Aug 28 2002
Movie Maestro
For years Sonic Desktop has been making professional Audio tools like Sonicfire Pro, and they’ve done a great job at it. Now, Sonic takes their expertise home with Movie Maestro.
Movie Maestro brings Sonic Desktop’s unique soundtrack system to home users in a very easy to use package.
On startup, Movie Maestro gives you several options. You can open an existing movie, or create a soundtrack to be added to a movie later.
In the main window, you have a time-line and a pane previewing your movie. By dragging the play-head, you scan through your movie and locate where it is you want your soundtrack to come in.
By clicking the "Add Music" button, you bring up a dialogue that lets you peruse music samples. When you find the one that most moves you, click OK and you’ll get what’s called a "smart clip".
What’s so smart about a "smart clip"? A smart clip isn’t your standard audio clip. You are free to drag it to any length and it self-adjusts itself to perfectly fit in the space provided. It provides its own introduction and end.
You are also free to select from different variations of each theme. That is as easy as navigating the pop up menu.
When it comes time to save, Movie Maestro gives you the option to export your soundtrack to an audio file or put it directly into iMovie. Movie Maestro’s flexibility is great when it comes time to export.
So, the verdict? Every iMovie user has been spoiled by Apple’s free price tag. However, if you want to dress up your movies with soundtracks that make your home movies look like something right out of Hollywood, the $49 price is perfect. In fact, Movie Maestro is the perfect think to get for the family videographer who may already think he’s Steven Spielberg.
