), any JBL units, Roland / Edirol units, etc...etc...

- Joey