Cool Edit supports import and export to MP3 directly! Just go to File->Save As... and select MP3 as your file type. Click Options to configure the compression.
Cool Edit 2000 is the hub of a family of products. Visit www.syntrillium.com to read about the 4-track Studio plug-in and the Audio Restoration plug-ins.
There are instructional animations for Cool Edit 2000 available at www.syntrillium.com. Check them out for some specific instruction on how to use the program.
You can drag on either ruler in the main screen to scroll (either vertically or horizontally) through the waveform. Right-click on the rulers to set zoom options and related settings.
Cool Edit has multiple clipboards! Choose the active clipboard for copying and pasting under Edit->Set Current Clipboard. To copy from or paste to another program, select the Windows Clipboard.
Cool Edit can work with sample rates from 1Hz up to 10MHz, and in bit sizes up to 24-bit PCM or 32-bit float!
You can remove silence between words or sentences by using Edit->Delete Silence.
You can see if your sound card is capable of 24-bit or 32-bit recording or playback by looking at Options->Settings->Devices.
You can drag waveforms from any explorer style dialog into the Waveforms List window. Open the Waveforms List window by going to Window->Waveforms List.
You can set Cool Edit to record at a specific date and time by enabling Timed Record under the Options menu.
You can right-click on the Fast Forward and Rewind transport buttons to change the speed at which they operate.
Cool Edit 2000's optional Studio Plug-in adds a 4 stereo track studio to the program. It's perfect for more complex audio work, like mixing or voiceovers!
You can create your own sound effects by highlighting part of a wave and using Generate->Tones with "Source Modulation" checked. This modulates the selection with the tone characteristics you specify.
You can create fantastic combo effects by highlighting part of a wave and using Edit->Mix Paste with "Modulate" checked. This modulates the selection with the audio signal on the clipboard.
Cool Edit does not control record (gain) and playback (volume) levels directly. However, you can adjust them with a hardware mixer or with the mixer application that came with your sound card, or with the mixer built into Windows 95: Click on Start - Programs - Accessories - Multimedia or Entertainment - Volume Control.
To convert a single file from one format to another, use File->Open to load the file, and then select File->Save As to save the file. Specify your new target format in the Save as Type field.
You can process large groups of files at once using the Batch Process feature under the Options menu.
You can edit the graph points in many of the effects that have graphs (such as Distortion) by right-clicking on the points and typing in values with your keyboard.
When you open a wave file in Cool Edit, it places a copy of the file in a temporary directory, and it uses that copy for editing. The original file remains unaltered until you choose to save any changes you've made (by choosing Save from the File menu, for example).
You can use Cool Edit from within Cakewalk(r) Pro Audio(tm) from Twelve Tone Systems (5.0b or higher). Cool Edit automatically registers itself for use with Cakewalk when installed, so you can use it as your waveform editor from within Cakewalk. Cool Edit appears under the Tools menu in Cakewalk.
Cool Edit 2000's optional Audio Restoration Plug-in adds Click and Pop removal, hiss reduction, and clipping restoration to its host of transforms.
Cool Edit provides support for Microsoft's ACM (Audio Compression Manager), which enables you to load and save files in a variety of formats other than those directly supported by Cool Edit's own converters, such as DSP Group TrueSpeech and GSM 6.10. To use ACM formats, choose ACM Waveform from the Save As... dialog. See "Using the ACM" in the Help file.
...that despite the impassioned argument presented in Monty Python's The Holy Grail, there is actually little difference between African and European swallows.
You can use Edit->Auto-Cue to automatically find phrases and mark them in the cue list.
The bit resolution of an audio file determines the number of unique "volumes" used in representing a sound. For example, a resolution of 8 bits offers 256 volume levels, while 16-bit resolution provides 65,536 unique "volumes", for a 96 dB signal-to-noise ratio. It is best to remain at the 32-bit level while working in Cool Edit, and convert down for output with Edit->Convert Sample Type.
When the amplitude of a signal exceeds the maximum level for available the current bit resolution (256 in 8-bit audio), a process known as clipping occurs. Clipping causes the signal to distort, and appears in the display as a "chopping-off" of the top of the waveform. Try lowering recording or source output levels when recording if you experience clipping.
Many sound cards record with a slight DC offset (seen as the waveform being "shifted" above or below the center line in the Waveform Display). To correct DC Offset after recording, use Transform->Amplitude->Amplify. Cool Edit can automatically compensate for your card's DC Offset if you check "Adjust for DC on Record" in Options->Settings->Devices.
You can drag the Display Range Bar (the green bar above the waveform area) to scroll through the waveform when zoomed in.
Visit www.syntrillium.com often to check for updates, tutorials, and plug-ins for Cool Edit 2000.
You can double-click on the Level Meters (found at the bottom of the Cool Edit screen) to start/stop monitoring your input source.
You can assign most every function in Cool Edit to a key combination on your computer keyboard. Choose Options->Shortcuts to assign keys.
You can fine tune selections with the Find Beats, Snapping, and Zero Crossings functions, found in the Edit menu.
You can maximize fidelity by working at the 32-bit level when processing your audio. When you are ready to put the final result on CD or another medium, use /Edit/Convert Sample Type to convert down to 16- or 8-bit. Editing in 32-bit and then downsampling (with dithering enabled) for output gives better results then staying in the 8- or 16-bit domain.
You can use the Frequency Analysis function (Analyze menu) to find the most prominent frequencies for a selection, or as a real-time analyzer (updating during playback).
You can disable Undo (in the Edit menu) or change the number of Undo levels used (in Options->Settings->System) to compensate for low disk space situations.
You can quickly create a new file from a selection with Edit->Copy to New.
The Find Beats feature (Edit menu) can be used to find start/end loop points that make musical sense.
The Bars and Beats time format in Display Time Format (View menu) lets you view your waveforms and session in musical time. When you use Bars and Beats, the rulers, time windows, and clocks run in measures and beats.
You can use Edit Favorites in the Favorites menu to create, delete, edit, and organize items appearing in the Favorites menu. This way you can instantly call up any customized Cool Edit Transform or Generate effect, Script, or even 3rd-party tool (command line executable). The menu can also contain sub menus for easy organization.
Use Files->Free Hard Drive Space to can monitor free space on your hard drive or create more free space.
You can automate the editing process with the Scripts feature. This enables you to recall a series of actions with the click of a button. For example, you might have a combination of effects with particular settings that you like to apply often and in combination to achieve a certain sound. You can record these steps and then carry them out again later simply by calling the script.
The Spectral View (available from the View menu in Edit Waveform View) gives you a color readout of the frequencies present in your waveform.
11025 Hz sample rate = Speech Quality\r22050 Hz sample rate = FM Radio Quality\r32075 Hz sample rate = Tape Quality\r44100 Hz sample rate = CD Quality\r48000 Hz sample rate = DAT Quality\r96000 Hz sample rate = DVD Quality
Rule of thumb: stereo, CD-quality audio (16-bit, 44kHz) takes up roughly 10 megabytes of space per minute.
You can right-click on the toolbars to configure them.
You can right-click on the Status Bar (the boxes at beneath the Level Meters) to turn status fields on/off.
You can quickly select the entire visible portion of a waveform by double-clicking on the waveform.
You can double-click on the Display Range Bar (the green bar above the waveform) to enter a viewing range.
You can use Ctrl+L (left), Ctrl+R (right), and Ctrl+B (return to both) to edited the individual channels of a stereo waveform separately.
Noise Reduction can reduce unwanted sounds like a 60 cycle hum from a guitar amplifier, cooling fans, air conditioning, and click tracks. Of course, it's always best to record cleanly...
You can remove specific elements of a wave, like the ringing of a floor tom from your snare track. Just find an example of a floor tom hit picked up by your snare mic. Use that as the noise Profile for Noise Reduction (see Transform->Noise Reduction), and apply the Reduction to the rest of the track.
Got an acoustic instrument track with a little bit of click track bleed from headphones? Use Noise Reduction to zoom in on an isolated click, then use it as the noise Profile to remove the click from the track.
Speed up your editing process: notice what functions you use over and over, and assign them to keys that will be under whichever hand you DON'T use for the mouse, using the FavoritesEdit Favorites option.
Cool Edit's transforms are 32 bit. If you're doing extensive edits to a track, convert it to 32 bit before you start in order to avoid losing details when the results of each transform are converted back to 16 bits.
On individually miked drums: you can use the FFT filter on the tails of tom hits to remove the sound of adjacent drums being struck.
Optimization Tip: get the biggest, fastest hard drive you can!! Because digital audio recordings require so much space, it's always best to have plenty of free room to work. Plus, larger drives tend to have faster access times, which also helps to speed things up.
