Apple introduces Soundtrack Pro
Apple today introduced Soundtrack Pro, a revolutionary new application that gives audio and video professionals the easiest and most flexible way to create, control and fix audio.
"In an HD world where production values are high, Soundtrack Pro ensures that the audio sounds as good as the picture looks,â said Rob Schoeben, Appleâs vice president of Applications Marketing. âJust as Final Cut Pro revolutionized the world of non-linear editing, Soundtrack Pro will do the same for audio editing and sound design.â
Action Layers in Soundtrack Proâs innovative waveform editor let audio and video professionals quickly re-order, bypass or change any edit, effect or process. Integrated Action Lists deliver a complete history of edits and audio processing tasks, enabling users to revise decisions at any time while experimenting with sound design. Effect parameters can be tweaked spontaneously long after an effect has been applied to the audio waveform. Intelligent Find-and-Fix features quickly identify and repair common audio problems such as background noise, pops, clicks and hum and can be set automatically or manually for complete control.
With over 50 professional plug-ins including Space Designer, Match EQ and Linear Phase EQ from Appleâs Logic Pro 7 music creation and production software, Soundtrack Pro provides a powerful set of tools for audio and video professionals to sculpt the perfect sound for their productions. Soundtrack Pro comes with over 5,000 Apple Loops that add depth to the action and emotion of pictures with musical elements and sound effects ranging from earthshaking explosions and whooshes, to subtle ambient effects.
An integrated mixer in Soundtrack Pro with control surface support enables audio pros to interact with audio tracks using a familiar interface. Audio pros can apply common effects to multiple tracks and group common tracks using busses. Support for Mackie Control surface protocol allows sound editors to use hardware faders and knobs for tactile control over mix parameters to delve deeper into creating the perfect mix.
Soundtrack Pro offers seamless integration within Appleâs Final Cut Studio, a new HD video production suite which allows professional editors to work in any format from DV, SD, HD to film, and elevate production values with powerful editing tools, revolutionary sound design, real-time motion graphics and next generation DVD authoring. Users can seamlessly move between other Final Cut Studio applications and Soundtrack Pro for quick audio touch-up and creation. Entire sequences from Final Cut Pro 5 can be taken to the Soundtrack Pro multitrack editor for larger scale, audio post production.Â
AppleScript capabilities built into Soundtrack Pro simplify and accelerate the video production process by automating common and repetitive audio tasks. Audio and video professionals can execute complete Soundtrack Pro scripts directly from within Final Cut Pro 5 any time they need them. Automator, an application integrated in Mac OS X version 10.4 âTiger,â helps streamline more complex tasks without any programming.
Pricing & Availability
Soundtrack Pro will be available in May through the Apple Store, Appleâs retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $299 (US). Soundtrack Pro is available as part of Final Cut Studio, Appleâs ultimate HD video production suite which includes Final Cut Pro 5, Motion 2, DVD Studio Pro 4 and Soundtrack Pro for a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US). Full system requirements and more information on Soundtrack Pro can be found at Apple's Web site.
9 Comments
Very nice! From what I've seen so far Apple's done a damn good job here.
Finally! I've been waiting a long time for something like this; a post audio app designed with video editors in mind. To me, definitely the most exciting announcement today. I can't wait to dive into Soundtrack Pro.
It sounds like FCP Studio will be ditching Peak Express...
Oh well, Ive been considering buying Bias's new Peak Pro Bundle, but it looks like Soundtrack Pro will do the majority of what I need(Waveform editing, EQ & simple audio restoration). And it will save me a crap load of money to boot!
It looks to me that Soundtrack Pro will do more than Soundsoap(eliminates pops and crackels). I wonder how it compares to Soundsoap Pro...
I think Apple has hit the mark on this one. Many video editors dont really need all that Logic has to offer, but didnt feel that Peak + Soundtrack was an elegant solution. Soundtrack Pro seems to be that elegant solution.
Just curious as to which audio interfaces this will support. Also bit rate and frequency. - 24/192? (There was mention of 24/192 on Apple's web site but below this was 24/96 - confusing.) Asteroid was supposed to do this job and you all know what happened with that. Guess that story isn't over quite yet though. Thoughts?
Most modern interfaces will suppor 24/96. You have to spend some money to get 24/192 which is total overkill really.