Skip to Content

Get the latest on Wrath of the Lich King on WoW Insider!
AOL Tech

Posts with tag audio editing

Filed under: Audio, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Shareware, Freeware

Audacity and Reaper provide free and cheap audio editing

Audacity 1.3.3
Podcasters and pretty much anyone in need of low-cost (as in free) audio editing software have been using Audacity for years. It's not quite as full-featured as Pro Tools or Adobe Audition, but with each release, Audacity becomes a more viable alternative for music producers, podcasters, and radio journalists.

While the last stable release of the cross-platform audio editor was version 1.2.6, the developers recently pushed out Audacity 1.3.3 beta, and it's miles ahead of the stable version. Here are just a few of the latest updates:
  • Import Quicktime files in OSX (mov, aac, m4a)
  • Add metadata to OGG files
  • Improved export option selection
  • EQ and effects improvements
  • Screen capture utility
  • Improved spectrogram rendering
  • Selection bar improvements
  • New features for label tracks
  • Auto-save and crash recovery
  • Collapse and expand tracks
  • Multiple clips per track
But if you're looking for a more traditional audio editor, you might want to check out Reaper. This audio editor from Winamp creator Justin Frankel is under constant development, but it's already a full fledged program. And best of all, it's uncrippled shareware. The full license is $40, but you can use it for free for 30 days. And at the end of the trial period, you can continue to use the program, but it will nag you until you register.

Read more →

Filed under: Audio, Utilities

Snapper: a new way to access audio on a Mac

SnapperThe folks at Audio Ease are working on a new Mac utility called Snapper. It basically makes it easier to access and manipulate sound files from Finder.

Every time you click on an audio file, a little window opens up, docked to the bottom of Finder. You can play files, or set Snapper to autoplay files when you click on them. You can also perform rough edits, like saving a selection of the audio as a new clip.

You can also convert files to mp3 with a click of the button, email a file or a selection from that file as an mp3, or import a file into Pro Tools for editing.

It's not exactly a full fledged audio editing tool on its own. If you're thinking about setting up a podcast or starting a career in radio, you'll need more than Snapper. But it looks like a really nice add-on for Pro tools. It'll be interesting to see if Audio Ease adds support for other programs like Audacity.

No word on pricing or availability yet.

Filed under: Audio, Windows, Macintosh, Podcasting, Productivity, Freeware

Adjust audio volume levels with The Levelator

The Levelator is a Java-based application that automagically adjusts the volume levels in audio files. It's a combination compressor, normalizer, and limiter - all with a simple drag-and-drop interface. Just drag any WAV or AIFF file onto the Levelator's magic rectangle (as seen below), and, the web site brags, poof! Magic! Audio levels optimized! (And saved as a separate file.)

The Levelator

I admit, it sounds too good to be true. I further admit that I haven't actually used The Levelator yet, though I intend to do so with my next podcast. Jake Luddington, however, has used The Levelator, and is singing its praises. So although I'm skeptical on one level (ha!), I've also got high hopes and can't wait to take this thing for a spin.

The Levelator is freeware and is available for Mac (universal binary) and Windows (2000, XP, or Vista).

(Thanks, Jake!)

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

View more Time Wasters

Featured Galleries

Defective by Design, London: Protest Pictures
Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals
Android First-look: Amazon.com MP3 Store
Android First-look: Twitroid
Google Reader Android
Android Hands-On
Twine 1.0
Photoshop Express Beta
SXSWi 2008 Schwag Unboxing
SXSWi 2008 Day 1
Mozilla Birthday Cake
Palm stuff
Adobe Lightroom 1.1

 


Follow us on Twitter!

Flickr Pool

www.flickr.com

BloggingStocks Tech Coverage

More Tech Coverage

Joystiq

TUAW

BloggingStocks

Autoblog

Xbox 360 Fanboy

Engadget

WOW Insider

Switched.com

FanHouse