As in many other programs, right‑ clicking the mouse over many of the screen objects produces further shortcut option menus. The bulk of the screen is taken up by the waveform display, with menus and extensive toolbars above it, and the timeline display, transport bar, and horizontal/vertical zooms beneath. Most people who have ever used a Windows wave editor will feel at home straight away in Waveform View (Figure 1), with all the usual editing commands and keyboard shortcuts available. Let's look at Cool Edit Pro's more traditional stereo editing features first. You can also see the stereo level meters at the bottom of the screen. Waveform Viewįigure 3: This zoomed‑in waveform in the Multitrack View shows the volume and pan envelopes, while the three small coloured buttons to the left of the waveform control Mute, Solo, or Record Enable for each track. In addition, the Settings menu has an option to auto‑ convert all data to 32‑bit on loading, to maintain maximum accuracy during the editing process, only converting it back to 16‑bit when saving. RealAudio 3.0 is also supported, for those who wish to have real‑time 'streaming' of audio on their websites. It can load and save a wide variety of audio file formats, including 24‑ and 32‑bit WAV options, a useful selection of compressed audio formats, and an exotic text data option in case you fancy typing in your own waveforms (ideal if you want to create a single cycle waveform of a particular shape). In essence, Cool Edit Pro operates in two modes: the Waveform View provides a stereo waveform editing environment, and the Multitrack View turns it into a multitrack digital audio recorder. Not content with this, they have also provided MIDI triggering, so that you can allocate any of the program's keyboard shortcuts to a MIDI event, or even trigger audio samples themselves via MIDI, turning the program into a basic MIDI sampler if required. Syntrillium (as always) have taken a rather different approach by allowing Cool Edit to evolve into a multitrack recording studio, adding support for MIDI/SMPTE synchronisation so that a MIDI sequencer can be slaved to provide a complete Audio/MIDI solution (see 'MIDI Support' box). In the case of both Sound Forge and Wavelab, their preferred solution was to add CD burning facilities, turning themselves into standalone stereo mastering solutions. Once PC MIDI sequencers began to sprout more and more audio features, existing WAV editors such as Cool Edit 96, Sound Forge, and Wavelab have been forced to establish a new niche for themselves in the market. The Big Pictureįigure 2: The Multitrack View allows for up to 64 tracks of audio (PC power permitting). Mind you, although the distribution channel may now be more traditional, the latest software packs in yet another batch of innovative extras. This is exactly what has happened with the latest incarnation, Cool Edit Pro, which is distributed in the UK by PC specialists Et Cetera. software that is initially free, but requires a registration fee for continued use) to a more traditional retailing method. As the software grew ever more sophisticated, it seemed inevitable that Syntrillium would eventually move from a shareware approach (ie. We reviewed Cool Edit 96 in our July 97 issue, and at this stage it was a comprehensive program that offered not only the standard features expected of a modern digital audio editor, but also more experimental aspects such as 'brainwave frequency encoding'. Martin Walker warms to the latest release of this popular package.įor a long time Syntrillium Software were the darlings of the PC shareware audio scene, gaining an excellent reputation with their Cool Edit WAV file editor in its various incarnations. If you fancy recording up to 64 audio tracks from the comfort of a familiar PC wave editor interface, Syntrillium Software's feature‑packed Cool Edit Pro could be just the ticket. Figure 1: The main stereo Waveform View window, showing the host of editing options available from the many customisable toolbars.
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