Hi everyone, what would be the best editor or plug-in to handle WAV or MP3 audio files (cut, edit, rearrange, paste, etc.) then export them for use in Ableton Live 9 projects?

 

There's no better audio editor like your DAW, sometimes I use Spectral Layers for special tasks or Sound Forge for file conversions

 

Magix(I think it's Magic some few years,before it was Sony Soundforge) Soundforge is awesome.
Or Steinberg Wavelab.

But if you have ready to go samples,simply use them in Ableton.You can cut them as you want.

Sample editors like Soundforge are not really usefull todays.

It was usefull when we made music with hardware samplers in the old days,where the sample edition was not as easy as today in Daws.

 

An editor to cut, edit, rearrange, paste? You already use it. Your DAW. Learn it.

 

Thank's for all the answers . I still don't master Ableton Live perfectly but I do not find it very user-friendly to "traffic" audio samples (but I will try to learn ... A tutorial idea on Youtube about the subject ? ). I actually thought of Soundforge or Wavelab but a bit expensive just for that . A plug-in idea that could integrate with Ableton? Thanks again for your suggestions

 

Ocenaudio is free and quite capable. I'm mostly using the older v2 version because it launches faster.
Cannot do envelopes, only simple fades, but any DAW can.
And it supports AU and VST plugins.

I really wish the old v1 of Adobe Audition was available for Mac, it's still one of the few arguments for keeping a Windows machine or VM. Until today I haven't found any editor as fast and as powerful.

 

One of the best editors i.m.o. is Adobe Audition. I've been using it (different versions) since the year 2000.
It was called Cool edit pro back then It's easy to use.
Wavelab is a good alternative.
For old folks like me, there's even an Adobe audition version 1.5 still out there thats crazy simple to use.
But that one is only available in 32 bit.
Good luck!

 

Every daw. That`s what they are made for. Edit audio and Midi.

 

For me: Wavelab any day!

 

Yes, for simple edits there's no point in using an external editor.
It's rather for dsp-related edits like denoising, declicking, transient/tonal separation, hardcore equalisation, fine-tuned envelopes baked into the source file, spectral editing, format conversions etc. where you want a dedicated editor.

 

If one needs basic stuff like batch processing and M/S tools, the PRO version is the only way to go.
And sorry but 500 quid for a wave editor is a bad joke IMHO.

 

Nobody mentioned Acon Digital Acoustica. Weird. It is fast to start, easy to use, and quite capable. Aside from [old] Sound Forge for editing samples and send/receive from samplers, Acoustica 7 is my new editor of choice.

I was using Wavosaur for sample editing until recently, but the last version looks weird on W7, with some non-changeable bright colours that I hate with passion, so I decided to use something else, because I love dark themes. Still, Wavosaur is incredible, and freeware. I love its easy to do batch processing like automatic cuts and volume changes.

I also feel like expensive editors are not worth that much money these days, when we have Wavosaur, Audacity, Ocenaudio, Acoustica...

 

Last edited: Sep 25, 2018

I've always loved SoundForge and have been using it since version 6 when it was by Sonic Foundry! I still love it today, but it seems to have inflated rather a lot over the last few years. This is the very reason I hate Everything by Adobe because all their stuff is unnecessarily clumsy, massive bloatware. Audition version 1 and 1.5 were okay (the former of which was quite literally just a rebranded version of Cool Edit Pro, which was quite brilliant).
Audacity is a great editor now that it has been given a new lease of life with an improved interface. There's also a Dark Audacity variant, too. &, Of course, how can one forget Acon Digital Acoustica? There is a very capable free version 6 out there and v7 starts from £50.

But for all simple edits... Use your DAW!

 

It feels like Audition has mutated into a sound editor for the movie world where massive and bloated are welcome buzzwords

 

Audacity, free, lightweight

 

it looks like what I would like to do !

 

I totally agree the pro version of Wavelab is too expensive, but I started using Wavelab2 way back up till now and i havent found any other editor that works better .... and surely... you (I) get a bit conservative after 15 years or so using the same app.

 

RX advanced if you want deeper editing, a la restoration, spectral editing, repair, cleaning, conversion, final master editing etc. SpectraLayers, Sound Forge, WaveLab, Audacity, Audition, Acon Acoustica 7, ocenaudio and So on. A lot mentioned above as well

 

Ah, sounds reasonable.
I've been using Wavelab many years ago as well, but had to switch to Audition 1.5 for a few unique features we needed and never went back.
I guess it's like with DAWs: Everybody has his own concept of what is good, and why change things that work?

 

NO WAY! I thought I was the only one who still uses AA 1.5 ...Coolness! (Cool Edit Pro-ness )