Subject:SF 9.0 Problems

Posted by: SPW

Date:4/19/2007 8:48:21 AM

Hi, I upgraded from SF8 to SF9 a coouple of days ago and am having problems with selecting and zooming.

Trying to zoom out using Zoom Out Full from the right mouse button menu simply doesn't work at all. Doing Zoom In Full using the same method zooms in but not to single sample level. Also, trying to create a selection and magnify horizontally (ie. holding Control whilst selecting) doesn't work either.

Backspace no longer toggles a selection on and off but cycles through previous selections. Is this intended?

Ideas anyone?

Now a bit of a rant. The "enhanced colour customisation" is frankly crap. I have for some time (years) used a dark blue background with a slightly off white for data on the normal display and a pale blue background with black for data on selections as I find this very easy on the eye when using the program for extended periods (a large proportion of my working day). There appears to be no way I can achieve this in SF9. Seperate controls for normal and selected data appear to be needed, along with a separate control for the normal Spectrum Analysis data display colour.

Speaking as a long term user of Sound Forge (over 10 years), with the possible exception of the LONG overdue addition of multichannel audio, SF9 feels very disappointing, which suprises me as previous new versions have nearly always been great improvements.

Subject:RE: SF 9.0 Problems

Reply by: Andreas S.

Date:4/20/2007 1:57:56 PM

You read my mind. SF9 feels a bit like SF8 (which is SF7) with a few interesting, albeit vertical, enhancements.

I bought Izotope's mastering tools a year ago...because it's a single module (rather than three or four plug-ins) I still find it easier to use and create presets with it.

Noise Reduction...had that too...meh. The noise reduction workflow in Audition is nicer, so I use it for that.

The colour customization: whatever. The fact that you can change everything EXCEPT the saturation and brightness of the wave file itself is kind of bizzare. I'm also a blue on dark user...just easier than staring at a lightbulb all day.

I've been using SF since v4. 7 seemed like a big step, but other than that...I'm of the mind that the progress has been VERY evolutionary...and incremental at that. A little revolution might be nice. Right now it just seems to be change for change's sake.

Now, all that said...so far I haven't had any of the weirdness others are reporting, and I'm still on the upgrade path. I'll see what the plans are for 10 in a year or two. I LIKE being loyal, but if other products are making more progress, then it'll be time to switch. So far so good...but marginally.

Subject:RE: SF 9.0 Problems

Reply by: SPW

Date:4/20/2007 2:55:40 PM

Hi anatavism,

Thanks for your reply. This is the first time I've used Izotope's stuff and I like it. I think I'll be using it a lot (if only to make a change from using Waves plug-ins). Like you, I want to stick with Sound Forge, it gives good results and has a proffesional look and feel to it, as opposed to Wavelab for instance, which may or may not be very good but but seems a bit "cartoony" in appearance for my liking. As far as future SF upgrades go, I don't know. I may go back to using SF8 and only use SF9 when doing sound for avi's 'cos it has to be better than switching back and forth between Cubase for the multichannel audio and Sound Forge to editing (I hope).

I was hoping for a reply to my problem from a knowledgeable forum admin or such like but nothing so far :(

Which leads me nicely into a continuation of the the rant in my previous posting :) As I said previously, I've used this software for many years and although I can't be bothered to work out how much it's all cost ie. program purchases (remember when you had to buy noise reduction and batch converter as extras?) and various upgrades, it comes to a fair few quid (that's pounds sterling to you guys in the US ;) and yet if I want technical support for a product that I view as either broken or unfinished, I'm expected to pay for it!! Even the much maligned Steinberg have a free and, in my experience, very good technical support line. Unless I have missed something on the Sony Sound Forge website, in which case I'll humbly eat my words, this just isn't good enough.

Aaahh....that's better :)

Except that SF9 is still giving me problems:(

Subject:RE: SF 9.0 Problems

Reply by: SPW

Date:4/25/2007 8:32:59 AM

Well, (chomp chomp), here I am, eating my words (gulp). Just been on the 'phone to the international helpline and spent an hour going through the the issues I have with SF9 with an extremely helpful guy in technical support (chomp chomp). No problems fixed yet but at least the process is in motion (gulp chomp.......I won't want my dinner now :)