Gotta new computer, need to upgrade audio/video editing software

[Big Al]

Before I begin, may I respectfully ask that all Mac-fans please refrain from stating that I "shoulda got a Mac?" Those comments drive me up a wall in conversations like this, as well as adding nothing to the conversation at hand.

Last week, I was given (yes, "given," as in FREE!) a Dell running Windows 7, but I cannot run the following programs I've been using for video editing and audio editing:

ArcSoft ShowBiz - used this for video editing/creating; I'm sure it came with a video camera I bought

CakeWalk Pyro - bought this awhile back and found it very useful, but the latest version is getting across-the-board negative reviews

Any suggestions for software replacements/upgrades/freeware/shareware/firmware/etc will be greatly appreciated!

[Shawn]

Wish I could help, but most of my Windows audio/video software is about 7 years old. I just never got around to upgrading.

I would recommend downloading foobar2000 for a real lightweight player with some cool audio file conversion capabilities and it's free.

[BERIGAN]

Al, I have Vista, but it came with Cyberlink DVD Suite Deluxe(which I use to capture stuff of of DVD's I have recorded) and then I use Windows Movie Maker to edit the clips to put up on Youtube, etc. Very easy to use for someone like me, a dope when it comes to computer stuff. I was tickled to find they just came on my fairly basic computer, since all I ever heard was no software came on new computers anymore. Anyway, a thought to see if your computer came with these....

EDIT: well, looking around the web, it looks like that comes on HP computers(I Have a Compaq, which is part of the HP Umbrella)

Edited June 20, 2010 by BERIGAN

[Jim Alfredson]

For video editing, Corel VideoStudio is pretty simple and yet powerful. Not very expensive either... around $80.

For audio, Adobe has something called Soundbooth that gets the job done respectfully. It's a bit pricey ($199) but does a ton.