Splicing, or audio editing, removes content from an audio work so that it is not heard in the final product, or connects separate pieces of audio content together. With digital files, material is erased or hidden for removal, or added together, then mixed together to achieve your final vision. With recording tape, sections of tape are physically removed or added to make new content. In either case, planning your final product guides your splicing decisions, though digital audio allows for more trial and error.
For digital work, all you need is audio editing software. Freeware products include Audacity, Waveshop and Wavosaur, and while each audio editor has its own interface, splices and audio edits are a standard function and carried out in a similar manner in any program. Using the waveform view of your editor, you can remove sections of audio by highlighting and cutting. Most editors use standard key combinations, such as "Ctrl-X" for Windows applications. Adding audio works the same way, using copy-and-paste methods, inserting copied audio where you wish.
An enormous advantage that digital audio offers is the ability to step backward when you make a mistake, or to perform your edits in such a way that the edited material is not lost. This is called nondestructive editing, since, unlike tape, your original material is not altered. Creating a playlist is a way of splicing or editing without affecting your original songs. The playlist contains instructions about what audio material to play, but doesn't contain the audio itself. Audio players such as Windows Media Player and iTunes are suitable for splicing playlists together.
Despite the advantages of digital editing, some people value the sound qualities of magnetic tape and continue to use it in the recording process. To splice magnetic tape, audio content for removal is located by moving the tape back and forth across the play head, a technique called "scrubbing," to locate the point where the tape will be cut and removed. To minimize the chances of an audible sound at the splice, cuts are made at 45- or 60-degree angles. With the unwanted section removed, the ends of the tape are butted and fastened with adhesive tape.
Splicing magnetic tape is usually done to alter the arrangement of a song. With digital music, it's common to edit out a singer's breathing, or to remove sections on a track where an instrument is not playing to eliminate unwanted background noise. In spoken-word audio, you can rearrange sections easily and remove pauses or "ums" and "ahs" that often occur. Audio montaging of music, sound effects, speech and any other content is possible, limited only by your imagination.