Editor's Note: This is an extended version of the review that appears in the January issue of DV magazine. 

By Ned Soltz

Just the other day I was speaking with a producer friend.

"I just got an e-mail from my music download service," he said. "They're raising the prices again. And trying to loop those 15-second clips when I need a little more time is a real pain."

The answer, my friend, is Sonicfire Pro 5 from SmartSound.

I have been using Sonicfire Pro ever since it was SmartSound 1.0 — at least 11 years. Over this period of time, the product has matured into what I can unequivocally state is the essential music bed application for any project that lacks the budget for expensive licensing or custom composition.

Adding a Hit

Other applications assemble music beds through loops or importing MIDI files, a process that can consume time and might require more musical skill than many jack-of-all-trade producers possess. Still other producers, like my friend, rely on royalty-free or needle-drop cuts of specifically-defined times — 15, 30, 60 seconds, etc.

AIFF Export Options

But what if you need a cut that is, say, 21 seconds and five frames? Or what if you want to create a bed of the identical duration of a clip or sequence that matches beats or transitions to specific portions of the video? And what if you can't compose or don't have the budget for a composer? And, of course, the music needs to be royalty-free.

The answer, once again, is Sonicfire Pro 5.

Export Send To Options

Despite the evolution of the product over the past decade, the core of the application remains the same. Sonicfire Pro consists of an application that creates musical tracks from actually performed pieces. These performed pieces are divided into musical blocks that the application assembles into a complete arrangement, which can then be exported to your NLE or even exported as a WAV or AIFF file. Each piece can be previewed and exported in multiple arrangements. The software automatically rearranges and regroups blocks to create those different arrangements.

Express Track Window - Piece Selected

Beginning with Sonicfire Pro 4, SmartSound introduced multi-layer music with an amazing feature they called Mood Mapping. By varying both gain and/or the instruments of a particular clip, it is possible to create and then customize "moods." More about that later.

But first, let's talk about the application. In reality, there are two applications. Sonicfire Pro Express Track Edition is free with the purchase of any SmartSound music CD. It essentially catalogs and categorizes all music that you have purchased, with options to log onto SmartSound's Web site to browse, preview, download and purchase individual tracks or entire CDs.

Selecting and Changing Mood

Pick a selection, specify a length, choose a variation, or if the song is a multi-layer music clip, choose a mood. The Info window describes the source CD and tempo, Then hit export. You will have the option of exporting in WAV or AIFF format. That's all it is.

For another $99, upgrade to the Sonicfire Pro Scoring Edition. Here's where the fun takes place. The Scoring Edition starts with the basic Express Track interface but adds a timeline, movie preview window, properties window, VU meters, and bin/spotting window.

Spotting Choices Listed

There are multiple workflows to scoring your sequence or clip.

The most basic is to decide the length of the clip, style, tempo and, finally, the musical bed you desire, whether it's a piece you own or one you will download and purchase. You may preview and set a mood in this Express Track window but instead of a button labeled Export, you will see a button labeled Insert. Choosing Insert will place the clip in the timeline at the position of the playhead.

Using Marker and Spotting

Most likely, though, you would want to score while previewing a video clip. Either using the Choose Video command or by right clicking in the video window, choose your clip. Sonicfire Pro will import a preview of that clip along with any audio already associated with the clip. Scrubbing the timeline will scrub the clip in the preview window and display the clip's timecode.

Whether you're previewing a video clip or working without visual in the timeline, you're now ready to begin customizing your track. Change arrangement or mood (if multilayered music) in the properties window. Is your music bed too long or too short? Just grab the end of the clip and adjust. The composition automatically reconforms the underlying component blocks to your new duration.

Using Timing Control

In my sample clip, I have footage of some frisky sea lions on Fisherman's Wharf. It would really be great to add a little hit where their heads flop down on each other. It's simple in Sonicfire Pro. Just position the playhead, click Add Hit File and, from the dialog box that appears, choose the type of hit you want.

Level changes can be achieved by simply double clicking on the audio level in the timeline to create a keyframe and then raising or lowering as appropriate. It is also possible to add markers, naming those as well.

The true power of Sonicfire Pro, though, is achieved through using the multi-level music tracks, introduced with Sonicfire Pro 4 and now numbering some 60 CDs. Twirling down the arrow left of the timeline reveals each of the instruments used in the track. These can be adjusted individually, adjusted by means of selecting a preset mood in the Properties window, or tweaked once the preset has been applied.

Within any given clip, we might want to duck the music when there is dialogue, add or subtract instruments, or play a fully orchestrated or a lightly orchestrated version. This is easily accomplished by setting a mood keyframe in the left panel of the timeline and then selecting a new mood in the Properties window. Set another keyframe and change the mood again. Each mood change defaults to a two-second transition, but you can lengthen or shorten that in that same window.

Common to all clips is the ability to control timing of the various components. Select the timeline and activate the Timing Control in the in the Properties window. The timeline will reveal the names of the individual musical blocks that the application has used to assemble the music bed. Individual tick marks indicate individual measures of the piece. Click on a "section keyframe" point and drag it wherever you like in the timeline. The arrangement will change to reflect that specific musical sequence beginning at the new point.

A new workflow possibility has been introduced in version 5: spotting. The Spotting window shows the individual musical blocks in the piece. By the way, as in older versions of Sonicfire Pro, you can still create your own arrangement by previewing those blocks and dragging them to the timeline in any order you desire, but clicking the Spotting tab results in a whole new way of working.

In this scenario, import your reference movie first. Place markers as desired on the timeline. Examples of markers you might place include at scene changes where you desire a musical beat or emphasis, or specific action points. The Spotting window will show those markers with an option to call them markers, music in or music out. The program will then calculate based on the length of the clip and the movement it perceives in the clip what possible tempos of music might be appropriate to the video. Select a tempo and then click Express Track. The Express Track window will open with all available clips of that tempo (whether on your disk or available for download). Preview the musical clips and create your track. Markers will ensure that beats are placed where you placed the marker.

When you're satisfied with your composition, there are a number of export options. It is possible to export each track individually or a total mix as AIFF or WAV. It is also possible to send to your favorite NLE with all tracks remaining discrete. This is important for final audio mixing and sweetening in your NLE or DAW. Because the Send To feature incorporates interchangeability, it is possible to open the music track once again in Sonicfire Pro and see those changes reflected in the NLE timeline.

And now for the music. The SmartSound CD library currently includes well over 100 discs grouped by style or mode of music, with new CDs introduced each month. Examples are documentary, sound effects, corporate, world/travel and cinematic. Discs usually of 10 songs sell for $99 individually, with discounts for purchases beyond two CDs. SmartSound often advertises specials. Individual tracks may also be downloaded for $14.95. Originally, SmartSound marketed SmartSound and its successor, Sonicfire Pro, as an application bundled with CDs. This created a rather confusing product matrix. I am pleased to see the basic version Express Tracks included free with a very modest upgrade price of $99 to the Scoring Edition version. Then, purchase tracks as you desire. It makes things cleaner and easier to follow.

The quality of the music is exceptional. Since these are performed pieces, they do not sound like the predictable loops that come from loop-based compositions, and they are sufficiently varied to include anything from car chases to suspense to whimsical to world sounds. Imagine a collection with an Irish jig, an Australian didgeridoo and a hora all together.

And I emphasize that these pieces are royalty free. SmartSound's BackStage site, available as a free log-in, includes a tool to create cue sheets from EDLs as well as links to some unique paid services offered by SmartSound. Got a piece of music that has been composed for you and want it converted to SmartSound format? Request a custom quote. Likewise, the SmartSound team can put you in touch with composers who will custom compose in SmartSound format.

What would I like to see in future versions? How about the ability to transpose music to other keys or ramp speed up or down, or change instruments in a multi-layered composition? If, for example, the track contains an acoustic piano, I would like to be able to audition or substitute an electric piano. It might be a tall task to ask with performed music, but I am confident that the developers at SmartSound can find any number of innovative ways to continue enhancing the program.

Sonicfire Pro 5 is an essential part of my production toolkit. There exists nothing else that can even come close to what it can achieve in adding appropriate quality music to enhance production. It should be a part of your kit as well.

SONICFIRE PRO 5

SCORE:

PROS: There is nothing like it for quick music bed creation that sounds like you commissioned the piece.

CONS: At $99 each, the cost of individual CDs can really add up.

BOTTOM LINE: An essential part of my production toolkit.

MSRP: Scoring version $99 upgrade. Express Track version free with CD purchase. Individual music CDs $99.

CONTACT: www.smartsound.com