I’ve just transitioned from everyday standard editing (cut/paste, throw it in itunes/garageband and bump up the volume a bit) to industry standard editing (particularly Reaper). This has been a bit of a shock but luckily there are people out there who have accommodated for the fact that I’m technologically unsound (punintentional) and have put together these tutorials or info packages. Scroll down if your desire is to be generally informed or navigate the tabs for the specifics
INTRODUCTION TO REAPER:
A tutorial by “Roget Music” that made me choose reaper, mainly because of it’s musical capabilities but it also seemed to have potential for making free-form radio. This video covers the basics – starting projects, adding tracks, importing clips, interface etc. Sorry it gets distracted in the music/recording side of things but I’m yet to find a video that doesn’t because it seems that’s what most users find out of it.
NAVIGATING REAPER:
An overview of reaper’s basic functions that you will definitely need to use. Covering panning, fading, gain/clipping, time-stretching etc. This was helpful because reaper looks and moves a little differently to other software and can be hard to find your way around – it also includes all the shortcuts that will save you valuable seconds when up at 1/2/5am editing.
Make sure to check out the rest of Roget Music’s reaper videos on their youtube channel if graphic learning suits you best (it certainly works for me).
GETTING A GOOD SOUND (or rather, avoiding a bad one)
For any other beginners to recording this releases the pressure on trying to get the perfect interview or foley sound. It gives the hints and tips on how to normalise volume, minimise clipping, compress harsh sounds and removal incidental noises – a sneeze, a cough, an unwelcome visitor, knocking of the mic: “I’m sure it’s on, is it recording? let me pick it up and check”
WORKING ON VOICE
A tutorial for Adobe Audition but the ideas are transferable. Many of us are or will be working with interviews, links, voice-overs or narrations so this is a critical part of producing a good piece. Shout outs to Liam Morkham for the find, a good help.
FIXING POPPING
A straightforward walk-through on how to minimise one of the most annoying and aesthetically displeasing features of the human voice Popped P’s – this can also occur in other harsh noises, like bass drums and claps.
MIXING/MASTERING
Predominantly a music tutorial this video still helped me work on EQ, compression, targeting and mixing, and well who doesn’t want studio album quality on their radio recording? It helped me start paying attention to minute details in volume, rhythm and tone consistency, which is something I’d struggled greatly with before.