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Adobe's new Creative Suite 3 program Soundbooth is intended to give video producers a variety of sophisticated sound-editing tools, accessed from a simple-to-understand user interface. The program replaces a more extensive audio application, Audition, in the CS3 Production Premium suites. In making that switch, Adobe's idea was to give video guys, rather than audio pros, tools that they could dive in and use right away. Performing surgery on blemished audio tracks, adding a musical score, and recording new material - functions once reserved for the experienced audio engineer - can be overwhelming. How does the functionality of Soundbooth compare with audio software designed for the experienced engineer? More importantly, are you - the video producer who's looking to expand your skill set and save money by working on audio as well as video - likely to find this product inviting or intimidating?
I feel inclined to offer an opinion immediately: I think Soundbooth is a terrific product. As you'll see when we get into a few detailed examples, its sound-sculpting does not meet the standard set by the premium products on the market (unsurprisingly so). However, Soundbooth offers so much, and makes it so easy for the non-technical audio engineer to record and clean up audio clips, that it deserves high marks.
For starters, if you've worked with other Adobe products, Soundbooth (available in Mac and Windows flavors) will appear familiar as soon as you open it up. A series of dockable panes allow you to customize the workspace and save templates that will optimize your workflow. If you're installing the required audio hardware for the first time, you might spend some time establishing the proper connections; otherwise the process is straightforward.
As I mentioned, Soundbooth has a score-composition component, and you can record audio - voiceovers, for example - inside it as well. But let's start out by addressing a common problem. You return to your studio from a shoot and notice that your principal interview went well. However, there are some problems: The overall level is too low, and...