Soundforge intended for me?
 

If I edit using Vegas is Soundforge something I need in my toolkit? I don't create cd's or anything. What about the digital audio plug in's that Sony offers?


Thanks,

KIM

I'm not a Vegas user, so I'm not sure what they offer as audio tools, but I love Sound Forge, and have used it quite a bit... I almost know what I'm doing sometimes ;) Seriously though, it is a killer tool, and one that I feel is worth having.

Soundforge is a purpose-built audio editing application that can enhance Vegas's core functionality when you use the two together. Vegas itself grew out of sound editing software so it already has pretty powerful audio editing tools in its own right but SF might be handy to have as well - it all depends on your working style and exact needs. Vegas actually has the ability to call SF as an external editor to work on detailed editing inside a clip from an audio track it its timeline. I think you can get the two bundled together for not much more than the cost of Vegas alone so might as well. Why not download the try-out version from Sony and play with it a while to see if it rings your chimes?

I agree you should download the demo. I bought Soundforge Light when I got started, I have only used it once so far. Vegas has a decent set of audio tools. Download the demo, and don't even load it up until you think you need it. That way you will get 30 days on something meaningful. I have even chopped & reassembled songs in Vegas without difficulty.

The only negative I found with SF is that it only does stereo and I had 1 time where I wanted more. But, NR2.0 has been my best friend. It you plan on getting it, check out our sponsor, Videoguys. Best price I found for it.

What is NR? Can't say as I've heard of it.

NR = Sony Noise Reduction. I think the new SF8 does not come with NR bundled, as the old SF7 did. I also use NR quite a bit. It was a real bargain when it was bundled with SF7!

I think Vegas does the vast majority of what SF does, but I generally do my audio editing with SF anyway. It's a really similar interface, but I just find SF easier to work with for sound. Having RMS normalization, selections that automatically extend to zero crossings if you want, etc., just makes things easier IMO.

I'm no expert, but for me, I use them this way -- SF more for "destructive" editing (actually changing the sound file), and Vegas for arranging and layering sounds on the timeline (but not changing the underlying sound file).

One slight annoyance for me is that after upgrading SF but not Vegas, I found that SF7 was better integrated with Vegas 5 than SF8 is, but that's another story.

Video Guys offers Sound Forge 8 *with* Noise Reduction for a good price.
http://www.videoguys.com/sonicfoundry.html

Use the DVInfo member discount code -- DVINFO5OFF -- to get an extra 5% off. Combine that with the Sony $50 rebate on Sound Forge valid through January 31, 2006 and you get a GREAT price.

So, it is the right time to buy if you are wanting to add the Noise Reduction plugin to Vegas. That's what I'm doing. Even if I don't use Sound Forge, I finally can afford the NR plugin.

Ryan

It seems the noise reduction that comes with soundforge is only version 1.0 NOT 2.0.

I'd doubt that you're getting Noise Reduction 1.0 since it's been discontinued for at least 5 years. The Videoguys bundle is definitely NR 2.0.
If it says Sony on it, it's definitely NR 2.0.

Yes I agree except that on Sony's website for Noise Reduction 2.0
http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/Pro...uct.asp?PID=14
it states :

"Use this plug-in collection with Sound Forge® 8 software or any other DirectX-compatible host application to clean up your audio files and achieve professional results."