Sound Resources

Updated Fall 2010

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Theatre Sound Mailing List The Theatre Sound List. Discussion list for people working in sound for live theatre.

Sound Effects Websites

http://www.soundsnap.com (5 free sounds a month)

http://www.sounddogs.com (Free low quality sounds or pay for higher quality)

http://www.findsounds.com (Free low quality sound effects)

http://www.freesound.org (Creative common licensed sounds)

http://www.grsites.com/sounds (Free individual, $7.95 bundled)

http://www.therecordist.com/free-sfx (Free or pay for higher quality bundles)

Multi-track editing software:

Audacity

Overview: Open source, easy-to-use, multilingual audio editor and recorder. Lacks quality in the final product.

Platform: Mac OS X, Windows, GNU/Linux

Price: Free

URL: http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Reaper

Overview: One complete, solid, full-featured multi-track digital audio workstation.

Platform: Mac OS X or Windows

Price: $60 (educational pricing) to get rid of nag screen

URL: http://www.reaper.fm

Garageband

Overview: Play instrument, mix or record. Part of iLife suite

Platform: Mac OS X

Price: Free or $79 with iLife. Educational pricing available (see website)

URL: http://www.apple.com

Logic and Logic Express

Overview: Music creation, audio editing and production

Platform: Mac OS X

Price: $200 for Express and $500 for Logic. Educational pricing available (see website)

URL: http://www.apple.com

Sony- Vegas, Acid & Sound Forge.

Overview: Well supported software. Vegas is video editing and DVD creation. Acid is music creation and mixing. Sound Forge is audio editing and production

Platform: Windows

Price: $45-$65 each for home version. Starting and $300 and up for professional version.

URL: http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/

Adobe Audition

Overview: Recording, mixing, editing, and mastering software

Platform: Windows

Price: $350 (Free trial available)

URL: http://www.adobe.com/products/audition/

Sound Studio

Overview: A simple, easy-to-use two track recording and editing software. Digitize tapes and vinyl records, record live performances, create your own mixes with crossfades, tweak the levels and EQ, apply digital effects and save in all major file formats

Platform: Mac OS X

Price: $80 (Demo available)

URL: http://www.freeverse.com/mac/product/?id=5012

Digital Performer

Overview: Award winning software that lets you play, record, edit, arrange, mix, process and master MIDI and audio tracks to produce musical recordings, sound tracks for film and television, and other audio production tasks.

Platform: Mac OS X

Price: $500

URL: http://www.motu.com/products/software/dp/

Ableton Live

Overview: Make music for composition, songwriting, recording, production, remixing and live performance.

Platform: Mac OS X, Windows

Price: $500

URL: http://www.ableton.com/

Protools

Overview: All-in-one creation, recording, and production systems. The recording industry standard. Drawback – Hardware dependent.

Platform: Mac OS X or Windows

Price: Starting at $300 and up

URL: http://www.avid.com/US/products/family/Pro-Tools

Theatrical playback software

Windows Platform

SFX:

Overview: Stage Research's SFX is the leading live entertainment sound playback software application. The typical venue for SFX is theatre, but it is also used by theme parks, magicians, and other related venues that require the playback of music and sound effects. SFX puts the art back into sound design: instead of worrying about technological limitations, you can now create rich sound designs that can be reliably played back during each performance!

Demo: Time constraint evaluation demo available.

Price: Editions: SFX Standard $295, SFX Deluxe $395. Educational pricing available. Visit website for details.

URL: http://www.stageresearch.com/products/SFX6/SFX6.aspx

Sound Mill:

Overview: Organize a complete sound plot for a show to execute sound cues. The automation manager allows you to play multiple sound cues concurrently and fire them at timed offsets with precision in the milliseconds. Pipe the sound to configurable zones -- a lobby PA, stage speakers, and 3D speaker systems.

Demo: Online demos available, just click and view.

Price: Editions: Basic $29, Pro $39, Power $59, Ultimate $69

URL: http://www.breakthrusoftware.com/html/products/soundmgr/index.html

SM-Designer:

Overview: The free/demo/offline version allows you to create an unlimited number of shows and cues (comprised of MIDI sequences, which can also be captured in real time and saved). It has a MIDI sequencer and show controller with up to 127 cue lists, of which as many as eight lists can be open simultaneously, plus a time code generator. This version fully programs and controls the internal audio engine and plays backs any number of audio selections on up to four audio tracks through a 4 x 2 matrix. It also has two live input channels with programmable processing facilities which feed a programmable 2 x 2 matrix that feeds two programmable output channels. The processing facilities in each input and output channel include: programmable level control with automatic fades; up to 12 bands of parametric EQ; up to 5.2 seconds of audio delay; mute and solo. The full version plays back on up to 16 audio tracks, has 16 live input channels and 16 outputs with a 16x16 matrix. All versions of SM-Designer can be easily controlled with simple contact closures such as switches, relays and PLC outputs using a standard contact-to-MIDI interface. Also, the built in hotkeys can be programmed and assigned to any kind of incoming MIDI command.

Price: Free Version, Partial versions $75 - $450; full version US$600.00

URL: http://www.richmondsounddesign.com/sm-designer.html

Cue Player

Overview: The Cue Player family of software goes from a free single sound version to an unlimited multiple output, start/stop control, with EQ, reverb, timed fade option version. Used world-wide in churches, small theaters, and fairly large ones (1500 seats). The Premium version is still under $50.

Price: Free, $25, $50

URL: http://www.baxeldata.com/cueplayerprem.html

Sound byte

Overview: Sound Byte is a digital Cart Machine. You can assign up to 75 buttons (75 sounds) in one rack (one window). These can be triggered by the mouse or a hot key. There is also a playlist function to play sounds in sequence. It supports AIFF, WAV, MP3, AU, and AAC. There is also a Macintosh version

Price: $24 Lite - 1 Rack / $49 Reg - 5 Racks / $99 Pro - 50 Racks

URL: http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/soundbyte.html

SeqCon

Overview: SeqCon is a software designed for live performances (theater, dance, circus, mime...). SeqCon is a sequencer not linked to time : the sequence steps are linked to conditions defined by the performance.

Price: Free

URL: http://www.dontcrack.com/freeware/downloads.php/id/3452/software/SeqCon/#

Soundplant

Overview: Soundplant 26 turns the computer keyboard into a customizable sound triggering device and realtime digital audio performance tool. It can assign wav & aif sounds of unlimited size (registered version also loads mp3 files) onto 72 keyboard keys via a drag-and-drop, point-and-click interface. It is used for live music creation, sound design, radio, podcasting, presentations, theater, as a drum pad, as a DJ tool There is also a Macintosh version

Price: Free

URL: http://www.soundplant.org/

Sound Cue System

Price: Lite: $54, Standard: $91, Pro: $139

Overview: Sound Cue System is a powerful playback system for the theatre that is reasonably priced. The pro version is the best. In the Pro version, this program will let you do multiple channels of sound, midi cues, fades, follows, and almost anything else you can think of. It also allows sounds to be linked to Hotkeys to run sound effect on the fly for improvisational type shows. (A Mac OSX version is under development)

URL: http://www.soundcuesystem.com/download/setupscs9demo.zip

MultiPlay

Overview: MultiPlay is a free cue list audio player for Windows. It gives you up to 4 stereo output pairs, automated sound playback with a GO button with many features. Try it and post your experiences! Improvement and new feature requests welcomed by the author.

Price: Free

URL: http://www.audiovisualdevices.com.au/software/multiplay/multiplay.php

Hotspot

Overview: Hotspot is a free, simple, sample playback utility, by the makers of CSC Show Control, that allows you to map wave files to up to 64 on-screen buttons. These files can then be launched by mouse click, keyboard, or touchscreen.

Price: Free

URL: http://www.ctrelectronics.co.uk/hotspot.htm

Audiobytes - CueFire

Overview: CueFire is audio playback software suitable especially for small and medium sized productions. Typical venues are theatres, musicals, TV shows, concerts, fireworks, comedy shows, exhibitions, The CueFire software provides some unique features like the DualModeTechnology, a high contrast graphical user interface and many smart features which makes it a efficient and easy to use tool for the audio engineer. A simple approach:?Configure the Cues - Save the Project - Hit the CueButtons and fire the Cues

Price: Free

URL: http://www.audiobytes.eu/en/index.php

MixAction

Overview: MixAction provides a unique approach to live theater sound cue mixing through arranging playback into logical Acts and Scenes, just like a theatre script. Further it allows for sound cues to be played as a series of tracks, simultaneously – called "Sequences" – which provides multi-track playback and offers the capacity for last minute and "live" adjustment of audio parameters. Sequences provide a powerful "one click" playback option without losing necessary flexibility in adjustment.

Price: Free Evaluation or participate in their beta testing

URL: http://mixaction.com/

Macintosh Platform

QLab

Overview: QLab is a cue list-based sound playback program. You can program the sound playback for your whole show and trigger it with a GO button. The free version will let you address 2 discrete audio outputs and has a built-in matrix routing system. If you need more outputs or you would like to use the MIDI features in QLab, you can purchase licenses that will give you the additional functionality. The free version, however, is very capable and will be more than enough for most productions.

Price: Free. Advanced features available for a price (multiple sends, video and midi up for $250 ea or bundle all for $600)

URL: http://figure53.com/qlab

VSamp

Overview: VSamp is a software sample player for the Macintosh. It comprises: a program for creating and playing virtual instruments; a VST plugin for playing VSamp instruments from within a VST sequencer; and an AudioUnits plugin for playing VSamp instruments from within an AudioUnits sequencer.

I've used this program (stand alone, not as a plug-in) in the rehearsal hall to trigger sounds I'm considering using. You can assign a sound to a range of pitches and combine them to make the exact sound you're looking for. I often do this to modify thunder cues. It's a quick way to figure out exactly how much you want to pitch shift something before you start playing with sliders in your audio editing program.

Price: $39 (US)

URL: http://www.vsamp.com/

Cricket

Overview: Developed by a theater sound designer and musician, with help from other designers and musicians, so built and road-tested for flexibility, playability and ease. ASIO/Coreaudio compatible. Use all your sound card's available outputs to create a true surround-sound environment. 4 separate track players can handle 4 stereo files simultaneously. Support for all common types of sound files with any bit depth your sound card can handle. Midi Q-ing includes Program Change, Note On, Note Off, and CC control.

Price: $200

URL: http://www.cricketsound.com

Macs Cue

Overview: Unlimited number of cues; Unlimited number of cue sheets; Fade-in, fade-out, start, and stop times settable on each cue; Cues can auto-start the following cue at any time while they're playing; Plays AIFF, MP3, AU, WAV, and (unprotected) AAC; Full keyboard control; Drag and drop too, including direct from iTunes; No-edit mode prevents accidental changes to your cue sheet; Multiple cues can play at once (limited only by your computer's speed); Individual volume control of cues; Cues can be chained, and can stop or fade out other cues; Emergency Stop All function

Price: $20 shareware

URL: http://www.clgizmos.com/macscue/

red Curtain

Overview: Designed for use in theatres and all other live shows and events. Arrange your show in the cue list and play them easily when required. red Curtain offers a wide range of functions that make it easier for you to control your show.

Price: $89

URL: http://nobusiness-soft.com/redcurtain/

SeqCon

See above under Windows platform

Sound byte

See above under Windows platform