Being a Sony program, Sound Forge Audio Studio can also export files directly to a Sony NetMD player/recorder but only if you have Sony's Open MG software installed. Any file can be saved to formats such as RealAudio, RealMedia, QuickTime, AVI, MP3, OG, AIFF, WMA, WMV, and so on. While the program is compatible with more than 10 popular audio and video formats, it really shines as an export utility, though MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 are unfortunately compatible only when used with a separately purchased plug-in. With its ability to create ACID loops, Sound Forge Audio Studio is the perfect companion to ACID Music Studio. The application even includes the popular vinyl-restoration plug-in that virtually eliminates pops and hisses from old records. All these plug-ins can be previewed and adjusted in real time (typically there's a delay of a second or two), which allows you to efficiently experiment without applying changes to the track until you are satisfied with the results. For example, the Flange/Wah-Wah effect has presets named Bouncing Flange, Mad Flange, and Slow Wah, while EQ presets include Boost Bass, Cut High Frequencies, and Cut Midrange. Each plug-in can be tweaked in great detail by the user, and all come with useful presets. Sound Forge Audio Studio includes more than 30 built-in DirectX effects and processes, including delay, reverb, chorus, reverse, and a very nice EQ. Plus, everything is done in real time and in a nondestructive manner. What makes Sound Forge Audio Studio so powerful is the depth of its tools, such as delay and chorus effects or vinyl restoration, and the ease with which these are applied. Or import an MP3 file or a CD track, again crop or manipulate, then either save to a number of formats such as MP3, WMA, and WAV or simply burn the audio to a CD. Record your audio live using either a line-in source (your stereo, for example) or a microphone, then crop, normalize, and optimize the sound with a number of built-in effects, filters, and processes. On the surface, Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio is a simple program designed for simple needs. More-advanced features include frame numbers, play-level meter valley and peaks hold, setting regions, and animation of video frames/clips.Įdit stereo audio tracks at the sample level. You can also organize your tracks by a number of criteria, including samples, time, frame, measures and beats, and various SMTPE video formats (such as Film Sync 24 Frames Per Second).
Each track window has its own basic transport control, while the main transport toolbar includes record and loop buttons. This view gives you the ability to precisely synchronize audio and video. If you open a video file, you'll get thumbnails of video that correspond to points in the audio, down to the sample and frame level. Overall, it's easy to select a portion of a track (either stereo or a single channel) to edit, process, or resize. The track view is pretty standard, with the typical right- and left-channel perspective and the ability to maximize the screen and to zoom down to the sample level. Simply drag and drop your media files from Explorer to any available space to open it. The Sound Forge Audio Studio interface is basic and extremely customizable. You can also browse the included 1,001 Sound Effects, a collection of royalty-free samples and loops that we recommend storing on your hard drive for easy access.
Along with the main program, you have the option to install the Preset Manager, which offers a simple interface for managing and renaming effects and other plug-in presets. Based on the more capable and, at $400, much more expensive Sound Forge application, Audio Studio is a solid performer that gets the job done efficiently and includes some nice extras, such as built-in burning and easy uploading to Sony's community site.
This single-track audio-recording and -editing program includes more than 30 built-in effects, an intuitive and customizable interface, and compatibility with more than a dozen popular audio and video formats.
Perhaps the most complete and easy-to-use application for Windows PCs is Sony's $70 Sound Forge Audio Studio.
Whether you're recording audio via a microphone or trimming the annoying silence off the beginning of an MP3, there are a number of software options available on the market for less than $100. Find out more here.Ĭreating and manipulating digital audio with a computer is clearly growing in popularity-and need. Editors' note: We have changed the ratings in this review to reflect recent changes in our ratings scale.