Sony CD Architect: Yes or no?

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 5:25 pm

I really, really don't want a truckload of features. All I want is something with decent compression and eq and hp filter, and ability to print a Red Book cd. I am not going to do fancy stuff; it'll be seeing tracks that are pretty much done.

But I do want an app that sounds good and won't be crashing all the time and whose instructions are actually correct and complete.

Is there any reason why CD Architect wouldn't be a good choice? Has anyone had bad experiences with it?

Are there any plug-ins that you'd consider essential?

Thanks

H

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 5:29 pm

You don't need CD Architect if you have Vegas, and vegas has a comp and EQ / HP filter, on each track.

Vegas is really easy to use, drag and drop your files, set your CD Track start and end points, and burn...

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:01 pm

If you've got it or can get it cheaper than other things that do the same job, you won't have issues with Cd Architecture. I used it on a PC system when I was mainly running a Mac and had no trouble.

The interface is a little cumbersome, but for simple drag, drop and burn things you should be fine.

Phil

p.s. I was using Waves Rennaisance plug-ins that I was familiar with, so I can't speak to the included apps. I shy away from most plugins due to poor sound for classical/ traditional jazz recordings.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:08 am

I used the original CD Architect with Sound Forage 4.0. I liked it in spite of no real time features. There was a point when they discontinued the product and no longer supported it. Then they eventually introduced Vegas. And I haven't looked back. Vegas is a much better bang for the buck. Real-time audio features and video editing along with multitrack audio production. Quite an incredible program a worthy investment. It will do much more than you need to do. Try downloading a trial, I think you'll like it since cutting CDs on that is the same as CD Architect.

Not a gamble to bet on Vegas
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 4:46 am

Maybe.

I really, really don't like clutter and just the presence of video editing is enough to give me a bad attitude about it. Can you hide all the unwanted features, icons, and menu items? Can you only install the portions that you want?

A black screen bearing 210 microscopic icons and shaded pictures of knobs is my idea of hell. The idea that I "can" do more is antithetical to my interests; I want to do the music, not the computer.

But....I don't know and you do. You tell me.

P

PS What's it like to live in Virginia? I've been looking at that....

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:56 am

Here you go, step by step pictures and instruction:

1) Open Vegas. Click all the X's at the bottom 'til all you have is the mixer panel, as shown here:
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee277/bentsound/Audio%20Stuff/Vegas1.jpg

2) Drag the audio files you want to burn into the timeline; Vegas will automatically add them as a stereo track complete with fader and stock plugins:
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee277/bentsound/Audio%20Stuff/Vegas2.jpg

3) Highlight each track, one at a time, and click 'N' on your keyboard (set file as CD track).
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee277/bentsound/Audio%20Stuff/Vegas3.jpg

4) Click "Tools / Burn CD / Disc At Once"... And it's off and burning, quite simple really!
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee277/bentsound/Audio%20Stuff/Vegas4.jpg

Just for fun, if you'd care to hear a quick song recorded in my house 7 or 8 years ago on an older version of Vegas, click here:
http://home.cfl.rr.com/tggp2000/devilskin.mp3

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 2:57 pm

This much I do know: I have a friend/colleague who used to swear by all of the great features in the original (pre-Vegas) CD Archictect. This man did some amazing things with that software. Then they discontinued it, and he considered suicide. (well, he was depressed, anyway.)

In a separate series of events, I got Sony Vegas (For video editing) and found out that they brought CD (and DVD) Architect back online and into production. They made a lot of folks happy with this, and my friend came back in off the ledge.

I can tell you that Sony Vegas et al is perhaps the MOST bang for my software dollar I have ever spent, at least terms of reliability alone. In my four or five years of owning and updating it, it has NEVER, EVER, crashed due to the software. (once or twice it got bogged down due to too much DSP or Track counts, but that's it.) It is rock solid, and while not necessarily the most intuitive software I've ever encountered, it's got everything you need, and then some. Ditto for the CD burning component.

We have a standing joke around here about Vegas: If it doesn't do certain things that you want it to do, poke around a bit, and chances are you'll find it lurking in a sub-menu somewhere. Far too many things to list here, but it's amazing how many times we've said: "Can it do this? Will it do THAT?" and found that yes, it does, and never ever crashes.

WHen you've done days and days worth of edting (video or audio) only to have your software crash and burn, destroying files with it (as Adobe used to do all the time), you'll understand why I cannot recommend this software highly enough for PC work. it's not the best editor in the world for Audio, but those who want to make Audio CDs only, swear by it.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:14 pm

Try jumping from it into Protools when you haven't messed with PT for a couple years.

What I like is the simple fact that if you can use MS Word on a PC then you can use Vegas, no problem.

It is such an easy program to get around in.

I was really worried about Sony buying out Sonic Foundry, but it appears to be one of those moments where the big man on campus actually improves on the software.

Remember when Vegas would send a 0dB spike when you clicked the track record arm button? That was back in SF days. I had many a client look at me funny when that happened...

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:21 pm

I remember, yes. But now, the audio interface is so easy it's ridiculous. We've even used it for ADR work. Just cue up the picture, plug in a mic via a USB or FW interface, select & arm the track, and off you go. Stop and start as many times as you like. It's all there.

I too worried about Sound Forge going away, but you're right: It's better now than ever. Sony did right by buying out this one, thankfully.

As soon as I can afford it, I'll willingly fork over the $149 upgrade for V8.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:30 pm

Ditto!

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 11:29 pm

CD Architect 5.2 (as bundled in Soundforge 8 and 9) is superb for burning CDs, for crossfading audio and doing minor editing and is really easy to use. I have used it extensively in conjunction with SF8. It allows all the CD-Text and UPC code entries and you can drop and drag files, put them in order via a playlist and have facilities for hidden tracks either pre track 1 or at the end of a CD with a silence gap. You can set the gap to 0 (good for flowing concept albums), teh red book standard 2 seconds or virtually anything else. As a burning application it is great but I still do the pre burning mastering and editing in SF8 as I can use vst fx and just find SF so easy for editing.

The FX though are debatable, wavehammer is quite a reasonable compressor/limiter/volume maximiser if used in moderation. It has 20 DX plugins but cannot use 3rd party vsts but as it integrates with Soundforge or Vegas well, you can get your audio fixed there and then just drop and drag into CDA for burning.

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:02 am

I think it makes sense that Sony finely included CD Architect with Sound Forage. As folks have indicated, they were already burning CDs with Sound Forage. The problem with that was the fact that it only burned " Track at Once" CDs not " Disk at Once" which you need for replication.

What is a little peculiar is that CD Architect and Vegas didn't quite use the same keyboard shortcuts to do the same functions for cutting CDs. Close but not the same. Maybe it's changed in this latest release?

I'll stick with Vegas
Ms. Remy Ann David

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