audio software
Students were introduced to three audio editing software programs (or DAWs): Audacity (basic), GarageBand (middle), and Adobe Audition (advanced). In-class demos and tutorials covered the basics of all three programs, but students were strongly encouraged to tinker around and gain experience on their own time, and decide for themselves which program best suited their needs. Many students found that, after the initial hurdle of getting used to the interface, they preferred Audition for its greater complexity and power.
Still, this is only a small selection of DAWs available on the market. Some of the most common ones used by professionals in broadcasting are Apple Logic Pro (the advanced version of GarageBand), Adobe Audition, and Pro Tools. For those interested in a career in audio, learning how to use one of these softwares fluently can be a major plus for jobs and internships.
software overview (& where to download)
Audacity - open source, all platforms, free to all
Adobe Audition - advanced, professional DAW available free to UM students (UM students: use the link at left and follow instructions to download Adobe Creative Cloud, then install Audition, using your UM account for a free license - saving you $31.49 a month woo!)
GarageBand - free but mac only. if you are a mac user it is likely already installed on your computer (use spotlight search to check if you're not sure). if not you can always re-download it using the link.
Reaper - free for 60 days. available for all platforms. more complex than Audacity, ideal for multi-track mixing.
software guides & tutorials
general
UM podcasting guide has a helpful overview of even more audio editing software options -- as well as more in-depth video walk-throughs of Audacity, GarageBand and Audition here (scroll to the bottom)
The Software Guide from the Podcasting Basics series on Transom.org has a detailed comparison of the programs above, plus many more
Audacity
Audacity tutorials - this links to the tutorials section of the official Audacity help manual
Shapiro Design lab Canvas course - make sure you enroll yourself first. then scroll down to “Recording and Editing in Audacity” module
Garageband
Garageband tutorial for podcasters - super accessible and beginner-level. includes a 15-minute video walkthrough as well as written-out step-by-step instructions below. (note this guy assumes you will be recording into Garageband, though for our purposes you’ll probably be recording on your phone or using another audio recorder instead, then importing the wav files into Garageband but most of the advice still holds)
Adobe Audition
There is a tutorials feature built right into the software - follow the steps above for how to install, then click "Audition Learn" in the Help menu
You can find further Audition tutorials on the Adobe website
LinkedIn Learning (a paid service that is available free to those with a UM account) also has great Adobe Audition tutorials and courses if you would like to go deeper
go here to activate your membership (UM account holders only)
Here's a great course I recommend - Audition Essential Training, by Paul Murphy
you can also just search "adobe audition" (or garageband, or any other DAW you are using)