ACID Pro 6

List Price: $399.95 Discount Price: $179.99

Features:

• Multitrack audio and MIDI recording, for uncompromising 24-bit, 192kHz sound quality production, live or in-studio
• Comprehensive support for MIDI sequencing, real-time MIDI prcoessing and precise control over MIDI events
• Records multiple tracks of MIDI, apply real-time MIDI quantizationm, perform filtering&processing, edit drum patterns
• Beatmapper tool makes remixing easy, while the Chopper tool creates impressive drum fills, stutters and DJ-style effects
• Nondestructive editing on unlimited tracks, with real-time pitch and tempo matching; real-time event reverse, freehand envelope drawing, and support for alternate time signatures

Accessories:

PC World

Customer Reviews:

Excellent [Posted on 2007-02-26]
This is a amazing piece of software. If you have the right hardware, this software will do whatever you need it to do.

Works well for my way of doing things [Posted on 2007-04-13]
First I have to describe my work method for this review to make sense. I have a collection of hardware sound moduels and a nice controller keyboard and use no soft synths what so ever. I will sequence in basic melody and chord changes and then use loops to build drum and precussion parts. Then Ill sequence more MIDI stuff and record electric guitar parts on top of that. I own SONAR 2.0 and I tried demos of Live and the Mackie program, but for what ever reason I just couldn't get in to recording and editing MIDI on thoose and the upgrades to SONAR don't really impress me all that much. I have a friend that uses sony Vegas for audio recording and loves it who suggested that I try this program when version 6.0 shipped. So I downloaded the demo and then bought the product. Acid has excellent audio suport. I have a rather outdated audio workstation, an older AMD atholon runing at 1.7 ghz, 1.5 gb of ran and all IDE hard drives with a firewite connected audio interface. I only usally record 1 or 2 tracks at a time but just to see what it could do I routed synths to all 8 inputs on my interface and played back a sequence on a hardware sequencer. I was able to record all 8 tracks at once with no drop outs. I also created a big project by importing 24 3min. long wave files from a CD back up created on a hard disk recorder into a project and added a some audio efx plugins and could playback with no issues. Sync between MIDI and audio tracks seems to be very tight at least to my ears anyway. Editing MIDI is very fast if you are use to using a "Piano Roll" grid type approach. One Key stroke and you can edit a part in place with no window switching. You can set up a patch name list for hardware synths, but you will probally have to create your own list since there are only pre-built list for a few models included (and zero for any Waldorf synths witch is most of my collection). Like I said, I dont use software synths at all so I cant comment on how well thoose work. It does come with a sampler from Native Instruments, but I don't really use sampled sounds all that much. The MIDI editing and processing isn't as extensive as what I have in SONOR 2.0 I have discovered the stripted down user interface to be a boost to my productivity.

Incredible Program [Posted on 2007-07-15]
I looked at the Acid program several years ago and dismissed it because it was previously designed for loops only, and it wasn't as intuitive as I needed at that time.

A month ago, I worked through an Acid tutorial from Computer Music Magazine using the Acid Express program that is given free of charge from Sony on their website. Within a half an hour, I KNEW this program was a WINNER and I ordered it immediately.

I'm much more skilled at sequencing now than I was when I first looked at it. I couldn't believe how easy, useful, fast and fun it was to use. Now that Sony has taken some excellent steps toward making it a competitive DAW, I've switched from my linear DAW to Sony Acid Pro 6 for programming and sound design. The workflow in the program beats every single linear DAW by the sheer nature of it's design, and I've tried or used all of the major ones at one time or another.

This is an excellent program for general sequencing. Everything constructed in it can be exported to more complex software for finishing. The beauty of it is how quickly songs can be constructed compared to most DAWS, and how easy it is to learn to use. I've wasted more time editing to perfection in my other DAW, when the same functions take a split second in Acid.

It's a fine program and I highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to version 7 as I write this. This is NOT a full feature program that you can or should use to finish a commercial project. But it will take you to that moment of export faster and with less quirks and flaws than any linear DAW available today.

Phenomenal [Posted on 2007-08-26]
It's hard to describe this product without going into detail. Acid Pro 6 is so user-friendly that you can create a song within an hour or two of installing it. You also can create great, detailed compositions with clarity that you have to hear to believe. I was amazed and I am still learning the product. I don't have any musical experience, but that doesn't matter too much. I good book will help to get a minimal understanding, and also will help with creating your own original sound loops. The software comes with enough loops to keep you going for quite a while though, in case you are worried that you aren't able to create your own. It is well worth the cost. Do not hesitate. You will be glued to the computer for hours!!!

Do Acid Pro 6.0  [Posted on 2007-11-22]
I am very happy with Acid Pro 6.0

Midi Soft GM sounds and VST sampler work well with ASIO drivers.

Recording audio tracks and adding FX is easy

ACID looping of samples are an industry standard

Exports (Renders) to multiple formats

Cons: Media Manager's runs on an MS SQL engine that has problems with VISTA 32 at this time.

Solution: I just did not install the Media Manager or SQL

In All, I moved from Cakewalk-Sonar to Acid Pro 6 and have not looked back. I purchased a DVD Tutorial for ACID Pro 6, and was very familiar with Sound Forge, so the change from Sonar to Acid Pro was easy. I find that ACID Pro 6 has really helped me to be creative compared to the later versions of Cakewalk-Sonar which added a lot of features that started to get in the way of my production. I am not trying to beat up on Sonar for my possible writers block, but it is not happening with Acid Pro 6. I would have given Acid Pro 6 five stars if it had better Vista 32 support at this time.

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