Finding Instruction

T

Take Two

New member
When I was researching software for my newbie home studio, I found that Pro Tools has several places where you can go and find out how to best use the program, such as Future Media in NYC.

Is there any place in the Northeast that can teach me the ins and outs of Audition/Cool Edit in a "hands on" environment? I have read the book on digital recording based around Cool edit, but I want more. Is there such a place?
 
I know of no such place. If you can find someone that lives near you that uses AA, maybe they will show you some tips.

You're probably just going to have to learn by doing. Get familiar with all the settings in the options menu. Do a lot of right clickin. And a little left clicking. Both in multitrack and edit mode. Mess things up a bit and then try and fix them.

I know this isn't 'hands-on' but there are some tutorials here: http://www.audiomasters.org/

and also on the Adobe site.. To find these, start here: http://www.adobe.com/support/forums/main.html
and then find Audition and click the 'Win' link (Windows). Then scroll down and click 'Log in a Guest'. Then click on 'Tips & Tricks & FAQ's' -There's some really good info there.
 
There probably isn't one because you don't need it. The program is so easy to use. Believe me it wont take you long at all.

They probably spent all the money in designing such a straight foward yet powerful program that they had none left for courses. Not that you need any.

If you need any help with anything CEP Take Two, dont hestitate to ask anyone in this forum or on the Adobe one.

Tukkis:D
 
I agree Tukkis.
And Take Two, I and lots of other people here will help you out. Be nice to us (you already are) and you'll learn heaps from this entire site.
When you have a song recorded, no matter how good or bad, post it in the mp3 forum for some good feedback. They'll tell you exactly what to do if anythings wrong with the mix.
The mixing/mastering forums are real usefull for generic type information on using plugins for compression and eq and stuff. Use the search engine to find old threads that may contain topics already discussed. We have all learnt heaps from these forums and so will you. Just have a snoop around and ask lots of valid questions and the people here will be only too happy to help.

Scott Tansley
www.feel-rock.com
 
I'm ready to make my first recording (without a studio, an engineer, a Neumann, Pro Tools, blah blah) using my new and untested home setup this week.

Since some of you may not have monitored the handful of posts I have made on this board since May, let me give you the needed background.

I spent a long time, too long really, as a rock DJ in Philly, on the number one rock station in the fifth largest market in the country. I did a lot of commercial production when I wasn't on the air using the old Ampex 440 and similar equipment. I edited with a razor blade, parked a couple of music beds on cartidges (you may have seen them...they are the same size as eight tracks) and mixed the spot on the fly as announcer, producer, engineer, and critic.

I bought CE 2000 and the Audition upgrade to have a capability at home to record auditions of copy from out of town producers, sending them an MP3 instead of using up my profit in transportation costs. I sing with my choir, but my ability to play an instrumnet is questionable at best, and I won't torture you with it. Basically, I'm trying to learn how to record, edit, and add appropriate FX for voice overs.

Here's my first task: at my church, they need me to record two short segments of monologue for a play this Sunday. It's about September 11th, which as a pilot who was flying that day, is a memory that will never go away for me.

The first segment will be a typical terminal announcement about boarding flights and gate numbers. How can I best achieve the sound of an announcement in an airport? Should I record first, then EQ for a tinny sound? When should I add reverb or delay?

In the second segment, I am a captain, telling my passengers about the good weather we have for flying today, the temperature at our destination, etc. I should sound like I am coming through an airplane speaker, and some background FX noises would be good, if possible, such as the "C" chime that tells the flight attendants that we have reached altitude for cabin service. Are there any free online sources of FX such as this signature "boeing" chime, or sounds of droning jet engines heard from inside the passenger cabin?

Here's the signal chain, such as it will exist on Tuesday, when I will attempt this: Octava 319, DMP3, Echo Mia soundcard, and Audition on a PC. I want to take the two completed tracks and burn them to CD (Adaptec CD Creator 4) for the sound guy to use during the play.

If I can't get this together in time, I can read my parts live. I'd rather add a classy touch to the production, since my voice is offstage anyway.

Any ideas are appreciated.
 
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I've never done anything like what you propose. Sounds like fun! I think you've already figured out how to get this to sound like you want.

Eq will be very important. The simulated sources of sound probably have a range between 500Hz and 2500Hz. The rest depends on the acoustic environment where you will be playing this. If it's in an echoey church, for the airport anouncement, I'd just add a simple delay, maybe 250ms 50%... If you can actually test it out at the church, that'd help you alot.

For the second one, If you can get a jet engine sound effect, that would help set the scene nicely.

That's about all I can add..

Anybody else?
 
Yep record it first completly dry and with no FX. The problem with adding effects while recording is that you can't undo them if you don't like it.

After you have recorded the track you should add some backround sounds. For the announcer one maybe add some backround crowd and a jet taking off but only really soft so they sound natural and realistic. Just import the backround files into the session and mix to taste.

You can add a bit of delay on the voice. You probably know best for how much.

After everything is balanced, mixdown the session to a two track file.

Now, Select the whole track and go to EFFECTS-->FILTERS-->FFT FILTER

Try out the presets that say ON HOLD and TELEPHONE. There should be about 4 of them. Play around with some of their settings till you like the sound.
Apply the filter. Then save the file.

For the captain announcement do the same thing but add different backround sounds.

Here are a couple of sites with sound fx:
Plane sounds

FX search engine

Have Fun
Tukkis:D
 
Not trying to hi-jack anyones thread or anything, but I was trying to gather info on how to get started with CEP 2.0, and I figured you guys were the experts............:)

Just a quick question actualy:

I've never used this or any other recording program before(although I have, and am currently recording with a 4track), and was wondering what the best way to get started was. Is the help menu good enough to get me going, or are there any other "instructions" out there for the total novice?

I have a few weeks to figure everything out........it'll take me that long to get my sound card.

If someone could just point me in the general direction...........please. :)

Sorry again for jumping in like this....

Rick
 
The help file is quite good. If you are planning on using multitrack right away, you'll probably have a few bumps. I would sugest getting familiar with Edit mode first just to get comfortable with the program.
 
I was able to do everything I needed to do in edit view mode. I still haven't figured out how to use multitrack. I may have to call a radio station production director in Philly, and take him to lunch for some instruction time, or even just time spent looking over his shoulder!

I delivered the finished CD with the four offstage voice parts yesterday. Phew! That's a load off my mind.

Now, I am spending a great deal of time at the Adobe Audition site, waiting for the webmaster at Audiomasters to return from his vacation to put his site up again.

So much has changed since I built spots for concerts at the Spectrum using carts and 1/4" tape...
 
Take Two appraoch it like it was a hardware recorder.

As far as the Multi-track part.
It really is pretty staight forward.

Its easiest if you click into multitrack mode (click the upper left-hand corner button with the waveforms) and the slide the window with the track settings (the [R] and [M] buttons and the VOL, EQ, and BUSS tabs) all the way out.

Exanding the track setting window opens up all of the parameters available. You can resize any section's 'window' to how you want it/need to look. The VIEW menu lets you choose which sections you need up at any given time.


Then approach it like a hardware mixer/recorder setup.

1) What track do you want to RECORD TO???? Pushing [R] arms the track to record.

2)What SOURCE are you sending to the track? The [Rec 1] botton opens up a dialog of your sound card devices. choose the apprporiate. I ussually multi track mono and ussually assign Left channels to odd tracks and Right channels to even tracks but you can choose what works best for you. And you can record stereo to one track.

3) What EQ or FX do you want to print to the track as its recording??? The EQ and FX tabs allow you to choose these.

I personally prefer not to track with FX or EQ if I can help it as Tukkis says. You seem to have figured the FX out in EDIT mode.
Same deal just per track in Multi-mode.....your CPU power comes into play when recording with multiple realtime FX on multiple tracks.

4) Monitoring?? The [Out 1] button select where you monitor through should default to your MIA outs, I think.

Now to monitor the input levels you can right-click the meter bar and select Monitor Record Level (which will "ready" the transport buttons...the red dot lights up) and you can set your levels and go.....for that matter, right click anywhere and you'll get options.

One thing to note that I find a little quirky is that if you have Monitor Record Levels selected and want to arm another track or disarm a track, you have to press STOP on the transport first and then arm/disarm and then re-select Monitor Rec Level.

It took me a while to start getting the hang it but CEP really is straight forward, which is what I love about it.


One thing I also was going to mention is that if you wanted to do a live voice over and needed a "captains voice" you could use a cb as a mic or even talk into a milkshake cup to get that "cabin PA type sound.

Good luck.....and stick around, this forum is full of VERY helpful folks as well as VERY sarcastic ones.....which keeps things lively.

-mike
 
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