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Old 05-19-2018, 08:18 AM   #1
docdaddy
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Default How to silence a selected piece of audio on one half of stereo track?

Another immigrant from Audactity here!

My partner and I host a podcast, and for the last 3 years I've edited it in Audacity. We've upgraded all of our mics, mixer, etc. so I decided time to upgrade my audio editor.

We record in stereo, with each voice on a separate half of the track, then mix the final, after editing version to mono for release (having voices ping-pong back and forth from the left and right speakers is annoying!) The reason I record in stereo is to allow me to edit one speaker without effecting the other where necessary, for example if one speaker coughs or says something over the other person we want to remove. So simply cutting out a clip of the track won't work, I need to select, e.g., the cough on one half of the stereo track and silence it.

In Audacity this is simple. I hit a button to allow me to edit the right and left channel separately, then highlight the piece I want to silence, then hit a "insert silence" button, then OK. 3 clicks (plus dragging the mouse to select the section to be silenced.)

I have no idea how to do this in Reaper. Note I just purchased Reaper this past week so I am very much a beginner (been reading a set of tutorials on using Reaper for podcasts, such as https://podigy.co/audio-cleanup/)

FWIW, my partner in the podcast asked why I'm switching to Reaper when I'm fluent in Audacity. I think he's worried that it's going to take me a lot longer to learn it and thus delay our podcast releases. Audacity worked, and I have that workflow nailed. Import the recorded WAV files, get a background noise sample and hit the noise removal button, edit, insert intro, transition, and outro music and normalize it to the voices, mix it down to a mono track, the export to the appropriate type MP3 for publishing. The answer to my partners question is that we've invested a lot of money into our recording hardware to upgrade our sound, I think Reaper will allow us to upgrade our sound more than Audacity. Perhaps it is overkill. We'll see!
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Old 05-19-2018, 08:31 AM   #2
Meo-Ada Mespotine
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The easiest way I suppose would be to split the stereotrack into two mono tracks, so you have the left side on track 1, the second on track 2, like in the next video.
Don't be confused by the look, I'm using the Ultraschall-Extension, that changes the look of Reaper massively, but the general workflow should work anyway...

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Old 05-19-2018, 08:42 AM   #3
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In reaper:
record to two tracks instead of 1 stereo track.

Input 1 for track 1 and input 2 for track 2.

I would group the items so they stay in time when ripple editing.
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Old 05-19-2018, 09:03 AM   #4
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Thanks for the video on how to separate the tracks and edit individually.

I think I have to accept that, since Reaper does so much more than Audacity, things in Audacity that took one click may take a lot more clicks.

OK, so here's a question, playing around this morning: Is this the most efficient way to silence, e.g. a cough by one speaker that overlaps something I don't want to silence by the other speaker? Assume the cough is on the left channel.

Right click on the stereo track - select "Item Settings: Take Channel Mode mono Left"

That just shows the left channel in the editing screen.

Then put the cursor at the start of where I want to mute - Split - then to the left of where I want to mute - Split.

Then right click on the segment I just created with the splits, and either mute it or take volume to zero.

The group everything back together and Take Channel Normal to get both tracks back.

EDIT: Nope. That still muted both channels even though I was just showing one. Argh!
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Old 05-19-2018, 09:16 AM   #5
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A lot of stuff in audacity is destructive, meaning you can't undo. Not the case with reaper.


I have a video on podcast editing in reaper here

https://reaperblog.net/2014/07/video...sts-in-reaper/


It's an older workflow than I use now but it should help get you going
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Old 05-19-2018, 09:19 AM   #6
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WAIT!

Is this what I need?

Right click on track: Item Processing: Explode Multichannel Audio or MIDI into New One Channel Items?

That appears to keep the main track on top, so I can edit both tracks at once (e.g. delete a section we're discussing for some reason) yet allows me to also go below and work on the individual channels.

Then go to the individual channel and just split the section I need to mute or take volume to zero (like a cough) and then regroup?
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Old 05-19-2018, 10:01 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mespotine View Post
The easiest way I suppose would be to split the stereotrack into two mono tracks, so you have the left side on track 1, the second on track 2, like in the next video.
OT really and not that it helps but this is one example of why I still use Audition for this sort of editing -it's much simpler.
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Old 05-19-2018, 10:33 AM   #8
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OT really and not that it helps but this is one example of why I still use Audition for this sort of editing -it's much simpler.
We actually looked at Audition. I use an old copy of Photoshop I purchased back before they went to a subscription model, so I realize there's a learning curve with Adobe products. But I really don't want to pay $240 per year, every year, for Audition.
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Old 05-19-2018, 10:35 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EpicSounds View Post
A lot of stuff in audacity is destructive, meaning you can't undo. Not the case with reaper.


I have a video on podcast editing in reaper here

https://reaperblog.net/2014/07/video...sts-in-reaper/


It's an older workflow than I use now but it should help get you going
Thanks, I'll take a look at that. I've already purchased Reaper, and at the price no regrets, but I am wondering if it's the optimal program for a voice only (well, music intros and outros and transitions, but not creating music) podcast. But I'll take a look at the tutorial, thanks!
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Old 05-19-2018, 11:19 AM   #10
docdaddy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EpicSounds View Post
A lot of stuff in audacity is destructive, meaning you can't undo. Not the case with reaper.


I have a video on podcast editing in reaper here

https://reaperblog.net/2014/07/video...sts-in-reaper/


It's an older workflow than I use now but it should help get you going
Wow, one thing (only halfway through it) that shows me is the power or Reaper. I'm copying your "A" action, that's very handy, as is the entire concept of one-key actions.

Your layout looks like it's an entirely different program than what I have!
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Old 05-20-2018, 10:02 AM   #11
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I think that the easier way to do it is to run your 2 microphones into your audio interface and then record each mic onto it's own mono channel in Reaper. Then you would automatically have your 2 mics on separate audio tracks.

What kind of audio interface are you using to interface your microphones with your computer?
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Old 05-20-2018, 10:42 AM   #12
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I think that the easier way to do it is to run your 2 microphones into your audio interface and then record each mic onto it's own mono channel in Reaper. Then you would automatically have your 2 mics on separate audio tracks.

What kind of audio interface are you using to interface your microphones with your computer?
I agree. I just need to learn Reaper well enough in the next 3 weeks (before our next episode needs to be recorded) to be able to set it up. I love the idea of having each speaker and the music (intros and transitions and outro) on individual tracks. I assume it will be no problem, after final editing, to mix it all down to a mono MP3 track for publishing.

Right now we're not recording into the computer. We record in high quality WAV format into a digital recorder, a Zoom H4N (soon to be upgraded to a Zoom H6.) Mics (Procaster XLRs) go into a Cloud Cl-2 mic preamp, then into two XLR channels on a Mackie ProFX V2 12 mixer board. The two line outs go into the line ins on the Zoom.

I need to figure out how to best input into my laptop (my previous laptop was too loud to be in the room when recording - now have a quiet Thinkpad X1 Carbon on which I have Reaper.) And how to input more than the two line outs with the individual mic signals, for example, if we also have interview subjects (probably via Skype into the board) as well as the music intros etc. Currently I just import the music intros and transitions and outros after recording (i.e. while editing in Audacity just import the music, split the audio where I want to insert, do a fade in and fade out.)
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Old 05-21-2018, 09:57 AM   #13
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ZOOM H6 | USE AS AN AUDIO INTERFACE [6in/2out]
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Old 05-22-2018, 08:27 AM   #14
docdaddy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EpicSounds View Post
A lot of stuff in audacity is destructive, meaning you can't undo. Not the case with reaper.


I have a video on podcast editing in reaper here

https://reaperblog.net/2014/07/video...sts-in-reaper/


It's an older workflow than I use now but it should help get you going
That's exactly what I'd like to do. Question: How do you input your mics, music, etc. into Reaper? My Mackie ProFX12v2 has a USB out but it appears to only output the two Main Out signals.
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Old 05-22-2018, 08:43 AM   #15
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I import them into the template. The music doesn't need to be live unless you're streaming.


"Mackie ProFX12v2 has a USB out but it appears to only output the two Main Out signals."

looks like it, not really made for studio use. But if it's just two of you on the podcast that's all you need. the mackie probably has better sounding preamps than the Zoom.

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Old 05-22-2018, 07:45 PM   #16
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I import them into the template. The music doesn't need to be live unless you're streaming.


"Mackie ProFX12v2 has a USB out but it appears to only output the two Main Out signals."

looks like it, not really made for studio use. But if it's just two of you on the podcast that's all you need. the mackie probably has better sounding preamps than the Zoom.

So you don't use Reaper to record the tracks? You record them on something else and then import them into this template?

I'm interested in your hardware setup of how you do record?
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Old 05-22-2018, 08:04 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by docdaddy View Post
So you don't use Reaper to record the tracks? You record them on something else and then import them into this template?

I'm interested in your hardware setup of how you do record?
It's a skype call and each person records themself.
I do record to reaper but it's just one track. my cohost records his 1 track on his computer and emails it to me after.
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Old 05-24-2018, 10:02 AM   #18
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That's exactly what I'd like to do. Question: How do you input your mics, music, etc. into Reaper? My Mackie ProFX12v2 has a USB out but it appears to only output the two Main Out signals.
Yeah, that's how it is with nearly all of the similar small inexpensive mixers with USB out. You only get two discreet channels out soft two mics you would pan them hard L and R to be on their own tracks. If there are more than two channels they'd have to go on the same L or R. To be able to record three discreet tracks you'd need to get an interface that gives you more channels via the port. Under $200 if you need that function.
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Old 05-24-2018, 10:44 AM   #19
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I disagree with the assertion that's the Mackie pres are better than the Zoom. Especially since the CloudLicfters are doing the real work anyway. The H6 is a six input interface - six inputs to six individual discrete tracks (assuming you set up inputs appropriately in Reaper) any time you want. Doesn't the H4 already do 4?

I see that Mackie thing as an unecessary noise source in your signal chain and basically a waste of space. If you really need hands on faders, there are other options which won't also act as a signal flow bottleneck.

OTOH, I think you could just get an actual interface with 6 inputs for cheaper than the Zoom thing. Heck, you could have a 16 channel Tascam for that kind of money!
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