To login to a computer:
login: kbiareporter
password : npr
What is Cool Edit Pro?
Cool Edit Pro is a waveform editing software that supports a wide range of audio formats.
It allows you to record/playback, edit, and convert file formats.
Using Cool Edit Pro:
Double click on the Cool Edit icon on desktop. It will open to a black screen with buttons
along the top and meters along the bottom. Click “File” and “New” to bring up a new
waveform.
The menu to the left automatically
pops up with several options: you
should choose 44,100 sample rate,
Mono and 16-bit resolution.
This should be preset for you, but in
the case that it isn’t, always make sure
the mono button is selected; we don’t
normally record in stereo.
Then, click OK.
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GATHERING YOUR SOUND:
To dub sound from an interview recorded on a FLASH recorder:
Eject FLASH disc from recorder and plug into FLASH drive, connected to computer
drive’s USB port. Open up Cool Edit Pro and in “File” menu, choose “Open”. Select the
“Removable Disk (E:)” drive.
In the (E:) drive, select the folder titled “MPGLANG1”. The tracks are stored in that
folder in the order in which they’ve been recorded (typically in either .mp3 or .wav
format.) Right click on the track you want, and in the “Open With” menu, choose Cool
Edit.
If you have multiple tracks recorded, highlight each track and select copy. Open your
personal folder, and hit paste. All selected tracks should now show up in your folder.
NOTE: you must save recorded files on the (N:) drive as Windows PCM .wav files,
regardless of what format you recorded them in. Click on “File” and “Save As”. To
convert a piece of audio to .wav format, in the “Save As” menu click on the drag-down
menu entitled “Save as type”. From there, you can set it to save as a “Windows PCM”
(or .wav) file.
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To record a phone interview:
If you’re calling someone on campus; just dial the number with no prefixes.
To get off campus, dial 9 to get an outside line.
If you’re dialing a 1-800 number, just dial 9.
To dial long distance you need a code. First, dial 78. You’ll hear a “bum-bum-bum-bum”
sound. Then dial 678740. Wait for a dial tone and then enter the phone number you
calling with the area code. (You DO NOT need to dial a 1 before the area code.) Enter
phone number in long distance call log.
Once you have the person on the phone, inform him/her that you need to set up the
recording equipment. Press the ON button on the board for MIC1 and PHONE- you can
now listen only through the headphones and talk only through the microphone.
Open a new waveform in Cool Edit Pro, click record, let the interviewee know he/she is
being recorded, and then ask your questions.
NOTE: It’s helpful to punch the MIC1 button off after you’ve asked each question …
this way you won’t record any background noise. Just be ready to turn it back on once
you’re ready to ask another question.
When you’re done, thank the interviewee, verify spelling and pronunciation of name and
title, and hit stop on Cool Edit. Turn off the MIC1 and PHONE buttons, and hang up
the phone.
To save an interview:
Click “File”, choose “Save As”. Choose the “(N:) (NewswavsFolder on KBIA)” drive.
Open your personal folder. Save the entire interview as the interviewee’s last name.
At this point, write the person’s name and contact information on the whiteboard. We’ll
use it to add to our CONTACTS folder.
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Editing Your Audio with Cool Edit:
Open your audio file within Cool Edit. Your main control buttons are in the bottom left
corner.
EDITING:
Isolating a Sound Bite:
-select the region you wish to edit
-with the left side of your mouse, click on a point within the file, and drag your mouse to
where you want the selection to end.
Copy the selected area and open a new file. Hit paste, and your selected piece of audio
should be isolated in its own file. You now have your sound bite.
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To Edit Audio:
To Delete a Portion:
Select region to delete and simply hit the “delete” key on the keyboard.
To Amplify Audio:
From the Effects menu, choose “Amplitude” and then “Amplify.”
Select from one the presets, such as 3 db boost or cut. You can hear the changes by
clicking on “Preview” first. If you make a mistake, you can also always choose “undo.”
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Zooming:
The easiest way to zoom is to use the roller key on the mouse.
You can also use one of the six zoom buttons located to the
right of the main controls.
NOTE: Don’t forget to normalize the sound file before it goes onto air, this
will help equalize the levels and make them a little easier on the ear.
Normalizing:
Go to the “Effects” menu at the top of the screen and selecting “Amplify”. From that
menu choose “Normalize”.
Set the rate at 85% and click OK.
Save your bite in your personal folder. Name the bite by the story slug followed by the
date. The entire slug/date combination CANNOT exceed 13 characters total.
For example:
AIRPORT0524
If you have more than one bite, the 4-digit date of the slug is followed by a lowercase
letter, starting with the letter “a.”
For example:
AIRPORT0524a
AIRPORT0524b
AIRPORT0524c
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Multi-Track Editing:
A reporter uses multi-track editing when doing anything that involves natural sound or
the need to layer different pieces of audio. When working in multi-track, you will work
in what’s called a “session.”
To access multi-track, click on the small rectangle button in the upper left corner with
multi-tracks.
Your new screen will look like this:
You will now begin to input your various pieces
of audio onto the different tracks.
From the INSERT menu choose
WAVE FROM FILE.
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Find your desired piece of audio, and double-click on it. The audio will show up in the
first available track.
Continue to insert all the pieces of audio you need to work with. They will fill up the
available tracks. As you go, you can begin to line up the pieces.
Once a piece is in a track, you can move it by clicking on it with the right-side of your
mouse. Then, just drag the piece to wherever you need it. Your screen will begin to look
like this:
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To Change Volume/Create Fades:
In the VIEW menu, make sure there are check marks next to “Show Volume Envelopes”
and “Enable Envelope Editing.” Make sure “Show Pan Envelopes” is not checked.
Back in your session, click on the bright green “volume” line at the top of each track. By
clicking on it once, you can make a small dot. If you drag that dot, you can change the
volume for that portion of the track. You can make as many dots as you’d like along the
green line. With those dots, you can build arcs and create fades or lower volume settings.
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To Group Blocks of Audio:
Choose the pieces you would like to group together by holding down the CONTROL
button and clicking on a piece. Then right-click on one piece, and from the menu, choose
“Group Blocks.”
You can also use the shortcut key (three bars) on the top menu.
The selected pieces will turn another color (most often purple). You can then right click
on the group and move it wherever you’d like.
NOTE: Grouping blocks allows you to not have to re-align pieces you’ve already lined
up or set.
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To Save a Session:
From the FILE menu, choose “Save Session As.” Then save your session in your
personal folder. The session will save with a .ses file extension.
To re-open a session file, you will need to be in multi-track view, and choose “Open
Session” from the FILE menu.
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Mix Down a Multi-Track Session:
When you completely finish editing a session, you will need to mix it down to a typical
mono .wav file.
Always make sure you save your session file first.
From the EDIT menu, choose “Mix Down to File” and “All Waves (Mono)”
Save the file as a slug and date (under 13 characters) and make sure it is saved as a
Windows PCM .wav file.
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