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SONAR 8 Producer Competitive Upgrade Review

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(More customer reviews)Sonar has been the best available Windows-based digital audio workstation software for a long time now - to the point where a fair number of producers and studios have migrated to Sonar from Pro Tools, not to mention a steadily increasing string of software and industry awards. (See Cakewalk's site for names, if interested.) And, of course, with Boot Camp, you can run Sonar native under Windows if you have a recent Intel-based Mac - running a Mac doesn't force you into Pro Tools for software at this level. Pro Tools is still the pro industry standard, of course, but while a few years ago you HAD to submit material in Pro Tools format, virtually all studios and mastering facilities will now accept Sonar-based material as well. Cakewalk's continuous investment in Sonar is second to none, and I expect to see it surpass Pro Tools in the next few years. In my opinion, it is already better softare.
Sonar Producer comes with a terrific package of high-quality effects plug-ins (actually the original reason I jumped into Sonar Producer). I've also found Cakewalk to have good customer service - one of the very, very few, in fact, where the response on customer service calls is as good as on sales calls. Cakewalk continues to improve the user interface with Sonar 8. Particularly welcome are edit changes, including multiple-clip edits, and optimizations targeted at running high track counts. Several instruments are included, and I'm particularly happy to see Dimension Pro, which includes Garritan Orchestral sounds, and TruePianos Amber. Your interests and activities will differ, of course (mini are Midi-heavy), and you should really look through the complete list of enhancements on Cakewalk's site. Enhancements for this version runs several pages long. This is a major upgrade from Sonar 7.
In addition to the software, buy a Sonar book or two, take the tutorials, hit one or two of Cakewalk's roadshows, and join a forum or two. There is a fairly steep learning curve with Sonar, as with any other pro-level audio suite, the good news being there is a ton of support out there due to the market's embrace of Sonar.

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Sound Forge Audio Studio 9 Review

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(More customer reviews)For years I've used different audio editors from Steinberg's Wavelab, to Cool Edit Pro (now owned by Adobe), to Soundforge's current only real rival Audacity (which is free), which I still currently have on PC. I still choose Soundforge (like Willie Hutch sang), and here's why: There is no other affordable audio editing program that has the ease and workflow of Sound Forge.
There are the high end programs and plug ins like TDM Waves, but unless you are running a multi-plantinum artist recording studio you most likely don't need a program like this, and wouldn't get any mileage out of it if you did have it. Soundforge is a good place to hone your audio editing skills. Alot of people always think they have to use the most full blown and expensive versions of audio, music, and video programs, but a good program won't make up for a lack of skills.
That said I currently use Sound Forge Studio with a suite of Sony plug-ins, and some Focusrite Saffire audio plug-ins (which are very good). It should be noted also that Sound Forge Studio 9 has more features than many of the older versions of Sound Forge Pro (which are probably floating around the internet, not recommended). The Vinyl Recording (once you tweek the settings) feature is great, it can use VST and Direct X plug-ins, and it works hand in hand with the other suite of Sony Creative programs (Vegas Studio 9 Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack, Acid MusicACID Music Studio 7) which I own.
I've had no problems with installation on both a laptop and desktop, and have mixed and edited my own recordings, converted non-copy protected songs I purchased to MP3s with my own mix settings, and have converted a small part of my vinyl catalog to digital. If someone is having installation problems they should make sure they uninstall all older versions of Sound Forge, especially the old Sonic Foundry versions, that may help...
Sound Forge vs. Audacity
Audacity is a great program and if money is an issue this a good place to start using auditor software, being that its free. There are alot of third party plug-ins available for Audacity, however, for me Audacity does not have the speed and workflow of Sound Forge, and there are many tasks in Sound Forge that are done in one mouse click, that would take multiple clicks in Audacity, it also does not natively support as many file formats as Sound Forge, such as windows media audio, which is a downside for me.
Overall, people may have their pro and cons, and yes the Sony registration can be a bit annoying, but in terms of ease of use and reliability Sound Forge studio has been great.
As a last point, it does take some audio know how to get the most out of SF hence the four stars, you may have to select either Microsoft Sound Mapper (if you don't have a high end soundcard), or use the ASIO drivers (at least under Windows XP) under preferences to get the most out your sound playback. Enjoy.....
Also recommended Steinberg Cubase Essential 4 - Personal Music Production - Windows Macintosh, Ableton Live 7 LE - Windows and Macintosh, Focusrite Saffire LE 6 In/8 Out Version 2 Firewire Audio Interface

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Sound Forge 9 Review

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(More customer reviews)appearantly the last reviewer doesn't understand the simplicity of what a fully featured "audio editing" program is.
as of soundforge 1.0, you could mix vocals into music, ...all you do is copy it onto the clipboard, ...and highlight the area in the audio you want to mix the vocals into, ...and move it also to the cliboard, ...then choose the "mix" setting on the clipboard, ...make any required adjustments inside the dialogue box, ....and click paste.
the cursor should still be left precisley at the point you extracted the audio segment to be mixed.
this is "not" a multi-track recorder.
this is an "audio editing program", ...mainly oriented towards sound designers, ...audio engineer "mastering" specialists. ...and people who use hardware and software samplers who want to get closer, spiritually with the essence of their samplers.
you 'can' sync to video, ...but vegas might be a better option.
soundforge 9 also excepts any VST plugins, ...an insane value if you are already into music production/recording/engineering.
not to mention "noise reduction", ...how else would you get all that vynil onto your hard drive, and capture its origional sound quality?
this editing program is by far more powerful than "ANY" editing program featured in any software multitrack recording program or DAW, ...as well as "ANY" hardware sampler.
although it is meant to "edit" with the entent of dispersing its results onto other working software/hardware applications.
don't get pissed cause you bought a high quality turntable needle, but can't be a full fledged dj without two turntables and a mixer.
the only competition is Steinberg Wavelab.
i haven't used it, ...but it costs twice as much, ...and steinberg has caught up to its features with surround sound mixing, ...video audio syncing, ...vst implementation, ...noise reduction 2.0, ....as well as CD Architect, ...what a great program to create RED BOOK STANDARD commercially professional cds?
soundforge + waves plugins? ....full fledged mastering studio for the price of a few hundred dollars? ...incredible!

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Sony Sound Forge v.9.0 SF9000 Audio Engineering Software

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Antares Auto-Tune Evo Pitch Correcting Plug-In - Native Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I had this plugin for a year. Last week it stopped recognizing the license on my iLok (all the other licenses on the iLok work fine). Antares tech support responded by asking me a bunch of questions I had already answered in my original e-mail and then vanished. It's bad enough they treat you like a criminal by handcuffing you to a dongle that you have to buy yourself, they don't even help you when their handcuffs cut off your circulation.
There are plenty of better alternatives out there. Perhaps the free plugins (gSnap or KeroVee) might do the trick for you. If not, there's always Melodyne.

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SoundSoap 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)Holy cow. I've used other filters to clean music, and for this price, I expected a "decent" job. SoundSoap 2 delivered awesome results with the most simple operation--the Learn Noise button. I'm a multi-track artist and had transferred old "open-reel" recordings to minidisc and then CD, in order to archive them. I was not happy with the hiss from older recordings when converting to MP3s. SoundSoap brought these recordings back to life-virtually eliminating the hiss and noise! It even made them "sparkle." And the less I messed with the settings, the better it came out. Downside is that it can't directly save MP3s, but no biggie--use Audacity (free on the Web) or iTunes to then convert your files. Nice job, Bias!

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Whether you're shooting videos, building websites, creating presentations, or making music, you probably care about your audio. Now, with BIAS SoundSoap 2 there's an easy-to use tool that will make your work sound better than ever. BIAS SoundSoap 2 scrubs audio squeaky clean - dramatically reducing tape hiss, buzzing and hum, rumble, and most other types of background noise. Making a road movie? Let SoundSoap 2 wipe away tire noise. Burning CDs from your old cassette collection? Don't forget the SoundSoap 2. A perfect narration, except for that annoying air conditioner? SoundSoap it! Best of all - while BIAS SoundSoap 2 uses incredibly advanced technology to do its magic - you don't need to be an audio expert. Just click the one-step "Learn Noise" button, and watch SoundSoap 2 automatically clean your audio! Or fine-tune SoundSoap 2's intuitive controls for even more professional results - in just seconds. SoundSoap 2 works standalone - or as a plug-in for most VST or DirectX host programs. So when your sound could use some serious sanitizing, or even just a little freshening up, nothing does the job more easily, more effectively, or more quickly than BIAS SoundSoap 2.

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M-Audio Session Music Producer with USB microphone Review

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(More customer reviews)I used this microphone with the free download software called Audacity, and it worked WONDERFULLY. I especially like the USB plug and the stand. It had great sound. I recorded an accompaniment CD with it, and it worked wonderfully. The recording was clear enough for performance, and I actually did use it for that.
But the previous poster is correct - unless you have the heftiest system on the planet, their software doesn't really cut it. I just ignored it and used what I already knew and it worked just fine.

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Toast 10 Titanium Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using Toast for many years and I have always thought that it was a well designed and easy to use program that allowed you to do many things that you would normally have to otherwise do using several other, more expensive programs.
Toast v.9 was and still is, a great application. It was easy to use and performed very well. I was happy with it. I was happy that is until I loaded version 10. It has been the worst experience that I have ever had with any of their products. To begin with, it doesn't load properly, necessitating a clean install and after all of that nonsense is finished, it still won't work. It hangs, it crashes and there is no documentation or tech support to help you address the specific issues or problems that you are having once you have given them your money.
Mac2Tivo is the worst application I've ever tried to use. Version 1.0 should have a b in the version number because it is clearly beta software. It won't share any of my videos with TIVO, showing only empty folders where there are actually dozens of files.
I have made many attempts to get help from Roxio and they are completely useless. There is no live tech support any longer, relying instead on "Roxanne" their computerized tech monkey. If you have ever been caught in a phone queu from hell, endlessly pressing phone prompt after phone prompt, either to be summarily disconnected or finally just hanging up in frustration, then you have some idea of what Roxio's "new and improved" automated tech support is like.
I have opened two different trouble tickets with them and all they will do is to repeatedly send me the same canned responses over and over again.
Don't waste your money on this. Wait until they have perfected the software. Toast 11 may be worth looking at. Or better yet, just hold on to version 9. It's way better than v.10

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Burn, copy, listen, and watch—Roxio Toast 10 Titanium is the #1 choice for burning and more.

Burn Toast has been the standard for burning and ease of use for over 10 years. It's the easiest and fastest way to burn your music, video, photo and data files on to CD, DVD or Blu-ray Disc for both Mac and PC.

Copy Toast makes copying discs a snap. With one-click disc copy, you can copy CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs. Even copy dual layer DVD-Video discs on to affordable 4.7 GB single-layer discs.

Listen Expand your MP3 library. From LP and tape conversion to streaming Internet audio capture, Toast 10 helps you automatically capture, tag and add streaming music tracks to your iTunes library.

Watch With just a few clicks you can locate, convert and burn your favorite shows, music and data to CD, DVD and Blu-ray discs*, or sync to your iPhone, iPod and other mobile devices.

Enhance your iPod and iPhone
Stream video from your Mac to your iPhone over the Internet, with Streamer iPhone application available from iTunes App Store—free for Toast 10 users.
Cut, trim, and send your favorite video, EyeTV and TiVo recordings, or DVD clips to iTunes for syncing with your iPhone.
Capture, identify, and tag streaming Internet audio—automatically sent to your iTunes library.
Rip audiobook CDs, complete with individual chapters and pause/resume support for easy playback on iPod or iPhone.
Save streaming web video from your favorite web sites and have it sent directly to iTunes.

The Standard for Disc Burning on the Mac
Drag, drop, burn Toast 10 is the easiest and fastest way to burn your music, video, photo and data files on to CD, DVD or Blu-ray Disc for both Mac and PC. Span large projects across multiple discs. Archive up to 50 GB on high capacity Blu-ray Discs.

Unleash your HD videos AVCHD Archive makes it one-click simple to back up an entire camera of HD video to disc and automatically keep a preview version on your Mac for easy browsing.

Smart folder synchronization Sync up folders bi-directionally—between multiple computers, network volumes, or external hard disks.

Easy search and fast retrieval Automatically catalog your discs as you burn—with photo thumbnails saved on your computer, you can easily preview the contents of your discs and find any file or photo without the disc in the drive.

Share on both Macs and PCs Create hybrid discs with content unique to the Mac or PC—including custom icons, background images, and discs that "autorun" on PCs.

Every file at your fingertips Toast's convenient Media Browser includes file browsing, data filters, Spotlight search, Aperture and iLife '08 library access.

Copy, Compress and Convert Everything
Copy discs with one click Create exact copies of CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs—including audio CDs*** with one click. Recover files from scratched and damaged discs while copying.

Every file at your fingertips Toast's convenient Media Browser includes file browsing, data filters, Spotlight search, Aperture and iLife '08 library access.

Custom DVD compilations Create custom DVD compilations with up to 4 hours of DVD video on a single disc. Choose the individual DVD movies, audio and languages you want, while maximizing available disc space and video quality.

Video copy & convert Save time with Batch DVD conversion. Compress multiple DVD-Video folders at once to fit on a single DVD. Or convert them for playback on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, BlackBerry devices, and more.

Video Quality Preview Ensure the video quality you've selected is optimal before kicking-off lengthy video conversions. Preview a short clip of your video at selected quality settings in just seconds.

File Recovery for Damaged Discs Don't risk losing vital data. Recover previously unreadable files from damaged discs and copy them onto a new disc along with a list of unrecoverable files. Some of the data is always better than none!

Expand Your MP3 Library
Audiobook CDs on your iPod Convert audiobook CDs complete with individual chapters and pause/resume support for easy playback on iPod, iPhone and other portable players

Digitize LPs and tapes Digitize and restore your LPs and tapes, without the pops, clicks and hisses. Then burn them to CD or DVD, or send to iTunes for syncing with your iPod and more.

Automatic music capture If your Mac can play it, you can record it. Capture any streaming Internet audio on your Mac. Split audio into tracks, automatically identify and tag them, and add to your iTunes library.

Name that tune automatically Unique audio fingerprinting technology identifies and tags unknown tracks by adding artist, title and genre information. Now you can enjoy the music rather than doing the typing.

Your Video, Movies & TV Shows Anytime, Anywhere
Enjoy Web video anywhere Save streaming web video from your favorite web sites and burn to DVD for viewing on your big-screen TV. Easily convert web video to other formats for playback on the portable device of your choice and enjoy it anywhere you go.

HD video on standard DVDs Easily import video from your AVCHD camcorder or other HD sources and create high-def DVD discs for playback on Blu-ray Disc players, including the PlayStation 3.*

Stream TV Shows Stream your TiVo and EyeTV recordings and other video files from your Mac to iPhone and iPod Touch over the Internet. Easily browse, sort, and search your TV shows. Toast will even notify you by email when new shows are ready for streaming.

Mac2TiVo Send standard and HD video from your Mac to your TiVo DVR for viewing on television. Publish folders full of video on your Mac and stream them on-the-fly to your DVR without lengthy video conversions.

Easily grab video highlights Extract video clips from your home DVD movies** and convert them to view and share on the playback device of your choice.

Striking DVD menus Choose from over 20 stunning new DVD and Blu-ray Disc menu styles for all occasions—in both full-screen and widescreen versions.

*HD video authoring functionality for DVD and Blu-ray Discs requires the purchase of High-Def/Blu-ray Disc Plug-In. **Does not copy encrypted or protected content. USE OF THIS SOFTWARE TO MAKE ILLEGAL COPIES OF MOVIES AND OTHER CONTENT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED

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Pioneer SVJ-DL01 Software For Pc: Djs Review

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(More customer reviews)I did not find the program very easy to use for the purpose I wanted it for. It seem to be a o.k. program

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Secrets of the Pros Pro Tools DVD Vol. 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)What I mean by that is... it's a DVD-ROM. It does not, repeat DOES NOT, play in a DVD player like one might expect when ordering a DVD. For this title, you must insert it in your computer and watch quicktime movie files on your computer media player.
As such, I cannot comment on any of the content of this disk... I haven't been able to watch it. Shame on me... maybe there was some fine print on the order screen that I did not see... when I ordered a DVD, I thought I would receive a PLAYABLE DVD that would work in my DVD PLAYER... get it?
Ultimately, the content may even be great... someday, maybe I'll actually get to see it and figure that out for myself. It's just that what was delivered to my mailbox is not what I expected or what I wanted.
Just for information and comparison purposes, subsequent volumes within this series (Volumes 2 & 3 specifically) ARE playable DVDs and DO work in a DVD Player... as I would expect... and in accordance with what I wanted and ordered.

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