Sonic Studio :: Digital Audio Mastering and Authoring Tools for PCM, DSD&SACD

soundBlade™ Product FAQ

soundBlade brings the portability, versatility, fidelity and value that our customers have come to expect, to a general purpose audio workstation for Mac OS. Here are some frequently asked questions asked about soundBlade and their answers…

01. How is soundBlade different from Sonic Classic & HD?
02. How is it different from the competition?
03. What burners are supported?
04. Can I use my Pro Tools hardware for playback?
05. Can soundBlade use my Digidesign hardware for DSP?
06. Can I rip audio from a CD?
07. How fast does this app burn?
08. Do I have to use one of those dongles to run your software?
09. Can I export tracks for use with other apps?
10. I see that PMCD has Manual DeClick as an option. Does soundBlade have it as well?
11. I read that you output to a DDP image file set? What’s a DDP and why do I need this?
12. If I want to upgrade to a multichannel version of soundBlade, can I?
13. Do you support plug-ins with this software?
14. How many channels can I record with soundBlade?
15. Can I use soundBlade with iTunes?
16. Does soundBlade support CD Text?
17. How do I control dither? What type of dither is included?
18. Will soundBlade run on Windows?
19. Is there a demo I can try?
20. Will soundBlade open HD EDLs?
21. Will this software run on an Intel Mac?
22. Will soundBlade support Jam image files?
23. Which file types will soundBlade support?
24. I have this DDP file set. What if I want to check to make sure it's intact?
25. Will my NoNOISE options transfer from my HD or Classic systems?
26. What media do you recommend for burning CDs?
27. What are the host requirements for soundBlade?

Though we do not recommend any particular manufacturer’s product, jitter performance and longevity are directly related to the quality of your blank media.

01. How is soundBlade different from Classic & HD?

In many aspects, soundBlade is similar to the “Classic” Sonic System. As with Classic, the base configuration for soundBlade is a 4 channel, 4 bus product. Projects are organized as stereo Source and Destination Edit Decision Lists. From HD comes the editing functionality and features like Edit Fade Mode, Desk Events, better waveforms; all are present in soundBlade.

Unlike HD and Classic, soundBlade supports:

• A higher channel count
• VST and Audio Unit plug ins
• Sonic Studio 2 and 8 channel Series 300 DSP I/O Processors
• Third-party external FireWire hardware I/O (including current ProTools™ hardware)
• FireWire drives

Because soundBlade runs on OS X, it uses any local bus that’s available to the host, typically FireWire due to its excellent isochronous performance. This aspect is quite different from either Classic or HD in that soundBlade can use FireWire–attached disk drives, optical disc burners and Core Audio devices.

NOTE: Unlike earlier products, soundBlade does not support the CDW-900E.

02. How is this different from the competition?

As with our previous products, soundBlade, with its NGC™ interface, Sonic Studio Engine and extended precision signal path, is based on a workflow honed over 20+ years of heavy usage by our customer base of media giants, independent post & mastering houses and audiophile record labels. Our products have literally defined desktop audio production and we set the standard for accuracy and fidelity by which others are judged.

soundBlade is available in multiple versions to fit your needs.
soundBlade native is a host–based version that employs your Core Audio device for I/O functions. Even in the native version, we bypass Core Audio for the steps that count and use our proprietary engine for all processing where possible. soundBlade accelerated takes the mandate for highest fidelity one step further by leveraging our Series 300 DSP I/O Processors to not only guarantee “wire with gain” performance for I/O, but also providing a direct connection to the hardware’s plentiful DSP for ultra–low latency and highest fidelity during processing.

soundBlade is the foundation product in a family of offerings that span a wide range of features and benefits. From stereo LPCM production to multichannel DSD post, your gear needs to grow as your business does, and we’ll be there with the tools you need.

As noted above, soundBlade employs Sonic Clarity™, an extended precision engine for all processing. This preserves the subtleties in program material that are otherwise lost in our competitor’s offerings. As an engineer, your ears are your primary tool; use ’em! Download a demo, listen and compare to your current production software. You will probably be surprised at the difference.

03. What burners are supported?

soundBlade uses the same mechanisms "recognized" by Apple’s iTunes. So, if iTunes is able to write to a particular CD-R burner, then it should also be accessible to soundBlade for CD “refs” and storage of DDP file sets.

04. Can I use my Pro Tools hardware for playback?

Yes, soundBlade works with any Core Audio–compliant hardware. You can add soundBlade to the list of recognized applications in the Digidesign CoreAudio Manager. Please refer to Digidesign’s CoreAudio Usage Guide for information on associating soundBlade with your Pro Tools hardware and configuring the Digidesign CoreAudio Manager. Check Digidesign’s CoreAudio Manager page for the most current version.

05. Can soundBlade use my Digidesign hardware for DSP?

Unfortunately, Digidesign protects their hardware from being used by other applications for any purpose except I/O. The DSP on your Digi hardware can only be accessed by the Pro Tools application.

06. Can I rip audio from a CD?

The ripping function in iTunes is reliable and fairly fast so, we rely on it for ripping uncompressed AIF and WAV file types. soundBlade does not rip audio from CDs but, you can drag those uncompressed AIF and WAV files from within iTunes right into soundBlade.

07. How fast does this app burn?

soundBlade can deliver CD-Rs at speeds from 1x past 12x though, the slow and fast speed is dependent on each individual host's optical drive.

08. Do I have to use one of those USB dongle thingies to run your software?

Yes, soundBlade is protected by PACE’s iLok USB Smart key, the same dongle you probably already own.

09. Can I export tracks for use with other apps?

Yes, export to AIFF, WAV and BWF (with full metadata) is supported for use with your favorite production application.

10. I see that PMCD has Manual DeClick as an option. Does soundBlade have it as well?

Yes, soundBlade supports the Manual DeClick II option (A->E-type interpolations), as a soundBlade option or as part of NoNOISE II™. In addition, soundBlade is designed to run all of the NoNOISE II modules, as well as 3rd party restoration tools such as reNOVAtor™ from Algorithmix.

11. I read that you output to a DDP image file set? What’s a DDP and why do I need this?

DDP file sets are an error–protected wrapper format specifically designed for reliable optical disc replication. DDP or Disc Description Protocol is the industry standard method for delivering all of the data and metadata needed for disc replication to a “pressing plant.” Unlike audio CDs, DDP file sets contain error–protected audio data plus all ancillary metadata or, “data about the data.”

DDP file sets, when used for replication, avoid potential errors that can crop up between the time you create a replication master and the moment that a “glass master” is created during replication. CD-DA discs, or audio CDs, do not protect the audio data from errors since they assume that the CD player will hide or “conceal” any errors during playback. This situation leads to errors in replication when recordable CDs, formatted as Red Book audio discs, are used as replication masters.

12. If I want to upgrade to a multichannel version of soundBlade, can I?

Sure, it’s easy! The Multi-Channel Option for soundBlade provides full, multichannel production capabilities. When purchased in conjunction with one or more Series 300 DSP I/O Processors, the 8 Channel Option enables 16 channel, 32 track capacity.

13. Do you support plug-ins with this software?

soundBlade supports both AU and VST plug-ins, within a Project’s timeline(Desk Events) and as an stereo insert in the Master section. soundBlade is able to instantiate either plug–in format in random order so, you can patch whichever “plug” is appropriate, in whatever order is required. soundBlade accelerated adds the ability to use +DSP plug–ins in hardware and includes over 90 signal processing blocks, including Metric Halo’s ChannelStrip™ and our own powerful, minimal phase Sonic EQ.

14. How many channels can I record with soundBlade?

soundBlade can record eight channels simultaneously, if your Core Audio I/O supports it. With the Multi-Channel Option, soundBlade provides 16 channels.

15. Can I use soundBlade with iTunes?

Sure, just drag and drop uncompressed AIF and WAV files right into a Project.

16. Does soundBlade support CD Text?

Yes, soundBlade supports creation and output of Orange Book-compliant CD Text metadata on CD-R as well as DDP 2.0-compliant CD Text generation (v 2.0).

17. How do I control dither? What type of dither is included?

Redithering in soundBlade is usually automatic but can be defeated if desired. We employ our proprietary“shaped triangular” dither, which is 2nd order or TPDF dither modified with subtle spectral shaping to significantly reduce audibility. Word length after redithering is also adjustable.

18. Will soundBlade run on Windows?

No. There are plenty of high to low quality productions applications for the Windows platform but there’s only one, ultra fidelity DAW for discriminating Mac OS fans.

19. Is there a demo I can try?

Sure, head to the Demo page to download a copy.

20. Will soundBlade open HD EDLs?

soundBlade will open Projects saved by SonicStudio HD, if formatted correctly.

21. Will this software run on an Intel Mac?

Yes, soundBlade will run on Intel Macs. In addition, we at Sonic Studio are committed to Universal support of all our products for Mac OS X and expect to have Universal Binary versions of shipping product available by Q3 of 2007.

22. Will soundBlade support Jam image files?
Yes, soundBlade supports Jam image format creation and file open.

23. Which file types will soundBlade support?

soundBlade opens AIFF, WAV, BWF and SD2 files and exports AIFF and BWF files as well. SD2 regions are supported on import.

24. I have this DDP file set. What if I want to check to make sure it's intact?

For engineers that have integrated DDP into their workflow, the DDP File Open option for soundBlade is available. The DDP File Open option “loads back” or opens and also verifies both consolidated and split DDP file sets.

25. Will my NoNOISE and other options transfer from my HD or Classic systems?

No, options purchased for your legacy systems cannot be transferred or applied to your soundBlade license.

26. What media do you recommend for burning CDs?

Though we do not recommend any particular manufacturer’s product, jitter performance and longevity are directly related to the quality of your blank media.

27. What are the host requirements for soundBlade?

soundBlade requires the following:

CPU: Apple Macintosh PPC G5 or Intel
1 GHz or higher
Display: 1024 x 768 or larger display
RAM: 1 GB RAM minimum, >1 GB preferred
Disc: Apple–supplied, recordable optical disc mechanism
OS: Mac OS 10.4.11 or newer
USB: One available USB port for iLok
iLok: iLok USB Smart Key, not supplied

Since soundBlade uses Core Audio, the quality of your playback and delivered discs will be entirely dependent on the hardware and associated drivers used. Note that soundBlade is supported on Macintosh OS versions 10.4.3 or newer for optimal device compatibility as well as CD Text support.

A Feature Matrix provides a comparison of features between this product and the lower cost PreMaster CD. MORE….

If you have additional pre–sales questions that have not been answered by this FAQ, either click here to go to our Sales page, call Sonic Studio direct sales at 1-866-926-1383 or e-mail .