By: Erik Vlietinck
Wed, February 13, 2008 - 5:37:00
Pros: Simple to use, uncluttered interface, a complete set of filters and effects, metadata support, good quality sound output
Contras: Not terribly nice to look at, a bit skinny on the side of automatic features

http://www.freeverse.com
Score:

SoundStudio 3 is a sound editor with relatively powerful features, a simple interface and a no-frills approach. If you want to create simple podcasts without much effort and without the addition of video, SoundStudio may prove to be faster to work with than SoundTrack Pro. However, if sophistication is what’s you’re after, Apple SoundTrack Pro may be better suited than SoundStudio. Price wise, SoundStudio can’t be beaten, though.

When you launch SoundStudio 3, the first thing that jumps right at you, is its simple interface. You’ll be greeted by a track window, and an input levels window, and that’s it. SoundStudio is not meant to capture sound from whatever sound source your Mac can access (including system sounds, and Internet radio). It’s no competition of WireTap, but it can process sound from input devices like microphones and CDs.

SoundStudio 3 has sound filters and effects that compete with professional versions but which haven’t been “packaged” in as enticing design as Apple’s Audio Units in SoundTrack Pro or Logic Pro’s software sound generators. It’s all much more plain and down-to-earth, but it does the job. My hearing isn’t what it used to be, but I could hardly hear a difference between some of SoundStudio’s effects and the identical effects available to you in SoundTrack Pro.

Good Quality Sound Output

Only the more complex effects like what Apple’s Space Designer is capable of, makes a huge difference. If you try to create the same effects with SoundStudio 3, you’ll soon discover it simply can’t be done. The question is whether SoundStudio users will need or want that level of sophisticated effects.

On the other hand, SoundStudio does come with features that you need to create good sound files. For example, there is a Tone Generator available that has the easiest interface I’ve ever seen: it looks like a piano keyboard and has settings for the note and tuning characteristics. SoundStudio also has full support for metadata --such as the sort of information you’ll want to add to MP3 files. And it has some sound analysis functionality as well; the Fourier Spectrum Analysis filter, for example.

My impression is that SoundStudio 3 is more aimed at people who want to digitise a collection of LP records with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of sound quality. Although SoundTrack Pro would be better for them in terms of fixing records with a loss of hiss and hum almost automatically, you can do it quite well with SoundStudio 3 too.

The other group of SoundStudio 3 users are in my view podcasters who want to get their message out as quickly as they can. For them, SoundStudio 3 has enough effects and filters to create a clean and comfortable hearing experience without all the extra functionality SoundTrack Pro delivers, and which they’ll never need.