Download the trial version, a 15-use demo.
Download Monbots 1.3 for automated and batch processing.
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See our Sound Studio User Reference Guide.
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Tutorials
See the Release Notes for previous "What's new" entries.
Copyright notices for Sound Studio, LAME, FLAC, and OGG Vorbis.
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Sound Studio 4 FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions.
Table of Contents
Buying & Licensing
Q: Can I try the app out?
A: Yes, the app comes with a 15-launch trial period. You can run the app up to 15 times before it requires you to enter a license code. Just download it using the Download button on the Sound Studio 4 main page. The app is fully functional during the trial period.
Q: Installing the Mac App Store version of the app fails. What should I do?
A: Try deleting the trial version of the app from your computer, and then installing the app again from the Mac App Store. Also, make sure you're running Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later. The Mac App Store version does not install over the trial version of the app, so it might be confused if you have multiple copies of the app. A new download from the Mac App Store should install in your computer's root Applications directory, and in the Dock as well.
Q: What is the upgrade policy?
A: The upgrade policy for Sound Studio 4, as of July 2011, is dictated by the policies and limitations of the Mac App Store which Apple sets, and that means that there is only one price in the Mac App Store, regardless of whether you're upgrading or a new customer. I've set the price to be what the upgrade price would be normally, and it's lower than what the upgrade price was for version 3. We're trying to get all customers over to using the Mac App Store if possible.
Q: How much is the full price for a license?
A: The official price for the Sound Studio 4 app is $29.99 USD in the Mac App Store, but it's subject to change without notice. Generally, we try to keep the price always the same, but we still reserve the right to change it. The price is the same whether you're a new customer or upgrading, because the Mac App Store does not allow for special pricing for people upgrading or coming from outside the Mac App Store.
Q: What is your return or refund policy?
A: First, please contact us at ss@felttip.com in order to resolve any technical issues you may have. The refund policy is set by Apple's Mac App Store, which means that you should request a refund through the Mac App Store and not through us, because we cannot initiate or otherwise make refunds. Please see the Mac App Store FAQ for information on how to get a refund.
Q: Can I use one license on multiple computers, say a MacBook for travel and a iMac at home or in an office?
A: You should be able to do that, as long as the same Apple ID is signed in on all computers. Please see the Mac App Store FAQ for more information.
Q: Do you offer site licenses or multiple-seat licenses?
A: You can purchase multiple licenses on the Mac App Store. For information on how to purchase a site license please email us at ss@felttip.com.
Q: Why isn't my version 4 license code from the Indie Mac Gift Pack working?
A: If you're copying the code from the Gift Pack web page or email, make sure to remove any spaces or other extraneous characters after you paste it into the License Code field in Sound Studio 4. Also, try pasting your code into a text file such as in TextEdit and editing out anything extraneous before copying it and pasting it. Or try typing the code in manually. You can also try downloading a fresh copy of Sound Studio 4. Some people have reported that the new copy accepts the license code.
File
Q: How do I save in MP3 format?
A: The app does not ship with an MP3 encoder, due to licensing issues. You will need to download and install the kJams LAME.framework, which is 32-bit only as of December 15, 2010. Unless you have a 64-bit version of LAME.framework, you'll need to run Sound Studio in 32-bit mode. See below.
Q: I can't save in MP3 even though LAME is installed?
A: You need to run Sound Studio in 32-bit mode. To do this, use the Finder's Get Info on the app icon on the disk, select "Open in 32-bit mode", and relaunch the app. The MP3 option should appear when you save.
Also, when saving, make sure to select the bit rate from the pop-up menu even if it's already set correctly. Try using Save As and reselecting the bit rate. The pop-up menu bug will be fixed in version 4.0.2.
Q. Where does Sound Studio store its temp files?
A. By default it stores temp files in the system-provided temporary items folder, which is not in a fixed location. You can tell the app where to store its temp files in the Preferences.
Q. How can I purge the temp files?
A. The only way to purge temp files is to save and close the file, and then reopen it. The temp files contain all your changes to the files since you last opened it, and are all required to construct the file that is saved, so the only way to purge them is to write everything to a single file and then to use that file.
Q. How do I open a CD audio track?
A. To open a track on an audio CD, select File > Open, navigate to your Audio CD, and open your CD track directly. This file can then be edited and saved to the hard disk drive. All CD audio tracks will open up as 44.1kHz, 16-bit, stereo files.
Q. How do I change the default sample rate?
A. In version 4.0.2 and later you can set the default sample rate to 48,000 Hz (or any
other value) by entering this in Terminal:
defaults write com.felttip.SoundStudio
file.sampleRate 48000
Q. How do I set the sample size to 24 bit?
A. The app handles all audio data as 32-bit float internally, so you do not need to set the sample size, except when saving. When saving to several file formats, you would set the sample size in the options for that file format in the save panel. You can also set the sample size from the Audio menu, but it's just the value that's used when saving and it doesn't affect the audio data within the app.
Q. Do you plan to add the ability to edit AAC files losslessly?
A. No, I don't have any plans to add the ability to edit AAC files losslessly. If you are editing AAC files multiple times, it's best to either use a lossless format, or to save at the highest bitrate possible, to minimize the loss of quality when saving in AAC.
Q. Does the app support Windows Media Audio (WMA) files?
A. No, Sound Studio doesn't support Windows Media Audio (WMA) files. That is a proprietary Microsoft format and I have no plans to support it. If you need to open these files in Sound Studio, you need to convert the files to a format that the app recognizes such as Wave or AIFF. To do the conversion, see these instructions.
Q. How do I avoid CD sector boundary errors?
A. The only solution I've found, and I haven't tested it, is to set the zoom to 588, or an integer multiple of 588, so that when you make a selection or move the insertion point, it always falls on a CD sector boundary. And when you make an edit, it should always fall on one of those boundaries.
Recording
Q. How do I avoid pops due to plosives and esses (sibilants) in voice recordings?
A. While you could use a pop filter over your microphone, or apply digital filters to edit out the pops and esses, I've found the simple technique of speaking off-axis with respect to the microphone works much better. You do this by pointing the microphone at your mouth, but you face slightly to one side of the mic so that you're not breathing or talking into the mic. You should use a directional microphone to get the best results.
Q. Does Sound Studio come with any noise-removal or de-essing capabilities?
A. No, but you can purchase AudioUnit plug-ins from other companies which provide those features. I suggest using proper microphone technique and keeping the source audio as clean as possible instead of trying to clean things up after the fact. See above for some tips.
Q. How far should I place the microphone for my voice recordings?
A. The closer you place the microphone, the more intimate and quiet your voice will sound. The farther away, the louder you can speak while still sounding natural. Also, moving the mic closer will emphasize the bass in your voice. While you could use the EQ in post-production to get more bass, you'll also increase the bass noise that way.
Q. How can I get better sounding vocals with a different microphone?
A. I suggest using a good cardioid directional microphone, with the expensive condenser mics being the best choice, though a good dynamic mic with a clean mic amp would work as well. Dynamic mics tend to have more noise, but some people prefer their sound. A good digital recorder with a built-in mic also works great. The only issue with these higher quality microphones is that you might want to simulate the sound of a dynamic, which you can do using EQ to do a roll-off filter which removes the very high and very low frequencies.
Q: Does the app do timer recording?
A: There is a timer recording function that you can set up by creating a new document, and then selecting Audio -> Auto Start/Stop Recording. There you can set the start and end times for a recording. When you click OK, the open document will be set to record at that time. However, there's no visual indicator that it's recording, and you have to make sure you don't close that window or quit the app or it won't record. It's not really designed for timer recording and the UI for it could use some improvement, but it's there.
Q: Can I use the app to record the sound output from another app, such as Skype or iTunes?
A: You can record from the system sound output such as the audio from iTunes or Skype into Sound Studio if you also install a piece of software that lets you re-route the audio output from the other app into something that Sound Studio can see in its Preferences. You can use LineIn or Soundflower to do that.
You can also use apps such as Audio Hijack Pro or Nicecast (both from Rogue Amoeba) to record directly from the other app into a file.
Technical
Q. The app crashes on launch. What happened?
A. This is likely due to an AudioUnit plug-in on your computer. Please send me a crash report along with a list of installed AudioUnits on your system.
Q: My AudioUnit plug-ins don't show up. What's wrong?
A: Most plug-ins only work in 32-bit mode. To run Sound Studio in 32-bit mode, quit the app, and use the Finder's Get Info on the app icon on the disk, and select "Open in 32-bit mode". When you relaunch the app, the plug-ins should appear. We can't support all third-party plug-ins, but if you have any problems, please let us know at ss@felttip.com.
Q. How can I resize the selection?
A. Hold down the shift key and click and drag near the edge of the selection you want to modify. You can also use the keyboard arrow keys with the shift key to modify the selection. The first keystroke determines which edge of the selection gets changed, and subsequent keystrokes move the selection edge left and right. This is similar to how most text editing apps on the Mac work.
Q. How do I fit a selection within a specific timeframe?
A. To change the duration of an entire audio file, select Filter > Pitch and Tempo and enter the desired total duration of the file. The duration is in the format “hours′′minutes′seconds.fraction” so 3′05.00 is three minutes and five seconds. (The symbol represents the prime mark for minutes and double prime mark for hours, but is entered with the apostrophe and double quote keys.) The pitch of the audio will stay the same.
Q. How do I cross-fade two files?
A. Open two files and make sure they both have the same sample rate, sample size, and number of channels, but it’s not necessary. This example uses a cross-fade of five seconds, but you can use a different duration. Apply the Fade Out filter to the last five seconds of the first file. Apply the Fade In filter on the first five seconds of the second file. Select all of the second file and select Edit > Copy to put it on the clipboard. In the first file, click once at a point five seconds before its end, and use Edit > Mix Paste to mix the clipboard audio with the first file. The audio on the clipboard will be mixed on top of the first file starting from the insertion point, and the file will be extended to hold the new mix. By repeating this cross-fade on several songs, you can create a mix with seamless transitions between songs.
Q. Do Monbots work with Sound Studio 4?
A. Yes, but you'll need to use version 1.3: Download Monbots 1.3.
Old Version 3
Q: How is this related to Freeverse and Sound Studio 3?
A: Freeverse was the publisher of the previous version, Sound Studio 3. Freeverse stopped selling licenses for Sound Studio 3 at the end of 2010. I've taken back the rights to the app and am now publishing it under Felt Tip Inc.
Q: Can I get a version that runs on Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger?
A: Sorry, but I don't support Tiger anymore. Sound Studio version 3 supported Tiger, and if you need it, you can find a copy of version 3.5.7 here.
Q: Does the license code for version 4 work in version 3?
A: No, versions 3 and 4 use completely different license code systems, so you can't use a license code from one version on another.
Q: How do I retrieve my version 3 license code?
A: License codes for version 3 are time-sensitive and you will need to request a new one if your app asks for one. To get your license code for Sound Studio 3, use the Registration Code Lookup at Freeverse, enter your email address, and select "(mac) Sound Studio (version 3 only)" from the list. Your license will be emailed to you.
Q. Where can I download Sound Studio 3?
A. Sound Studio 3 is the old version, but if you need it, you can get version 3.6.1 here.
Q. Where can I purchase a license for Sound Studio 3?
A. Sound Studio 3 is officially unsupported and is no longer available for purchase.
Other
Q: Where can I get email support if my question hasn't been answered?
A: Email us at ss@felttip.com.
See the Sound Studio 4 main page.