Subject:First impressions

Posted by: barleycorn

Date:6/15/2007 1:14:30 PM

A few comments after half an hour with Sound Forge 9.0:

1. I think it's confusing that a selected channel changes colour rather than the channels not selected: to me the selected channel looks as if it would be the one to be muted (not least because the level ruler is also darkened - very unhelpfully). I would expect the currently selected channel to look the same as it would if one were editing all the channels (i.e. white background (by default) with black selections). Anyone agree?

2. When ClearType font smoothing is turned on, the numbers on the level ruler become very difficult to read when a single channel is selected (at least on the one system I've tried it on so far). The level ruler almost appears to be greyed out, only adding to the impression that the selected channel is actually deselected. Is anyone else seeing this?

3. The Shift+Home and Shift+End keyboard shortcuts don't work as they're supposed to: try dragging to the right to make a selection and then pressing Shift+End - the selection isn't extended as it should be.

Generally very disappointed. I'd really hoped that either the metering would be dramatically improved (the phase scopes are ridiculously small) or it would at last be possible to view more than one plug-in at a time so that one could see processing and metering plug-ins simultaneously (I use Inspector XL).

Some of the disappointment is more general: (1) it doesn't feel like anyone at Sony actually uses the software or cares very much about it (Peter Haller - the only person to bother to contribute to the forums - excepted); (2) it doesn't seem that there are ever going to be more than minimal efforts to develop this software: SCS seem to have no will to dominate and the big releases that might really make some headway in the marketplace never seem to come.

Subject:RE: First impressions

Reply by: timo75

Date:6/17/2007 3:44:01 PM

to 2.:

I already mentioned this in an older thread. I really want the old behaviour - the free sizable level meters - back.
I cannot understand who of the developers thought: "ah, nobody would use sizable level meters, let's remove them". Makes no sense at all.

to 3.:

The whole selection expansion is buggy. Same when you try to expand a selection with shift+mousedrag, doesn't work. But they told me in another thread, that this will be sorted out in the next update.
Good that you also discovered it for shift-to-end or shift-to-home function, hope that this will be adressed, too.

Subject:RE: First impressions

Reply by: WO

Date:6/22/2007 9:32:23 PM

Here's one for you. I upgraded to sf8 (then immediately to 9.0) from sf4. That's version FOUR, running on an old 95 box.

Lest you think I'm nutz, I postponed upgrading either my hardware, OS, or SF because sf4 was absolutely awesome in terms of bugs. In my six years of using it, I believe it coughed twice. With toay's HD capacity, memory, speed, and software features, I finally had to cave.

I am also disappointed. The zero snap selections aren't automatic, the selection gets hung in a mode where you have to press shift to get out of it (to be fair, I think this is an XP/keyboard issue, but PLEASE, after 30 years, MS is having trouble with a keyboard driver?).

The envelope buttons---what's up with that?! I've not tried every process and effect of course, buy a couple of heavily used ones (volume and smoothing) require setting the envolopes every time, else the result i screwy. The help is also quite weak now, especially where it counts---the effects and processes.

On the plus side, the pencil tool is light years better than the old one. For click removal, it's pretty amazing.

I will say kudos to Sound Forge for keeping the interface current and increasing the amount of features. Unfortunately their Q&A processes are obviously sub-par. I take that back---it is par with the industry. What's that say for today's software in general?

At any rate, I am still more satisfied than not. I got a good deal on my upgrade, and also, the phone service during my order was like, well it was like the old days---I was able to talk to a human, FEMALE at that, who spoke English, and was as courtious as you could ever want. The lady even knew the product pretty well.

Subject:RE: First impressions

Reply by: pmooney

Date:6/25/2007 5:58:06 AM

I've said this already, but I'm goona repeat it until something happens.......

PUT THER LOOP TUNER BACK IN SF 9!