Another
cool element of its performance is the ability to shift
your screen and dock panels in different places, which
is very reminiscent of the new features in Adobe Production
Suite. Unfortunately, the option to restore your panels
to their default positions does not seem to work properly,
as I had to re-shuffle panels around and keep hitting
that option before I was finally able to get everything
back to their original settings.
The
overall performance of SonicFire Pro 4 is great
but, like the options section, there are a few areas I
would like to see some work done to improve in future
versions.
For
example, the size of the multi-layered songs is pretty
gargantuan. A DVD of 44khz single-layer songs with all
their variations comes in at about 400MB whereas a DVD
of 48khz multi-layer songs comes in at about 3.3 Gigs.
That means that you're having audio files that are competing
with video files on size. Although you can listen to each
song straight from the DVD, through the playing software,
most of us would prefer the seamlessness of having them
downloaded into our computer. While there are a huge number
of options programmed into these multi-layer songs, coming
up with a way to shrink them a bit will help out a lot
with this issue.
Another
area that I would like to see some improvement is in the
area of transitioning between 'Moods' when alternate instrumentation
is involved. For example, if you go from the 'Drum &
Bass' mood to the 'Lead & Accoustic Guitar' mood,
rather than the drum and bass ending organically as the
guitars commence, the Drum & Bass volumes just lowers
digitally while the volumes of the guitars raise opposite
it. This leaves a very digital transition that is pretty
unappealing. You can lower the transition lengths to try
and get past this, but there's a real tendency to have
clashing beats in this situation, which requires a lot
more finessing and gets back into the realm of the experienced
audio technician. Of course, you can avoid this issue
by transitioning into a more full mood before going into
a different sparse mood, but this is a bit annoying.
In
this same vein, it would be awesome to see if SmartSound
can come up with an algorithm to make volume adjustments
sound as though they are effecting the actual loudness
or softness at which the instrumentation is being played.
As it is right now, volume adjustments, especially fade
ins and fade outs, have a tendency to sound noticeably
digital.
Value
At only $199 for the Standard Edition of SonicFire
Pro 4, SmartSound is the first company I've ever seen
that's actually lowered their price on a new release of
a program rather than raised it. (The Standard Version
of Sonicfire Pro 3 was $249.) With the Standard
Edition, you get their first two CDs of multi-layer
music and then can purchase additional tracks and/or CDs
as you need them. The $399 Filmmaker's Edition
is a great deal if you've got a fast Internet connection,
because it gives you the two core CDs found in the Standard
Edition plus it allows you to download 15 tracks from
their entire library. (According to SmartSound, they publish
an entire new CD worth of music every month from which
you can choose songs.) Either way you go, SonicFire
Pro 4 is an amazingly economical way to go for coming
up with a scoring solution that won't confuse you.
Final
Comments
SonicFire Pro has been a useful program in the past,
but now that it's added multi-layer support and Mood
Mapping, it's become a must own for Indie filmmakers--especially
at the extremely reasonable price it's now being offered
at. Even if you're a purist and have a composer that you
want to compose the final mix for you, this program will
allow you to create a wonderful pattern for him or her
to compose from, yielding a much more satisfactory experience
for everyone. At the very least you owe it to yourself
to download the demo and play around with this powerful
program a bit.
To
view a video clip utilizing three different multi-layered
songs to create three different styles and feelings, click
here to watch a clip from a reality show-based documentary
I'm working on.
