1 comments about Cakewalk Studio Instruments ( Windows Macintosh ).

1. Studio Instruments are a big improvement over the stock instruments in Garage Band. They sound very real and have a decent collection of preset patterns for quick song ideas. I wish there were more patterns to work with and the sounds could be changed: for example different types of basses, Rhodes and Wurlizer, different drum sets. For 50 bucks you can't go wrong. Well worth the price.Apple iLife '06 (Mac DVD)

No comments about DxO FilmPack v1.2.

5 comments about ColorVision Spyder 2 (Win/Mac).

1. What a difference! After calibrating my monitor with Spyder 2, I actually see on screen what my output (photo print) will look like. I'm very pleased with the product and with the bonus, Pantone Colorist software.



2. I had a lot of trouble with this because I was running an auxillary screen from my laptop and had two screens. This product DOES NOT work if you have two screens running off of one video card. Now that I have a desktop with a one to one video card to monitor ration I have had no problems. It calibrates well and is easy to use.



3. I have been a serious amateur for the better part of 6 years now, and the idea of getting a properly calibrated monitor started nagging at me a couple years ago, when my hobby became a serious thing. At that moment I considered the original Spyder, but never got to buy one; I was confident the optic methods on screen were enough. Then I reviewed monitors calibrated with the Spyder2 and I was blow away. This was my first purchase for the year (01/01/06!) and there was no better way to start the year. The comprehensive control the Spyder2 gives almost guarantees that you will get a perfectly calibrated monitor, to be seen the way it was meant to. I have a setup with two monitors and the Spyder2 and its profile manager makes it easy to calibrate and load the profiles on both of them, minimum maintenance required. Of course, set your mind on the need of periodically re-calibrating your monitor for maximum color accuracy: once you have seen the best it can give, you will not settle for less. Highly recommended!



4. I am sure a professional or one versed in color management issues can use this device and achieve good results. People just getting into this should be careful. I followed the instructions and now my monitor puts a definite blue cast to everything. So obviously, I did something wrong - but finding out what isn't easy. First, the on-screen help is a total joke, hardly has any info at all. There is no manual either. There is no explanation of color management, don't explain how it interacts with other devices, etc.
   
   I do have two monitors, one LCD, one tube. I was able to get it to do profiles for both by unplugging one and then the other. The two monitors aren't even close to showing the same colors now - one is blueish the other yellowish. So again, I'm doing something wrong, but the application gives me no clue on what to fix.
   
   The other apps are even less user-friendly. The profile chooser application has no on-screen help at all nor does it let you delete profiles.
   
   The included Pantone color picker application comes with a 20 page pdf that doesn't really explain what it is or why you'd use it.
   
   Again, someone coming from a graphics background probably won't have a problem and I'm not claiming the application itself is flawed. I may well come back 3 months from now and have no problems at all either. But you do need to have knowledge of color management to use and troubleshoot this.



5. I had one of these items prior and it worked well. The upgraded one for an LCD works just as well and I love it.

5 comments about Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 Win/Mac [OLD VERSION].

1. I recently switched Windows to Mac. Since Dreamweaver includes both versions, I thought I could deactivate my Windows machine, and install it on the Mac. After calling their customer service department twice, I was told that this is not possible. Once you activate the product on one platform, you have to buy it again if you want to use it on a different platform.
   
   I might be willing to pay for an upgrade if they were offering a Universal Binary, but currently they are not. They might even view Intel Mac's as a different plaform the Power PC Mac's and try to charge me again if they release an Intel version.
   
   Because their licensing is such a pain, I would not recommend this product to anyone.



2. This version on Dreamweaver is the best web tool ever built. It has every feature I could ask for. Too bad it's just too slow to use use for real (making money!). I,m a terrible typist and I can out type it. To switch between GUI view and text view involves a 20 second computer lockup. It's a shame because I absolutely love the product. Maybe one day I will use it for production but not this version.



3. Dreamweaver 8 is the best HTML editor on the market hands down.
   
   There are numerous small design changes from MX 2004 to 8 but the fantastic workspace from MX 2004 is fully intact whether you are a hand coder or a design coder. In fact the hand coder screen (code display) has undergone some very nice time saving improvements (i.e. 1 touch comments) that are very welcome.
   
   The larger improvements that you will find are increased support for CSS, XHTML 1.0 strict, XSLT, JavaScript, XML, and more. Also new is the built in validator for the different types of HTML and CSS... That is a massive timesaver all on its own. Finally the code generated in design view is much cleaner in my opinion. MX 2004 had the habit of putting the code in place without cleaning up previous code; Dreamweaver 8 fixes this problem nicely.
   
   Now that Adobe owns Macromedia I fully expected that Adobe's great customer support would be available and I was right. The customer support was fast, courteous, very helpful, and very patient with all my questions. Not once were my hypothetical questions treated like a burden.
   
   Macromedia had a very high quality, industry standard product on the market with Dreamweaver MX 2004. Now Adobe-Macromedia has an even better product with Dreamweaver 8. You can feel Macromedia's attention to details throughout the product and you can see Adobe's very high standards being lived up to in every nuance.
   
   Worth every cent and maybe a little more.



4. I had been using dreamweaver 4 forever. I had upgraded to MX but could not stand it. MX once opened for the first time you look at it and go "what the hell is going on here" nothing was where you thought it would be, I am pretty sure the designers were drunk. So I went back to using 4. Just got 8 and it is smooth and easy. Things are much different but all better in so many ways. I like programs that you do not have to look at the instructions when you upgrade to a new version. They realy put some thought into making it very intuitive. Go for it and dont look back. Avoid MX like the plague it is though.



5. I've used Netscape Composer for 7-8 years before "upgrading" to Dreamweaver. I have TWO Dreamweaver manuals. But DW remains SUCH A PAIN to use.
   
   * When I change the template, Dreamweaver should ask me if I want to change all pages created with the template. But sometimes it asks, and sometimes it doesn't. Why? (When it doesn't ask, it means the pages created by the template remain unchanged).
   
   * When I create a template, Dreamweaver puts it in a Template folder. Then when I create a page with it, the internal links all say /Template/index.html or /Template/books.html or whatever. This means that when I upload pages, it can't find other links on the website.
   
   * And if I move the template out of the Template subfolder and try to "update" the links of all pages created with it...well, that doesn't work either.
   
   * Dreamweaver won't let me create my own pages the way I want. I want to pick my own font, size, etc. for each page. But DW keeps forcing "styles" on me. I pick NONE for style. Then when I pick a 14 Font, suddenly DW has picked STYLE 2 (or whatever). So I go back to NONE for style, and now my font is gone.
   
   * Or I'll pick a 14 Font Size, then a Lucinda Sans Font, and now the Font Size is changed. So I change the font size back to 14, and now the font is changed to Verdana, or whatever.
   
   A nightmarish program, in that it doesn't do what I want it do do. I keep redoing, and redoing everything, because sometimes DW will accept my instructions, and sometimes not. Everything has to be done 1 to 8 or so times before DW works.
   
   It's said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. Well, with DW you can do the SAME thing over, and you DO get a DIFFERENT result. Weird.
   
   * Oh yeah, the WYSIWYG feature does NOT work. I previewed a page in Firefox. It looked one way. Then I uploaded the page to my website, and looked at it again in the SAME Firefox -- only now it looks different -- some different fonts, some different colors.
   
   Crappy program.

1 comments about FloorPlan 3D Home Design Suite 9.

1. This program is counter intuitive, and is very hard to undo.
   Probably the strangest feature is that it doesn't allow the user to design to a given dimension, the plan has to be adjusted to get as near as possible to the desired dimension.
   The online tutorials are blocked by Yahoo.
   Trying to use this program puts lots of lines of indeterminate length in places you don't want, with no easy way to remove them.
   Probably very good for a skilled user, but I haven't got that far, and can't see me ever getting there.

5 comments about Sound Forge 5.0.

1. Sound Forge continues with 5.0 to be THE choice for 2 channel mixing. Sonic Foundry, God bless them, took a great program (Sound Forge 4.5) and retooled it into a perfect program. Now included are Acoustic Mirror & XFX 1-3. If you're mixing to CD, video,etc., then you need Sound Forge. Period.



2. I have been using Sound Forge since about version 3. New versions don't come out very often, but they are usually worthwhile. The latest version of Sound Forge has the Batch Converter, Acoustic Mirror and Effects Processors included. These were optional extras with the previous versions. So the only extra I needed to buy was Noise Reduction - a plug-in that I use fairly frequently.

   There are many digital audio editing programs on the market, but I find that Sound Forge does nearly every thing I need, and I have never been tempted to look elsewhere. Sound Forge has a sizeble set of processes, tools and effects built-in, and recognizes Direct-X plug-ins from other manufacturers. Apart from that, you can convert nearly any known digital audio format to nearly any other.

   My interest is computer music, and I use Sound Forge for recording and manipulating sounds. I use Sonic Foundry's Vegas Audio for mixing. Sound Forge is stable, fast, and well equiped. My only small critisism is that extracting sound from CDs and creating CDs could have been a bit more user-friendly.




3. In a search for some way to edit my tapes, records and discs, I have tried several products. I finally stubled onto Sound Forge 4.5. When Sound Forge 5.0 came out, I jumped on it. Sound Forge is easy to use and will do much more than I expected using only a computer. Help is excellent and the program is easy to use. It also has an excellent 'undo' capability. Unless you want to go into professional recording, Sonic Forge will serve you well.



4. i use Sound Forge for everything from editing / remixing tracks from CD to creating songs from scratch. aside from multitrack recording, i haven't thought of a single thing that this program can't do with sound. and believe me, i've been trying my hardest to push it to it's limit. if you have even the slightest interest in computer based sound recording, you're really missing out if you don't have this product. it's the best.



5. I just got this program a few days ago; so I am still in the process of becoming familiar with it. At this point I really like what I see. It seems to be quite intuitive. I was initially concerned that the process of learning to use it with facility might be intimidating and frustrating. But my esperiences with it so far give me the impression that even amateurs like myself can master it without getting stressed out.

   Here are some things potential buyers need to be aware of:

   1)Sound Forge 6.0 has just been issued. I am in the process of upgrading the Sound Forge 5.0 that I just purchased.

   2)I heartily recommend the book "Sound Forge Power" by Scott R. Garrigus ... It seems to be very friendly and very helpful. I certainly I am glad I got it.

   3)With current CD and DVD burners, you can rip new CD's at incredibly fast speeds. But I was recently speaking with a professional recording engineer; and he told me that for audiophile quality CD's you need to duplicate at slow a speed as possible, preferably 1X or 2X.

No comments about Steinberg WaveLab Studio 6 Retail Version.

No comments about eMedia Guitar Collection.

No comments about The Complete Interactive Cookbook.

5 comments about Apple Final Cut Express HD 3.5 (Mac).

1. I use this with a MacBook laptop with 2GB RAM without any performance issues. It is a great product for when you have outgrown iMovie but don't need the full feature set of Final Cut. I use it for both perosnal and work video production. No problems connecting and moving video of a Panasonic PV-GS500 video camera via Firewire. There is a learning curve but the basics are pretty easy to master.



2. If you find iMovie complicated, this product is not for you. If you prefer automatic quick solutions this product may not be for you.
   
   If you find that you would like more control of your video/audio than you find in iMovie but don't want to spend a lot of money, boy have you come to the right place.
   
   I take quite a lot of home video (new baby and all) and found that iMovie would frustrate me when I couldn't do some more advanced tasks.
   
   iMovie is a great intro product. If you are new to video, use it until you find that you feel limited (many will never will get to that point).
   
   When (and if) you find that you feel some constraints in iMovie, then move up to FCE.
   
   A note for most, iMovie and FCE typically are not for DVD/Hard Drive camcorders. They don't have the output necessary to directly connect. You may want to check with your camcorder manufacturer to see what they have to convert the DVD/HD to content that is usuable in these products.



3. When I slammed the Canon PIXMA 4300 for being terrible, I indicated that I only write reviews when the product is very good, or very bad. In this case, this product is truly amazing. In fact, it is the coolest software I have ever owned or used. In fact, I'd say this is the coolest thing I have ever owned, but that would make me a geek. Buy it without reservation!
   
   Running on a MacBook Pro with 2GB RAM and OS X. I suspect the 2GB is a very good idea though I have never tried it with les.



4. Final Cut Express is a very powerful program, and no doubt you can make spectacular movies with it. However, there is one glaring flaw that is driving me nuts: NO BATCH CAPTURE! In Final Cut Pro, the much more expensive parent of Final Cut Express, you can run through your video setting in/out points very quickly, and then simply doing a "Batch Capture," allowing you to walk away and let the program gather all your clips. In FCE, however, it's different. You can either capture the whole tape, and then edit it later. Or, you can set your in/outs, and then capture before moving on to the next clip. My God, if you have a lot of video to work with, can you imagine how much extra time this will take. And, again, with a lot of video, unless you have massive amounts of storage, it is going to be tough to capture an entire tape and cut it up later.
   
   So, don't get me wrong.....great program, tons of tools, tremdendous value for the money. BUT, Batch Capturing is a must for me. This program would have been a solid 5 stars had Apple simply included batch capturing. For me, my projects are long enough to where I have to have it. So......I am buying Final Cut Studio (not only for batch capturing, but for the additional codecs as well).
   
   If your goal is to take your home movies to the next level and have far more features than iMovie, and the capturing issues are not a big deal for you (or you are on a strict budget), then this may be the program for you.



5. Apple Final Cut Express HD 3.5 (Mac)
   
   
   I am a newbie to both Apple computers and Apple software. With FCE 3.5 I have a real love/hate relationship going on here. This is probably the most frustrating software that I have ever tried to learn, but when the results come out, they are fantastic. If you want to quickly piece together a fun little video with just a few transitions, then use iDVD. If you enjoy working your tail off and feeling a REAL sense of accomplishment at making a small step, then this is the software for you.
   
   By the way, many of you will have noticed that you can get the newest FCE 4 at nearly the same price as FCE HD 3.5.
   You should be aware that FCE 4 does NOT have Soundtrack included nor does it have all of the features of LiveType 2. (Nearly 9 gigs is missing!) For the price difference I chose 3.5.
   
   I am still learning this, but I have no doubts that I will become proficient in its use. Besides, I have an ace in the hole. Tom Wolsky has many books out on Final Cut. He is also a regular on the Apple Support forums. There is not any question that he cannot answer about Final Cut.
   
   Also you should purchase a mini/dv camera with firewire output. USB ain't gonna cut it with Final Cut Express.
   
   Hope this helps.
   
   Pete