Recording - December 2013 - 40

BY DARWIN GROSSE

Sony Creative Software Audio Master Suite:
Sound Forge 11 and SpectraLayers Pro 2
The latest in audio editing and restoration for Windows power users

We've been talking about-and reviewing-Sony's Sound Forge for years, and it's
time to talk about it again. With the newly
released version 11, Sony continues producing improvements on this package,
extending it from its origin as a basic sound
file editor into a full-fledged sound design
and mastering tool. For this review, we will
look at the Audio Master Suite, which
includes Sound Forge 11, SpectraLayers
Pro 2, CD Architect and more. Sound
Forge is the most widely known of these
components, so let's start with a look at
new features for this version-and features
that have thankfully remained the same.
Sound Forge 11
One of the first things you will notice
with Sound Forge 11 is the newfound
sparseness of the default interface. No
window splits, browsers or other on-screen
messiness; you get a few toolbars, meters
and the standard Windows menu system.
From this starting point, you can customize
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RECORDING December 2013

the interface to your heart's desire, adding
windows or panes that can provide you
with browsers, plug-in managers or other
functions that you might need.
This clean look extends to the waveform
display once you've loaded a file. You get
file-specific transport controls and a new
waveform overview that allows you to see
and navigate the entire file regardless of
how tightly zoomed you might be. There
aren't a lot of frills built into the overview,
but it does allow you to set a viewing area
within the file while maintaining a good
overview of the entire track.
Also receiving some attention was the
recording workflow, which has morphed
into a modeless one-click wonder. You can
bring up a "Recording Options" dialog if
you wish, but arming and recording into
the active waveform is all done without
interference, and allows you to focus the
recorded waveforms in the interface while
you are recording. Combine this with the
ability to record up to 32 channels of

incoming audio, and you can see that
Sony is extending the reach of its audio
file editor.
Sound Forge has long been praised for
its savvy use of the Windows interface,
with moving, zooming, editing and document management all using standard
Windows methods. If you are a Windows
user, you will find yourself flying around
the Sound Forge interface without even
thinking about it, since everything is right
where you expect it to be.
Some subtle changes have occurred in
both the metering and plug-in interface. The
metering system has undergone significant
revision, with support for the type of broadcast-level peak metering that is necessary to
support professional work. If you are
involved in broadcast audio, you've already
heard about the CALM (Commercial
Advertisement Loudness Mitigation) Act, and
you will be happy to hear that Sound Forge
provides CALM-compliant peak metering. If
you aren't doing audio for TV or radio, you
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