hotlinks :

• Sony Media Software
• New Magic contacts
• Native Instruments
• ACIDPlanet

Product info :

• ACID Pro 6

Sony Media Software's New
Acid® Pro 6 Now Available

Upgraded Version of the Award-Winning Professional Music and Production Application Redefines the Digital Audio Workstation

April 6th, 2006

New Magic Australia and Sony Media Software today announced ACID® Pro 6 software, a significant upgrade to its award-winning, professional music creation and production application.

This new release includes several major development enhancements to the recording and MIDI capabilities of the program, transforming version 6 into a full-featured professional digital audio and MIDI workstation. ACID Pro 6 software is available in Australian stores now and has a RRP of $549 (Inc GST). Upgrades are now also available and start from as little as $199 (inc GST).

ACID Pro 6 software not only continues to provide the powerful loop-based music creation tools that it’s been well known for since 1998, but now provides users with a multitrack recording and MIDI sequencing environment that will appeal to creative professionals and audio engineers looking to record, produce and mix in ACID software’s fast, efficient and easy-to-master platform.

“Since its launch nearly 10 years ago, ACID software has redefined the way music is produced by allowing users to arrange loop-based segments that matched in tempo and pitch. Our newly enhanced digital music workstation technology introduces the optimal creative platform for music composition, recording and mixing by combining our multitrack audio technologies with comprehensive inline MIDI editing and sequencing,” said Dave Chaimson, vice president of marketing, Sony Media Software.

Chaimson continued: “Starting with a new high-performance multi-threaded audio engine, we’ve reengineered ACID Pro 6 software to perform faster and more efficiently not only on dual-core and multiprocessor systems, but also on single-CPU machines providing more efficient track buffering for higher performance at lower latencies. No longer simply a loop-based production tool, this application moves into the category of full-featured DAW’s by combining our highly-decorated ACID music creation technologies, superior 24-bit/192kHz audio support, with new MIDI editing and workflow capabilities that truly change the way in which engineers, producers, and musicians will create, produce and mix audio.”

Award-winning composer Russ Landau uses ACID Pro software and Sony Sound Series™ loops to create music for “Survivor” and other popular television shows. “Sony ACID Pro software is my speed tool for assembling a comprehensive collection of thematic variations in minimum time,” said Landau. “Its new multitrack and MIDI capabilities are a significant enhancement to an already stellar application.”

ACID Pro 6 software provides professionals with new ways to record, produce, mix and arrange audio and music compositions, far beyond the capabilities found in prior versions. The upgraded multitrack recording and MIDI sequencing platform allows users to create music using a fast, efficient and easy-to-master method that produces impeccable results.

In addition to its significantly expanded feature set and new high-performance multi-threaded audio engine, ACID Pro 6 software also reflects enhancements in Sony's ongoing relationship with Native Instruments, creator of state-of-the-art soft synths and samplers. ACID Pro 6 software includes Native Instruments™ KOMPAKT Sony ACID Pro Edition, a configurable sample playback engine that includes a custom sound library assembled by Native Instruments specifically for ACID Pro 6 users.

New Digital Music Workstation Technologies

Multitrack audio and MIDI recording—Simultaneously record multiple tracks of audio and MIDI into the ACID timeline through a variety of methods, including step recording, punch in/out, continuous looping and more.

Multiple media files per track—Layout multiple media files per track, including one-shots, Beatmapped events, loops and disk-based files with new automatic crossfade capabilities.

Inline MIDI editing—MIDI data can be manipulated directly on the ACID timeline, using either a piano roll or a drum grid interface. Edit all note position, velocity, pitch bend, and controller information using an easy, visual approach in the main multitrack interface.

MIDI filtering and processing—ACID Pro 6 software provides processing of MIDI data directly on the timeline, including quantization, swing, editing of velocity values, event duration changes, and more.

VSTi parameter automation— Using automation envelopes, ACID Pro 6 software provides increased mixing flexibility for VST instrument parameters.

Drum Map editing— The Drum Map Editor provides an intuitive way to create custom Drum Map templates, to make working in the Drum Grid even easier.

Project section—ACID Pro 6 software now provides for the creation of project sections that lets users more efficiently rearrange time-based segments of audio and MIDI events located across multiple tracks.

Dynamic playback optimization—ACID Pro 6 software uses a separate processing thread to render audio from tracks. On multiprocessor or multicore computers, processing is distributed evenly across all CPUs to increase playback performance.

External control surface support—ACID Pro 6 software allows hands-on mixing using external hardware with ACID Pro 6 software. Version 6 natively supports the Mackie® Control Universal and the Frontier Design Tranzport™, and allows custom mapping of up to five user-defined control surfaces.

Record input monitoring—The new multitrack workflow provides users with the ability to monitor audio signals with real-time track effect DSP during recording sessions

Additional new ACID Pro 6 features include:

• On-the-fly punch-in recording
• Envelope automation recording
• Track record meters
• MIDI track envelopes for controllers
• MIDI keyframes for patch changes and sysex messages
• MIDI Quantize and Velocity filters
• MIDI file import and export
• Freehand envelope drawing on the timeline
• Gracenote® MusicID CD album identification
• Dual/Multi-core processor support
• ATRAC3™, ATRAC3plus™, and ATRAC Advanced Lossless™ format support
• Film-style panning mode for 5.1 surround projects

ACID Pro 6 core features include:

• Unlimited tracks of audio and MIDI
• Real-time pitch and tempo matching
• VST effect and VSTi support
• Over 20 real-time DirectX effects
• 5.1 surround mixing
• ASIO driver support
• Nestable folder tracks
• Beatmapper® remixing tool
• Groove Mapping quantization tools
• Chopper™ editing tools
• Media Manager search technology
• ReWire mixer and device support
• Video scoring track (AVI, MOV, WMV)
• Integrated disc-at-once CD burning
• One-click music publishing to ACIDplanet.com

Availability and Pricing

ACID Pro 6 software is now available for Aust RRP $549 (Inc GST). Upgrades are now also available and start at $199 (Inc GST). For additional information and local pricing please contact New Magic Australia, the Australian and New Zealand Sony Media Software Distributor

About New Magic Australia Pty Ltd