How can I edit an audio clip?

Audio editing refers to the process of modifying audio recordings by cutting, copying, pasting, filtering, adjusting volume, adding effects, and more. It allows creators to improve the quality of recordings, remove unwanted sounds, rearrange parts, and prepare audio for distribution. Reasons people edit audio include:

Audio editing software provides tools to edit recordings in various formats like MP3, WAV, AIFF, etc. These applications give users control over multi-track editing, effects processing, mixing, mastering, and more. Some popular audio editors include Audacity, Adobe Audition, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Reaper, and more.

With the right software, audio editing allows anyone to take raw recordings and transform them into polished, professional audio suitable for podcasts, music, videos, audiobooks, and other media. The goal is to enhance recordings, fix issues, and optimize audio content for its intended use. Having high-quality, well-edited audio is crucial for delivering an engaging listening experience.

Choosing an Audio Editor

There are several types of audio editing software options available depending on your needs as a beginner or professional. Some of the most popular options include:

Audacity – This free, open source software is a great option for beginners. It has basic editing features like cutting, copying, pasting, and audio effects. However, it lacks some more advanced features that professionals may want. (https://www.techradar.com/best/best-audio-editor)

GarageBand – GarageBand comes free with Mac computers and is another solid entry-level choice. It allows for multi-track recording and has a user-friendly interface. The downside is that it has limited editing capabilities compared to more advanced software. (https://www.g2.com/categories/audio-editing)

Adobe Audition – Adobe Audition is considered an industry-standard professional level audio editor. It has powerful features for editing, mixing, restoring, and mastering audio. The drawback is the steep learning curve and high subscription cost. (https://www.descript.com/blog/article/best-audio-editing-software)

For beginners, Audacity and GarageBand are great free/affordable options to start learning with. As you advance, exploring a professional-grade option like Adobe Audition may be warranted for more robust features and capabilities.

Importing Audio

Most audio editing software can import a variety of common audio file formats like MP3, WAV, AIFF, AAC, and more (Source). When importing audio, it’s important to pay attention to the file format as different formats have advantages and disadvantages in terms of audio quality and file size.

Some of the most common audio file formats to import include:

MP3 – A compressed lossy format that reduces file size while sacrificing some audio quality. MP3 is compatible with nearly all audio software.
WAV – An uncompressed format that preserves excellent audio quality while producing large file sizes. Compatible with most audio editors.

AIFF – An uncompressed Mac-compatible format similar to WAV with great quality and large files.
FLAC – A lossless compressed format that retains quality while reducing file size. Not compatible with all software.

If you need to convert between audio formats, most editing software has built-in conversion capabilities or plugins available. You can also use free online audio converters to batch convert files (Source). Pay attention to quality settings when converting lossy formats like MP3 to prevent further quality loss.

Cutting and Arranging

When editing an audio clip, you will likely need to cut out unwanted sections, copy desirable portions, and rearrange parts of the recording. Most audio editors provide basic tools to accomplish these tasks efficiently.

To cut out a section, you can use the razor tool to slice the waveform. In Adobe Audition, select the area you want to remove, then choose Edit > Cut (How to copy, cut, paste, and delete audio in Audition). Or in an editor like WavePad, highlight the unwanted audio and use the delete key (Editing – Cut, Copy, and Paste). This will remove that section entirely.

To copy a desired part, select it and use the copy command in your editor (Ctrl+C in most software). Then you can paste it using paste (Ctrl+V) to duplicate that audio in your project timeline. Rearranging is then simply a matter of dragging around these copied clips to achieve your ideal structure.

Using cut, copy, paste, and rearrange gives you flexibility to sculpt your recording into just the sections you need, ordered how you want. This facilitates removing unwanted audio and creating a tight, well-paced edit.

Adjusting Volume

An important part of audio editing is adjusting the volume to achieve a consistent loudness across your clip. Most audio editors have volume controls that allow you to increase or decrease the volume in decibels (dB). A simple way is to use the volume slider in your editor to turn the volume up or down.

Another technique is to normalize the audio. This analyzes the volume levels throughout the clip and adjusts them to achieve a consistent volume. According to this article, normalizing “makes the quiet parts in an audio file louder while trying to keep the already loud parts from clipping.” It’s an automated way to balance out any volume inconsistencies.

When adjusting volume, be careful not to increase it so much that it clips or distorts. It’s generally good practice to leave some headroom and boost quiet sections rather than overamplifying already loud parts. The goal is to end up with an even volume across the entirety of your audio clip.

Adding Audio Effects

There are many effects you can add to your audio tracks. Reverb, echo, pitch shifting, and more can add creativity or assist in solving problems. For example, plug-ins like the free Izotope’s RX Editor offer features that can remove unwanted background noises from audio. But some common effects to consider adding include:

Reverb and Echo

Reverb and echo effects add space and ambience to make audio recordings sound less flat. For example, adding a room reverb can make a vocal track sound like it was recorded live in a big concert hall. Often these effects are used subtly, but more extreme settings can be used for creative impact.^[1]

Pitch Shift and Time Stretch

Pitch shifting can move a track into a different musical key or fix sour notes in a vocal recording. Time stretching lengthens or condenses a track to make it longer or shorter without changing the pitch. This is handy for syncing dialogue audio in video editing.^[2]

The key is to use effects purposefully and not just apply them arbitrarily. Subtle effects at modest levels often work best for transparent audio sweetening, while more intense effects can generate special atmospheres when used intentionally.

^[1] https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/reverb-vs-echo.html
^[2] https://www.veed.io/tools/audio-editor

Cleaning Up Audio

One of the most important parts of editing audio is cleaning up any unwanted background noise or distortions in the recording. This helps ensure the vocals or main audio sounds clear and free of distractions.

To reduce background noise like hiss or hum, use a noise reduction tool. The iZotope RX plugins have advanced noise reduction features, but some digital audio workstations like Audacity also have basic options. Capture a noise profile of the background noise, and then apply the noise reduction across the full audio to strip away the unwanted sounds while preserving the rest of the audio.

To fix issues like clipping or distortion that create a fuzzy or staticky sound, you can try using a clipping restoration tool or a low pass filter to even out the waveform. Applying compression or limiting afterward can also smooth out volume spikes and prevent future clipping.

For issues like pops and clicks, which often come from abrupt starts and stops in the recording, applying a short fade in and out around those spots can gently ease them into and out of the audio. Audacity has a click removal tool that can automatically find and fix common clicks and pops.

Mixing and Mastering

Mixing multiple tracks of audio is a crucial step in producing a cohesive sounding recording. During this process, the volume levels of individual tracks are balanced, effects are added, and the tracks are combined into a stereo or surround sound mix.

Some key aspects of mixing audio include:

Setting relative volume levels so all instruments can be heard clearly
Panning tracks to place them in the stereo field
Adding reverberation and other spatial effects

Using equalization to sculpt the tonal balance of tracks
Applying compression to control dynamic range
Automating volume and effect parameters over time

Mastering is the final stage of audio post-production, completing a cohesive album or podcast episode sequence. Mastering engineers fine tune the sound and volume consistency across tracks to prepare them for commercial release. Common elements of mastering include:

Setting precise gain levels so playback volume is consistent between tracks
Adjusting the frequency balance for a cohesive sound

Applying multi-band compression and limiting to control peaks
Adding subtle EQ and effects to tie elements together
Converting the final mix to distribution formats

Dedicated audio mixing and mastering software like Adobe Audition provides advanced tools for refining recordings.

Exporting

After you finish editing your audio in a program like Adobe Audition or Davinci Resolve, you’ll likely want to export it to use in other projects or share online. Two of the most popular formats to export audio to are MP3 and WAV files.

MP3 is a common lossy audio format that reduces file size while sacrificing some audio quality. It stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 and is best for sharing online or listening to music digitally. MP3 files are compressed to be smaller so they are easier to store and transmit.Adobe Audition and other programs make exporting to MP3 simple and have several presets to choose from for different audio quality levels.

WAV files are uncompressed, lossless audio files that preserve maximum audio quality. However they take up much more storage space. WAV stands for Waveform Audio File Format. Audition allows you to customize WAV export settings like bit depth and sample rate. This format is better for any project where quality is most important.

Most audio editors provide options to choose file type, bitrate/quality, sample rate, and other specifications for the exported file. You’ll want to export using settings appropriate for how you intend to use the audio. Lower quality for sharing online, or maximum quality if using in a production.

Conclusion

Audio editing is a crucial part of producing high-quality audio content. In summary, the audio editing process involves choosing an audio editor, importing audio files, cutting and arranging clips, adjusting volume, adding effects, cleaning up unwanted noise, mixing and mastering, and finally exporting the finished project.

This guide covered the basics of editing audio with digital software, but there is still much more to learn. Here are some additional resources for delving deeper into audio editing techniques and improving your skills:

Articles on Editing Techniques from Sound on Sound Magazine

With practice and the right tools, audio editing allows you shape audio projects and podcasts into compelling listening experiences. Follow these links to continue growing your editing skills over time.