Sound editing LAB

Digital Audio Workstations.

 DAWs - Digital Audio Workstations
DAWs , known fully as digital audio workstations, are software applications designed for the mixing, editing and production of
sound. Many of the DAWs on the market share or offer the same functions and services within the same marketplace, however
certain UI elements or in some cases , compatibility issues can increase or decrease its effective usability for the average user ,
based on preference.

DAWs all mix and edit audio and video in slightly different ways, from mixing using different functions or UI elements that differ
slightly from different softwares, for example, Premiere pro may use a different tool or function to develop a certain effect that
may require a different set of steps or knowledge within another application to replicate or achieve similar effects.

This development of slight variation between softwares is what allows people to have vast preferences to different platforms of
editing software, for example, a primarily Mac OS user may prefer to use Final Cut Pro as opposed to premiere pro due to Apple
OS Compatibility and optimizational benefits , OR, simply prefer the methods of creation on the latter application.
 FL Studio
FL studio , known more commonly as ‘Fruity Loops’ , is one of the select DAWs that are represented by mainstream successful
music artists for its inclusion within the development of their music - this mention grants merit to assume that the software is of
such a level that it can produce high quality music that wouldn’t be used otherwise. Whilst the acknowledgement of software
through others as a means to praise it may seem gimmick in terms of reasons to purchase , however it does hold itself up with its
standalone qualities , showing that the software is capable to be utilized by a range of users from mainstream professional artists
or beginner users trying to find an entry level software capable of mixing and editing audio to a professional like standard. Along
with the aspect of beginners trying to find a good software platform to begin learning and developing sound , FL studio appeals to
the same user base by having multiple packages available for purchase, going to from basic and relatively cheap deals to expensive,
all inclusive packages that will be used from the newest of the new to the utmost professional standards, respectively.

FL ‘Fruity Loops’ Studio offer packages ranging from 100 USD to 900 USD for the minimal to maximum featured inclusion
platforms respectively.
 Premiere Pro
Premiere Pro is most likely one of the most widely known editing softwares due to the creators being Adobe, a multimillion
dollar company held accountable for the development of many significantly influential products within the software development
market that has single handedly accelerated the development process for many aspiring or professional editors within the world.

With such huge merits as previously mentioned it is to no-one's surprise how well this platform performs and the kind of tools
and functionality you should expect to receive when purchasing an Adobe product. As previously mentioned, all kinds of people
use this from the very first editors to experienced veterans
thus illustrating the immediate user friendly aspect of the platform, allowing for quick learning and in software tooltips and
information to help new users and give advanced tips to the more experienced users
Premiere probably boats the best user interface and experience
for the majority of users simply due to the massive extent of
previous products, used by a majority and thus able to collect
data in order to develop the most enjoyable and easy to use
platform , a potential huge advantage over another platform for
your average newcomer into the world of editing.
Adobe Premiere Pro offers a wide range of different packages to
purchase, from individual micro packages that will only be used
for a minimal amount of editing , equip with cloud storage
space to absolute all inclusive software packages that provide
any necessary associated platforms with cloud storage space to
accompany such products (ranging from roughly £20 to £100).
 Final Cut Pro
Apple products go together, they are developed, coded and optimized primarily for the usage of their own OS platform to run the
software as smoothly as possible. Considering Apple is one of the largest providers of OS based hardware systems it comes to no
surprise that there is a dedicated software platform developed by Apple , for Apple. The ability to have access to a (relatively)
perfectly optimized platform for one of the most widespread systems in today’s current society is a huge advantage for many users.
Most people aren't particularly interesting in investing a large portion of time into learning a new set of keybinds, operating
around a different OS and trying to force one software platform to run on a semi-compatible system , and thus you’re presented
with Final Cut Pro , An alternative to such. The sheer compatibility and inside thinking from Apples own development team is
what drives some to use it as their main editing software of choice.
Final Cut Pro offers very similar features and utilities to many
other DAWs and with a relatively affordable price , comparably to
other DAW’s (even with the premium price that comes with
Apple products) , you can attribute the additional cost to the
potential improved specified optimization for your apple product.
 Logic Pro
Logic pro is a software platform that is exclusively available to MAC
OS systems. Due to the native os that logic pro is build around, MAC,
there is a abundance of specifically developed features that will give
you the edge over for instance, a multiplatform general distribution
software platform such as premiere.

Logic pro can be considered as one of the most versatile DAWs on the
marketplace. Many of the built in plug-ins are very useful and provide
a lot of flexibility when working, as well as the constant support and
updates that will be pushed forwards by apple will ensure that this
platform will always be up to date in terms of functionality.

Logic pro features many different editorial features within to be able

to mix, produce and develop a range of different quality projects,
making it one platform that can be used both amateurly and
professionally.
 Cubase Pro
There are some Cubase Pro exclusives, of course: a new
8-band EQ known as Frequency, and up to 10 marker tracks,
which you can use to specify ranges within projects so that
you can export stems and group mixes. Allowing a user
more flexibility within a platform is almost always a good
idea (on the experienced side , anyway) and Cubase does it
right.

Cubase has some exclusive features that aren't in any other

DAWs have,for example, having a significantly higher cap of
marker tracks - up to 10, allows music artists to make their
music and edit sound in a more flexible and potentially
effective way (essentially giving the artists more freedom)

The price of Cubase Pro is £480. This is very expensive for a

DAW but due to the flexibility of the software it is easily
considered to be one of the best DAWs on the market

Cubase is one of the few DAW developers to try and implement a anti piracy method when selling their products,
whilst it may not apply directly to the effectiveness that may come with the software itself it can in some
particular cases deny the attempt of an unauthorized user trying to claim your copy of your purchased Cubase
platform as they will require a physical hard copy with the activation code within it, significantly reducing hassle
if you happen to be on the receiving end
 Pro Tools
This DAW is potentially one of the most popular that resides
within the professional industry. Pro Tools is used for editing,
and mixing sound, as is the industry standard. Pro Tools will set
you back at an annual price starting at £239 but any subsequent
years after will cost £82.00 which is a average price for an
DAW, but as you are forced to pay through annual installments,
the included ‘loyalty’ bonus can provide quite handy when
understanding you will be paying more over time than for a one
time purchase DAW such as Final Cut Pro.

Pro tools is compatible with both Mac OSX and Windows,

allowing a wide range of user to access it, no matter what
computer they are using. Pro tools has a relatively basic user
interface that is straightforward and simple to use and easy to
navigate, allowing even beginners to use it , clearly a platform
developed with great UX in mind.

Pro tools is always receiving updates and patches to develop and shift the effectiveness of the platform forward in order
to keep up with the times, all around a great platform that can be used with confidence by experts with the ability to
manipulate the platform as such, whilst not being an overwhelming learning curve to approach as a beginner.
 Hospital edit
Sound editing within the space of the hospital edit, for me, was to try and enhance the atmosphere within the scene, tragedy has struck and i
wanted to find a way to convey the emotions of the victims to the highest extent.

As mentioned before, conveying emotion was my main goal when developing my final edit for this scene, and thus I implemented different
editing techniques to directly show the emotional atmosphere within the scene. None of these techniques were particularly advanced in
relative terminology but the effect that they had allows the viewer to sympathise with the subjects on screen, simple editing choices such as
leaving pauses between certain segments of choosing to chop out dialogue from the raw and utilize the cutting of shots to another subject in
order to present a moment in which the subjects on screen understand the full severity of the situation and this allows the audience to also
take the time to consciously allows the context of the scenario to sink in. these types of cuts are very prominent within my edit and were
consistently made by simply cutting where I notice a potential space for separation / inclusion and then use the razor tool (C), then splice the
footage and use the selection tool (V) to place the referenced clips into position. Simply doing this effectively allowed me to create a scene in
which allows the audience to empathise and sympathise with the subjects on screen to such a level due to their intense misfortune as the
doctor is the bearer of bad news - due to this real life situation, the relatability is additionally increased due to the potential factor that some
watchers may have experienced something like this themselves, another reason as to why I chose to try to take a much more realistic and hard
hitting approach to the editing choices i made.
 Volcano edit
The primary focus of the ‘Volcano edit’ was the inclusion and implementation of sound to match onscreen visuals. Understanding this means I had to take
immense care in trying to locate sound that most accurately resembled the content onscreen and then effectively importing, blending, mixing and
transitioning between sounds to develop a fleshed out, quality edit.

I ended up using the same audio clip at different points throughout the edit, such as the flames burning - this was to ensure that throughout the entire edit
there was no immediate of noticeable shift in the quality or fidelity of the fire burning (considering that fire was one of the main aspects of the edit, it was
important for me to be able to solidify what particular sound it pertains to throughout the entire scene, kind of like solidifying its association, if you heard
the audio on its own you would think of the fire, and if you saw the fire, you would think about the audio associated with it). Simply for ease of editing, and
being able to effectively track the sample I was using, I would simply copy (Command +C / Command V) the same audio clip, and depending on the
content onscreen, extend or skim through the audio file to either have the audio start at a different point in time from the originally referenced clip(in
order to keep the sound the same but deny the audience to recognize that it is the same clip, like cutting corners and just looping a clip over and over again
would ruin the authenticity and quality of the edit that I was aiming to achieve).

I also tried to edit sound in such a manner that not only emphasizes the current onscreen visuals, but also manages to capture and exacerbate the
atmosphere that is supposed to be being portrayed by the visuals and content. By continuously have running audio within the shots, even through
transitional slides, it allows me to capture the pure mayhem taking place, for instance, I kept the sound of fire running at a low volume, to display that the
carnage has not let up, and is continuing to rampage even without any onscreen visuals to immediately back up the audio, it stands on its own.
 Gun edit
The development of the ‘gun edit’ mostly revolved around the balancing and ensuring legality regarding the sound levels and audio fidelity of
the raw clips that had been provided. There were a few issues regarding the audio portion of these raw files as previously mentioned, sound
legality was compromised and a few issues with matching audio to video arose when noticing that some audio would only transmit through
one ear - or at a much lower level than the other. This was obviously an issue and required me to balance out the overall level of the audio
throughout the scene, as so meet legal standards, additionally, tweaking the audio levels through each individual output to make sure the levels
were balanced on each side of the speakers.

Syncing audio to video after formatting the audio levels and outputs was relatively easy, i could identify when i needed to implement what
sound effect where by shuffling through the timeline (J & L Keys) and importing them at the appropriate frame to synchronize effectively with
the on screen visuals.

There was a lot of white noise throughout the footage and this had to be dampened enough that it wasn't blaringly obvious to the viewer, this
was a difficult task and the only real way to combat white noise was to drown it out and make the source quiet enough that couldn't be heard.
obviously , this was an issue for transitioning between clips and matching audio levels but i tried my best to normalize the audio throughout.