Free Stuff: Making Movies for Nothing

Quick and Fast: NCH has developed some great software! WavePad is an audio editor much like Audacity with no multi-track/mixing capabilities, but more complex effects. Switch is an extremely easy-to-use audio file converter for any format most of us will ever use. Windows and Mac Only!

Switch
IMPORT FORMATS: WAV, MP3, OGG, WMA…
EXPORT FORMATS: Same as above

Where to get them:
WavePad  – http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/masters.html 
Switch  – http://www.nch.com.au/switch/
Make sure to get the free versions, not the 14-day demos/trials!!

WavePad Sound Editor is almost exactly like Audacity. You import, record or rip an audio file from CD into WavePad, then edit, add effects and render. WavePad is more advanced than Audacity, since the effects are more pro-like and can be modified a lot more. There are four options for noise reduction alone. The interface is also pretty user-friendly. You cannot have multiple tracks, however. For this, NCH wants you to get another program called MixPad for mixing multiple tracks.

Switch is very small program that can convert audio files to and from all common formats I know, including WMA which is rare! It can even take a song from a CD, convert it and save it on your computer’s hard drive. I found Switch to be extremely easy and reliable, making it very useful. I prefer Switch to BonkEnc, only because it can import WMA, which is the best kind of file ACID Xpress renders to. If you don’t use ACID Xpress, BonkEnc will be fine.

Other NCH software you’ll probably like: NCH makes all kinds of great stuff! They are geared toward businesses, but their stuff is great for media pros too. RecordPad records audio you can work with in WavePad. MixPad mixes the tracks you create in WavePad. PlayPad can play the audio you create. Express Rip takes songs off CDs and Express Burn makes CDs. There’s a lot more NCH does besides audio, too. They have software for Video, DJing, palm pilot programs, conferencing, phone stuff and more. Unfortunately, their video software does not include video editing. Oh, well. And not all NCH software has free versions, so WATCH OUT!

Tutorials: WavePad and Switch are both so basic, you shouldn’t need any tutorials for them, although going in the Help menu will help if you get stuck. If you’d like an audio tutorial for general audio editing and such, Go to http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/sequencing/

License: Free. These are freeware and you own what you create with them, as long as it doesn’t involve NCH logos and that kind of thing. I know, you wouldn’t do that anyway…