What is Editing?

Editing is how we cut, arrange, and clean up audio to create a final sound piece. Back in the day, people had to physically cut and tape audio recordings together (imagine slicing film strips for a movie). Now, we can do everything digitally using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)—which makes editing faster, easier, and way more flexible.

Editing serves two big purposes:

• Creative Editing – Shaping the artistic vision of your piece.
• Technical Editing – Cleaning up the sound for clarity and professionalism.

## Creative Editing: The Art of Sound Design

This is where editing becomes part of the creative process. Instead of just fixing mistakes, you’re making artistic decisions—deciding when and how sounds happen in time.

Some key creative editing techniques include:

Form

How a piece is structured (for example, repeating sections like an ABA form).

• In lyrical writing it might look like this:
• A represents a Verse
• B represents the Chorus
• ABA = Verse, Chorus, Verse

Tension & Release

Building up moments of anticipation and resolving them (common in music, film, and storytelling).

Pacing

Controlling the speed of events to set a mood (fast for excitement, slow for tension).

Texture

Deciding how many sounds should play at once (a busy, layered sound vs. a minimal, open sound).

Think of creative editing like arranging pieces of a puzzle to tell a story with sound.

## Technical Editing: Making Sound Clean & Clear

While creative editing is about what sounds good artistically, technical editing is about what sounds good technically. It helps remove distractions and makes sure everything fits together smoothly.

Some key technical editing tasks include:

Removing Unwanted Noise

• Cutting out breath sounds, hums, clicks, and background noise.

Fixing Timing Issues

• Making sure beats, words, or sound effects line up correctly.

Editing for Length

• Adjusting a piece to fit a time limit (important for radio, film, or podcasts).

Improving Clarity

• Making sure the most important sounds stand out and aren’t drowned out by others.

Good editing makes sure the listener hears what’s important without distractions.

How Editing & Mixing Work Together

Editing and mixing often overlap. Sometimes, while mixing (adjusting volume, panning, and effects), you might realize you need to re-edit something. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at knowing when to switch between these roles.

Editing is about shaping the sound. Mixing is about balancing it. Together, they make your final product polished and professional.

For this week:

• I want you to continue working with this same tool palette. Instead, I want you to focus on the new tools that will be introduced in the mixing proceeding pages on mixing.