Q: I have a DAW on my computer and it does a lot of editing functions. Do I still need a dedicated audio editor software app?
A: Most DAWs are highly capable when it comes to editing audio, particularly when “comping” tracks, editing multitrack takes (e.g., drums), and other multitrack “production” tasks. But don’t write off dedicated audio editing platforms such as Sony’s Sound Forge and Steinberg’s WaveLab. For one thing, they offer destructive editing, meaning that the edits and processing you do immediately become part of the file, and don’t need to be bounced or rendered later. This is a very fast and efficient way to work when you know that there’s audio that you want to trim or fade or process and you want to commit it.
Standalone editing software usually offers more format conversion opportunities, if you want to convert WAV to AIFF or MP3 files, for example. Moreover, sometimes their algorithms for sample rate conversion and compression encoding are better/higher quality algorithms than those in DAWs.
Standalone editors may offer more robust specialized editing features, such as the surround editing functionality in WaveLab, or the restoration processing in iZotope RX5 Audio Editor. And for mastering, a dedicated audio editor can often be much more efficient, with dedicated facilities for accomplishing the necessary tasks quickly. The list goes on; sample editing, sound design, batch processing, disc assembly, and more are all features of dedicated audio editors.
So even though your DAW will allow you to edit audio, don’t rule out getting a separate audio editor if your needs warrant it.