There’s a lot of confusion amongst voiceover talent who are unfamiliar with audio production as to which of the many recording and editing software packages to use. Here’s some basic information to help you make a choice.

First of all, YOU DON’T NEED PRO TOOLS. Pro Tools is a great software package for music creation and other work that requires multi-tracking (the simultaneous use of multiple audio tracks). However, it is complex and requires a substantial amount of time to gain proficiency – particularly for newcomers to recording and editing. It also requires the use of a Pro Tools certified audio device, so you may have to buy more hardware to use it. Unless you’re already familiar with it, or you specifically need a multi-track environment, I’d explore other options first.

I do a little bit of multi-track work for voiceover (more on that later), but most of the time I’m recording and editing a single mono track. I’ve been using Sony Sound Forge for years now, and it has proven to be an excellent tool for my daily voiceover work. It’s easy to learn and use, very intuitive and relatively inexpensive. It has many capabilities – including working with video – but is primarily designed to work with a single mono or stereo audio track, making it ideal for recording and editing voiceover auditions and jobs.

I’m currently using Sound Forge 9. Sony has just released version 10 (Sound Forge Pro 10), which has some significant changes in the way it operates. I’ll be testing and reporting on version 10 shortly, but this is a great time to get into Sound Forge 9 – it’s still available and the price has dropped since it’s “last year’s model”. It’s no longer available through Sony, so here’s a link to Amazon if you’re interested:

There is also a stripped down version called Sound Forge Audio Studio 9, which is less expensive; the main difference is the number and quality of plugins for processing and effects. Personally I’d go with the full version since upgrades are going to get harder to find, and I prefer professional quality plugins.

Sound Forge is PC only, so for Mac users who also want a simple editor, I’ve heard good things about Twisted Wave (http://twistedwave.com/) – simple to use and inexpensive, and endorsed by mega-voice talent Beau Weaver. You can also try it out for 30 days for free.

Finally, a lot of people are interested in Audacity, which is a free download at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

I tested Audacity recently, and I have to say, “you get what you pay for”. I found it difficult to use, the plugins were of limited capability and had some inherent problems with how they work. If you already use it and like it, great, but I wouldn’t recommend it at this point.

There’s of course more software on the market and a lot more to be said about using it, so if you have any questions please leave a comment and I’ll try and help you out.

Enjoy!

JM