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Sound Forge Guide

Sound Forge Guide



Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Basic Navigation in Sound Forge
  3. Working with Audio Files
  4. Creating a Selection
  5. Editing Sound
  6. Markers and Regions
  7. Exporting Sound
  8. Further Applications

Introduction

Sound Forge is a sound manipulation program that allows you to open, create or record new sound files and edit them. You can use Sound Forge to record your own music, voice or other audio, edit it, mix it with other audio or musical parts, touch it up, and add effects.

This guide gives you a concise introduction to Sound Forge's basic features and sound editing capabilities. Refer to the DMC Audio Resources page for information on related software and equipment.

Basic Navigation in Sound Forge

In Sound Forge, you will be doing most of your work in the data window, which contains a number of components with which you need to be familiar.

Waveform Display

waveform_display

Here you find a graphical representation of your audio file.

Overview

overview_bar

This indicates the part of the entire waveform is currently being viewed in the waveform display.  It allows you to quickly navigate or play back any part of your audio file.         

The Playbar

playbar

Located in the bottom left-hand corner of the data window, this provides quick access to the following audio transport buttons: Go to Start, Go to End, Stop, Play Normal, Play Looped, and Play as Sample.   You may also use the Transport toolbar (outside the data window) to perform other playback functions, as well as recording functions.

Time and Level Rulers

time_level_rulers

The time ruler, which gives you the current location in the data window, is located at the top of the waveform display.

level_ruler  

The level ruler, which gives you the amplitude of the waveform, is located on the right of the waveform display.

Zoom Controls

You can change the zoom resolution for the time (horizontal) axis horizontal_axis  or for the level (vertical) axis .

Selection Status Fields

These are useful when you are selecting and splicing audio.   When you have selected a particular region of the waveform, the selection status fields in the bottom right-hand corner of the data window contain values that show the beginning, end, and total duration of the selection: select_duration

When no selection exists, the first field simply indicates the location of the cursor in the waveform display: duration

Working with Audio Files

To record a new file:

  1. Select New from the File menu
  2. The New Window dialog box will appear, prompting you for a sample rate, bit-depth, and channel. If you are unsure of what to use, choose 44100, 16-bit, and stereo (the defaults). These are the settings for CD-quality audio, which is roughly capable of producing the full range of human hearing. However, always choose files based on your needs for size and quality.  Note that stereo files (left and right channels) take up twice the space of mono files.
  3. To begin recording, set up your recording materials, such as inserting a CD into the CD drive or preparing your microphone.   (If you have a a stereo preamplifier hooked up to your computer, select the the appropriate input signal.)  
  4. Hit the Record button record  on the toolbar.
  5. A Record dialog will pop up, allowing you access to a variety of recording configurations.
  6. For basic recording, you need only press the Prepare button, which ensures minimal time lapse between the pressing of the record button the and the start of actual recording.
  7. Then press the Record button, and click it again to stop recording.

Extracting Audio from CD

  1. After you insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive, go to Tools > Extract Audio from CD.  It will display a list of tracks.
  2. Select which tracks you would like to extract and press OK.

To open an existing audio file:

  1. Go to File > Open
  2. Choose your file by browsing and selecting your desired file.   Sound Forge supports the following audi formats: .VOX, .IVC, .AIF, .SND, .MP3, .MP2, .AU, .OGG, .SFA, .PCA, .W64, .DIG, .AVI, .WAV, .WMA
  3. Select Open. Your selected audio file will be displayed in the waveform display. 

Creating a Selection

  • Place the cursor at the point in your waveform where you would like to begin the selection and then left-click and drag to the right to highlight your selection.
  • You may also use the arrow keys, holding Shift to highlight your selection.

To help you make your selection you may want to view the entire file simultaneously or to view a small portion of in greater detail.

  • Time ruler (horizontal) zooming allows you to increase or decrease the ratio of the number of audio data samples to each horizontal point on a screen.   Use the magnifying glass buttons in the lower right-hand corner of the data window.  horizontal_zoom
  • Level ruler (vertical) zooming displays a larger vertical waveform, making the editing of sound at lower amplitudes easier and more precise.   Use the magnifying glass buttons located just above the data window playbar vertical_zoom .
  • Magnify tool.   Use the Magnify button on the Standard toolbar.   When the button is selected, the mouse pointer will turn into a magnifying glass, and you can zoom in by clicking the left mouse button.  To zoom in to a more specific region, you can hold Ctrl while creating a selection.

Editing Sound

Copy

  1. Create a selection.
  2. Go to Edit > Copy or click on the Copy button copy  on the Standard toolbar

Paste

  1. Move the cursor to the location in the waveform at which you wish to paste your selection.
  2. Go to Edit > Paste or click on the Paste button paste  on the Standard toolbar.  If you wish to paste your selection to a new data window, go to Edit > Paste Special, and choose Paste to New.

Mixing (combines two sounds into one waveform)

  1. Move the cursor to the location in the waveform into which you wish to mix your selection.
  2. Go to Edit > Paste Special and choose Mix.
  3. Adjust the settings to your liking, preview if necessary, and then click OK.

Cut

  1. Create a selection.
  2. Go to Edit > Cut or click on the Cut button cut  on the Standard toolbar.  To preview a cut, after making the selection, go to Edit > Preview Cut/Cursor.

Delete

  1. Create a selection.
  2. Go to Edit > Delete (Clear) or simply press Delete .

Trim/Crop (deletes all data outside of a selection)

  1. Create a selection
  2. Go to Edit > Trim/Crop

Undo/Redo

  1. You can undo an edit operation by going to Edit > Undo or by clicking the Undo button redo on the Standard toolbar.
  2. You can redo an undone edit operation by going to Edit > Redo or by clicking the Redo button redo  on the Standard toolbar.

Inserting silence

  1. Go to Process > Insert Silence.
  2. In the Insert field, indicate the duration of the silence.
  3. In the drop-down list, you choose where you want to insert the silence: at the cursor, at the beginning of the file, or at the end of the file.
  4. Click the OK button.

Special effects

  • Volume: To modify the volume of a given selection of the waveform, go to Process > Volume .
  • Noise Gate: The noise gate affect allows you eliminate unwanted background noise (tape hiss, microphone background noise, low-level electrical hum, etc.) from recordings.   Go to Effects > Noise Gate.   Preview your noise reduction if you like.


Sound Forge comprises numerous other effects not discussed in this guide, including chorus, reverb, pitch shift, time stretch.

Markers and Regions

Markers are reference points you can set up to allow you to navigate a file more easily.

markers markers

click the location in the waveform on which you would like to place a cursor.

  1. Go Special > Drop Marker.
  2. To give the marker a name, you can right-click it and select Edit .
  3. You can create a marker during playback by pressing 'M' or during recording by pressing the Insert Marker button.
  4. To move a marker, you can simply click and drag it.

Regions allow you to divide a sound file up into different sections with specific start and end points.

regions

  1. First go to View > Regions List.   The regions list allows you quick access to region playback and to the names, start/end points of each region in the file.
  2. Create a selection.
  3. Go to Special > Regions List > Add
  4. After you have finished naming the region, you will see in the data window the region's tag, which displays the region's name and position.

Exporting Sound

  • When you have finished editing, go to File > Save.
  • If you wish to change file types, go to File > Save As, and specify the file format you wish to save as in the Save as Type field.
  • Select Save.
  • Congratulations!  Your sound is now ready to be published or achived.

Further Applications

The Digital Media Center's Online Guides and Reference Collection contain a lot of useful information on electronic media.  If you are interested in further applications of Sound Forge, other sound manipulation software, or other electronic media equipment, ask the Digital Media Center staff for assistance, or see the DMC's Audio Resources page.
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