bakersfieldpethead wrote:People, if you are gonna do this type of thing, please...please get yourself a good studio program.
CoolEdit Pro will edit Real files and turn them to .wav files. I don't know of any cheaper way to go.
Any other ideas guys?
Yes.
This probably isn't the best news for all of you, but I think you'll be able to find something a bit more cross-platform than what I've done.
I run a Linux box, for which there are several different audio tools. The sound studio I use is called Audacity, and it can run on Windows. If you Google it, you'll be able to find it just fine. It does
not read Real Audio, since the format is proprietary and requires a license fee. The software itself is free for download (beats the $70 for Cool Edit Pro).
It isn't professional--you're not going to be blown away by the plethora of options. But it's also a lot cheaper than something like SoundForge.
I don't know if this is available for any other operating system, but I found a program for Linux that would capture from the audio device (e.g., your sound card) and export the data to a wave. It can do it as "fast-foward," so I was able to record the entire ZJAM session in about ten minutes or so (all three hours of it). It was BIG, but covered all of the Petra stuff. I then partitioned it into separate WAVs, did some editing with Audacity, and burned the suckers to a CD. It could use more cleanup work, but I don't listen to it enough for it to matter all that much.