acid users, i'm writing a review of acid pro 6 for a magazine and i'd love your opinions on something. sony media would like to position acid pro 6 as a full-fledged daw to compete against the big boys: live 5, sonar 5, fl studio, even cubase and pro tools.
1. do you think it's up to the task?
2. how do you think its timestretching and beatmatching compare to live 5's (which seems to be the best out there)?
3. if it's not making it as a mature daw, what's missing?
thanks very much. your opinions will inform the review, which in turn should help people make the right daw decision. :-)
acid 6 = daw?
-
- KVRAF
- 3726 posts since 30 Jan, 2005 from rochester, ny
-
- KVRAF
- 1891 posts since 9 Oct, 2004 from Columbus,Ohio
Well, first off they can start off by making it a bit less CPU hungry, then maybe we could go from there. 
I'm offically Sonar myself now.
I'm offically Sonar myself now."You are going to let the fear of poverty govern your life and your reward will be that you will eat, but you will not live."
-
- KVRer
- 26 posts since 23 Jul, 2003
it's your review. write your own opinion.
it's not a competition. they are tools. if they do what you want how you want then great.
if you think live5 has the best timestretching out there, I would assume you have already compared it to acid's. otherwise,why would you say that live's is the best???
it's not a competition. they are tools. if they do what you want how you want then great.
if you think live5 has the best timestretching out there, I would assume you have already compared it to acid's. otherwise,why would you say that live's is the best???
-
- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3726 posts since 30 Jan, 2005 from rochester, ny
no name: thanks. :-)
h2000: "write your own opinion." i always do. but when a review is going to be read by a large number of people, and will serve to help these people decide whether to spend quite a bit of money or not, i like to factor in others' opinions, people who have been using acid perhaps far longer than i have.
anyone else want to weigh in?
h2000: "write your own opinion." i always do. but when a review is going to be read by a large number of people, and will serve to help these people decide whether to spend quite a bit of money or not, i like to factor in others' opinions, people who have been using acid perhaps far longer than i have.
anyone else want to weigh in?
-
Reverse Engineer Reverse Engineer https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=9129
- KVRAF
- 4968 posts since 23 Sep, 2003 from Glasgow
Make as much an issue out of the fact you have to install the media manager whether you intend to use it or not. See if it can get Sony's back up enough for them to make it optional. I, after trying the demo (fully paid up 5.0c user here) was very pleased with the additions version 6 had introduced, enough for it to be considered a DAW, but sadly i was having small issues (tabs rearranging themselves, audio glitches when resizing windows amongst other small things) so i'm back to 5.0c until they sort that out at least. I really look forward to that happening...it's especially frustrating knowing that if i upgraded my comp (whihc IS necessary for other reasons anyway) it would work fine (short of the tabs rearranging, god knows what that's about. 
)
)-
- KVRer
- 26 posts since 23 Jul, 2003
"rachmiel" : OK. fair enough. But, I really don't see what a poll of opinions is really going to get you. Some people will like it, some will hate it, and some won't care. Personally, I use Acid everyday and I like the changes. It's something I pushed for in the Sony forums last year. I also use other programs. I don't really like the "end all, be all uber-app" approach. I do like integration however. I can't compare to other apps, because when I have tried other apps. I spend more time mucking around with the computer and menus and switches than actually making music. That's why I like Sony products. I get stuff done quickly and efficiently.
"Reverse Engineer" : You don't have to install the Media Manager. I cancelled the installation at that point. But, if you already installed it you can go to your windows uninstall programs dialog and uninstall it. I personally don't use it and find it somewhat of a resource hog. perhaps that's what "No Name" was referring to when he said CPU hog because I don't see that problem at all.
"Reverse Engineer" : You don't have to install the Media Manager. I cancelled the installation at that point. But, if you already installed it you can go to your windows uninstall programs dialog and uninstall it. I personally don't use it and find it somewhat of a resource hog. perhaps that's what "No Name" was referring to when he said CPU hog because I don't see that problem at all.
-
Reverse Engineer Reverse Engineer https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=9129
- KVRAF
- 4968 posts since 23 Sep, 2003 from Glasgow
Yeah, i know thatH2000 wrote:"Reverse Engineer" : You don't have to install the Media Manager. I cancelled the installation at that point...
I learned that very early on with version 5. What i mean is "do you wish to install the media manager?" should be the last option you are offered.-
- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3726 posts since 30 Jan, 2005 from rochester, ny
> I really don't see what a poll of opinions is really going to get you
if there's a consensus, we all hate this feature, this brings my attention to it. also, people can remind me of issues i might have otherwise glossed over.
sometimes a review is there to reveal as much about the reviewer as the thing being reviewed. we read movie reviews to see what this wild and crazy guy will say, we care about the reviewer. in this case, i'm trying to perform a service: help people understand what's good and not so good about a product. i don't feel very ego involved, which is why i have no trouble turning to others for their opinions. also: i can't be an expert at everything, so i like to ask the experts for help.
if there's a consensus, we all hate this feature, this brings my attention to it. also, people can remind me of issues i might have otherwise glossed over.
sometimes a review is there to reveal as much about the reviewer as the thing being reviewed. we read movie reviews to see what this wild and crazy guy will say, we care about the reviewer. in this case, i'm trying to perform a service: help people understand what's good and not so good about a product. i don't feel very ego involved, which is why i have no trouble turning to others for their opinions. also: i can't be an expert at everything, so i like to ask the experts for help.
-
- KVRer
- 26 posts since 23 Jul, 2003
"rachmiel" : just be aware that some biases run deep and may not be of "technical" merit, but more of a passionate nature. I've seen platform wars on forums that go on for days.
BTW: Your from Rochester? I grew up in Irondequoit.
BTW: Your from Rochester? I grew up in Irondequoit.
-
- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3726 posts since 30 Jan, 2005 from rochester, ny
> just be aware that some biases run deep and may not be of "technical" merit, but more of a passionate nature
good to remember, thanks.
> from Rochester? I grew up in Irondequoit
i live in rochester, am originally from long island. i-rundequoit, eh? ;-)
good to remember, thanks.
> from Rochester? I grew up in Irondequoit
i live in rochester, am originally from long island. i-rundequoit, eh? ;-)
-
- KVRAF
- 1530 posts since 20 Feb, 2003
1. do you think it's up to the task?
Yes. I was a long-time Acid user, but was crushed when v4 came out. Just a few bells & whistles seemingly directed at non-muso teenagers, lots of bugs, and nothing to really extend its DAW credentials. I started a long hunt for a new host (of which more below).
One of the factors I like is it's slim set of features. I think Sony has zoomed in wonderfilly on a core set of DAW essentials. After two years with Sonar I use maybe 10% of its features. I always feel that there's probably a better way that I simply don;t yet know. The Acid paradigm never gives me that, I always feel I'm using the best & fastest method. And some of its original features still can't be beat: consider the "mouse wheel zoom" feature - still regularly requested by unhappy Sonar users, and something I still tried to do after using Sonar for two years !
I could blurb on for ages about things I like, so let me just name the very best feature imho. Stability. Even the "point-zero" release feels like a rock. I am punching in and out, adding audio on the fly, creating tracks, deleting tracks, moving elements etc etc, all while the song keeps playing & looping.
I can't emphasise the stabolity factor enough. It creates confidence. I'm increasing prepared to rip things apart, rearrange and punch-in on a whim, and the result is that my composing is "freer", more spontaneous. The the software fades into the background: it's me, the song, and my next idea. Not me, the twitchy app, the doubt about crashing, and wondering whether I should stop before doing task X.
2. how do you think its timestretching and beatmatching compare to live 5's (which seems to be the best out there)?
I've always liked Acid's stretching. When I was hunting for an alternative app I sepnt several weeks with the Live demo. I thought Live was a brilliant jamming app, but not as well suited for longer compositions. In fact Live reminds me in many ways of a "super Reaktor ensemble". It's weak and unnantural pitch-shifting was one of the reason I decided against it and went to Sonar instead. However, I'm not a huge picth-shifter and do virtually no beat-mapping so I'm not the ultimate tester here.
3. If it's not making it as a mature daw, what's missing?
It's made it. It's the genetic super-child of what vegas could have been and what Acid should have been, at last realised.
I compose mostly longer theme-style music now to order. I'm expected to produce several versions of different lengths and to deliver them dead on time. I'm already using AP6 for my latest project and it's going fantastically well. As I mentioned above, I'm just so confident with this app I'm throwing around material and recording new elements that my "app stability & complexity fear" would have formerly dissuaded me from trying.
I was an extremely harsh critic of AP5. I thought that version so abysmally bad that I truly wondered whether it would kill Acid. AP5 travelled even further down the dire road of AP4, appealing to non-musos and looking like a crass promotional vehicle for their loop packs.
I use very few loops. Acid for me is the ultimate audio arranger, and now it has good midi the picture is complete. I hear lots of criticism of the media manager, and it's something I certainly have no use for. So I followed a tip by someone on KvR: media manager has its own installation screen when installing the main app. Just hit "cancel" on that first screen. Then launch the main app, go to preferences and uncheck the media manager box. Problem over, media manager not installed and never will it bother you again.
Sony is still the evil empire, of blacker heart than Microsoft, but I'd like to think that AP6 is now the smooth & mature app that the original Sonic Foundry team always imagined.
Yes. I was a long-time Acid user, but was crushed when v4 came out. Just a few bells & whistles seemingly directed at non-muso teenagers, lots of bugs, and nothing to really extend its DAW credentials. I started a long hunt for a new host (of which more below).
One of the factors I like is it's slim set of features. I think Sony has zoomed in wonderfilly on a core set of DAW essentials. After two years with Sonar I use maybe 10% of its features. I always feel that there's probably a better way that I simply don;t yet know. The Acid paradigm never gives me that, I always feel I'm using the best & fastest method. And some of its original features still can't be beat: consider the "mouse wheel zoom" feature - still regularly requested by unhappy Sonar users, and something I still tried to do after using Sonar for two years !
I could blurb on for ages about things I like, so let me just name the very best feature imho. Stability. Even the "point-zero" release feels like a rock. I am punching in and out, adding audio on the fly, creating tracks, deleting tracks, moving elements etc etc, all while the song keeps playing & looping.
I can't emphasise the stabolity factor enough. It creates confidence. I'm increasing prepared to rip things apart, rearrange and punch-in on a whim, and the result is that my composing is "freer", more spontaneous. The the software fades into the background: it's me, the song, and my next idea. Not me, the twitchy app, the doubt about crashing, and wondering whether I should stop before doing task X.
2. how do you think its timestretching and beatmatching compare to live 5's (which seems to be the best out there)?
I've always liked Acid's stretching. When I was hunting for an alternative app I sepnt several weeks with the Live demo. I thought Live was a brilliant jamming app, but not as well suited for longer compositions. In fact Live reminds me in many ways of a "super Reaktor ensemble". It's weak and unnantural pitch-shifting was one of the reason I decided against it and went to Sonar instead. However, I'm not a huge picth-shifter and do virtually no beat-mapping so I'm not the ultimate tester here.
3. If it's not making it as a mature daw, what's missing?
It's made it. It's the genetic super-child of what vegas could have been and what Acid should have been, at last realised.
I compose mostly longer theme-style music now to order. I'm expected to produce several versions of different lengths and to deliver them dead on time. I'm already using AP6 for my latest project and it's going fantastically well. As I mentioned above, I'm just so confident with this app I'm throwing around material and recording new elements that my "app stability & complexity fear" would have formerly dissuaded me from trying.
I was an extremely harsh critic of AP5. I thought that version so abysmally bad that I truly wondered whether it would kill Acid. AP5 travelled even further down the dire road of AP4, appealing to non-musos and looking like a crass promotional vehicle for their loop packs.
I use very few loops. Acid for me is the ultimate audio arranger, and now it has good midi the picture is complete. I hear lots of criticism of the media manager, and it's something I certainly have no use for. So I followed a tip by someone on KvR: media manager has its own installation screen when installing the main app. Just hit "cancel" on that first screen. Then launch the main app, go to preferences and uncheck the media manager box. Problem over, media manager not installed and never will it bother you again.
Sony is still the evil empire, of blacker heart than Microsoft, but I'd like to think that AP6 is now the smooth & mature app that the original Sonic Foundry team always imagined.
-
- KVRAF
- 1791 posts since 17 Sep, 2002
i don't use acid, so i can't really help, but...
please write an HONEST review.
if i listened to all the reviews in CM and the likes, i should technically own EVERY piece of software that has ever come out.
why not write a negative review just for the hell of it? you would probably be the first.
anyway, sorry for the OT
please write an HONEST review.
if i listened to all the reviews in CM and the likes, i should technically own EVERY piece of software that has ever come out.
why not write a negative review just for the hell of it? you would probably be the first.
anyway, sorry for the OT
-
Reverend Rhythm Reverend Rhythm https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6041
- KVRAF
- 2859 posts since 21 Feb, 2003 from Woodstock, GA USA
If I can, let me make a point on acid's stretching capabilities. If a loop is edited well and the stretch markers are edited well, acid loops incredibly well. The problem is that many commercial loops are not edited well. Editing stretch markers takes a while, but it is worth the effort.
-
- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3726 posts since 30 Jan, 2005 from rochester, ny
cabin: great reviewlette; thanks very much. good to get a vote of acidic confidence.
funky: i know what you mean about reviews: everything's the best. ;-) i'll try not to do this.
reverend: great point, thanks.
funky: i know what you mean about reviews: everything's the best. ;-) i'll try not to do this.
reverend: great point, thanks.
-
- KVRist
- 263 posts since 24 Oct, 2004 from Delhi, India
Acid almost died at version 5 from Music Creation scene or atleast became very unpopular.
Acid Pro 6 seems reincarnation of a long time favorite of many people. A cliche 'It is better to come late than never'.
It's real strength is always it's 'Simplicity' than anything else. Perhaps,This is one host where you can 'get started' without a help document. Everything else implemented now is already in most of the Big Boys, more or less.
Acid Pro 6 seems reincarnation of a long time favorite of many people. A cliche 'It is better to come late than never'.
It's real strength is always it's 'Simplicity' than anything else. Perhaps,This is one host where you can 'get started' without a help document. Everything else implemented now is already in most of the Big Boys, more or less.
Tools are tools, they don't produce anything...