EXCLUSIVES

SonicFire Pro 3
Words by Trey Yancy
March 2004

I, like many others, am a music purist. If I have the choice between creating an original soundtrack for video and using a canned solution, I will go the long route. Unfortunately, this is not always possible and in many cases it is simply not necessary. In such situations we purists can take satisfaction in the knowledge that a canned solution exists that offers a good combination of power, flexibility, and ease of use while allowing us to import, segment, and insert our own tracks and custom clips. The product I have in mind here is SonicFire Pro from SmartSound Software.

What it Does

SonicFire is a combination of a block sequencer, an editor, an audio database, and a basic video playback window. The user can import canned and original clips and loops, place them in a simple timeline as complete elements or as mix-and-match blocks, and arrange them either as audio-only tracks or to match imported QuickTime video. Canned audio is available in the proprietary SmartSound format which combines linked audio segments, intelligent arrangement management, and indexing information resulting in audio files that can be shortened or lengthened by dragging the length of the clip in the timeline which automatically adds or subtracts content without losing a beat or changing the tempo, while preserving intro and outro content.

Setup is quite easy. Launch the application, insert a sound bank disk, select Import Audio from the File menu and navigate to the disk and to the locations of sound files on your hard drives. The application adds the file links to its internal database. The application comes with some 40 SmartSound-formatted songs in a variety of musical styles on 2 CDs, or with a 5 CD bundle, and a 50+ disk library (approximately 1,100 selections) is available from SmartSound, either by direct download or conventional means, all of which includes sorting data for each selection within the "Maestro" database by style, intensity, library, instrument, and keyword. Audio files on SmartSound's website can be immediately demoed, and the purchase and download of 44.1 kHz files can be initiated from with the Maestro browser. 22 kHz versions can be ordered over the internet if desired.

Although the user cannot create their own SmartSound-formatted audio files, the application provides editing tools that enable the user to bread imported audio files into blocks.

The process involves importing the audio track and bring the file into the blocking window where you use a combination of the zoom slider, wave display, head position and fine-tune selection tools to select and slice the file into the desired segments. You can then select a block of the desired size and call up a grid that automatically sets itself to the length of the selected block, making it easy to break the piece into parts of identical length, either selectively or by the entire file. You then save the edited audio file, delete the original file from the soundtrack window and all of the segments of the edited file appear in the Blocks window, ready to be dropped into the timeline in any order desired.

New Features

Version 3 does not introduce any groundbreaking new technology or a wealth of new features, but its enhancements are certainly welcome. The most significant is the above-mentioned Maestro database that makes it quite easy to search for, preview, and import desired SmartSound content on local drives as well as on the internet. Sound editing has seen some improvement in the area of eliminating blank space at the heads and tails of imported files. The interface has also experienced a tweak or two, and Windows users will appreciate the improvements in handling Windows video files.

Observations

Creating video soundtracks can be a difficult process, particularly when you are matching music to a complex video sequence. A classic example of this is Danny Elfman's arrangement for the waltz scene in 1989's Batman, with its acrobatic changes in tempo and time signatures. The arranging tools in SonicFire Pro may not be up to this level, but they are designed to make complicated arrangements much less daunting than one would expect.

SFP 3 provides a nice combination of power, ease, and flexibility, but I must confess that it leaves me wanting more, particularly for an application bearing a "pro" moniker. If you wish to go beyond the basic format and add audio effects or add other multitrack content you will have to use an external application. As for precision editing of custom sound files, it is possible to be very precise in specifying edit point times numerically, but the lack of a high-powered zoom tool, a jog control, or sample-level audio feedback makes the editing of custom content a hit-or-miss proposition. The average listener or user may not notice a problem with edit-induced timing drift, but if absolute precision is required, custom blocks should be edited externally using an application such as Peak. Otherwise, it is best to stick with the canned SmartSound files.

Wish List

There are a couple of features that I would like to see in the next release. One would be a consumer-friendly API for creating our own SmartSound formatted files from custom content. Another would be the ability to enter custom names for user defined blocks, thereby eliminating the headache involved in searching for a specific measure hiding in the midst of dozens Ð even hundreds Ð of automatically numbered blocks. Multitrack capability would also come in very handy, particularly for inserting foley clips and effects, and support for VFX would be quite welcome as well, as would access to time information for tracks or blocks via the Maestro and Block windows. SMPTE/EBU/MIDI sync would also be a reasonable addition for a pro-branded application.

Conclusion

SonicFire Pro does a great job of producing slick, custom arranged royalty-free soundtracks but for more involved projects its editing tools could stand some enhancement, as could its support for non-SmartSound files in general. It is a wonderful tool for hobbyists and small corporate multimedia departments, but it leaves the pro user wishing for more.

SonicFire Pro 3.1.2: Pros: Fast, easy, intelligent time-fitting, built-in database, direct purchase and download of canned content > Cons: Limited canned resources, moderate support for editing and managing custom audio files >Price: $299 with 2 audio CDs, $499 with 5 CDs, $79 upgrade, SmartSound CDs $99. From: SmartSound smartsound.com