What I use and what I recommend

Writing

What I Use:

-VLC Media Player; free

-Microsoft Wordpad(or the Mac or Linux equivalent); free on Windows.

This is so I can watch the episode while writing without having to minimize the screen.

What I Recommend:

-I've used this setting for a while, so I likes it. I'd recommend it.

What I Don't Recommend:

-Using Microsoft Word. For one thing, you'll probably be sending your script to dozens of other voice actors during the duration of your series. If the stats from Mac are correct, you should expect that at least two of these people have Mac OS or Linux, and can't open Microsoft Word documents. Then there are those of us(like me) who have Windows but not Word, and can't open it.

The reason I suggest Wordpad over Word is because Wordpad saves in .rtf document format, which is very versatile in different word processing programs. Besides, in all honesty, Word just makes a script harder to read. Its fine for school reports or writing fanfiction, but scripts don't need a lot of bolding, italicizing, etc., so Wordpad serves its function.

Voice Acting/Audio Editing

What I use:

-Logitech Headset Microphone; about $30.

-Audacity; free

-FetchMp3; free

-PartnersInRhyme/Soundsnap.com; free and free for five sound effects per month respectively.

The mic and Audacity are used to record/mod my voice acting, fetchmp3 helps me download the sound from Youtube videos in mp3 format for free, and the two sites listed above have sound effects.

What I Recommend:

-A headset mic or mic separate from your computer's mic. It sounds a whole lot better.

-Audacity. Its free, its versatile, it kicks butt.

-The websites mentioned above. There are other sources though.

What I do NOT Recommend:

-Using a desktop mic or an .mp3 player to record your lines. Some people make this work(I don't know how) but the majority of us can't.

-Using Limewire. I liked it, until I realized that the viruses I downloaded from there were killing my computer. Plus the audio is somewhat less quality. Just use on of the mp3 services listed above, or iTunes if you can spare the dough.

Video/Image Editing/Footage

What I Use:

-Corel Video Studio X2; $99 to buy, $50 to upgrade.

-GIMP

-Microsoft Paint

-Veoh

-Youtube

-Torrents

What I Recommend:

-I'm going to recommend Corel, simply because I know it better. It's awesome. It has basic masking skills, footage clipping, two layers of audio, two or more layers of titles, etc. It is extremely user friendly for beginners.

At the risk of being accused of self-advertising, here's a sample of me using Corel's more advanced features:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgxunTlC0Xs&feature=channel_page

Its not exactly polished, but it was also my first try at this.

-GIMP if you're low on funds, Photoshop if you're not. GIMP is a great image editing system, but it's pretty hard to use if you're just getting the basics of image editing. Photoshop, from what I've seen by toying around with it, seems to be more user friendly and has a few more features too.

-Microsoft Paint. I recommend this for just quick and easy collages or what have you.

-Veoh, Youtube. hey might not have the best quality, but they're safe and free and legal.

-DVD's. I don't own any, and I can't currently think of a program that lets you rip them to .avi, .wmv or .mpg for free.

What I'm Neutral On:

-Sony Vegas and Adobe Premier. Both of these editing programs are uber-expensive and extremely difficult to use. However, if you can use them, then you'll be able to pimp your abridged series something awesome. Just look at Kaiser, Masako or LK to see what I mean. I, myself, tried Vegas, and got so frustrated with it that I punted it off of a second story balcony. This is not a joke, I actually did that. I strongly recommend against noob editors using this.

-Windows Movie Maker. It's free and its extremely user friendly, but its also very basic. I have a friend who can do amazing things with WMM that I'm still learning with Corel, but most of us can't exactly aspire to that.

What I Do NOT Recommend:

-Getting Keygens for your editing program. A) Its illegal. 2) They are full of viruses.