Sonic Foundry

Upgraded from Acid Pro 2 (which I got only a few months before for like $200) for another $99 direct from sonic foundry. I love this as you can take samples and loops them to build a sick rhythm track and warp and effect all your sounds. Then i record guitar bass and vox right along to it (great function) Could do this with pro 2, but also you can put a video track in and compose (or mix) a soundtrack right to it. The only think is there is no video running along with it as you do this so you have to save it first, see what needs tewaking then re-edit. I believe Vegas Video has this function Id like but Im looking to see if the Pro 4.0 may have this too. Another cool thing with 3.0 is you can download free samps to use every month (think ive only done that 2-3x since ive had this, about a year, but i did get some cool video fx free this way) My computer i used it with sucked (old processor, but it was the required 400mz) so when I have a huge project (large file with recorded sound taking up a lot of memory) going it farts and pops like you wouldnt imagine. The Acid Music cheap version ran much better on what I had. Getting a pentium 4, 1.8 so it should do what i need soon. If you consider getting this check what you got first. Its a disk, what is there to know? They did fixed some bugs it had and you can download upgrades free. Whether you make gay trance music or techno that sound like everyone elses stuff cause they use the same free or store bought loops, or make your own sick twisted stuff, Acid is cool! Any tone deaf fool without any knowledge of music whatsoever can make music with it. Everyone shold get on ACID!! LOL This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I came accross Sonic Foundry"s new Acid Pro 5.0 Package when i visited a studio of a friend of mine. He was proud of his new software and showed me some of the incredible features Acid Pro has to offer. I immediatly took controll over the keyboard. I believe Acid Pro has a retail price of about $700, which is not bad for this piece of professional audio editing software. In combination with sonic foundry"s acid 5.0 it enables you to do anything pro tools could, and more. The software runs smooth, has a classy and comfortable interface, and a large number of effect stacks which can be arranged, and edited any way you want! Effect chains and individual effect settings can be saved as "packages", this way you can create your own styles by using effect combinations you"ve invented. Acid Pro has the possibility to intergrate movies. The perfect tool for adding sound to your flash inventions! Other interesting features are the beatmapper, and the ability to transpose any sample or recording to desired key. The only con i can think of is that acid pro needs quite a powerfull system to run on. Especially if you want to work with a large number of tracks. The record interface could also use some improvement. It is not as flexible as i would like it to be, eg : for recording multiple tracks at once other programs like Cooledit Pro, or Pro Tools are more effective. It is a high quality software package, with the possibility for upgrades and expansions. I would say it is a must have if you like flexibilty and diversity. I personally use Pro tools for real serious recording sessions but reload most of my recordings in Acid Pro. It really is my favourite Mix Down tool. If you arn"t on a low budget i"d advice you to buy it. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This is a great program that is very deep while also keeping to its roots and being easy to use. I work with hip hop and this is a great program for that because all of your loops and samples sync up to a master tempo, and with the loop preview, its easy to try out different ideas. The Midi sequencer is very easy to use and edit, applying different grooves and quantization, etc... Editing is also incredibly easy and fast. I picked it up very quickly because I am a recently graduated college student and editing in Acid Pro is very similar to editing a paper in microsoft word, which I have a lot of experience with. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE It was very easy to set up and get running, I only had 1 crash with it on my windows vista computer but that could be because I havent upgraded to the service pack 2 yet and my system has been very unstable for some odd reason. But besides that it has ran and work great. I didn’t even need a manual because if you have any understanding of midi software then you will be able to use this program without a single problem. OVERALL OPINION Overall, acid pro has, many strengths, and Where this program's strength really lies though is the main screen where all the action happens. Audio tracks are right next to midi tracks, the mixer is right below that, and windows explorer is just to the left of the mixer so you can import your files quickly. These windows can also easily be stretched and re sized depending on which part of production you are currently working on. With everything on one screen like this, its much easier to stay focused and not be overly confused by numerous intimidating sub menus and stuff. I like the way I write songs with this program and with vst support, I can mix and master inside Acid. Last but definitely not least, the included software is great; especially the garritan aria player - very realistic and inspiring orchestra and other instrument samples. I actually end up using the free sounds that came with the aria player I think more often than the numerous patches inside my other favorite program, reason 4. Acid Pro 7 is a very easy and inspiring program. Try the demo and you will see just how easy it is.

I have been using the Sony Vegas Lines for years now, and I started on Sony Vegas 4.0. Sony Vegas give you complete control over your video editing. If you are new to Sony Vegas you will need to read the manual, the program can get a little confusing with all of the windows. But if you have used a previous version of Sony Vegas than 4.0 wont be a problem at all for you. That’s one thing that I love about The Sony Vegas line, is that from each new version they keep the same basic theme and shortcut commands as previous versions so that the faithful users of Sony Vegas wont have to learn new tricks and can get started right away. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE I run Sony Vegas 4.0 on a Windows XP computer and it works great, I haven’t had 1 crash. Sony Vegas 4.0 came out years ago, I suggest you upgrade if you are using it now and go with 10.0. All of the newer versions of Sony Vegas Pro allow you to use almost any video format and you can convert it right in Sony Vegas plus it allows editing of High Definition videos, which is what everything is going to right now. They even have presets that will have your video perfect for Youtube Viewing. OVERALL OPINION Overall I am extremely happy with my purchase of Sony Vegas 4.0. It was the start of my video production career and will continue to power my videos. With all of the options and effects that you have on hand with Sony Vegas you will never run out of creative ideas to use when editing a video no matter what style the video is. Sony Vegas outshines its competitors and offeres top notch support to all of its users. Sony Vegas 4.0 will not let you down.