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So is Soundtrack Pro dead now?

No update and not even mentioned on Apple's website - I take it this is their way of letting us know the app is dead?


Too bad it never got to a usable state, it definitely had some potential but never made it past a rough draft of an app. Guess it's time to look at Audition or get the hardware-free version of PT.

Posted on Jun 21, 2011 8:17 AM

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13 replies

Jun 21, 2011 9:30 AM in response to David Harbsmeier

Whatever "most" means, and that's filtering features, not necessarily editing features. And combining into FC totally removes the option for audio guys who don't touch video (which includes all Logic users who had it included in the bundle). There probably weren't that many audio guys using STP due to its sorry state, but any remaining have now been pushed in the direction of Adobe or Avid. Unless the better parts of STP will be rolled into Logic, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Jun 21, 2011 9:42 PM in response to Mike Connelly

I do mostly audio, and I'm pretty disappointed with the release. If you're not going to have a robust, track-based editor with flexible routing like STP, then at least allow for export to OMF, so I can work in Digital Performer, Pro Tools, or Logic.


Getting rid of both is just disheartening. I certainly hope OMF or some kind of file interchange will be added soon.


George, are you just looking for an alternate audio editor? I've used Amadeus Pro in the past in addition to STP, and I hear lots of recommendations for Wave Editor, from Audiofile Engineering.

Jun 21, 2011 9:59 PM in response to barreltone

Thanks for your response, Mike.


You're right! I've been hosting/producing a podcast at www.electricpolitics.com for about five and a half years. When I started I tried various audio software offerings and found STP the closest fit to my needs, which are fairly simple. I record on two tracks at 96/24 via firewire, edit and eventually reduce to mono (with an intermediate step using iZotope RX to reduce noise on one channel, the guest's, as my 'studio' channel is already clear), then assemble a project with intro and exit jingles, intro and exit comments, etc. Export to .aif for my archives, export to .mp3 for the podcast, and that's it. STP does that all fairly well and fairly reliably, with only an occasional hiccup.


Previously I'd tried Bias Peak and Digital Performer, but didn't much care for them. Like the Adobe product I found them unnecessarily complex for what I do, and confusing to use (or attempt to use). I never needed a course with STP, or had much reason to use the manual, though probably all the little tricks I've picked up over the years would have been better to learn quickly at the beginning.


So, either I'll just keep on keeping on with STP (VER. 3.0.1) or try to switch to something that could make better use of a multi-core machine. Faster is better though, realistically, at this point I wonder how much time I save with operations on the file sizes I typically work with. (And I might replace my early 2008 2.8 octocore with a new Mac Pro when the new models arrive, another consideration...)

Jun 24, 2011 12:29 PM in response to Mike Connelly

If you don't immediately require multi-track editing, you might try Peak Studio – the new edition of Peak from BIAS. It now includes all the audio restoration and mastering plug-ins that previously came with Peak Pro XT, so the power for the price is significant. BIAS is working on a multi-channel companion app that will be free for all Peak Studio users. In the meantime, you'd be getting a great editing and mastering tool that has come a long way since Peak DV was first bundled with Final Cut. The power of the editing and plug-ins alone is well worth it – especially with the new declipper feature – really great for repairing digitally clipped audio files. Here's what Mix magazine had to say about it:


http://mixonline.com/gear/newproducts/musikmesse_2011_show_report/index.html


"BIAS Peak Studio XT

One of the most amazing things I saw demo'd was the new Peak Studio line. Not only has the company made a number of improvements in Version 7 of Peak Pro, but the Peak Studio XT suite comes bundled with full editions of SoundSoap 2, SoundSoap Pro 2 and the impressive Master Perfection Suite in AU, RTAS and VST formats, allowing you to use these awesome plug-ins in your other DAW applications. What really saved my skin at Musikmesse was Peak Pro’s new feature called Declipper. I was shooting Web videos with my iPhone 4 and using the iRig microphone from IK Multimedia, a handheld condenser microphone that looks and feels like a famous-brand dynamic mic. I was constantly reminding the people being filmed to hold the mic low and not eat the thing, but inevitably it would drift up toward their mouth while talking, causing the audio input to clip. Thanks to Declipper—which looks in front of and behind the clipped signal and then interpolates the correct volume and fixes the clipping—I was able to salvage several videos that otherwise would not have been usable. Not only was that handy for this show report’s videos, but the ability to now save an otherwise awesome take while recording by removing a few wayward clips made this the most impressive software technology I saw."


Just to clarify, the plug-ins he references ARE included also in the Peak Studio edition – it's simply that with XT, they will also work in other compatible AU, VST, and RTAS host applications.


Here's a link to find out more: http://www.bias-inc.com/products/peakStudio/


There's also a 14 day free trial you can check out: http://www.bias-inc.com/downloads/freeTrials/index.php?product=peakStudio


Hope this helps.


Best regards,


Jason

Jun 24, 2011 1:03 PM in response to Christina Rodriguez

It's still a very buggy program. Lots of actions will catalyze crashes, or freezes. In certain circumstances it has trouble saving. And it won't always do what you want it to do. When I record in 24/96, for example, I have to open a project, record a couple seconds there, then switch that to the editor, where it's properly recording at 24/96. If you just open a new audio file and try to record at 24/96 from there, it won't. I don't think that's a "feature" in the manual.


I was hoping to see bug fixes and improvements, not to see the program abandoned. But I suppose there's a possibility it may return, entirely redesigned, as a supplement to FCPX.

Jun 24, 2011 1:08 PM in response to Mike Connelly

It appears that the only way anyone can purchase Soundtrack Pro 3 now is by buying Logic Studio for $499 since it remains as one of the included bundled apps in that package. But I'd speculate that the next version of Logic Studio might no longer include it.


As many people along with myself have mentioned, the biggest problem with FCP X from an audio perspective is that you can no longer export OMF files from FCP X projects to mix down the audio tracks in a separate audio-mixing program such as Pro Tools 9. FCP version 7 exported OMF files with one click of the mouse. But for $495, Automatic Duck sells a plug-in for FCP X that will enable exporting of OMF files.


To me, it just doesn't seem like much of a bargain to pay almost $500 just to do something that the last version of Final Cut Pro did for free (without asking for an extra $495) especially when this latest Final Cut Pro X version that sells for $299 is clearly still labeled "Pro" as in "Professional" program and the ability to process OMF files is indisputably an important element in that professional workflow environment. It is a necessary component. It is not a luxury or an option. And it should not require the additional purchase of an overpriced plug-in just to restore a basic function that has been deleted from this current version X of Final Cut Pro.


I just wish that Apple would have continued selling Final Cut Studio for $995 since they have removed the only legal way to obtain programs like Color and DVD Studio Pro and others (listed below) by withdrawing one of the most comprehensive suites of tightly integrated video+audio software products out there (IMO). And the $495 saved by NOT buying Automatic Duck's OMF-exporting product added to the $299 saved by NOT buying FCP X covers almost 80% of the total cost ($995) for Final Cut Studio that included Final Cut Pro 7 + Motion 4 + Color 1.5 + Soundtrack Pro 3 + Compressor 3.5 + DVD Studio 4 + Cinema Tools 4.5 + Qmaster 3!


So to say that I'm saddened by all of this would be an understatement.

Jun 24, 2011 2:12 PM in response to Christina Rodriguez

Christina Rodriguez wrote:


It's not like STP with FCS3 just withered and died... it still works fine if you have it.


Well it's obvious you never used it, at least not for any serious work. It's an embarrassment of an app, full of bugs that have been there for years without ever getting fixed. I was hoping they'd finally release a version that was reliable enough, but instead it's getting killed off before they ever got it working.

So is Soundtrack Pro dead now?

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