I did find the synths to be adequate, but lacking compared to Apple’s Logic. It also includes a few different soft synths in the package that, while they probably don’t get as much acclaim as packages from Native Instruments and the like, they will get you there. I used the timecode to define my tempo and was able to lock in a groove on the frame edits that pushed the videos graphic effects without ever having to use actual sound effects. Once I got my feet wet I was able to do some particularly cool stuff with a video that had very rhythmic cuts. Next, I added some layers of drum loops from my own collection that I cut up and twisted around, and added some guitar that I laid in with the included Native Instruments Guitar Combos plug-in. I was able to take the large library of included loops and lay down a cool groove. Whether tweaking out a music sample in the Chopper or using the Groove tool to provide different feels to drum loops, you can get things up in the air very easily. The bread and butter of Acid is its ability to create a music track from the ground up very easily. I did appreciate the functions to show and hide track controls and types across the entire project it made navigating large sessions very easy on the mixer. Think of it as selectable divergence and stereo imaging. Acid Pro addressed this by providing multiple approaches to the concept of panning. An issue I have always found with Pro Tools is the way it handles stereo tracks, files and their pan functions. One very interesting feature I found within the mixer was the ability to change how it handles its pan controls. I got more used to the controls as time went on, of course, but it seemed a little needlessly difficult considering comparable programs have more clearly laid out control schemes.
There are a lot of different icons in here representing traditional functions such as solo, mute, automation etc., but none seem to be labeled clearly.
This capability is what Acid became famous for, and while other products have come to the market that do the same thing, it is still the cornerstone of the program.īeyond the editing features in the timeline is the new, dedicated mixer, which functions pretty much as it would in any other program, emulating an analog mixer and its routing functions, although my first major gripe occurred with the mixer and its somewhat confusing operation. In here you will do most of your audio editing of loops and live recorded instruments.īeyond that there is also the Chopper and Clip Properties window, where you can fine tune samples and the beat markers within audio files to create Acid Files that you can stretch and compress to different tempos within a certain threshold. Instead it seems heavily focused on drawing your eye to the timeline or edit window. It does not rely on the traditional large mix window and large timeline window that most pro audio programs employ. The general window layout and default conventions or workflows were slightly confusing to get around in the beginning. My initial endeavor into Acid revealed that, out of the box, it is tailored for music production.
The latest version of Acid Pro looks to address some of these issues and pushes Sony Creative Software’s professional audio and video product line forward into the post houses and studios of the world.
But lack of a full-featured mixer window and video sync capabilities kept me away, considering most of my work focuses on post production mixing. I have long heard from a few of my electronica-minded friends they preferred Acid to other more expensive programs available for their loop-based productions. I took some time to put Sony’s new Acid Pro 7 through its paces over the past month.