Sonic Solutions (sony soundforge) - by Moses

 Overview of the Company  
        
The company has three major product lines: 1) digital audio systems, 2) high speed networking solutions for multimedia, and 3) video CD encoding and authoring systems (DVD).
- Leader in high performance professional audio workstations                                                                                         
Started up as a company in 1986 and set industry 1st's in four areas;

1.  Integrating a CD recorder with a digital workstation (1989)
2.  Showing a 24-track editing and mixing digital workstation (1991)
3.  Showing an all digital editing and mixing 48-track system (1995)                                                                                                                                                             
4.  In 1988 ‘Sonics’ introduced the Sonic System, a line of Macintosh-based digital audio workstations- DVD encoding and authoring systems.
  This utilized ‘Sonics’ signal processing hardware and software.
  Sonic offers two signal processing platforms with its digital audio systems: 1) the Sonic Signal      
Processor (SSP) card for entry level systems with 2 or 4 channels of digital I/O, and, 2) the
Ultra Sonic Processor (USP) system with 8 or 16 channels an advanced platform.

Music Editing and CD Pre-Mastering

  Sonic Solutions is perceived as the professional standard for hard disc- based CD prep and 
Features’ background loading to and from hard disc, 20 bit editing and mixing, automated mixing,
digital signal processing, equalization, and integrated CD recording among other functions.
  Many major record labels and mastering studios’ have one or more ‘Sonic’ systems including
Abbey Road Studios, Capitol Records, Warner Bros, Sony music.

Sound for Picture

  ‘Sonics’ strength in this market is its ability to deliver a larger workgroup solution - multiple
‘Sonic’ systems can be connected together so that editors can share common sound elements over
an established network, as well as sharing a single transfer for loading and unloading for all the   systems on the network.
  High profile projects on the ‘Sonic’ system include ‘Apollo 13’, ‘Judge Dredd’, ‘Hoop Dreams’,
‘The Net’, and ‘Seven’.
  At the Post Production facility Casablanca in Toronto they digitally edit the audio from the shoot
(down-loading DA-88's into Sonics) through Sonics.  They produce the audio for PSI Factor, and
Sinbad in television and they do sound (audio) for films.                                                                                                                                                                  
                                     
Radio Broadcast
       
  Sonic systems are used to edit news programs, music, features, radio commercials, and radio                                                                                
Dramatic programs for air.
  Broadcasters and radio stations that have multiple ‘Sonic’ systems include the BBC, the CBC,
ABC Radio, Australian, Swedish Radio, Danish Radio, Premiere Radio and others.

Networking for Multimedia

  Through Media-Net, ‘Sonics’ became the 1st to deliver a network solution to move large media files with respect to Information Technology Systems.
  Media Net delivers high-bandwidth digital audio, video and graphics files across networks at
high speeds’ with real-time performance.
Compatible with standard Macintosh and UNIX applications.
  Media Net cards provide a high-speed transfer between Macs on the network.  Media Net cards manage the files on the discs attached to the Media Net server cards SCSI controllers.  This permits high-speed ‘real-time’ data transfers between Macintoshes without affecting the performance of the host computers.
  Media Net is used in prepress, graphics, digital video, digital audio, and multimedia applications.
  Media Net customers include CNN, Cooperative Media Group (digital video), ‘Conde Nast Spiegal’
  Catalog, Quebecer (prepress), Abbey-Road, Capitol Records, CBC, Warner Bros (digital audio)
 
Digital Audio Workstations

   Fast, precise editing: Real time, non-destructive waveform/bar/text-mode editing, multi-channel
 Audio-scrubbing, 144 virtual tracks with real-time infinitely variable cross-fades (equalization on
 ‘the fly’), drag and drop, sound placement and copy and paste editing, auto or punch on the fly, EDL recording, playback and simultaneous records, time-code reading and writing and Quick-Keys.
  24-bit mixing desk with real-time, parametric EQ, real-time high and low shelving EQ, dynamic
snapshot mix automation, real-time sample rate conversion, internal digital mix-down, and
self-interfaced dither generator capability.
  Features include multitasking, background recording to hard-drive, background dumps to CD-R and DDP, background archive and restore.
  Reserved bandwidth networking.
  Sonic Studio combines powerful hardware and flexible application software modules.

Sonic Studio - Product Specifications
                                                                 
Ultra Sonic Processor (USP)    
   
- Motorola 56002 66MHz DSP's
- SCSI-2 Fast data bus
- 16 to 32 tracks from disc
- 4 to 16 channels of low-capacitance (greater tolerance) differential copper audio I/O
- 4 serial-ports: two 9-pin VTR's, one LTC, and one auxiliary
- 24-bit recording resolution
- 56 bit mix-down bus
- 44.1 to 48KHz sample rates supported                                                      
                                                     
Digital I/O
  
- 4 to 8 channels of AES Type 1 (XLR)
- Single-rack space enclosure
- Sub-nanosecond jitter re-clocking circuit
- Word sync input

A/D and D/A Converters

- 18-bit A/D conversion (technology is improving and we are currently at 384-bit)
- -98 dB S/N ratio.  In other words there is no headroom (zero-tolerance).
- Balanced XLR inputs
- Single rack space enclosure
- Sub-nanosecond jitter clock circuit
- Word sync input
- 44.1 and 48 kilohertz internal crystal (current sampling rate is 384Khz)
- The D/A converter carries’ the same parts, polarized.

Optical Converter

- Conversion of AES/EBU and SPDIF digital between coaxial and optical
- AES Type 1 (XLR).  A.E.S – American/ European Standard, E.B.U – European Broadcast Union also known as the U.K (United Kingdom).  This is bias towards the E.E.C (European Economic Community) and is one of the main reasons this technology was introduced into the market to promote equalization between markets outside the boundaries of the U.K optical. 
- AES Type 2 (RCA) – Coaxial.  

System and Peripheral Compatibility (Compatible Products)

- Hard Drives, DDP and Archiving, Computers, CD, DVD Recorders, JPEG Digital Video Boards,
  Video to Digital Audio Sync Devices, CD-Rom Readers (Should your Hard-drive crash you lose    everything), Third Party Archiving Software (i.e. – Other users on the network, and, hackers)
- Hardware Controllers, Digital Routing Products, and High Density Products.    

Sonic Studio Software Accessories and Plug-ins

General Tools

- Sonic Basic Sample Rate Conversion
- Sonic Sample Rate Conversion/ Varied-speed
- Sonic Expanded Mixing Desk (unlimited tracks)
- Sonic Designer Reverb
- Sonic Time Twist – adjusting the time-code within context, turning 30 seconds into 40 seconds – just 
  an example- and this is expanding time.  Turning 40 seconds into 30 seconds is compressing time.
- Sonic Machine Control
- Sonic Manual De-clicking (error processing-removing noise created by the dither generator)

Music Editing/CD Prep Tools

- PQ Basic
- Expanded PQ Editing
- ‘Turbo-Bit Mapping/Sony Super-Bit Mapping’ – Doubling the signal for effect.
- DDP Pre-mastering
- CD-ROM Utility                                                       
                                                                                 
Audio Post/Sound for Picture   

- Sonic Digital Video
- EDL Translator/Auto-conform

No-Noise Options

- Manual De-clicking
- Production De-clicking and Distortion Removal
- Broadband De-noising (Gausian – Shaped, Chebeshev –Notch filtering)
- Complex Filtering (notch-filtering also using Butterworth and Bessel filters)

No Noise : Sound Restoration

- Removes pops, transients, background hum, and distortions.  It can repair, reduce and
  eliminate un-wanted noise at full 24-bit precision and at 44.1 or 48KHz.
- No Noise lets you reduce or eliminate fixed frequency noise caused by AC hum, HVAC units,
  cameras, and generators.  Noise from mechanical damage to recording surfaces, transients
  caused by splices, and channel breakup from wireless microphones can also be reduced or
  entirely eliminated, likewise distortion caused by overloads or nonlinearities.
- The 1st step in any restoration or de-noising process is identifying problem areas such as buzzes,
  hum, or other fixed frequency noise.  No Noise performs a Fast or Discreet Fourier Transform
  (F.F.T or D.F.T).  This creates a visual representation of your material inside the digital editor            within ‘Sonics’.
- Once you've uncovered harmonic and related noise problems, No Noise lets you design your own
   ‘Bands’ of equalizers to correct them - Shelves, band-pass/ band-stop filters (an inversion), as well as notches lets you "surgically" remove unwanted energy.
- Then, ‘Sonics’ production de-clicker automatically replaces pops, clicks, ticks, and other noise
   with high fidelity re-synthesized audio, producing seamless replacement of the damaged
   material.  It offers settings for dialogue, music, and mixed audio tracks.
- No Noise’s ‘de-crackler’ cleans up distortion other systems can't conquer, including clipped
   digital recordings and surface noise on analog tape.
- No Noise offers real-time broadband de-noising.  You are able to interactively adjust the
  parameters while listening to the complete sound file, not just a repeating loop.  You can also
  save several settings files for fast, easy comparisons.  The de-noiser even operates on a
  "flow through" basis for on-air feeds and rush jobs.
- Used to polish up old analog recordings in the studio, many popular TV shows, movies and even
  audio from wiretaps for the police departments.

Sonic Studio Master : CD/ DVD Premastering
 
- Used in almost all of the leading record labels, mastering studios, and CD manufacturing plants
  in the world.
- Strongest creative editing options available, including unique cross-fades for thousands of
  individual sample edits. 
- 16, 20, 24 bit real-time editing for the highest quality sound available (we’re currently at 384-bit).                                                                                                                       
- Includes functions like real-time sample rate conversion on input, vari-speed on playback, super
  high quality time compression, pitch shifting (time twist), and total mixing automation.
- User-definable, infinitely-variable cross- fades.
- True multitasking engine for maximum productivity.
- Turbo Bit Mapping (and optional Super Bit Mapping) let you preserve near 24-bit recording
  quality in a 16-bit medium.
Supports mixed-mode CD/DVD writing, CD/DVD audio copying, Video CD/DVD writing.  Likewise large bandwidth files to be transferred in real-time.