Ferrite Recording Studio launches as 'on-the-go editing suite' for journalists

A free audio-editing app, Ferrite Recording Studio, is launching on Thursday on iOS devices, developed by Wooji Juice as an "on-the-go editing suite" to help journalists produce podcasts and radio packages on their mobile phones.

Ferrite includes features to help journalists save time when working on a deadline: bookmarking certain points in order to find them easily when editing; 'automatic ducking', which reduces the volume of background music when speech is overlaid on top of it; and 'strip silence', which can be used to get rid of silent portions from a clip.

Users can edit multiple tracks simultaneously, and any changes made will not overwrite the original files, as they are kept separate. Ferrite's undo function will also let users scroll through a timeline of edits they have previously made even if they closed the app and came back to the project at a later date.


The Ferrite editing interface. Image courtesy of Wooji Juice

However, the free version of the app has some limitations – recordings can only last for a maximum of one hour, and projects can't be longer than 10 minutes in duration or include more than three tracks.

There are two paid upgrades to Ferrite. A one-off entry-level upgrade costs £7.99 and removes all limitations mentioned above, whereas the full upgrade at £14.99 also includes effects and an automation option.

Matthew Rosenfeld, lead developer, known as Canis at Wooji Juice, told Journalism.co.uk the effects, such as 'noise gate' and 'dynamic compression' are "a bit like Instagram filters for sound, but less extreme" and are mainly designed to improve the quality of voice recordings and reduce background noise.


A brief overview of the app's editing functions

The automation feature remembers changes such as volume, panning or effects preferences over time, which can be quickly applied to any audio packages created in the future.

He gave the example of putting together a radio package where a voiceover intersects with an interviewee's quotes and background sound meant to "set the scene".

"Automation would let you do things like have the background sounds quite loud at the start.

"People can hear them and understand where the piece is set, but you can fade them down to be quieter during the interview portion, although not completely, so the piece still has a sense of place," he said.

As smartphones are becoming the default recording devices in many situations, there is an increasing need for faster and more comprehensive apps for editing audio.

There are a number of other tools available to help journalists record soundbites when out in the field, and Journalism.co.uk has highlighted a few options in the past.

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