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  1. Member
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    I'm looking for a good audio editor. I want to be able to edit, mix, clean-up, and transcode audio samples. I want to be able to adjust pitch without altering tempo, tempo without altering pitch, and to apply filters, envelopes and other modifications. I want a rich selection of plug-ins and an active user community. So far, everything I just said applies to Audacity, which is free.

    But Audacity doesn't have MIDI support. I also want to be able to control VST features, e.g., the GSnap Plugin, with a MIDI keyboard.

    I don't care if it's free but I don't want to spend anymore than I need to. What are some good, popular moderately-priced audio editors that meet my above criteria, i.e., Audacity-with-MIDI?

    Thanks in advance.
    Last edited by plnelson; 10th Apr 2014 at 21:48.
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  2. Reaper is what I personally use and recommend to everyone, it's simply unmatched for value. If you research a little on music production (which is what I use it for) you'll find it is a contender to the big DAWs - but at $60.

    Any audio-related task that you can think of, it can do. Ticks all the boxes you listed and has full MIDI support too of course. I can't recommend it enough. Have fun.
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    Originally Posted by SixFiftyThree View Post
    Reaper is what I personally use and recommend to everyone, it's simply unmatched for value. If you research a little on music production (which is what I use it for) you'll find it is a contender to the big DAWs - but at $60.

    Any audio-related task that you can think of, it can do. Ticks all the boxes you listed and has full MIDI support too of course. I can't recommend it enough. Have fun.
    How would you compare it with Sonar X3?
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  4. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    Depends on what you consider moderately priced. You can get an Mbox/FastTrak USB interface+ProTools Lite version (~v8-10) for between $175-$300US, and it does EVERYTHING you listed.

    Scott
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  5. Member hech54's Avatar
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    I'm also a big fan of Reaper. I have an old free version that I use. Sure it has less bells and whistles than the many versions that have come along since then, but I'm only doing stuff that I could also do in something like GoldWave or Audacity but with a much easier(to me) interface.
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    Originally Posted by hech54 View Post
    I'm also a big fan of Reaper. I have an old free version that I use. Sure it has less bells and whistles than the many versions that have come along since then, but I'm only doing stuff that I could also do in something like GoldWave or Audacity but with a much easier(to me) interface.
    I recently downloaded the Sonar X3 trial version - full functionality for 30 days - which is why I was asking about how it compares with Reaper's latest stuff.

    I need to be able to do basic editing like cleaning up noise and "umms" and dead space and fade-ins and fade-outs and transcoding. But I also need to be able to take tho different tracks and match them for tempo, and adjust (stretch, etc) one of them to blend in with the other one, etc, and make loops.

    I want easy interface to a MIDI keyboard.
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  7. Yes Reaper can do all of the above, it's basic stuff that I do all the time. The way it works may just be different to what you're used to, since it's all non-destructive editing. Why not just try the software for yourself? The trial has no limitations, and no expiry (just a recurring pop-up). Feel free to ask for help too.

    Also regarding the Pro Tools Lite recommendation, Pro Tools doesn't directly support VST for one, and I'm presuming it has some serious limitations compared to the full version. I wouldn't recommend going that route without a good bit of research.

    The best course of action is just to try out a bunch of DAWs/editors and see which appeals to you best. I have used the major DAWs like Pro Tools and Cubase and I consider them to be costly and bloated, next to something like Reaper which is really unmatched for value and very lightweight.
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    Originally Posted by SixFiftyThree View Post
    The best course of action is just to try out a bunch of DAWs/editors and see which appeals to you best. I have used the major DAWs like Pro Tools and Cubase and I consider them to be costly and bloated, next to something like Reaper which is really unmatched for value and very lightweight.
    The problem with trying a bunch of them is that there's a long learning curve for each one so you have to invest a lot of time in your life before you're expert enough in each one to be able to compare them and tell what its strengths and weaknesses are. And there's a ZILLION DAW's out there - a lot more DAWs than there are video editors. So I'm trying to find some way to narrow down my choices before downloading a couple of candidates to start learning.
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  9. Multimedia storyteller bigass's Avatar
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    I'll throw another endorsement to Reaper. It's light, speedy, cheap and tremendously capable.
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  10. Member zoobie's Avatar
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    Reaper just released a new version. These usually have huge learning curves.
    I needed something fast and easy that already came loaded with FX/VST's/samples so I used Mixcraft.
    Last edited by zoobie; 15th Apr 2014 at 16:03.
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  11. Multimedia storyteller bigass's Avatar
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    Looks like almost everyone with an opinion is recommending Reaper, but nothing's stopping you if you're intent on using Sonar.
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  12. Originally Posted by plnelson View Post
    The problem with trying a bunch of them is that there's a long learning curve for each one so you have to invest a lot of time in your life before you're expert enough in each one to be able to compare them and tell what its strengths and weaknesses are. And there's a ZILLION DAW's out there - a lot more DAWs than there are video editors. So I'm trying to find some way to narrow down my choices before downloading a couple of candidates to start learning.
    For what you want to do, surely it shouldn't take too long to learn those techniques a few different ways. Plus the aspects of cost, features, performance, UI and so on should narrow your decision down even more. You don't have to become expert at a software to know whether it appeals to you. Reading some in-depth reviews also helps.

    Since you said you were looking for something to replace Audacity with, immediately Reaper came to mind as your most popular cost effective option, as well as your most customisable one which goes a long way to getting comfortable with it. What you're after can be done in any DAW so unless you simply don't like it, my advice is still the same.

    Originally Posted by zoobie View Post
    Reaper just released a new version. These usually have huge learning curves.
    I needed something fast and easy that already came loaded with FX/VST's/samples so I used Mixcraft.
    Which new version? It's still on 4. But true that it doesn't come preloaded with VSTs, so if that's a factor then best to look elsewhere. Personally I don't see it as necessary, since there's so many good, free or affordable VSTs to make your own library from. But to each his own.
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  13. Originally Posted by Tomsm View Post
    25 Free Digital Audio Editors You Should Know - link
    That list is really old, and the only cross-platform full DAW there appears to be Ardour (Linux / OS X). The rest are either singular purpose (eg. sequencing), or Linux only, or too basic.
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  14. Member
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    I like Nero Wave Editor (free)
    Is mainly used for removing noise in the recordings. Editor on the fly / instantly applies filters (without directly changing the working file)
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