Listing a few titles should give you an idea of what there is to work with, but I also suggest you visit ACIDPlanet.com to see a full selection. Some of the Sony libraries I have been working with include Cinemascape (soundtrack construction elements), Loop Noir, Cinematix Vol 1, Rondo Brothers (trip-hop loops and samples), Songwriter''s Acoustic Guitar Companion and The Starvu Sessions (keyboard loops from Matt "Doctor" Fink of Prince and The Revolution fame). There are others, but this is a nice cross-section. You might find it surprising that you would be able to take a sample from The Rondo Brothers, who are out there musically, and combine it with loops from Cinemascape, which is more traditional cinema music, but I am here to tell you that you can and you absolutely should.
Just as with VEGAS and other audio workstations, control over parameters like pan, volume and effects is right at your fingertips.
Depth of Options
Past versions of ACID have been used for exactly what I have described, creating loop and sample based music. However, this newest version, ACID Pro 6 is a full featured Digital Audio Workstation. Drag and drop your loops and samples into the timeline, and when you are finished, go ahead and record some vocals or live guitar. A full complement of effects are at your fingertips and when you are completely finished, simply mix and master and you are good to go. Sony has included unlimited tracks, both audio and MIDI and you can edit MIDI directly on the timeline. Since this is a film publication, it is important to note that ACID Pro 6 offers 5.1 surround mixing and film scoring on the timeline. In this aspect, it really is like VEGAS in operation.
When you are building a session, you can audition audio files without dragging them onto the timeline. Until I became more familiar with ACID Pro 6, which didn't take long, I would import my sessions, one track at a time, into Pro Tools for editing and mixing. You can, however, do everything in ACID without turning to other software.
Virtual instruments are available with ACID Pro 6 and the software ships with a specially designed Acid-version of KOMPAKT from Native Insruments. Over 120 instruments are included and you can load KOMPAKT compatible instruments like VIR2's Elite Orchestral Percussion and Acoustic Legends for a little more creativity.
Easily change your song's key and tempo, on the fly. All of the session tracks will automatically comply.
Performance
I ran into zero issues installing, launching and using ACID Pro 6. I never encountered so much as a hiccup. Most of my sessions have topped out at 20 tracks, but I could easily go beyond that. Recording audio went down without a hitch, using an inexpensive Logitech USB microphone. Obviously, if you plan to make ACID Pro 6 your DAW of choice, you are going to need to get an audio input device, either USB or Firewire based. MOTU, M-Audio, and a host of other manufacturers offer such interfaces. What you ultimately decide on is going to depend on what you are recording.
