Yearly Archives: 2007

Sony Sound Forge 9.0a : Expert level audio editing made easy

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Sony’s Sound Forge 9 is the latest version of the highly acclaimed sound editing software. There isn’t much competition left in this space, but, new releases and updates still keep pouring in.
The interface hasn’t changed much since the previous releases. It is still easy to use for intermediate and expert level users.
To start with, Sound Forge allows you to import from a wide range of formats – including video formats that contain more audio streams than stereo. Let your imagination run wild with number of effects Sound Forge gives you. Flange, Chorus and Reverb are just a few of them. The overwhelming number of effects and tools is what makes Sound Forge unique.
Setting up parameters for each of the effects is easy. Windows pop-up for every effect you apply where parameters can be changed, and real time previews are played back instantaneously.
It’s not all fun and games either. The Detect Clipping feature finds instances of clipping in a track and marks them so they can be treated. The plugin chainer queues up multiple effects. Several audio files can be processed and effects applied one after another automatically.
Support for script is inbuilt, as well as some presets for normalizing, cropping and fading, etc. These can be used to run automated tasks like extracting audio CDs and encoding them, for example. A script editor is provided; anyone with some understanding of programming can make his own scripts.
Sound Forge stays well under the 50MB limit while working on more than a couple of mp3s.
As it stands now, Sony’s Sound Forge has become a well refined and optimized audio editing software that performs well and manages to have as many features as you’d want. All is well, it might seem, but the price tag of $299.96 is bound to create some hesitation for prospective buyers. Professional level users already on older Sound Forge versions will have no such doubts, all thanks to support for new formats and standards – and the added effects and tools.
Newcomers to the field of audio editing would be better off starting with open source alternatives – Audacity, for example.

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Intel Planning Dual-Core Celeron Microprocessors

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It was just a matter of time before the leading makers of central processing units (CPUs) start to sell dual-core chips for value computers and it now seems that the time will come in the first quarter of next year, when Intel Corp. unveils dual-core Intel Celeron microprocessors aiming the most affordable personal computers (PCs).

 

The first Intel Celeron E1200 dual-core processor working at 1.60GHz, utilizing 800MHz processor system bus and featuring 512KB of unified secondary-level cache will emerge in the first quarter of 2008 to target cost-effective desktops. Later during the year Intel plans to add more chips into the Intel Celeron E1000 dual-core lineup, creating a comprehensive family of affordable chips with two processing engines.

Intel’s Celeron E1000 dual-core processors are set to be made using 65nm process technology and are projected to fit into 65W thermal design power envelope. The new CPUs will be drop-in compatible with all platforms that support code-named

Conroe processors, e.g. Intel Core 2 Duo or Intel Pentium dual-core E2000-series.

According to documents seen by X-bit labs, Intel plans to describe the new Intel Celeron dual-core processor as delivering “entry multi-tasking experience for value-conscious customers”. Currently Intel sells Celeron processors for $34 – $59, therefore, it is possible to expect that the new E1000-series will also fit into that gap. It is interesting to note that the launch of the new Celeron dual-core chips will not mean end of life for Intel Pentium processors, which will continue to serve upper segment of low-cost desktop systems.

Given relatively low clock-speed and not a large cache, it is unlikely that Intel Celeron E1000 dual-core microprocessors will show incredible performance. Nevertheless, the forthcoming emergence of the new chips proof that multi-core technology are rushing into the value segment of the market.

The launch of low-cost dual-core Intel Celeron E1000-series processors will cause the chip giant’s rival Advanced Micro Devices to either waterfall prices of its entry-level single-core AMD Athlon LE and AMD Sempron chips, or to introduce value dual-core processors as well and reconsider pricing of single-core offerings.

Officials for Intel did not comment on the news-story.

Source : X-Bit Labs

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