Processing Sound

The Process and Effects menus contain a variety of commands you can use to edit your sound data.

What do you want to do?

Apply an effect

  1. Select the data you want to process.

If no data is selected, processing will be applied to the entire file.

  1. Choose a command from the Process or Effects menu.

  2. Choose a preset from the Name drop-down list or adjust the dialog controls to create custom processing parameters.

  3. Click the Preview button to hear the effects of your processing settings. Select the Bypass check box to hear the unprocessed signal.

  4. If you want to change the current selection, click the Selection button to display the Set Selection dialog.

  5. Click the OK button to start processing.

During processing, a progress meter is displayed on the status bar. You can cancel the operation at any time by clicking the Cancel button to the left of the progress meter, or you can press the Escape key.

Apply an effect to a stereo file

When you're working with stereo files, only the selected region in the selected channel is processed. Most functions can be applied to the right, left, or both channels. However, since both channels in a stereo file must be equal in length, functions that affect the length of the data cannot be performed on individual channels. These functions include Insert Silence, Resample, Time Stretch, Gapper/Snipper, Pitch Bend, and Pitch Shift (without preserving duration).

If you want to apply one of these processes in a single channel, convert the file into two separate mono files (you can select a channel and drag it to the Sound Forge workspace to create a new file quickly), apply the process, and merge the files into a new stereo file.

Preview a processing operation

Click the Preview button in a processing dialog to preview how the function will sound. Select the Bypass check box to hear the unprocessed sound.

For more information about using processing dialog controls, click here.

Create a preset

  1. Choose a command from the Process or Effects menu.

  2. Adjust the dialog controls to create the desired effect.

  3. Click the Save As button. The Save Preset dialog is displayed.

  4. Enter a name in the New preset name box.

  5. Click the OK button.

Delete a preset

  1. Choose a command from the Process or Effects menu.

  2. Choose a preset from the Name drop-down list.

  3. Click the Delete button.

The Delete button is available only for custom presets.

Turn undo buffers on or off

The Create undo check box specifies whether an undo buffer will be created before processing the current sound file. Clearing the check box speeds processing, but you will not be able to undo your changes.

Use Sound Forge controls

 

Control

Description

Slider/Fader

Drag the handle handle to change the setting.

Tips:

  • Hold the left and right mouse buttons (or hold the Control key) to fine-tune a control's value.

  • You can use the Up, Down, Left and Right arrow keys to change the value in small increments or the Page Up and Page Down keys to change the value in larger increments. The Home and End keys change the parameter value to its maximum or minimum.

  • Double-click a handle to return to the default value (usually 0%, 50%, or 100%). Left-clicking on the hash marks in a fader also changes the value by very small increments.

Spin Control

Use the up/down buttons or type a value in the edit box to change the setting.

Tips:

  • Click the button between the up/down buttons and drag the mouse to change the setting in large increments.

  • Hold down both mouse buttons (or hold down the Control key) to fine-tune a control's value.

  • You can use the Up/Down arrow and Page Up/Page Down keys to alter the value.

Drop-Down List

Click the drop-down list and choose an item. If you have to scroll through a large list, click on the scroll buttons or use the arrow keys.

If you scroll down the drop-down list for a preset, you can see all of the parameters change for each preset. This is useful for getting a feel for which parameters are used to create different effects.

 

Button

Click a button or press the spacebar while it is selected.

Radio Button

Radio buttons always come in groups of two or more where you can select only one option. When you select a radio button, the previously selected button is turned off.

Check Box

Click a check box to select it. You can click a selected check box to clear it.

 

Envelope Graph

An envelope allows you to change a sound over time.

  • Drag the small boxes (envelope points) up or down.

  • To create a new envelope point, left-click on any point of the envelope.

  • To delete an envelope point, click it with the right mouse button, or double-click it with the left mouse button.

  • To move all envelope points, press Ctrl+A and drag when the envelope has focus (the cursor will be displayed as a ).

You can create up to 16 envelope points. Click the Reset Envelope button to reset the graph.