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Sean211 · Posts: 3

Hi to all the folks in radio!

I'm currently Production Director for a large group (not CC) and we're looking to upgrade our production equipment at our cluster. I've been investigating various options including the Digi001 and Pro Tools 6.0 on Macintosh.

Then I was introduced to Cool Edit 2000 and Cool Edit Pro. While I'd always known this product existed and have owned Cool Edit 2000 for a while, I never really gave it a second thought or explored its functionality. That all changed this weekend. I spent the better part of my weekend editing voicetacks I emailed home and creating different effects and can really see how this is a powerful tool to have in the studio.

My question is: How many of you are using Cool Edit Pro exclusively in your studios to create radio commercials and promo elements? Also, how do you get audio in to the PC without a dedicated breakout box as you would find with Sadie or the Digi001?

Thanks in advance.

Craig Jackman · Location: Canada Posts: 909

There are lots of us using 1.2a, 2.0, and now 2.1 in commercial radio evironments. How many is debatable, but those that have swung this way are quite happy to use it. The most popular software in radio is still probably Pro Tools, but give it time. PT is great, but it's proprietary and expensive. CEP isn't expensive - hell it's cheaper than all get out - and you can use whatever soundcard your little heart desires. Need 8 i/o? Easy. Several choices, all way less than $1000. A Digidesign 888 is how much? For radio use, I've converted to an Echo Gina 24. 2i/8o for $600 Canadian. My home PC is running CEP through a SB Live. I wouldn't recommend that, but you can do it really easy.

The GM has to sign the cheque. What does he want to see? The smallest cheque for the most stuff. We just upgraded all our computers recently. 2.4GHz P4, 1Ghz RAM, 80GB hard drive, DVD/CDR drive, Echo Gina and CEP2.0 all for under $2500 Canadian. To run PT you'll want a big Mac, Digidesign hardware and software. That's going to run you a lot more than that. Now CEP doesn't do MIDI, so if thats important ignore this arguement and go elsewhere. If not, download the CEP demo and go at it.

Oh yeah, CEP is loaded with effects. PT?

the3jsgrve · Location: USA Posts: 442

Beef Stew · Location: USA Posts: 34

the3jsgrve · Location: USA Posts: 442

texas terry · Location: USA Posts: 31

How many of of us are using Cool Edit Pro? Well if you look at the readership of Radio and Production Mag... you see a whole lot. Cool Edit Pro is the second most popular system to use as their primary editor, with Pro Tools being number one. And that gap closes when you count the People who use CEP for half their duties.

Here at WYCD in Detroit, Cool Edit Pro 2.0 is used for all commercial production and 90+% of all imaging work.

Can you use it without a breakout box (pro audio card)... I would recomend you did not. The difference in audio quality is huge, and honestly with the price so low on PCs now, you can put togeather a decent system for 1,500. Just a bit more if your a techie like me.

I would hole heartly recomend the Aardvark set of cards. I've used others, and our other stations here in Detroit have some from M-Audio, and Echo. But I would stack the sound of the Aardvark cards up against Pro Tools, while I can't get one of our systems here with one of the others to stop it's ocaitional poping when you start audio.

The difference is in the Analog to Digital chips (AD/DA)... when you get a cheap card, or even a sound blaster you get a cheap chip (do the math) and you will hear the difference when you stack it up agains a card that costs as little as 250-500.

Hope that helps.

T

wavjockey · Posts: 1

My question is: How many of you are using Cool Edit Pro exclusively in your studios to create radio commercials and promo elements?

Don't just take our word for it, Cool Edit comes standard with a news/on-air/automation system called WireReady32. who's major client is Clear Channel --and we all know how many stations they own. Wink

Butcha · Posts: 2

I am the Commercial Production Manager for a small radio group in the UK. I think I can safely say that most stations (including mine)use SADIE to produce commercials.

I also run a small production company in my spare time, called Butcha Productions and I have just purchased CEP 2.1 !
I found it hard to get on with the old Cool Edits but CEP2 completely changed my mind about it, its amazing what it can do for so little cost.

SADIE is a dedicated workhorse that is so quick, user friendly and easy to work with - it will never fail and that is why so many radio and production companies use it!
However if you have a little more time to play around with CEP2, then you will find it has just about all of the functions of SADIE but it just takes a little longer to edit and mix. The real thing that CEP lacks is automation, but thats about it !

The cost of SADIE - �4000 !
The cost of Cool Edit Pro 2 - �180 !

Now you see why I spent my money on Cool Edit...
I also know of a new radio group and a few production companies that are starting to use Cool Edit Pro... with an automation function, maybe this could be the beginning of the end for SADIE and Pro Tools ?

Butch.

the3jsgrve · Location: USA Posts: 442

You might look at CEP2.1 in combination with the Mackie Control. Might be just what you need!

Josh

Gulliver · Location: Estonia Posts: 442

CEP 1.2 for radio production exclusively.
CEP 2.0 for recording, editing and mixing various music projects (almost exclusively Wink

).