Where can I edit voice recording?

Voice editing refers to the process of modifying pre-recorded audio containing spoken words or vocals. There are several reasons why people may want to edit voice recordings:

To remove unwanted sounds like background noise, pops, clicks, or hums that degrade audio quality
To fix mistakes by cutting out unwanted words, silences, or entire sections

To adjust the volume level so it is consistent throughout
To enhance the audio by equalizing, compressing, or adding effects
To add introductions, outros, backing music, or narration

To improve clarity and listenability for podcasts, videos, audiobooks, or other content
To convert between file formats for compatibility

With the right audio editing software, anyone can edit their voice recordings to create professional, polished results. This guide will explore the best audio editors, key editing techniques, and how to share your edited recordings.

Online Voice Editors

Many popular online tools allow you to edit voice recordings directly in your web browser without needing to download any software. These online editors provide easy-to-use interfaces and powerful editing capabilities.

Anchor (https://riverside.fm/blog/best-audio-editing-apps) is an online audio editor optimized for podcast creation. You can cut, splice, and tweak voice recordings. Anchor also assists with sound enhancement through noise reduction, compression, and EQ adjustments.

Descript (https://www.getapp.com/website-ecommerce-software/audio-editing/os/web-based/) uses machine learning to edit audio and video files. Its Overdub feature lets you record new narration and seamlessly align it with existing recordings. Descript also automatically improves audio quality by reducing background noise.

Otter.ai (https://zapier.com/blog/best-audio-editor/) is an AI-powered transcription service that can also edit voice recordings. You can delete, insert, and rearrange speech in the audio editor. Otter.ai’s audio snippets and bookmarks make it easy to find and edit relevant audio sections.

Downloadable Voice Editors

There are a number of powerful voice editing software options that you can download to your computer. Some of the top choices include:

Audacity is a free, open source audio editing software for Windows, Mac and Linux. It provides tools for cutting, copying and pasting audio clips, mixing tracks, applying effects like reverb and noise reduction, and more. Audacity is commonly used by podcasters and audio engineers.

Adobe Audition is a professional-grade audio workstation that is part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud. It offers advanced features like AI-powered audio cleanup, multitrack editing, effects, sound design tools and more. Adobe Audition is popular with radio producers, musicians and video editors.

Garageband is Apple’s free digital audio workstation that comes pre-installed on Mac computers. It provides a streamlined interface and drag-and-drop functionality for editing voice recordings. Garageband includes built-in instruments, a large loop library and basic tools like trimming, effects and mixing. It’s a good option for beginners.

Editing Basics

There are some basic editing techniques that are essential for working with audio files. These include trimming, cutting, copying, pasting, and deleting silence.

Trimming refers to shortening an audio clip by removing excess material from the beginning or end. This allows you to isolate the best parts of a recording. Trimming can help improve timing and pacing. Most audio editors like Audacity have tools to easily trim clips.

Cutting refers to removing a segment from the middle of an audio clip. You can cut out unwanted sections like mistakes, ums and ahs, or silence. The cut portion can then be deleted or pasted elsewhere. Cutting lets you splice together the best parts of multiple takes.

Copying and pasting allow you to duplicate audio regions. This is useful for repeating choruses or instrumental sections. You can also copy parts from one track and paste them into another.

Deleting silence removes quiet pauses or dead space between words or notes. This can help tighten up a recording and improve flow. However, be careful not to overdo it and delete pauses that add natural rhythm.

Mastering these basic editing techniques takes practice but gives you powerful creative tools for crafting professional audio.

Noise Reduction

Removing background noise is one of the most common audio editing tasks. Background noise like fans, traffic, or AC units can distract from your main audio and make it difficult to hear the details. Luckily, there are techniques you can use to clean up recordings and reduce unwanted background noise.

One easy way to reduce background noise is to use an online audio cleaner like Veed.io. This tool allows you to simply upload your audio file and then click “Clean Audio” to automatically remove background noise. The algorithm analyzes your recording and strips out consistent background noise while leaving the main audio intact.

You can also reduce background noise in a digital audio workstation like Audacity. Use the noise reduction effect to capture a sample of just the background noise without your voice. Then apply that sample to subtract the noise from your entire recording. Adjust the reduction amount for best results. This takes more manual effort but allows you to target specific noise frequencies.

No matter what software you use, getting close to the microphone and using a pop filter can help prevent background noise from being recorded in the first place. Positioning the mic close to your mouth gives you much better signal to noise ratio. And using sound dampening materials in your recording space can also help block out unwanted sounds.

Volume Leveling

Volume leveling, also known as audio normalization, is the process of adjusting the volume across an entire audio recording so that the loudness is consistent from start to finish. There are several techniques you can use to normalize volume in voice recordings:

Use a compressor effect – A compressor evens out the dynamic range of a recording, bringing down loud sounds and amplifying quieter sounds. This helps prevent jarring volume shifts. Audio editing software like AVS Audio Editor has built-in compressor effects.

Use normalization or loudness matching – Most audio editors have a “normalize” or “match loudness” function that analyzes the recording and adjusts levels automatically. This is the easiest method for evening out volume.

Manually adjust gain – You can manually adjust the gain/volume on individual sections that are noticeably louder or quieter than the rest. This takes more time but allows precision control.

Use volume envelopes – Volume envelopes give you a visual representation of a clip’s volume over time. You can use the envelope line to smooth out any spikes or dips in volume.

Listen and adjust – Play back the edited recording and listen closely, making any additional tweaks to get the volume consistent. Trust your ears for the final quality check.

Special Effects

Applying special effects like echo, reverb, and pitch shifting can transform voice recordings in creative ways. Effects help establish a mood or atmosphere, make voices sound robotic or supernatural, and even generate vocal harmonies. Many editing apps include preset special effects to quickly apply to recordings.

Reverb and echo add space and ambience to vocal tracks. Reverb makes the voice sound like it’s in a large hall or cathedral, while echo repeats vocals as if bouncing off canyon walls. The depth and length of the effect can be adjusted. Using too much reverb or echo can muddy the clarity of the original recording.

Pitch shifting alters the frequency of the voice up or down. This can create vocal harmonies when layered, make the speaker sound younger or older, or produce a cartoon-like effect. However, drastically shifting pitch can introduce artifacts, so subtle shifts often work best.

Editing apps may also offer distortions like bitcrushing to emulate vintage digital audio, flanging for a swooshing sound, and more. Used sparingly, these effects can enhance recordings.

When applying effects, it’s generally best to be subtle. Special effects work best when they accentuate the voice rather than overwhelm it. Moderating the depth and using effects on some lines or sections instead of the entire recording helps maintain clarity.

Mixing Music and Narration

Adding background music can make voice recordings more engaging and emotive. When mixing music with a voiceover narration, it’s important to adjust the relative volume levels so one doesn’t overpower the other. The music should complement the voice narration without being distracting.

Most audio editing software like Audacity make it straightforward to import a music track and mix it with your existing voiceover recording. You can listen with headphones to find the right balance between the music and voice levels.

When inserting a voiceover narration into a music bed, first choose an instrumental section of the song without vocals or dramatic transitions. Record the narration, leaving gaps of silence to make space for the music. In your audio editor, align the narration over the instrumental section and adjust levels. Use volume automation and fading to create a smooth transition between the music and narration.

With care, mixing music and voiceover can make for an engaging, professional audio experience. Listen critically on good headphones to achieve the ideal blend.

Converting File Formats

Converting audio files from one format to another can be necessary to ensure compatibility with certain devices or software. The most common formats audio editors can convert between include:

AIFF

MP3 is the most universally compatible, being supported by smartphones, media players, and common music software. However, it is a lossy format, meaning that it sacrifices some audio quality through compression.

WAV and AIFF are lossless formats that retain full audio quality. They take up more storage space but are preferred for recording, editing, and mastering audio.

The best audio converters can quickly and easily translate audio files between formats while giving options for quality and file size. According to Top 10 Free Audio Converters, some of the top free converters include:

Free MP3 WMA Converter
DVDSoft Free Audio Converter

Converting to the most compatible formats ensures your recordings can be played and shared on the widest range of devices.

Sharing Edited Recordings

After editing your voice recordings in an app, you’ll likely want to export the final version to share with others. Most voice editing apps allow you to export recordings in common formats like MP3 that can then be shared in various ways.

Some options for sharing edited voice recordings include:

YouTube – Export the recording as an MP3 and upload it to YouTube as a video with a static image. Add titles/descriptions to make it searchable.

Podcasts – If you want to publish your recordings in a podcast feed, you can export MP3 files and host them on a service like Anchor or Libsyn. These services make it easy to distribute your podcast.

Social Media – Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter allow sharing shorter audio clips up to a few minutes long directly on their platforms. For longer recordings, you’d need to host the full version externally and link to it.

File Sharing – For privately sharing with individuals, you can send the exported MP3 file through email, messaging, file transfer services or cloud storage links.

Choosing the right sharing platforms and export formats allows your polished recordings to reach their intended audience with the best quality. Check the requirements of any sites or services in advance before editing and exporting from your voice editor.