Sound Forge Multi Track

[jcurt]

Ok...I'm REALLY new and am starting from scratch. After much searching and some reading I think I may be more confused than I was to begin with. If I buy the basic Sound Forge software, will I be able to record a voice track and a separate music track or do I need Sound Forge Pro to to that? Thanks in advance.

[ChrisMezzolesta]

Hi and welcome - If you are as new as you seem to sound in your post, a really good idea would be to start by reading the "Random Thoughts for Newbies" thread in this section of the forum, we really don't know what type of or how much experience you do or don't have in VO, and as this is not an easy vocation to enter and survive in [despite what VO coaches and books will tell you], it's a good idea for a reality check before jumping in potentially unprepared, which one can usually not recover from.

That said, Sound Forge is not a multitrack program, tho I understand the new SF Pro 10 can do multiple-track projects, such as 5.1, etc...but this does not necessarily make it a multitrack recorder, it is still basically an audio editor program. I own Pro 10 but have not investigated that aspect of it as I use Cubase for my multitracking.

There is another method in SF to marry a music bed to a voice track, and that is the Mix function. You would load one or the other into the clipboard (via Copy usually) then determine a start point in the other element for the mix as well as the levels of each of the two elements, you can also preview it to see if it sounds right, then you can commit the mix. You could record a voice, then either bring in a music bed from another file, or record the music later in the same file, copy & Mix.

But before embarking on the finer points of music/VO mixing, best to ensure that you do indeed have the skills necessary to compete in VO...follow the points in that other thread and you will have a ton of answers. Then if you are committed, enjoy the ride - it may pay, it may not, but everyone here seems to agree that it is a trip, a journey. Best of luck.

[jsgilbert]

Sound forge, in all of its incarnations is 2 track recorder/ editor. You can record in stereo or mono. Version 9 and 10 over multichannel features, designed to do mixes in 5.1

You can do all sorts of "builds" in Sound Forge, but it is not like Pro Tools or Cue Base or Logic ro Audition, which are true multitrack programs.

However if you want in SOund Forge you can do lots of mixes al "Sir George Martin", called bouncing. If you are someone who mostly wants an excellent program for recording dialog and editing, then Sound Forge may work well. It's quite easy to drop vocals and some sound effects over a music bed, however tight tweaking is easier to do with a multitrack program. And if your client asks for a slight change, you have to pretty much do another full build to accomodate it.

Visit the Sony site to see the differences between the full proigram and Sound Forge Studio. You may also want to look into Adobe Audition as an alternate with similar functionality and multitrack editing features.

[JoeActor]

... Sony has a different program for multi-track called "Acid" - check the ACIDplanet.com brought to you by Sony Creative Software (http://www.acidplanet.com) site for more info...

Welcome, btw - please post an intro in the "Welcome" area so we know a bit more about your experience and goals...

Cheers,
Joe J Thomas
Joe J. Thomas Acting Portfolio (http://www.JoeActor.com)
SoundsGoodToYou.com - Joe J Thomas - Voice Actor (http://www.SoundsGoodToYou.com)

[Emorgan_Voiceovers]

I have Sound Forge, Acid, and Vegas. I also have Adobe Audition. I find myself using Audition 99.9% of the time, for a few reasons. as far as multi track, I simply find Audition much simpler than Acid, by a mile, and Vegas, by a little bit. With that said, because I have the Sony software, as well as Audition, the Sony plug ins are compatible with Audition. I have found that Sony has some plug ins that are superior to Audition's and visa versa. With the plug ins from Sony being compatible with Audition, I get the simplicity and effectiveness of Audition, and the plug ins from both.

Acutally, and yes it is one mans opinion, and others may be different, but I DESPISE Acid. In my opinion it is a clunker of a softwarre that requires far too many steps to accomplish a simple task. It may have it's uses and a few benefits, but to me they are not worth putting up with a lousy software.

[ChrisMezzolesta]

Acid isn't really a multi-track program anyway, it's a loop-based "music construction" program, indispensable for house/trance/dance/electronica people, tho it does in fact do double duty as an ersatz multitracker. I did most of my 2nd album between Acid and a 16-track reel to reel. But it is too clunky to record directly into.

[Chrisrice]

I second Chris's thoughts.... my primary sources of income are radio imaging and sound design, and Vegas is my go-to program for 90% of what I produce... for me Acid is just for making music beds or playing with soft synths for sound design, but it is an excellent program for those purposes. For voice recording, I use SoundForge 100% of the time.

[jcurt]

Thank you all for your advice and let me provide a little more background about my needs. Although I'm interested in voice over work at some point in the future, my initial need is for projects for my church. The project entails a voice track with accompanying music that will run in the background but come up in volume during pauses in the readings, etc. Thanks again for your help.

[Jacoby]

Curt,

no need for multiple threads on the same subject. But I have replied in the new thread, hope it clears things.

[TheOctavist]

The new soundforge build has expanded multitrack capability.

That being said there are some really great programs out there that cost peanuts. Id reccomend learning one of those to get the feeling of what it is like to work in the digital domain/waveforms, etc.

one being REAPER

REAPER | Audio Production Without Limits (http://cockos.com/reaper/)


the other being audacity'

Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/)

[jsgilbert]

Octavist, you are misinformed. Sound Forge has multichannel capabilities. It is absolutely, positively, by no means has been or is now - a multitrack program. Sonic Foundry and now Sony, the makers of the software receommend Vegas for multitrack tasks, and yes Vegas is primarily considered a video editing program. It is the companion program to Sound Forge that together allows one to record, edit and create multitrack projects.

This certainly doesn't mean that one must use Vegas. There are many, many potential solutions for doing multitrack mixing. I for one use Adobe Premiere - yes another video program, to do multitrack work, even when there is no video involved. And it is more than just a workaround, or at least the awards on the wall would indicate so.

That said, there is no reason to go beyond Sound Forge for simple tasks such as dropping in a music bed under voice-over. It is a very simple procedure that takes almost no ability and is perfectly executed from within Sound Forge. One would keep seperate saves of the v.o., music and mixed creation, if one foresaw the need to make changes, additions or corrections in the future.

I am pretty certain that JCurt has already figured out a way to take care of his needs, but for many, the lower priced version of Sound Forge, Sound Forge Studio offers an elegant and cost-effective way to handle most of the needs of a voiceover artist.

[TheOctavist]

"you are misinformed"--is there any need for that sort of tone?? I got the blurb directly off the website. Perhaps someone should tell Sony that they are misinformed about their product.:rofl: . Ive been engineering a while. I used soundforge for several years, all the way up until I started using Samplitude and Sequoia a couple years ago. at any rate.... this is all semantics.. any DAW that has multi-track capabilities is, BY DEFINITION, a multi-track program. .


With Sound Forge Pro 10 software, you can record multichannel audio when using multichannel sound devices. Each audio stream can set to a particular channel, and be edited in the Sound Forge interface just like a stereo file. :orc:

[jsgilbert]

multichannel is not multitrack.

And you can use a shoe to hammer a nail too. That doesn't make it a hammer.

I'm not going to get into a pissing match. Recommending Sound Forge for multitracking is not good advice.

I am certain that the forums could appreciate someone offering advice on Samplitude, or Sequioa or maybe even why you no longer choose to use Sound Forge, or one hundred other things I am sure you can contribute, should you so choose.

As for my tone, if your skin is as thin as that, methnks you've chosen the wrong career path.

[JoeActor]

JS is correct. No multi-track in Sound Forge.

Vegas and Acid are both multi-track, but I haven't found a need for that on a day-to-day basis for VO auditions...

Keep it civil gents.

As in Dragnet - Just the facts,
Joe

[TheOctavist]

you can multi-track in SF-10, if you know what you are doing. I stand by that.

Multitrack Editing in Sony Sound Forge 10 (http://digitalprosound.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=903710)

I agree with keeping it civil. as for the "thick skin" thing. I did several tours in iraq as an Army Cav Scout from 2003-2005 developing "thick skin" . I just don't take too kindly to folks being snarky. No need for that.


to the OP... you are much better off learning the digital ropes using one of the free programs. Seeing waveforms and grids, etc can be quite daunting for a new person..and many of these DAW programs call for a large investment of dosh...

Audacity and Reaper are both great.

[TheOctavist]

another great deal is somethiing like the new tascam interface which comes bundled with Cubase LE, another great multitrack recording program.

of course you can use the tascam with any of the DAW applications.

do you have a mic pre/mic?

with the tascam bundle, you have your mic pre, your interface to the computer, and your recording software..all you would need then is a microphone. The tascam has phantom power on/off so you could use any condensor, dynamic or ribbon(actually that is a type of dynamic too) microphone.

just one of many options.

[jsgilbert]

and I'm sure he'll be crawling uphill through broken glass to do a v.o.

Pavarotti and General Patton all rolled up into one. Joe, you can stay here and keep the aholes company.

This prson has no idea who I am or what my contributions are to an industry he knows nothing about and yet and pretends a false humility to needing to learn.

I am an idiot for caring.

Goodbye.

[TheOctavist]

aholes "who i am" "what my contributions are" Theres that tone.. the one I had a problem with initially.

I made an innocuous comment based off direct experience and knowledge garnered from years of being a recording engineer( that aside, I paraphrased the spiel from the SoundForge website!) I was , like everyone else here, I assume, trying to be helpful.

to which you replied

"you are misinformed"

that statement, in and of itself, is at best, "catty" and at worst, combative.

your reply shows you making some assumptions about me.

1.) that I have no knowledge of said program.

2.)that I would be so foolish, in this Internet age, where facts are freely available to anyone that looks, to post misleading statements.

and with all due respect, I don't care who someone is or is not. I do care how they act/carry themselves. and you were correct "jsgilbert" in restating that I came here to learn. That is true. I am green in most aspects of this "business"(save for the recording engineering part, which I have extensive experience/background behind me) That does not mean that im going to tolerate unnecessarily rude comments. Harsh criticism of demos is one thing, I can take that..heck, I welcome it.... but rude for rudeness sake? Im over that, that ship sailed long ago.


to the OP, I am sorry for my derailing of your thread. I hope that you can find some use in these replies at any rate..

[captain54]

The fact remains, SF 10 is not the correct tool for a mulitracking job.. That's not to say it can't be done, but that's also not to say you can't hammer a nail with the butt end of screwdriver.

The problem is, trying to find the right software combo is confusing enough for the inexperienced...I don't think its a great idea to be further confusing the issue by trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole.

The other problem is, Octavist, you initially made an inaccurate statement when you said the SF 10 has expanded multitrack capability...that is flat out incorrect, and the fact that you continued to insist on that has left you open to whatever form of negative feedback has come your way

[TheOctavist]

"correct tool" in this context is subjective, based on preference..one mans trash yadda yadda..
. I know a very successful recording engineer who uses SF for just that. Shall I tell him he is wrong? anyway...I actually didnt even suggest sound-forge. I think as a piece of DAW software it is lacking(not talking about the multi-track or multi-channel ability either..but other key areas). I was merely answering a question about the software. ... I wont continue to go back and forth with the "forum cabal".. but I am confident in my assertions..our debate is a semantical one, not technical.


I did recommend Audacity and Reaper. Very , very good jump off points for the beginner.

I actually have a tascam interface that Includes cubasis with it if youd like that, OP...ill hook you up for the cost of postage.

[captain54]

"correct tool" in this context is subjective, based on preference..one mans trash yadda yadda..



thats kind of a silly statement..but hey, if you or someone you know likes to use a 1995 copy of Cakewalk 2 on 486 machine with Windows 95, have at it, my man.




I know a very successful recording engineer who uses SF for just that. Shall I tell him he is wrong?

for every one engineer that uses SF as an ersatz multitracker, you could find at least 10,000 that use something else more suited to multracking like Vegas, ProTools, Logic, Audition, Cubase, etc...