Sonic Studio
Encyclopedia
Sonic Studio is an American company manufacturing digital audio production tools for engineering professionals. The company was created when Sonic Solutions
divested itself of its audio product lines in order to concentrate on DVD
and multimedia–oriented products.
masters on recordable CD
, in the same way that the original Macintosh
and LaserWriter
spawned the desktop publishing
revolution
. Prior to the introduction of the Sonic System, Compact Disc were assembled and premastered using bulky, expensive and unreliable U-matic videotape
–based systems.
(or ASP) hardware–based audio signal processor, designed by James A. Moorer
, after work on the Hydra audio project at Stanford University’s CCRMA, was a proof of concept for what is now considered a digital audio workstation
. The ASP’s design (Rubin 2005, pp. 198) started life in 1980 and was designed primarily for real–time, multichannel EQ
and mixing
. SoundDroid
(Rubin 2005, pp. 444–446), an in–house project of Lucasfilm Ltd.
’s Sprocket Systems
that was later spun off as part of The Droid Works, was a hard disk–based, non–linear
, second generation digital audio workstation that leveraged the research done on the ASP. Though the SoundDroid
project was never commercialized and The Droid Works was later sold to Avid
, the audio development team went on to first create the NoNOISE restoration system in 1987, hosted on a Motorola
–powered SUN 1
(Rubin 2005, pp. 435), the first true, general purpose computer “workstation,” which had been developed in cooperation with Lucasfilm (Rubin 2005, pp. 168–169). The SUN ran UNIX
, developed by Bell Labs
and refined at UC Berkeley
. Sonic Studio’s current flagship product run on Mac OS
, a modern version of that same UNIX variant, BSD Unix
, that powered the original SUN workstation.
After evaluating the cost and complexity of their SUNs, the Sonic team decided to tap a new platform, Apple Computer’s Macintosh II
, also powered by a Motorola 68000, to create the first production version of the Sonic Station later that year. By 1988, the Sonic Station was in service at EMI Abbey Road
and Finesplice in London, and MCA in California, performing “miraculous” feats of restoration and starting a trend of mining back catalog that continues to this day. That first system employed a dedicated NuBus
hardware co–processor, with 4 Motorola 56000–series Digital Signal Processors
(DSP), beginning a trend that continued through seven generations of hardware.
Demand grew for a turnkey Compact Disc preparation system and, in 1990 with the addition of the world’s first CD-R product, Sony
’s $30,000, two piece, E-1/W-1 Compact Disc-Recordable system in conjunction with START Lab’s new media, the complete Sonic System was born. After a few years of development, the product was renamed “SonicStudio” and development continues to this day.
Based in San Anselmo California, Sonic Studio, LLC continues to manufacture products that address the needs of the world’s most discriminating audio professionals with powerful PCM and DSD origination, editing and processing capabilities, and integrated premastering for both CD, SACD and rich media distribution. Sonic Studio’s NoNOISE noise and distortion reduction tools and streamlined workflow have allowed the product lines to remain at the forefront of restoration
for DVD post–production and archival re–release.
Sonic Solutions
Sonic Solutions, acquired by Rovi Corporation in 2010, was a computer software company headquartered in Novato, California. In addition to having a number of offices in the U.S., the company also maintained offices in Europe and Asia.-History:...
divested itself of its audio product lines in order to concentrate on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and multimedia–oriented products.
Overview
Under the auspices of Sonic Solutions, the Sonic Studio audio workstation has driven the professional production and delivery of commercial Compact Discs. The original “Sonic System” pioneered the desktop delivery of Red BookRed Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
masters on recordable CD
CD-R
A CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
, in the same way that the original Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
and LaserWriter
LaserWriter
The LaserWriter was a laser printer with built-in PostScript interpreter introduced by Apple in 1985. It was one of the first laser printers available to the mass market...
spawned the desktop publishing
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
. Prior to the introduction of the Sonic System, Compact Disc were assembled and premastered using bulky, expensive and unreliable U-matic videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
–based systems.
Early years
The Sonic System began life as research into real–time, computer–based audio production. The Audio Signal ProcessorAudio Signal Processor
The Audio Signal Processor or ASP is a large-scale digital signal processor developed by James A. Moorer at Lucasfilm's The Droid Works. He programmed a number of Digital signal processing algorithms that were used in major motion picture features...
(or ASP) hardware–based audio signal processor, designed by James A. Moorer
James A. Moorer
James Andy Moorer is an internationally-known figure in digital audio and computer music, with over 40 technical publications and four patents to his credit....
, after work on the Hydra audio project at Stanford University’s CCRMA, was a proof of concept for what is now considered a digital audio workstation
Digital audio workstation
A digital audio workstation is an electronic system designed solely or primarily for recording, editing and playing back digital audio. DAWs were originally tape-less, microprocessor-based systems such as the Synclavier and Fairlight CMI...
. The ASP’s design (Rubin 2005, pp. 198) started life in 1980 and was designed primarily for real–time, multichannel EQ
Equalization
Equalization, is the process of adjusting the balance between frequency components within an electronic signal. The most well known use of equalization is in sound recording and reproduction but there are many other applications in electronics and telecommunications. The circuit or equipment used...
and mixing
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
. SoundDroid
SoundDroid
The SoundDroid is an early digital audio workstation designed by a team of engineers led by James A. Moorer at Lucasfilm between the 1980 and 1987. It was a hard-disk–based, nonlinear audio editor developed on the Audio Signal Processor , a large-scale digital signal processor for real–time,...
(Rubin 2005, pp. 444–446), an in–house project of Lucasfilm Ltd.
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
’s Sprocket Systems
Skywalker Sound
Skywalker Sound is the sound effects, sound editing, sound design, sound mixing and music recording division of George Lucas' Lucas Digital motion picture group. Its main facilities are located in Lucas Valley, near Nicasio, California...
that was later spun off as part of The Droid Works, was a hard disk–based, non–linear
Non-linear editing system
In video, a non-linear editing system is a video editing or audio editing digital audio workstation system which can perform random access non-destructive editing on the source material...
, second generation digital audio workstation that leveraged the research done on the ASP. Though the SoundDroid
SoundDroid
The SoundDroid is an early digital audio workstation designed by a team of engineers led by James A. Moorer at Lucasfilm between the 1980 and 1987. It was a hard-disk–based, nonlinear audio editor developed on the Audio Signal Processor , a large-scale digital signal processor for real–time,...
project was never commercialized and The Droid Works was later sold to Avid
Avid Technology
Avid Technology, Inc. is an American company specializing in video and audio production technology; specifically, digital non-linear editing systems, management and distribution services. It was created in 1987 and became a publicly traded company in 1993...
, the audio development team went on to first create the NoNOISE restoration system in 1987, hosted on a Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
–powered SUN 1
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
(Rubin 2005, pp. 435), the first true, general purpose computer “workstation,” which had been developed in cooperation with Lucasfilm (Rubin 2005, pp. 168–169). The SUN ran UNIX
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
, developed by Bell Labs
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
and refined at UC Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. Sonic Studio’s current flagship product run on Mac OS
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, a modern version of that same UNIX variant, BSD Unix
Berkeley Software Distribution
Berkeley Software Distribution is a Unix operating system derivative developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group of the University of California, Berkeley, from 1977 to 1995...
, that powered the original SUN workstation.
After evaluating the cost and complexity of their SUNs, the Sonic team decided to tap a new platform, Apple Computer’s Macintosh II
Macintosh II
The Apple Macintosh II was the first personal computer model of the Macintosh II series in the Apple Macintosh line and the first Macintosh to support a color display.- History :...
, also powered by a Motorola 68000, to create the first production version of the Sonic Station later that year. By 1988, the Sonic Station was in service at EMI Abbey Road
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
and Finesplice in London, and MCA in California, performing “miraculous” feats of restoration and starting a trend of mining back catalog that continues to this day. That first system employed a dedicated NuBus
NuBus
NuBus is a 32-bit parallel computer bus, originally developed at MIT as a part of the NuMachine workstation project. The first complete implementation of the NuBus and the NuMachine was done by Western Digital for their NuMachine, and for the Lisp Machines Inc. LMI-Lambda. The NuBus was later...
hardware co–processor, with 4 Motorola 56000–series Digital Signal Processors
Digital signal processor
A digital signal processor is a specialized microprocessor with an architecture optimized for the fast operational needs of digital signal processing.-Typical characteristics:...
(DSP), beginning a trend that continued through seven generations of hardware.
Demand grew for a turnkey Compact Disc preparation system and, in 1990 with the addition of the world’s first CD-R product, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
’s $30,000, two piece, E-1/W-1 Compact Disc-Recordable system in conjunction with START Lab’s new media, the complete Sonic System was born. After a few years of development, the product was renamed “SonicStudio” and development continues to this day.
Present day
In 2002, Sonic Solutions decided to divest themselves of their original audio product line. To concentrate solely on the DVD content creation market, they formed a joint venture and, in 2004, that business was transferred to Big Endian, LLC to carry on the development, sales, and support of Sonic Solutions’ audio workstation products.Based in San Anselmo California, Sonic Studio, LLC continues to manufacture products that address the needs of the world’s most discriminating audio professionals with powerful PCM and DSD origination, editing and processing capabilities, and integrated premastering for both CD, SACD and rich media distribution. Sonic Studio’s NoNOISE noise and distortion reduction tools and streamlined workflow have allowed the product lines to remain at the forefront of restoration
Audio restoration
Audio restoration is a generalized term for the process of removing imperfections from sound recordings. Audio restoration can be performed directly on the recording medium , or on a digital representation of the recording using a computer...
for DVD post–production and archival re–release.
Pioneering work
Over the years, development of the product lines have resulted in many breakthroughs now considered commonplace in the professional audio community. Some of the features and technologies brought to the pro audio market by Sonic Studio’s forbearers include:- graphical digital waveformWaveformWaveform means the shape and form of a signal such as a wave moving in a physical medium or an abstract representation.In many cases the medium in which the wave is being propagated does not permit a direct visual image of the form. In these cases, the term 'waveform' refers to the shape of a graph...
displays (Rubin 2005, pp. 444) - 24 bit AESAES/EBUAES3 is the standard used for the transport of digital audio signals between professional audio devices. It is also known as AES/EBU and is published by the Audio Engineering Society and as part of IEC 60958. It was developed by the AES and the European Broadcasting Union and first published in...
digital I/O - SDIF-2 digital I/O
- 4–point editing model, borrowed from videotape editing paradigm
- integrated, 9 pin machine control
- integrated digital restoration tools
- mutlitasking DSP
- integrated “desktop” CD preparation
- the PreMaster CDPMCDPMCD is a specially formatted, recordable Compact Disc designed to be sent to a CD pressing plant for replication. The PreMaster CD format, developed in the early 1990s by the CD-ROM division of Sony, in cooperation with of Tokyo and Sonic Solutions, contained a hidden “PreMaster Cue Sheet” that...
delivery format - ultra–high speed data network with multiuser, file–level read/write (Anderson 1993)
- 96 kHz & 192 kHz, single and double wire AES I/O support
- double precision internal signal processing (Moorer 1999)
- integrated DVD-AudioDVD-AudioDVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio is not intended to be a video delivery format and is not the same as video DVDs containing concert films or music videos....
& SACDSuper Audio CDSuper Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...
production (Moorer 1998)
Notations
- Moorer, James A; (1982). The Audio Signal Processor: The Next Step in Digital Audio. New York: Audio Engineering Society. Preprint Number: Rye-020
- Moorer, James A.; Borish, Jeffrey; Snell, John; (1985). A Gate-Array Multiplier for Digital Audio Processing. New York: Audio Engineering Society. Preprint Number: 2243
- Moorer, James A.; Borish, Jeffrey; (1986). An Optical Disk Recording, Archiving, and Editing Device for Digital Audio Signal Processing. New York: Audio Engineering Society. Preprint Number: 2376
- Lawrence M. Fisher; (1988). Removing the Static From Old Recordings. The New York Times
- Cumming, David P.; Moorer, James A.; Ogawa, H.; Ishiguro, T.; Nakajima, Hisashi; (1990). CD Mastering Using a Recordable -Red Book Standard- CD and Graphical PQ Subcode Editing. New York: Audio Engineering Society. Preprint Number: 3006
- Reichbach, Jonathan D.; Kemmerer, Richard A.; (1992). SoundWorks: An Object-Oriented Distributed System for Digital Sound. New York: IEEE. 0018-9162/92/0300-0025
- Moorer, James A; (1996). Breaking the Sound Barrier: Mastering at 96 kHz and Beyond. New York: Audio Engineering Society. Preprint Number: 4357
- TECnology Hall of Fame; (1997). 1997 TEC Awards. Penton Media Inc. Mix Magazine
- Jacobson, Linda; (2004). Silicon Audio. Penton Media Inc. Mix Magazine
- TECnology Hall of Fame; (2006). 1987 Sonic Solutions NoNoise. Penton Media Inc. Mix Magazine
External links
- Web site
- Resume of Dr. J.A. Moorer