“One of the best features is the on-clip editing controls. Direct access to fades and trims, click-and-drag volume changes, and normalization with the ‘louder’ button have all sped up my editing immensely.”
Hart Shafer
Product Manager, Adobe Soundbooth
What is Soundbooth CS3?
Adobe® Soundbooth™ CS3 software ($199) lets you take command of your audio in film, video, and Adobe Flash® software projects. Use on-clip controls to make fast edits and intuitive, task-based tools to clean up recordings, polish voice-overs, customize music, modify sound effects, apply high-quality filters, and much more. Tight integration with Flash CS3 Professional and Adobe Premiere® Pro CS3 software and an intuitive, visual interface mean you can get the job done quickly without sacrificing creative control.
What Do I Think?
This is the last of the Adobe Production Premium that I am reviewing and I left it to last as I felt that it might be the most useful in the short term, as I have more immediate plans involving audio, and do a reasonable amount of editing at the moment anyway.
I have not been disappointed by any of the applications that I have used. I shouldn’t be really given the price, professional market target and Adobe’s reputation but I have been impressed with the integration with the Mac after all I heard about not being “Mac Apps”, the tutorials and online documentation and support.
More than anything though it is has been the way that they have a relevance to the novice, while at the same time working at the pro level. At times it has been daunting but overall it has just left me inspired to be more creative and improve the quality of my output.
Soundbooth has been no different from the rest. The two areas that really stand out are the professional workflow through the integration with the rest of Premiere Pro and the detail that can be achieved with the editing, both in terms of speed and accuracy.
At $199 it was a lot ‘cheaper’ than I thought it would be for a pro level application, but I would strongly suggest that if you can you buy it as part of the Premiere Pro suite as the real strength with Adobe is the integration and the total power they give you and your digital management.
Top features
Intuitive audio editing with on-clip controls
Use powerful, sample-accurate tools to cut, copy, paste, fade, and stretch audio assets. Intuitive on-clip tools make common edits instant, and visual feedback keeps you informed at every step.
Fast audio cleanup
Automatically detect and fix common flaws in audio recordings such as hisses, hums, rumbling, crackling, and pops.
AutoComposer with customizable music content
Select one of the dozens of included Soundbooth Scores, and then customize it to match your project. Adjust intensity to match the project’s visual mood, and change the length to fit.
Visual tools for healing sound
Use tools like those in Adobe® Photoshop® software to visually identify, select, and remove individual sounds from a spectral display of your waveform.
More than 15 high-quality audio filters
Enjoy a library of audio filters to help you achieve your own sound, including reverb, echo, EQ, time and pitch stretch, distortion, chorus, and more. Combine up to five effects using the Effects Rack.
Fast mastering and vocal improvement
Use streamlined mastering tools to polish your file, clarify vocals, and give it punch.
New audio asset recording
Record high-quality mono or stereo audio files such as voice-overs with markers and take numbering.
Thousands of sound effects via Resource Central
Create or customize existing audio using thousands of sound effects available via Resource Central. (Internet connection required.)
Tight integration with Adobe Premiere Pro
Smooth roundtrip editing allows you to send assets from Adobe Premiere® Pro using the Edit in Soundbooth command. After your edits are complete, the files are automatically updated back in the Adobe Premiere Pro timeline or project window.
Animation cues for Adobe Flash
Lay down markers in Adobe Soundbooth and export them as XML or in FLV. Access the markers through ActionScript™ language in Adobe Flash® software or in the FLV encoder for tasks like driving animation or creating captions.
Looks nice and full featured, I would like to see it put up against something like Apple’s Logic or Pro Tools.
D
The few people I have spoken to tend to say that overall the Adobe Professional apps areas good as the Apple Pro apps. Would be happy to put that to the test if could get hold of copies of the Apple pro apps!
Definitely sounds like a great App. The CS3 release was a huge release that really put Adobe back in competition with the Apple Pro Apps. And because more and more people are switching from PC to Mac, this will help them feel more at home with Apps they already use. Seems beneficial to both Apple and Adobe.
Do you know if the CS3 Apps are native OS X Apps?
Some of the apps are but not all and no real sign of when they all will be.
http://www.apple.com/universal/