Aah, the comforting Sony logo … nothing reminds us more of products, and more recently software, that we’ve enjoyed for decades plus than this familiar Japanese company. When Sony purchased Sonic Foundry (the creators of Sound Forge) in late 2003, we were very excited for the possibilities. Needless to say, Sound Forge has stood the test of time and is currently in version 10 and is showing no sign of getting pushed out of the #1 spot as the PC user’s premiere audio editing software.
In today’s posting we will take our readers through the process of downloading their AudioAcrobat recordings and removing background noise using Sony Sound Forge version 9.
Looking for alternatives to Sound Forge? Check this out first.
Step 1: MP3 Download
Before one can edit their AudioAcrobat recording in Sound Forge, the first step is to make sure that the file resides on the hard drive of the computer on which editing will be performed.
1. Login to your AudioAcrobat account
2. Click the blue “Audio” tab
3. Click the title of the Audio you wish to download
4. Click “Download Audio”
Looking for Expanded Steps? Try here.
Step 2: Open in Sound Forge
Now that the file our readers wish to edit is on their computer’s hard drive, they will want to open the file with Sound Forge. Right-click the file and choose “Open With” and select Sound Forge from the list. Don’t see it listed? Open Sound Forge from the “Programs” portion of the “Start” menu on the left side of the task bar. Open the software and click File –> Open, selecting the audio to be edited.
Note: In today’s posting, we are using Sound Forge version 9. The current version is 10, and we’ve been loyal users since version 6. All steps mentioned here should work just as well in any older versions within this range. If our readers find this to be inaccurate, please let us know by commenting on the page below and we’ll happily restructure today’s posting.
Once the file opens in Sound Forge, our readers will see something like this:
Step 3: Highlight, Apply ‘Noise Gate’ + Save
It really is that simple. Click and drag with the mouse cursor or for those keyboard enthusiasts out there use Shift + Left/Right arrow keys to make a selection. After highlighting the desired section of the audio, our readers should see something similar to the following:
Here our readers will want to select “Noise Gate” from the “Effects” menu as seen below.
After selecting “Noise Gate”, our readers will be able to adjust the threshold from 0 to (-) infinity using the provided slider. We like to start around -30dB and will also ‘preview’ the effect using the “Preview” button to the right before applying the Noise Gate.
Selecting levels closer to 0 will affect a greater amount of the audio. Levels closer to (-) infinity will affect less of the audio. Select “OK” to apply changes.
As seen above, the background noise was removed per our adjustment of -29dB. When satisfied, simply press the ‘Save’ or ‘Save As’ button (File –> Save As) to export the newly edited version and head over to AudioAcrobat in an internet browser to begin the upload process. Check this out for detailed uploading instructions.
Want to learn more about AudioAcrobat? Go ahead, give it a try yourself by signing up for a 30 day Free Trial or join one of our FREE Training Classes without signing up for squat. Already have an account? Login HERE.
Coming up next … fade-in, fade-out in Sony Sound Forge!
