Why I'm Excited About Hindenburg PRO 2.0

how the next update to this innovative DAW could replace your recording and editing toolset

Last week, the good people from Hindenburg Systems revealed a sneak peek at Hindenburg PRO 2.0, the next iteration of their awesome audio editor/digital audio workstation (DAW).

What was cool about this reveal is that Hindenburg PRO 2.0 promises to add to an already-excellent DAW, and possibly see it remove at least 2-3 other tools you might currently use in your recording and editing/production workflow.

Hyperbole? Maybe - but after getting a sneak peek at it, and being a user of the current Hindenburg Pro, this definitely feels like a major upgrade (hence the 2.0 moniker). Given today’s iteration helped me cut my editing time by at least 60%, and probably a lot more to be honest, that’s no small achievement.

So, what’s so good about it?

Hindenburg PRO 2.0 - A Quick Breakdown

If you want to watch the reveal yourself, and see/hear about some of the features coming Hindenburg’s way, here’s the 30-minute or so reveal video from last week.

If you prefer a breakdown of the features coming to Hindenburg PRO 2.0, this is what’s been confirmed so far.

Offline transcription engine

One of the cool things to see in podcasting last year was the continued uptake of transcripts. This helps your show and episodes be more accessible to the hard of hearing, as well as people that prefer to read a text version of your episode.

Hindenburg PRO 2.0’s offline transcription engine lets you create transcripts no matter where you are. For a lot of other automated transcripts services (maybe all?), you need to be online and signed in to their server, which can mean extra data usage (depending how you’re accessing) and also require a decent wi-fi/mobile internet connection if you’re travelling.

This isn’t the case with Hindenburg PRO 2.0’s offline option, which works inside your own hardware, whether that’s Mac or PC. Simple.

Manuscript

Similar to tools like Descript and other AI-powered editors, this lets you edit your audio via text (much like a Word document). Voice recognition software will highlight different speakers, and this is also in the top of each region of your editing space (current Hindenburg users will know the region feature well).

Clipboard

Hindenburg was created as an intuitive recording and editing software for “storytellers and radio/audio producers”, and this is evident in their clipboard feature, which any radio producers or hosts will recognize.

The new clipboard allows you to store audio snippets, key points, soundbites, etc, for easy access to add them to your recording. This, combined with the ability to search multiple clips using the transcription tool’s search, makes creating a fully-produced podcast episode fast and easy.

Video track

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the sneak peek was the announcement of video support. Now, you can add a video file to Hindenburg and edit that the same way you do an audio file, which includes all the awesome sound optimization work that Hindenburg does in the background, like levelling and loudness. Speaking of audio optimization…

Audio cleanup

One of the reasons I use and love Hindenburg Pro is the audio optimization it does to every file on upload, the key parts being sorting loudness levels, levelling the sound, and then offering the option to export at the industry standard -16 LUFS amongst other things.

In Hindenburg PRO 2.0, that’s going even further, with distortion and clipping tools, mouth smack/click remover, breath control and plosive remover. Currently I use the Accusonus ERA Bundle 6 (sadly no longer being created) for this level of optimization within Hindenburg (since it supports a host of VST plugins), but these new features may see that need negated.

Call recorder

There are already a great mix of remote recording tools for podcasters and creators, like SquadCast, Zoom, Riverside, and my favourite and the one I use, Boomcaster (aff. link). These all offer different options based on your need - and now Hindenburg PRO 2.0 looks like it’s joining the party.

Call recorder will let you host multiple guests in your own private recording room, with each guest being saved to a wav file for editing later. It’ll be interesting to see how this compares with the features current dedicated remote platforms offer, like 4k video, customizable studios, live closed captions (on Boomcaster), etc.

Sound libraries

Depending on the type of show you host, the addition of royalty-free sound effects via a partnership with Soundly could see this as a great addition. With over 2,000 sound effects in the Standard Library, and 20,000 in the Gold Library, this could be another time and cost-saver.

Combine all this with a new look for the editor, including a high-resolution interface, colour coded channels, easier post-production options like fade, and Hindenburg PRO 2.0 looks like it’s going to be something pretty special.

Now all we need is a release date….

Hindenburg PRO 2.0 is currently available as a beta for existing Hindenburg Pro users - more details here, including how you can sign up.