Product Reviews

When Acid first appeared almost a decade ago, there was nothing else quite like it - it made loop-based music production more accessible than ever before. The cut-down Acid Music soon followed, and it didn't feel like a toy application in the way other sub-£100 music-production packages did.

Both packages are still going strong, but most competitors have matched their ability to lock sample loops to the project tempo and key. Sony's response is to develop Acid in the other direction, expanding and refining its general-purpose recording features.

A key ingredient to Acid's ease of use is each recording has its own dedicated track, making it quick to arrange samples on the timeline. However, this system works less well for live performance recordings, particularly when combining

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different takes into a single compiled performance. But, version 7 removes the one-sound-per-track limitation and automatically crossfades overlapped sounds. Together, these new features make Acid more adept at dealing with live recordings. Best of all, Sony has done this without losing the benefits of having dedicated tracks for each sound.

Another key feature is the ability to record simultaneous audio and MIDI inputs. It's of little relevance to the solo artists and dance music producers for whom the software has the greatest appeal, but essential for anyone wishing to record live drums or groups of musicians performing together. However, recording remains limited to 16-bit.

The installation DVD includes a library of over 3,000 samples, although they tend to be heavily processed and edited, leaving less scope for experimentation. A MIDI synthesizer and audio effects are built in, too, but they don't compare well with those bundled with other music-production software. This can, however, be remedied with third-party plug-ins. There's no way to overcome the basic mix architecture without upgrading to Acid Pro.

Ultimately, though, Acid Music Studio's weaknesses are forgivable given its price. It's more capable than other similarly priced packages designed more for the users' rather than audiences' entertainment, yet just as accessible for beginners.