Others say...

"Wasted My Money"
Very difficult to use and not very well documented. Candidate for the Goodwill Bag.

"Won't work with Windows Vista"
I really can't rate the operation of this program because I couldn't load it. I now run Windows Vista and couldn't get it to load on two different computers running Vista. I went to Sony's site and found out that Sony will not support the program under any other operating system but XP and 2000. I even tried using the compatibility mode but that did not work either. So don't make the mistake I did and assume that it will work under Vista.

"Sony Recording System"
I am disappointed with this software. I purchased this software to be able to record songs that I play on a keyboard to a CD. The software does that; however, I cannot hear what I play as it is recording. This makes it difficult for me to keep tempo, play the notes correctly, etc. Additionally, I am disappointed with the instruction manual. It is very vague. Sony offers a technical assistance plan, which, of course, has to be purchased. I would not recommend this product for the average computer user.

"Great Sound Studio Software for Beginners"
And the price is fantastic for what you get, which is a program that will allow you to immediately begin recording! We hooked up our computer to our Yamaha PA system (through the mic and earphone input/output on the computer) and began recording right away. We had a little problem with the sound level at first (being to loud for recording; spiking the Sound Forge Studio levels), but then figured out we needed to adjust the mic level on the computer (control panel, and then sound and audio devices icon). A few of the loops provided with the software were utilized to enhance our songs; however, a problem we had was getting the loops selected to match the timing of the songs (but, perhaps we need to full with the program more to figure out how to make all tracks work together timing wise). Overall - we produced a good quality CD.

"Not bad"
I am an absolute beginner with sound recording and sound editing. However, judging from the various reviews, this program seemed easy enough to use. I bought it to help with
- restoration of digitized vinyl and tape recordings
- simple instrument and voice recordings and mixing
- editing of video sound tracks.

Initially I found the manual very frustrating and confusing. The manual covers both the full version of Sound Forge and Sound Forge Audio Studio, which is a souped down version of the former. They try to clearly identify which features are/are not available in Audio Studio, but they do not succed entirely. For example, the scrubbing tool (a tool to slow down playback for editing) is not marked as being exlusive to the full version, yet it is nowhere to be found in Audio Studio.

Another unpleasant surprise was the lack of an MPEG decoder. This is needed to edit the sound track of mpg video files. On the box it is stated that such files could be opened and saved, but when trying to do so, you are directed to Sony's web site where they offer the decoder for sale for close to $30.00. Only after that did I find the tiny note on the box (1/25 in. letter size, faded white on red background) advising that an extra purchase would be required.

If you are new to sound recording and editing, there is a bit of a learning curve to understanding what all the tools do. The manual is focused on the mechanics of the program user interface, but provides very little background information. It also took some effort to get the right sound recording equipment together: I purchased a nice microphone (Shure SM57)for $80, but then found out that the sound could not be sufficiently amplified when the microphone was plugged directly into the computer (it took a couple of trips to get all the right plugs together, too). So I tried running the microphone through my son's electric guitar amplifyer and from there into the computer and that works great.

Having overcome these initial hurdles, I now find that this program is a lot of fun and quite easy to use. Sound tracks and snippets of sound tracks can be simply cut or copied, moved around and pasted, and unwanted audio is easily trimmed off. Special effects (for example echo, reverb, etc.) can be easily pre-audited and adjusted while auditing. I particularly like the audio restoration tool. It is supposed to remove clicks and noise from digitized vinyl recordings and it really works.

Except for the deceptive advertising and the confusing manual, this is a great product.