Roll Your Own ProductionsOverview:
Acid Pro is billed as a 'looping tool' and (for non-live work) is
probably the best programme out for this purpose. However, Acid is
also able to record audio and MIDI. It can edit, 'chop up', process and affect
the resultant .wav and .mid files. It can be used as a host sequencer for DXi,
VSTi and Rewire devices and in its latest incarnation as a Rewire client. It
can also output files in a number of formats including .wav, .aif, .mid, .wma,
.ogg, .rm, .mp3, etc. as well as burning a 'track at once' CD.
Acid comes with a set of native effects, many of which are quite
useable, and it will work with any plug-in effects that use the DX or VST
protocols.
Set up/Installation:
Acid is supplied in two ways; either as a download direct from the
Acid site or as a boxed CD with a manual covering
the basics (installation, registration, etc.) and a foldout card with the
various keyboard shortcuts listed on it.
Installation itself is very straightforward and (depending upon the hardware)
doesn't take long at all. Once installed, Acid will open in demo mode
until you supply the registration code, which can be found on page one of the
manual or in an e-mail if you've purchased the download.
GUI:
When Acid opens it will load its default project, which is a
collection of audio and MIDI loops already arranged into a 'song' as an
example of what it's capable of doing.
You will notice that the 'loops' occupy the top right-hand area of the
screen (below the toolbars, which run right across the very top of the screen
like any typical Windows-based application) - this is akin to a typical
'arrange' page on any sequencer.
To the left of the 'loops' is a column of small grey boxes, referred to as
Track Headers. There will be one per track (as, I'm sure, you'd expect) and it
is here that you can control the parameters related to each track (e.g.
volume, panning, FX assigning, signal routing, etc.).
The bottom 'half' of the screen is where you'll find tabbed pages for the
Mixer, Explorer, Media Manager, Track Properties, Soft Synth Properties,
Chopper, Audio Plug-ins, etc. The reason I put half in quotation marks is
because this area and the other two areas I've already mentioned can be
re-sized by dragging their edges with the mouse.
By default the Mixer will have two vertical strips; one called Preview, which
controls the volume of loops and 'one-shots' (single hits, usually from drums
but not necessarily) being auditioned in Explorer and sets the record level
(trim) for the signal being recorded, and one called Master, which controls
the main/mix output volume. Each of these strips have dual faders that can be
locked together or unlocked as desired by clicking on the little padlock
symbol at the bottom of the faders. Next to the faders are digitally scaled
meters for keeping an eye on input/output levels. At the top of the meters the
peak hold values are displayed in dBFS. These figures will turn red when
clipping occurs, however this clipping isn't always audible, which suggests
that Acid has some extra headroom or some form of soft limiting built
in.
You can add new busses to the mixer. These can be used as output groups or
send groups, which is very flexible and powerful, especially for getting mix
effects and processing right. E.g. it's very easy to have many rhythm loops
grouped and compressed together, or to set up a reverb send buss. You can even
route the output of these busses to the inputs of each other as well as the
physical outputs of your audio interface.
(Click to enlarge)
Automation is another great feature. You can automate volume, panning, etc.
and also the parameters of some effects, e.g. for filter sweeps. All
automation is easily drawn onto the track. Just right click and 'show
automation'.
Click on the Explorer tab to search for and audition loops and one-shots,
which can be in different formats including .wav, .mp3, .mid, etc. When you've
found the loop you're after, double clicking will insert a new track (and
Track Header of course) in the 'arrange half' of the screen. At this point the
actual track will be empty and if you want to use the loop you will have to
'draw' or 'paint' it in, but I'll get to this later.
Track Properties is where you can alter (non-destructively) the original file
(loop, one-shot, MIDI file, etc.) by, for example, changing the pitch or tempo
(or both). You can also change what type of track it is (not MIDI) between
'Loop', 'One-shot' or 'Beatmapped'. Beatmapping is where Acid takes a
long file (e.g. an audio track you've recorded either directly into Acid
or some other application) and calculates its tempo. Beatmapped tracks have
the option to 'preserve pitch when stretching', which means that you can alter
the tempo without affecting the pitch. MIDI files can be edited in this tab
using lists or piano roll and quantising and other such MIDI processes can be
undertaken here as well.
Soft Synth Properties allow you to load and swap VSTi's as well as adjust any
parameters that the instrument allows (e.g. patches, effects, etc.) via its
own interface. This means that on occasion re-sizing of the SSP pane is
required but I don't find this a major issue.
Chopper is the Acid equivalent of Propellerhead's Recycle,
although I think it actually pre-dates it (but I won't swear to that).
However, even though it has an obvious use for drum loops (like Recycle),
it can also be used for any loops (or one-shots, etc.) and does as its name
suggests.
Audio Plug-ins is where you'll find the DX or VST processors and effects
parameters. It's also possible to string two or more effects together in a
'Packaged Chain', which can be saved to apply to any other track or group (or
even to other projects).
In use:
The main attraction of Acid, for me, is how quick and easy it is to
get something out of it, and yet at the same time it can be used right up
until the final mix.
Acid can work with 8, 16 or 24-bit word lengths and at sample rates
ranging from 32 KHz to 192 KHz (assuming that your hardware can too). It also
works with WDM, ASIO or ASIO2 drivers. These parameters as well as buffer
sizes (latency) can all be accessed from the 'Audio' tab in the 'Preferences'
box, which in turn is opened from the 'Options' drop-down menu (at the top of
the screen). These settings can be altered at any subsequent stage in the
project should the need arise, as indeed most things can.
Open a new project from the 'File' menu or by clicking on the icon in the
toolbar and you'll be faced with a 'blank' arrange section (i.e. no
tracks/Track Headers). At this stage (or probably beforehand) you'll decide
what your project will contain (audio recordings made by you or MIDI files
made by you or royalty-free samples or any combination). I normally start with
the drums using one-shots (I don't have a drum kit or the microphones to
record one let alone the room for one... yet) and then either the bass or some
chords that will form the basis of the track (song).
In addition, one of my favourite features (for the way that I work) is the
ability to swap files in the Track Properties tab. For example, I used to build my
drum tracks using one-shots. If at some stage I decided that I didn't like the
snare or kick or whatever, I would go into the Track Properties and 'Replace'
the original one-shot with any other file of my choosing. In this way,
Acid processes audio as if it were MIDI. This is something that I haven't
(yet) come across in any other application.
When I started, I didn't have any actual instruments (not including VSTi's, of
course) so all of my 'playing' and recording was done in MIDI. I now own an
acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric bass and a set of bongos plus a
rack synth, which uses MIDI (of course) but also outputs audio. The only audio
recording I did in Acid beforehand was vocals (usually rapping as
opposed to singing), for which I found it to be quite capable. Overall, I find
that audio recordings are accurate representations of the source, as they
should be.
Using MIDI in Acid, whether to trigger VSTi's or external synths is
very straightforward and, as mentioned previously, editing MIDI is also a
doddle. Like audio, MIDI can also be manipulated on the track (in the arrange
section) as well as (or instead of) in the Track Properties tab at the bottom
of the screen. Recording MIDI is as simple as pressing the red dot, selecting
your input and 'thru' devices and clicking on 'Start'. The MIDI implementation
is not up to the standard of its rivals but, it's not what Acid was
primarily designed for and the fact that it handles MIDI so well at all is a
definite bonus as far as I'm concerned.
Conclusion:
I've been using Acid for a few years now, more or less since version
4 came out, and so I can't compare it to previous versions. As always there
are people who prefer things 'as it used to be' and the 'bring back version 3'
mob can still be found lurking on the
Acid forums every once in a while. However, I have to say that
I've enjoyed my time with it, even through all its updates (currently on
7.0a)
and am very glad that I started with something so simple and yet complex. It
encouraged me to step up (which I'm slowly doing) but no matter how much
equipment and/or other programmes I acquire I can't see myself abandoning
Acid altogether.
For fast (and fun) composition, there's still very little out there to beat it
and now that it can do multi-track recording, it can be literally all you
need. It's also worth pointing out that there are various levels of Acid
from the limited but usable free version through the 'Studio' version (think Cubase SE) all the way up to the 'Pro' version.
Try it, you might like it. And if you don't, you've lost nothing but the five
minutes it takes to learn how to use it.
An alternative point of view
The following is a quote from the
ACIDplanet Forum in response to my review:
"I have 6.0 and it crashes incessantly.
INCESSANTLY. You also forgot to mention that it has no track freeze, most
other sequencers have had this for several versions. This is an almost
essential function if you do any recording or sampling and do not have a dual
or quad core monster compy. ACID is fine for looping, but Ableton does that
same thing a bit better.
For editing CUBASE, Logic, and SONAR absolutely smoke ACID in every
conceivable way. It's not even close. ACID has nowhere near the power or the
editing options of these programs at all.
ACID is good for looping and light duty recording. If you loop, or do light
recording, you'll be fine with it when it doesn't crash, which is almost
always. If you are recording a multi-synth rig, bass, piano, and whatever else
you can get your hands on, and laying a good number of tracks per tune as I am
you will bang your head against the wall until you bleed to death. It was
frustrating enough for me with the crashing and lack of editing/processing
options that I quite writing for two months altogether while I saved for
CUBASE. I deluded myself for quite some time that it was competitive with
CUBASE, SONAR, Logic, and Ableton for a long time. This was because I hadn't
actually tried to work with any of those. Once I did I saw how far behind the
times ACID was. And I felt very dumb for not moving to one of those programs
years earlier.
If you perform live, Ableton offers you a multitude of advantages as it is
designed for fluid live performance, not just sequencing. ACID doesn't touch
Ableton in that regard. Not even close. No linear sequencer does."
Doctor
Funkenstein
If you have any comments or observations to share, please feel free to contact
me and I will add them to this page.