Ron Scelza Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Playback Software Dear All, There are so many great new playback programs that easily fit our needs….Here are a few that I've found... you might try/or have tried… Please comment on them and add your favorites to the list. Sincerely Ron Scelza BWF Widget Pro http://www.bwfwidget.com/html/bwf-widget-pro.html Sound Devices Wave Agent http://www.sounddevices.com/download/waveagent-1. htm Sound Cue http://download.cnet.com/Sound-Cue-System/3000-2139_4-10182591.html QLab (Mac) http://figure53.com/qlab/ OnCue Audio Mixing System 1.3 http://download.cnet.com/OnCue-Audio-Mixing-System/3000-2170_4-10073657.html?tag=mncol Audacity 1.2.6 http://download.cnet.com/Audacity/3000-2170_4-10058117.html?tag=mncol;pop Audobe Audition http://www.adobe.com/products/audition/ Protools LE http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?navid=28 Traktor http://www.native-instruments.com/newreleases/#/en/products/dj/traktor-pro/ CuePlayer http://www.baxeldata.com/products.html#cue NUMARK CUE DJ/VJ Software Mac/PC http://www.idjnow.com/StoreModules/ProductDetails.aspx/PID=CUE--BranchID=--DepartmentID=COMPUTER%20%5E%20PRODUCTION--SubDeptID=DJ%20Software--CategoryID=--DeID=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 I've tried most of these, and BWF Widget is by far the best and most useful to me. The pull-up/pull-down features and large TC window are perfect for playback purposes. This is one of two reasons I have to use a little PC when on location (with Lectro Venue being the other reason). I'd prefer using a Mac, but eh... you use what you need to get the job done. --Marc W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Mac Cue: http://www.clgizmos.com/macscue/ Sound Forge: http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/soundforgefamily.asp Philip Perkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 I have only used Pro Tools. I like it, but then I know it well and use it all the time so I have a comfort level with it. I'm sure the others all are worthy as well. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel McIntosh Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 Another: Sound Studio http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/4811/sound-studio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 SoundStudio is what I have used for years for simple 2-track playback. It is very easy to set multiple markers, start points, end points, looped playback, etc. I also appreciate the look and feel of the software. Many who use Audacity (FREE) would say that SoundStudio is WAY overpriced (it is not free), but I don't really like Audacity (and it is awful to look at). - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tourtelot Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 No question in my mind. Reaper for Win and OSX. Full-featured including a built-in Time Code generator! And less than $50. Blows PT away. http://reaper.fm/ D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Smith Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 I've used Adobe Audition for a few years, partly because I had it on my system from work on other projects where I need the ability to lock to external TC. Can't say that it's the best around at this point, but it's worked well for me. The only frustration I've had is that the MIDI TC feature doesn't seem to work reliably on some systems. --Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 Although I have several of the other programs listed, my location playback software of choice is an early version (4.0) of Sound Forge. This is from back when Sonic Foundry owned it, before they sold out to Sony. Version 4.0 is just a basic two-track program that handles 16-bit files maximum. It's extremely fast, easy to use, quick to cue, quick to drop new cue-points and an all-around great choice for playback without all the additional bells and whistles to slog it down. It'll run beautifully on an older laptop, so a 350-400mHz IBM ThinkPad is ideal for this application. These can be bought on the used market for under a hundred bucks. For playback jobs, I clone the hard drive onto a second Thinkpad and have a redundant backup at the ready. Even though I haven't needed it, a backup is good to have since any computer can go berserk at any time -- it's in their DNA. If a speed change for an overcranked shot is called for, the program can handle a time conversion slickly and quickly. Prior to shoot day I create cue points with pre-roll for a lead-in to each verse and chorus and a count-in to the beginning. I've used this system for music videos with the likes of John Mellencamp, the Ataris, and Taylor Swift (name dropping) and have been extremely happy with how efficient and reliable it's been. John B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 Hey RVD, I think they are the same other than a few keyboard commands. This is second hand info. I started on mac way back when and it is all I know. Hope you are enjoying the PT classes. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 from RVD: "I have a question, I mostly see the Pro Tools system being used on Macs, even though it is offered for PCs, can anyone tell me if there is a difference between the two systems? I recently purchased a MacBook Pro in order to utilize the Pro Tools system, and I'm wondering if that was necessary. Whenever I've done Pro Tools playback on a film, the operator always comes with a Mac system." ProTools (originally called Sound Tools and other names) was developed for the original Mac since the Mac had the first graphical user interface and display of waveforms that SoundTools ushered in (one of only a few "visual" sound editors being developed). It existed on the Mac platform only for many years but was finally released for PCs running the Windows operating system. From the stats that I have read, the majority of ProTools installations are still running under the Mac OS, with one of the reasons being that the music world is still quite solidly a Mac-centric world. From what I have heard, ProTools runs fine on both platforms, but possibly it performs better and is more stable on the Mac platform --- I do not know this as fact but for me, of course, I would be much more comfortable with the Mac platform even though ProTools is available for both the Mac and Windows PCs. Regards, Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 we have PT at the schools I teach at, mostly on Mac's often with FCsP, and that is the main reason; also Photoshop is on sthem in one lab. We also have some PT LE systems on Windows, and they work fine, In the past we have had Digi-001's on both platforms, but I believe the full PT, with hardware farms may be better suited to the Mac OS platform Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 From the stats that I have read, the majority of ProTools installations are still running under the Mac OS, with one of the reasons being that the music world is still quite solidly a Mac-centric world. From what I have heard, ProTools runs fine on both platforms, but possibly it performs better and is more stable on the Mac platform... I think the usual rule of thumb is that there are far more plug-ins available for Pro Tools on the Mac than there are for Windows. That alone is a deciding factor for a lot of users. I'm not sure if Digi has ever released the split between Windows & Mac sales, but I'd be surprised if PTHD for Mac doesn't outsell the Windows version by 5 to 1. But for the garage studio crowd, I bet it's almost even. I see an awful lot of people buying PTLE for Windows at Guitar Center. The advantage of using a simple program like BWF Widget Pro for playback is that it does exactly what you need without any frills. Pro Tools is designed to do a thousand other things on top of that, and it makes it very complex, with a steep learning curve (plus the pricetag). --Marc W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 " I'm not sure if Digi has ever released the split between Windows & Mac sales" I don't think Digi really knows, as the PTLE is furnished for both platforms with the devices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 On the DUC there are more posts for PTLE on Windows than on Mac, but WAY more posts for Mac PTHD than for Windows PTHD. Philip Perkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Scelza Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Dear All, Thank you for your input to this topic. I started this thread to find the most practical playback software for the majority of our PB scenarios with consideration to some of the Cuing applications that I would like to try… I've used many different PB & editing programs and really like "BWF Widget Pro" as a good simple PB option -- especially when there isn't a good communication between the director, post & telecine. In every case I believe I t behooves us to ask post to strike a PB two track with a TC track and a program track from their master. A delivered PB medium will maintain a known consistency thru the workflow. IMO this can save a lot of time and lesson confusion later. If the director expects to record to playback, use a thumper, a metronome, a speed change or a different version ask for the PB delivered in a format you can use. Has anyone tried? Sound Cue http://download.cnet.com/Sound-Cue-System/3000-2139_4-10182591.html or QLab (Mac) http://figure53.com/qlab/ Sincerely Ron Scelza CAS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirror Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Johnson Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 http://twistedwave.com/mobile I am using this app on my iPad 2 , it's fantastic for playback , check it out . Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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