Adobe Soundbooth CS4 kicks it up a notch with multitrack support. When Soundbooth replaced Audition not too long ago, many Creative Suite users missed the multitrack editing. It's back, now with the availability of a new sound document file format that will move multitrack projects from application to application.

With multitrack functionality, an audio editor can work on a separate dialog track, music track or sound effects track in Soundbooth. That editor can take advantage of all the advanced audio-editing tools to make each track sound its best. Then, with the new file format (Adobe Sound Document, ASND), the audio editor can send the file over to the video-editing workstation where the tracks can be imported into Premiere Pro seamlessly. This is a great workflow enhancement for production teams or even for the video editor who's ambitious.

Adobe CS4 Production Premium is a notable update that focuses on a higher level of refinement in workflow, especially as a collection of applications that shares media assets seamlessly. As such, professional video editors and post-production facilities will find that this group of tools can save a great deal of time. At the granular level, the simple enhancements in each application show an acute attention to detail that even the casual editor will enjoy.

Professional editors will definitely find value in this suite of applications. Amateurs might struggle with their first glance at the price tag. The option to work with only Adobe Premiere Pro at nearly half the price is a good option for some editors. All things considered, there is no other production suite on the market that has as many industry-standard applications in one bundle.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Processor: Windows - DV, 2GHz, HDV, 3.4GHz; HD, dual 2.8GHz; Mac - Multi-core Intel processor
OS: Windows XP SP2 (SP3 recommended)- Vista SP1 (32- or 64-bit, excluding Home Basic); Mac - OS X 10.4.11 or higher
RAM: 2GB of RAM (more RAM recommended when running multiple components)
Disk Space for Install: Windows - 16.3GB; Mac - 20.6GB (additional space required during installation)
Disk System for Video: Dedicated 7200 RPM hard drive for DV and HDV editing; striped disk array storage (RAID 0) for HD; SCSI disk subsystem preferred
Capture Card: Adobe-certified card for capture and export to tape
Display: 1280x900 display with OpenGL 2.0-compatible graphics card (some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0)
FireWire: Windows - OHCI-compatible IEEE 1394 port for DV and HDV capture, export to tape and transmit to DV device
Disc Burner: DVD-ROM drive (DVD or Blu-ray Disc burner required for creation of respective disc types)
Sound Hardware: Windows - WDM or ASIO-compatible sound card ; Mac - Core Audio-compatible sound card

• Full Mac Compatibility
• Improved functionality between applications
• Solid workflow

• A little sticker shock

The Adobe CS4 Production Premium software bundle is a robust set of applications that work well together in creating professional video presentations for film, TV, DVD and the web.

Mark Montgomery is an independent video producer.

Adobe Systems, Inc.
345 Park Ave.
San Jose, CA 95110
www.adobe.com
Price: $1,699; Upgrade: $599