I still take crap from sanctimonious Justin Long-loving Mac people about the the holy artsy abilities of the Macintosh.

No doubt, bro. Mac’s got mad skillz. Word to your one button mouse.

Adobe Creative Suite runs just fine on my Dell, but for audio, and for the past, oh, 10 years, it’s been Acid Pro.

As I’ve said in a previous review, anyone can pick up Acid and make something happen with it. If you actually spend some time with the software, you can do absolutely wonderful things with the software. You can still get Acid Studio for about $40 if you just want to dabble, though.

In its most basic form, you can use Acid to mix together and cross-fade the perfect mix tape for your sweetheart. You can also compose a synchronized video soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1.

Acid Pro 7, released at the end of 2008, has all the features you’ve come to expect from the franchise — multi-track recording, loop-based production, MIDI sequencing, and lots of freebie effects. This iteration, however, has some features that are just plain delicious if you’re a musician.

Pro 7 features a dedicated sound and MIDI mixing console that has the ability to let you assign effects, working seamlessly with a good keyboard.

A look at the Acid Pro 7 interface

Sophisticated input busses allow the user to record from external sources and mix your audio and instruments. You can also plug external effects processors in and monitor them from the program. You can also direct that processed audio to other external hardware.

Basically, Acid Pro 7 is a modular recording, processing, and producing station.

The software also has native Flac support, which will make those people who record at concerts happy.

Best of all, the software loads up quickly, runs as fast as your computer will let it and puts out excellent sound.

There are two truly great and ridiculously fun pieces of software that have been out there forever in the music studio/audio editing/looping world: Fruity Loops and Acid.

They’re fun because even though most people don’t have a damn clue how to really use the software, anyone can pick either title up and start making noise right away.

Acid Pro first came out in 1998 and was the first true loop-based Desktop Audio Workstation. It’s been popular with bands, DJ’s and producers ever since.

Acid Pro 6 remains the bulked up commercial product at $200+, but a slightly lighter Acid Music Studio 7, which you can scoop up for $50 has most of the features of its predecessor and just about everything a student or individual user could ask for.

What I liked about Acid Studio were the tutorials. Sony’s “Show Me How” system lets you ease into working with the software, and I highly recommend spending a few hours practicing on them if you want to get serious with the software.‚ 

There are also 3,000 build in music loops, 1,000 MIDI files and the capability for importing your own audio to mix up. You can also record live from your own instruments via your sound card.‚ 

Finally, when you’re done you can export your audio artwork to CD’s, flash drives, MP3 players or package them for easy web streaming.‚ 

I have always prefered Acid over the years to Adobe’s Audition, and being a PC guy I don’t have much experience with Garage Band. I can tell you that if you want to really ease into audio editing and mixing, there’s a free, open source title out there called Audacity. While it’s not as polished or powerful as the boxed products, it is a great, free resource for audio editing.

There are a bunch of other DAW’s out there, but I’ve found Acid Pro and now Acid Music Studio balance power and learning curve better than the competitors. There’s also a free trial available.‚ 

Overall, Music Studio won’t do everything that Acid Pro 6 does — particularly with sample rates. Music Studio maxes out as 16/48kHz while Pro can do 24/192kHz. Pro also can process 5.1 surround sound recordings. But if you’re just looking to break into music creation and mixing, I love Music Studio.