Contained in the Apple Final Cut Studio 2 announcement is a new version of Apple’s video-savvy sound editor, Soundtrack Pro. Unfortunately, Apple still hasn’t restored the a la carte, Soundtrack-only purchase option — you have to get Final Cut Studio to get Soundtrack Pro 2. But the new release does build on some of the unique interface ideas of the first version, while adding the key capabilities the first version lacked — namely, usefulness for actually creating soundtracks. And look closely at these screen shots, and you just might see something of the next Logic. (Yeah, I know, you wanted solid information, but it wouldn’t have made sense to talk about a music product like Logic at a broadcast production show like NAB, where Final Cut Studio 2 was launched. When Apple’s ready, I’m sure we’ll hear from them.)

The big news here: Apple is certainly making an effort to push how we edit, in terms of spotting for video and interfaces for surround and effects. We’ll have to see if they pulled it off, and if these paradigms can effectively “trickle up” to their flagship DAW — and whether other developers can push even further in the same direction.

New in 2:

Sure, between applications as full-featured as Bias Peak and Apple’s own Soundtrack not to mention freeware like Audacity, Mac users are a bit spoilt for choice when it comes to audio editors. But for those like myself who long for the simplicity and elegance of the long gone SoundEdit, Rogue Amoeba may just have the answer.

Fission is the first (and currently only) OS X audio editor to support lossless editing of MP3 and AAC audio. The software has a super simple interface which provides an accurate dual-waveform view and a handful of editing commands that let you split, cut, crop, and fade audio. While still clearly a 1.0 version, it does have some slick features including audible audio scrubbing.

Fission’s streamlined interface is a joy to look at and use. Its only flaw may be that it is too stripped down for some. With a few more features, particularly support for VST and AU plug-ins, Fission could become my go-to audio editor for those times when bringing up Peak is just overkill.

Fission works with mono and stereo MP3s, AAC, Apple Lossless and AIFF audio files and is available now as a Universal Binary that runs natively on PowerPC and Intel Mac for US$32.

Yes, I know, there are many video production houses working on weddings and corporate videos who aren’t likely to hire Howard Shore to compose the score. (Well, except for the odd Lord of the Rings geeks tying the knot.) So, it makes sense that we’d see yet another software product that promises to generate the music algorithmically according to a musical genre and custom hit points. Because, of course, it’s not like there are a bunch of composers around hard up for money who would do anything for a gig. Ahem. Sony is teasing their new Wndows-only product Cinescore at the NAB broadcasting show; you can see the details in an online brochure. Basically, it looks like Acid and Vegas, but with the ability to automatically create music rather than assemble it from loops. The brochure even says “Don’t fumble with clunky blocks of prearranged music,” which could be interpreted as a dig at Apple’s Soundtrack and GarageBand, except Sony’s own ACID product started the whole loop rage in the first place.

The problem is, as always, that you’re limited to pre-defined styles, and Sony has included only 20 options. (There are variations; hard to know without hearing it how cheezy it is, but past experience with this kind of product suggests . . . Velveeta.) But look closely at the brochure: clearly, you have everything you need! “High Adrenaline” “Drum ‘n’ Bass”, “High Voltage” Rock, “Fourth World Surge” Ambient (not entirely sure where the Fourth World is, but I guess it’s nations with even more poverty than the Third World?), and, most importantly, Klezmer! (Hey, if you have 20 styles, you better make one of them Klezmer.) I’m sure it’ll go well with the video about . . . parrots . . . shown in the brochure.

I’ll let you know when the demo version is available so the CDM community can unleash its High Adrenaline Klezmer mash-ups on the world.

Apple has a new pro app for audio production called Soundtrack Pro, unveiled with Final Cut Pro Studio 5.
This isn't just a slightly beefed-up Soundtrack or a new app for video
– it looks like it could be a whole different way of working. Here's
an early look at some features I find interesting (at least on paper):

• It's a waveform editor: This is a serious audio
  editor at its core, complete with waveform and spectral views and the
  usual editing features, multitrack editors, and what looks like a cross
  between Logic Pro's WaveBurner for waveform editing and Soundtrack for
  matching to sound to picture.
• Action Layers and Action List: At the heart of Soundtrack
  Pro is a feature unlike anything I've seen
  before — you can reorder, A/B, and turn on and off layers and
  histories of edits for "what-if", non-desctructive waveform editing.
  Think Photoshop layers and history for audio.
• 

  Find-and-Fix: Automatically identify and repair audio problems like clicks, pops, and noise.
  

• Fully Automated: Integrated AppleScript support and OS X Tiger Automator support for fully automating audio workflows.
• Apple Loops Comes to Sound Effects: Doing video production? Take note: on top of the (expected) 5,000 Apple Loops, you can surf 1,000 included sound effects.
• Logic Effects: 50 included audio effects from Logic Pro 7,
  including the lush Space Designer reverb and Match EQ for deriving EQ
  settings from audio and applying them wherever you like.
• Supports AU effects
• Integrated Mixer: Mix audio in a more Final Cut-like interface, with full control surface support and out-of-the-box Mackie Control support.
• Integrates with Apple's Video Tools: A single command
  moves audio between Apple's various tools for instant editing, much
  like the Motion – Final Cut – DVD Studio integration we've seen in the
  last version of Apple's video suite.

So, what is this thing? Some rumors suggested that Apple was
abandoning Logic for a new audio app. Looking at Soundtrack Pro, I
think nothing could be further from the truth: just as GarageBand was
built on Logic's foundation and ultimately reshaped a later version of
Logic, this product says Emagic throughout, from mixing to effects.

Musicians will still want the instruments, etc., in Logic (which is
why
you can expect Logic to remain a separate product), but for general
audio work, this could be a major new tool. Let's hope its new
features, like Action Layers, Find-and-Fix, and full automation with
Tiger's Automator, show up in the next version of Logic Pro. (I imagine
you'll be able to exchange files with Logic via XML, but I'll find out
for sure.)

In the meantime, here are apps that should start to sweat: BIAS'
SoundSoap Pro and Peak, etc. could be rendered unncessary by Soundtrack
Pro's sharp audio editing tools, and even the mighty Pro Tools has some
new competition for video production, especially if Final Cut users
start doing audio editing in Soundtrack instead of Pro Tools.

US$299 list a la carte, or part of the new Final Cut Studio (with educational pricing on each.)