Audio Editing Process?

Hi Everyone,

I record my audio narration separately from Presenter (using Sound Forge Pro), and wanted to start a discussion about what process others use when recording audio.  I've been creating elearning training modules for just under a year and think there might be a better and more efficient process I could follow that would save me some time in the editing mode.

My current process is like this:

1. Record all of the audio narration for the entire course in one continuous recording.

2. Edit/Delete gaps at beginning and end of recording, if any.

3. Edit/Delete errors by the narrator. I speed up the playback so I don't have to sit there and listen to the entire audio file from beginning to end.  If I’m recording someone other than myself, I can make a note on my copy of the script as we go, so I know where to go in the file to quickly locate and delete errors.

4. Apply the noise reduction feature in the audio recording program for the whole file.

5. Edit out any noticeable distracting breaths or other noises. Also delete any extra pauses in sections if not needed.

6. Increase audio for the whole file if needed.

7. Select and save out as a separate audio file each individual slide's audio narration or engage interaction, and name each as applicable (Slide 1, Slide 2, etc.)

8. Import audio into Presenter.

9. Sync animations.

10. Test publish and review. If satisfied with audio and no more editing is needed, export and save files in a backup area.

Most of our online courses will be around 30 minutes or less, so this process is not that labor intensive and I’m pretty satisfied with it.

However - I created two 45 min+ courses and I thought the audio editing process was going to get the best of me! It seemed to take forever!   So now I’m wondering if there is a better process.

 If you use a program to record audio separately from Presenter, I would appreciate it if you could share any suggestions you have to help save some time with the process.

Also, I'm sharing a pic of my no-cost audio recording porta-booth. Works pretty darn good!  I have to grab a conference room somewhere in the building and never know what sorts of overhead vents will be blowing and this has really solved the problem.