Any experience with OcenAudio?

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Generoushorse
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Post by Generoushorse »

Hey, I'm just playing around with Audacity alternatives and wondered if anyone has heard of/used OcenAudio before. So far all I see is a simpler, prettier version of Audacity (and no obvious way to amplify a recording).
I'll probably go back to using Audacity but playing with new programs is a fun way to procrastinate recording? Ah-oh. Better get on that.
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JenniferFour
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Post by JenniferFour »

I tried ocenaudio a few years ago but switched pretty soon after to Studio One.
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GraceBuchanan
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Post by GraceBuchanan »

JenniferFour wrote: April 5th, 2021, 7:39 pm I tried ocenaudio a few years ago but switched pretty soon after to Studio One.
Hi JenniferFour! I hope you'll share more info about Studio One. What do you prefer about it? Why might someone consider switching from Audacity to it? Where might someone find discounts? What resources helped you to learn it?
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GraceBuchanan
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Post by GraceBuchanan »

Generoushorse wrote: April 5th, 2021, 5:10 pm Hey, I'm just playing around with Audacity alternatives and wondered if anyone has heard of/used OcenAudio before. So far all I see is a simpler, prettier version of Audacity (and no obvious way to amplify a recording).
I'll probably go back to using Audacity but playing with new programs is a fun way to procrastinate recording? Ah-oh. Better get on that.
Hi Generoushorse! I hope you'll share more info about OcenAudio. What might you prefer about it? What's simpler, prettier about it? Why might someone consider switching from Audacity to it? What resources might help you to learn it?

I can help you justify "procrastinating" recording. The DAW makes a difference.
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Generoushorse
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Post by Generoushorse »

Ocen Audio doesn't have as many features nor does it have as many turtorials as audacity. Aside from the pretier interface I don't see any reason to Switch.
Roxy
Generoushorse
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Post by Generoushorse »

Also, does this belong in off topic or is here fine?
Roxy
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

Generoushorse wrote: April 6th, 2021, 6:15 am Also, does this belong in off topic or is here fine?
It relates to recording for LibriVox, so it's fine here. :)
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JenniferFour
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Post by JenniferFour »

I think every person gets rather attached to the DAW they are most familiar with. I tried Audacity, Ocenaudio, Read to Record, and settled on Studio One. The Artist version costs about $100. I bought it for maybe $60 but that was several versions ago. There is a free version as well that has good punch and roll so you can test it out and then decide if you want the extra features of Artist. Studio One is really a musician's DAW BUT Don Baarns (Red Baarns audio on Youtube and an active Facebook group) has developed many macros/tools/processes to make Studio One work very well for audiobook production. I did pay him to get S1 set up on my computer (basically hiding all the music stuff and streamlining the interface to what I need as well as dialing in some of the settings). Of course, that is completely optional.

When I started with Studio One, Audacity did not have punch and roll. Now that it does, if you only record for Librivox and that only on an occasional basis, there is probably no need to switch from Audacity. If you want to do a lot of recording for Librivox and/or produce commercial recordings, you might want to look at Studio One.
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GraceBuchanan
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Post by GraceBuchanan »

JenniferFour wrote: April 6th, 2021, 7:12 am I think every person gets rather attached to the DAW they are most familiar with.
Generoushorse gave us an excellent reason for that: learning a new DAW interferes with our productivity, at least in the shortrun.
I tried Audacity, Ocenaudio, Read to Record, and settled on Studio One. The Artist version costs about $100. I bought it for maybe $60 but that was several versions ago. There is a free version as well that has good punch and roll so you can test it out and then decide if you want the extra features of Artist.
A free version! I'll have to look into that!
Studio One is really a musician's DAW BUT Don Baarns (Red Baarns audio on Youtube and an active Facebook group) has developed many macros/tools/processes to make Studio One work very well for audiobook production. I did pay him to get S1 set up on my computer (basically hiding all the music stuff and streamlining the interface to what I need as well as dialing in some of the settings). Of course, that is completely optional.
I'm a big fan of Don's on the Facebook groups. He makes a lot of sense to me.
When I started with Studio One, Audacity did not have punch and roll. Now that it does, if you only record for Librivox and that only on an occasional basis, there is probably no need to switch from Audacity. If you want to do a lot of recording for Librivox and/or produce commercial recordings, you might want to look at Studio One.
I would like to try punch and roll, but my laptop is too loud to have in the booth with me.

Thanks for sharing your experience.
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audiomike
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Post by audiomike »

Most DAWs are made for multi-track music production, not narration. They default to a bunch of tracks, MIDI, effects sends, busses, and assorted other functions that narrators don't need and don't understand. They usually take a considerable amount of tweaking just to get to the point where you can record and edit a single track. That's why Audacity has always been a favorite; it doesn't have all that excess baggage.
I've spent the last day playing with Ocenaudio (pronounced Oh-sen-audio). In my opinion, it does a much better job than Audacity. Without going into too much detail, Here's a quick list of the pros and cons I've come up with so far.

PROs
*As the web site says, it's an "Easy, fast and powerful audio editor"
*It is an editor, not a production suite. It's made to record and edit a single track without all the music related fluff that gets in the way.
*Not much configuration to do but select your input and set the sample rate.
*It comes in 32 and 64 bit versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
*The wave form defaults to fill the screen.
*The effects are much better than Audacity's, especially Noise Reduction.
*Effects can be previewed in real time as the entire track plays, not just 5 or 10 seconds.
*A loop toggle icon that leaves it on or off all the time.
*The ability to set markers while recording using Ctrl (Cmd) -K.
*A popup gain adjustment slider that allows you to quickly adjust amplitude by selection.
*You can zoom in to the waveform using the mouse wheel. You can also hover over the vertical dB scale and use the mouse wheel to zoom; giving you a good view of your noise floor.
*You can select multiple sections of audio at the same time and do things like gain adjustment and move.
*It is faster than Audacity, if for no other reason than the ability to use a 64 bit version.
*It plays nicer with VST plugins than Audacity since it has real time preview during playback; which is how most VST plugins work.

CONs
*There is no action history window, something I've become very accustomed to in Audition and Audacity.
*There are no macros.
*There is no manual or help file, but it really is easy to use, even without them.
*You can't change the default bit rate for export. It has to be set to 128 each time you export a new file.

I know that most people like to stay in their comfort zone when it comes to editing software; so do I. But for those just getting started, or not yet firmly rooted in one editor, this is more than a worthy alternative to Audacity. If I had to choose between the two, Ocenaudio would win, hands down. For narration, it is exactly as they say, easy, fast, and powerful.
And by the way, there a bunch of YouTube videos on it.
GraceBuchanan
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Post by GraceBuchanan »

audiomike wrote: April 7th, 2021, 11:30 am Here's a quick list of the pros and cons I've come up with so far.
Thanks audiomike!
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Dkgensler
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Post by Dkgensler »

Hi

I have used ocenaudio for the past few years. I like it . However, i did something to the settings by mistake last night . It’s not allowing me to punch back in. The wave form is being pushed forward. So it’s not being recorded over , if that makes any sense . Any idea how to fix ? I am in the middle of recording a book ..
thanks !
jmac698
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Post by jmac698 »

I liked that it was simpler, but it always crashes in a few minutes for me. I wish it worked.
barleyguy
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Post by barleyguy »

I took a look at the web page for Ocenaudio, but every single thing on their "features" page are features that are also in Reaper. I guess you can tell where my bias lies here. :-)
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DonBaarns
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Post by DonBaarns »

I'm late to this party!

For those looking for a killer DAW for narration, Studio One is a major player these days.
Huge community support, more drag-and-drop shortcuts (easier to use), and fully mastered (OR raw) audio on your first export, without extra effort once it's set up.

While it was initially designed for musicians, the template system allows you to have a very lean, easy-to-use narration system that can crank out fully mastered audio on your first export.
Less work, more focus on your performance, super quality.

Plus it has the best Punch and Roll in the biz, HUGE support community on FB (over 4,000 members), both beginners and pros widely use it, even though there are plenty of options.

It's actually easier to use AND has the depth for those who grow to full-time later. There is a forever free version available with limited functionality but killer P&R, the Artist version ($80 one time, and the sweet spot for most narrators), and a 30-day full-featured trial version.

It's also growing faster than the other options, for tons of great reasons far beyond what is outlined here.

(Side note: Feature lists are "barely OK". For example: Almost everything does P&R these days, but HOW they do it, varies greatly. Similar to "Pizza ranges from the stuff at gas stations, to the amazing taste/quality of a pizza specialty restaurant. All called "Pizza" some amazing, some "just OK" or worse...)
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