Wednesday , March 27 2024
It won't replace a full-blown Digital Audio Workstation, but it does a great job for those tasks for which a full-fledged DAW is overkill.

New Software Spotlight: Sound Forge Pro 11 from Sony Creative Software

Sound Forge Pro 11 is a professional digital audio editor from Sony Creative Software. It provides audio editors, sound designers, musicians, and all professionals who record, edit, and process audio content control over all aspects of audio editing and mastering. It is an all-in-one production suite for recording, mastering, sound design, restoration, and Red Book CD creation for both studio and field audio work.

Sound Forge Pro 11
Sound Forge Pro 11

Sound Forge Pro 11 is a very sophisticated software program that is made for users of all musical backgrounds. It includes a comprehensive selection of native signal and effects processing that can satisfy even the most highly trained professional. While this can be intimidating to some, it really shouldn’t be, and the benefits of high quality sound can be appreciated by all.

Sound Forge Pro 11 contains a complete set of tools for working with and recording audio. It can create high quality sound, edit in mono, stereo, and multi-channel (up to 32 channels), and perform precise event editing. It includes tools for sound design and mastering, effects processing, and even for creating audio for video.

So what is new in Sound Forge 11?

One-Touch Recording gives you a redesigned workflow to provide a more streamlined way to work. You can now select a loop and record multiple takes into it. You have pre- and post-roll monitoring and you can set these times right inside the new floating record options window. You can store multiple takes that can be reviewed, and punch-and-roll recording is handled just by dropping a marker on your pick-up point and recording with all the pre-roll you need. You can monitor your unarmed channels and stay armed for recording when you need it.

Sound Forge Pro 11
Sound Forge Pro 11

• CALM (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act) metering is something that you may have to deal with if you are working with television. The law went into effect on September 29, 2012 and requires that the audio of TV commercials not be louder than the volume of the TV show that it is accompanying. The new metering features now help you follow the rules while still maximizing the dynamic range of your sound.

Plug-in Chain interface is a new window that provides a refined workspace for non-destructive signal and effects processing. This means that you have access to all of the elements of the plug-in processing environment. This will let you manage the plug-in order, presets, interface controls, envelope automation and bypass controls. You can even retain unique plug-in configurations for all of your open data windows.

Interoperability with SpectralLayers Pro 2 lets you transfer data between Sound Forge 11 and SpectralLayers 2. You can open a file in Sound Forge Pro and transfer selections of any size to SpectralLayers for editing, then bring the resultant file back into Sound Forge. You can even send multiple files between the two.

Restore and Repair tools are now included that make it easy to repair and restore your audio files. These are powered by iZotope and they include Declicker, which removes clicks, pops, and other digital impulse noises; Denoiser, which removes random noise from your file; and Declipper, which fixes peak damage that can occur at either the analog or digital stage.

Sound Forge Pro 11
Sound Forge Pro 11

New Waveform display options make file navigation much easier. The options are accessed via a strip that displays your exact location and that doubles as an audition tool. You can double-click in the bar to center your cursor in the time range, or click and drag to audition looping segments.

Events can be created so you can lock event and region markers, envelop points to events, and ripple successive events forward in time while editing.

iZotope Nectar Elements plug-in is now included to make your vocal treatments much easier. For both recording and mixing, you can get great results just by loading one of the Nectar-designed style presets. If you need to fix pitch problems, perform de-essing, or reduce room noise, this plug-in handles it all.

What I really like about the new Sound Forge Pro 11 is the new one-touch recording. In the past, when you clicked the recording button on the toolbar, the main program would be suspended and you were switched to a dedicated recording view. Now there is no switching back and forth. This gives the Sound Forge interface a much more professional feel.

Sound Forge Pro 11
Sound Forge Pro 11

I also like the fact that you can split a file into events, which are essentially audio clips, and move them around and arrange them as you want to. The integration with SpectralLayers is a natural fit and the iZotope integration adds some useful new tools.

When you add all of this together, Sound Forge Pro 11 is really becoming a much more powerful tool for your musical arsenal. While at this point it won’t replace a full-blown Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) like Sony’s ACID pro, it does a great job for those tasks for which a full-fledged DAW is overkill. If you are looking for a quality personal audio recording and editing platform, I can easily recommend Sound Forge Pro 11.

About T. Michael Testi

Photographer, writer, software engineer, educator, and maker of fine images.

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