|
Well, Samplitude really began as an audio editor. And a very good one at that, because it had several very powerful and intuitive tools. The crossfade editor is one of the best I know. I'm pretty comfortable editing in most software, but Samplitude is still one of those I use most.
Later on it went audio multitracking, and again the audio engine was and still is rock solid. Live input, good routing, decent included effects, solid file format support. And it could do everything in one package. Recording, editing, mixing and even a fully fledged cd burning scheme (not the basic stuff you get with most progs, like burn track per track etc, but ability to do continuous cd's, set indices and subindices, edit ISRC codes,...).
There are also different user interface schemes for the different kind of works you'll be doing (recording, mastering, mixing).
With the later versions, they included MIDI (like I said, presumably by ex Emagic guys, if you know MIDI quality in Logic...). Included effects got even better (one of the first very good convolution reverbs). The FFT analyzer/eq is superb. Object oriented automation above general track automation.
And with the next version, it only gets better. MIDI got developped even further (it was still basic as it was an addition to an audio editor, but now I think their going for the full package), more extensive surround capabilities, features for DVD-A authoring, Rewire support, Elastic Audio (so it will have features like Ableton Live), etc...
Samplitude is a big name in the broadcast industry for some time.
Sequoia has always been the big brother of Samplitude, intended for mastering suites, it has all the features of Samplitude and then some (more extensive surround options, more powerful crossfade editors, possibility to use different file formats without conversion in the same project, editing of P and Q codes for CD mastering etc...). But it is indeed very expensive. But for that price you get a package that can really compete with Sonic Solutions and Sadie.
And that's mostly a reason why I don't read computer music. This magazine is mostly aimed to the home studio (and might I say, usually to the amateur home studio). Which is perfectly fine, such magazines are cool for such people. But there is more to audio and computer audio in particular than that home studio world. They deliberately choose to exclude most of the pro "expensive" stuff. Which I must agree is usually a pretty closed world (if you exclude mediawolves Digidesign). It's not a magazine where you'll find extensive reviews and tutorials about Sadie, Augan, Pyramix and consorts.
If you only stick by what is written/reviewed in such magazines, you'll miss out a lot, I guarantee you.
|
