ACID Pro 7 from Sony Media Software is both a loop-based and linear music creation tool that allows for the production of original, royalty-free music. Songs can be created, tracks re-mixed, music beds developed, videos scored, and music for Web sites and Flash animations developed. The addition of a fully functional mixer environment now allows the software to be seriously considered as a main Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) application in any studio situation.

The software features top quality automatic loop time-stretching and tempo-matching technology and is intuitive and easy to use with its straightforward pick, paint, and play functionality. As before, source material can be pre-recorded loops in multiple genres, recorded hits or segments, complete songs, even MP3s. But with ACID Pro 7, multi-track recording and full MIDI sequencing take on a new functionality with unlimited tracks and the dedicated mixing console.

Files can be previewed, selected and dropped into place. Automatic real-time pitch-shifting, time-stretching, and groove quantization of audio and MIDI events takes the stress out of assembling perfectly synced music. The software also supports video import. With the use of prerecorded audio, a soundtrack can easily be assembled. Even if the individual elements do not fit the hit points of the movie, with the use of markers and a few key strokes, the music can be slowed down or accelerated to hit as many points as required.

• Audio