Sound Forge 4.0Copyright © 1996 Sonic Foundry, Inc.
One of the most complete audio composing and digital editing programs of the day, Sound Forge lets you edit and record audio directly from your sound line-in. Features include recording regions, mono, stereo, sample rate conversion, time display, undo/redo history, trim, crop, crossfade, mix, built-in equalizer, zoom, play, stop, pause, record, fast forward, rewind, beginning, end, playlist, cutlist, markers, peak data rebuild, DC offset, fade in/out, flip audio, insert silence, mute, volume control, time compression/expansion, sound effects, sound meters, MIDI input, on-line help, and more.
It originally retailed for US$799.99.
Sony acquired Sonic Foundry's software products in 2003. In 2006, ten years after Sound Forge 4.0's release, Sony offered a "Home Edition" called Sound Forge Audio Studio 8.0 that has more features than this 1996 full version of Sound Forge and retailed for US$69.95.
This version was released on CD-ROM.Total install size: 12.62MBQuoteThe arrival of audio processing software plug-ins for the PC means that the platform can now compete as a viable digital audio workstation, and the latest update to PC audio editor Sound Forge supports the use of several software-based processors. MARTIN WALKER checks them out.During the last 12 months, the PC has seemingly gone from being a poor relation to joint partner (along with the Mac) in the hard disk recording hierarchy. With the advent of programs like Cubase Audio and Logic Audio for the PC, many people are now regularly recording up to eight tracks of audio alongside MIDI, with both types of data controlled from a single package. The quality of audio has always been somewhat dependent on the individual PC, since most budget soundcards tend to pick up a small amount of interference from other expansion cards in the PC, as well as from the power supply and hard disk.
As the quality stakes have gone up, so various manufacturers have responded with more specialist, higher-quality soundcards. These employ much more thorough methods of shielding and interference suppression to give audio qualities that are extremely close to those attainable by stand-alone units, where the recording technology is entirely removed from the PC box and placed in its own shielded enclosure. As people's expectations have continued to rise, a backlash has become inevitable, and despite many cautionary comments from industry professionals, every person who confidently starts out using an integrated multitrack hard disk recording system on the PC finds out soon enough just what the limitations are. Once you have more than two tracks (or a stereo pair) with only a single stereo soundcard to output data, it is impossible to add EQ or effects on more than a global basis when plugged into an external mixer.
It was probably at this point that many PC musicians looked longingly towards advertisements and reviews for Mac products, where software 'plug-ins' offering effects processing and EQ have been available for some time, albeit at professional price points. The concept of plug-ins is one that will be new to most PC owners, but as software applications grow ever more comprehensive, so the idea of an expandable core program (which provides basic features) with separate plug-in software modules available (both from the manufacturer of the original program and from third parties) becomes extremely attractive. In the rarified areas of sound processing, it is impossible for a single company to be at the leading edge of all aspects of sound manipulation. In areas such as 3D positioning and psycho-acoustic tweaking, the previous development of Macintosh plug-ins means that the majority of the hard work may be done already for any manufacturer who decides to enter the PC arena.
