What's the difference between Acid Pro 8 / 9 / Next?

browj2 wrote on 11/20/2019, 2:48 PM

See the version comparison chart on the Magix.com site. By deduction, anything that is new, was not in version 8.

MarcoStorm wrote on 11/21/2019, 4:54 AM

Dear @ZacScarf,

here you will find the comparison chart:
https://www.magix.com/de/musik/acid/acid-pro/versionsvergleich/#c1045545

Best regards,

Marco

ZacScarf wrote on 11/21/2019, 11:41 PM

Thanks Marco for the Link!
And thank you Brow for the deduction :)

ZacScarf wrote on 11/21/2019, 11:46 PM

So if I got it right, the only differences, functionality wise only (beside the extra VSTi/VSTfx plugin, and sound library bundle), between Acid Pro 9 vs Acid Pro Next (and Next Suite), are the following:

zynaptiq® STEM MAKER
Celemony Melodyne essential
Professional loudness metering

Correct?

MarcoStorm wrote on 11/22/2019, 2:20 AM

That is correct.

Former user wrote on 11/23/2019, 4:25 AM

Do you only make music with Loops, or do you also use Synths, Samples, etc.?

Compare also to Samplitude Pro X4 Suite, which can be had [on super sale] for cheaper than ACID Pro Next, never mind Pro Next Suite. ACID Pro is more like an Arrangement Workspace. I don't find it to be that good for Production - so I'd only invest primarily in it if I were generally going to be using loops for 75% (or more) of my work.

Aside from that, the reason to get Pro Next would be the zynaptic STEM Maker.

If you don't need that, then honestly you don't need Pro Next. The coreFX plugins are redundant and unnecessary, and the metering is nothing moreo than the Metering ported from Sound Forge Pro 11/12 into ACID Pro 9. It's nothing like the metering in WaveLab Pro or Samplitude.

And if you aren't going to go to Pro Next, then I struggle to find a reason to upgrade off of ACID Pro 8, since MAGIX is fixing most of the biggest offending bugs in that version - and back-porting the UI/UX enhancements from Pro 8.

MIDI Playable Chopper is not worth it. You can go to Plugin Boutique and get reputable Samplers that do that for < $40.

Generally, I would suggest getting Samplitude.

Use ACID Pro, but when you graduate and need more power from your DAW, you'll have a viable option. If people can do EDM in Pro Tools (and many do), you sure as hell can do it in Samplitude. It's just as well-equipped (and arguably better equipped than ACID Pro, which is still a useful tool even in if you use Samplitude as your main DAW ... that's what ReWire is for!!!).

ZacScarf wrote on 11/25/2019, 10:07 PM

What a neatly written, exhaustive answer you posted here Trensharo.
This post is a reference for anyone who wants to have a to-the-point comparative of which Magix's DAWs is best suited for which needs.

One last question:
You said ACID Pro 8 is the version to go for, as it comes without the unecessary bells & whistles for people using core features only, and is the main engine that's being actively debugged / improved.
But what's up with Acid Pro 9 then?

Thanks again for your precious time answering my question, in a straight-forward, debunked language.
I'm very grateful for it!

Former user wrote on 11/27/2019, 1:02 AM

One last question:

You said ACID Pro 8 is the version to go for, as it comes without the unecessary bells & whistles for people using core features only, and is the main engine that's being actively debugged / improved.

But what's up with Acid Pro 9 then?

Nothing. What it adds pretty much is irrelevant, since it's just:

MIDI Playable Chopper: Replaceable by relatively cheap Samplers
Stem Separator: Factorable, but the edition that bundles this comes with a huge upcharge. How often do you actually see yourself using something like this, and how good is it at what it does?

The rest is just plugins:

CoreFX Suite: Redundant, and the base version only gives you some Modulation Plugins, anyways.

VANDAL, Analogue Modeling Suite Plus, VariVerb Pro, Vintage Effects Suite: All of these come with Samplitude Pro X4 Suite, and can be used in ACID Pro 9 by adding Samplitude's MAGIX Plugins directory to ACID Pro's VST Scan Path -- or junctioning them to ACID Pro's MAGIX Plugins Directory - which I prefer doing, as it's cleaner.

Vita 2 Instruments in Samplitude Pro X4 Suite that aren't in ACID Pro 8: Automatically work in ACID Pro 8. The opposite is also true. So you end up with 30+ Vita 2 Solo Instruments after you add the Samplitude Pro X3 instruments they removed from Pro X4 (see Samplitude Pro official Forums).

Independence Pro Suite (incl. Independence FX): Automatically work in ACID Pro 8.

For people just starting out, I recommend they keep ACID Pro 8 (if they already own it), buying Samplitude Pro X4 Suite on promotion (as low as $149), and then use the money they save to get some "bread and butter" instruments/synth/effect plugins/sounds. AIR's stuff is pretty chepa on Plugin Boutique, and their Synths are fairly decent.

I'd also pick up the Union Wavetable Synth for $7.99 @ Plugin Boutique while that deal is still on - and you'll get Nectar 3 Elements for free with the purchase. Ozone Standard 8 is also on sale there for $49, which is a steal for anyone, until you get more proficient at mastering manually.

If you don't own a version of ACID Pro, then honestly go straight to Samplitude X4 Suite and just dedicate yourself to it. It actually does Loop-based composition quite well... ACID didn't always belong to MAGIX, and they do make Music Maker ;-) Bookmark Kraznet's YouTube Channel, and stay off of DAW discussion/comparison threads (Gearslutz, etc.) while you read the documentation and learn how to use the software.

ZacScarf wrote on 11/28/2019, 11:01 AM

Gosh you're amazing friend. And you're not only my fwend, but you're also my buddy, guy.
(End Southpark Canadians Reference)

Alright, so basically Acid Pro 9 and Next are just marketing stuff. No new core feature, except for the long awaited Midi-playable Chopper (an Idea I Feature-Requested like... 10 years ago, but that's amazing they finally brought it to life), and the Stem Separator obviously targetting DJs.

TBH, I've taken a 5 hours, no break, trial of Samplitude. And it clearly feels like a Digital Performer direct competitor. And I really didn't like Digital Performer's "Tabs" workflow. It was a good idea back in the times of Office 2007, but nowdays everything's about Flat Layout (all in one window).

Nowdays my main DAW is Bitwig Studio. It's the best of all worlds. Even Ableton Live's scenes, and FL Studio's feel in some ways... It does have a long way to go compared to Cakewalk Sonar / Apple Logix Pro / Cubase 10, but it's on the right path for sure.

That said, nothing can beat Acid Pro's swift micro-editing workflow. Which is (and always has been since Sony's black-out) the one and only thing that keeps me getting back to it whenever I'm in a hurry, or when I'm in full-blast OCD mode.

So why don't you go ahead and try Bitwig? Trust me, you won't cringe like you did when you gave Live a chance.
Yeah we all suffered in this DAW war era. But look at how blessed we are nowdays! So many alternatives! Every mind can find its own perfect DAW and join its community for many hours, days of joy and creativity, Aaaamen.

Hope I could give back to my buddy in the process! And if you fall in love with Bitwig, we might even become best fwends!

Former user wrote on 12/3/2019, 5:02 PM

ACID is pretty feeble when it comes to Audio Editing and Manipulation - an absolute strong point of Ableton Live, BTW. The Chopper does an okay job at slicing up things, but you can get SliceX from Image-Line and it will put [MIDI-Playable] Chopper and Vita Sampler to shame.

MAGIX really needs to update their tooling in ACID Pro, or invest more into Samplitude Pro development to add some of this tooling to that DAW and simply leave ACID as a sort of "cheaper companion" type DAW for people who may have need of it.

Right now, you have to add so much to it to make it suitable for EDM (for example) that it is actually more logical to buy another DAW and use a more cohesive set of tooling out of the box (Ableton, Reason, Bitwig, FL Studio, Cubase, Digital Performer, etc.).

Samplitude has Lacks, but you need to bolt a lot less onto it than ACID Pro. I need Samplitude because I still edit a lot of Audio. DAWs like Ableton and Bitwig are great for manipulating audio samples/loops/etc., but they are not really a match for the likes of Pro Tools and Samplitude when it comes to audio editing.

IMHO, Vita 2 stuff was developed for MAGIX Music Maker and has no business in Music Production software designed for the Professional Market. They need to do better, there. The Vita Sampler needs a massive upgrade, and I'm not sure why they don't bundle Independence Pro and Independence FX with all SKUs of ACID Pro - even if they only ship the 2GB Library with the base SKU.

So why don't you go ahead and try Bitwig? Trust me, you won't cringe like you did when you gave Live a chance.Yeah we all suffered in this DAW war era. But look at how blessed we are nowdays! So many alternatives! Every mind can find its own perfect DAW and join its community for many hours, days of joy and creativity, Aaaamen.

I can get Cubase Pro on cross grade for less than Bitwig Studio.

I need the MIDI and Audio Editing features in Cubase Pro a lot more than I need the Live Performance stuff in Bitwig Studio.

Bitwig is designed for people who would have gone Ableton, but don't want to pay the insane price for Ableton Live Suite. It was designed and developed for that market.

So ,I'll probably end up going the Cubase route within the next few months.

I still will need/keep Samplitude for Audio Editing, but I prefer using it to Sound Forge (Object Editor, better plugins, etc.). I will drop ACID Pro, though, since I won't need it for sketching or arranging.

If MAGIX adds an Arranger Track to Samplitude Pro X4 via an update in the interim, though, and perhaps a couple more MIDI features... that could be a gamechanger for me (but I'd need Samplitude, anyways).

DAW doesn't need to be perfect for me. It just has to get the job done. It's a tool. Just because the tractor has scratches in the paint, and a busted headlight, doesn't mean I can't cut the grass with it :-P

EDIT: I also trust Steinberg and their ecosystem more than Bitwig['s], and it would be a cheaper long-term investment, since Steinberg's "tick-tock" release cycle means I'll pay less yearly than keeping Bitwig up to date (with the way their Update Subscription works)… and it's also fairly predictable. Cubase is far better documented than Bitwig, as well, so learning anything would be easy to accomplish.

Still kicking myself for not picking it up during the anniversary sale :-(

I tried Cakewalk by BandLab. It feels terrible. Looks cute - at least on the surface - but SONAR without the bundled plugins really exposes how weak the base DAW actually is in comparison to others that have had far more invested into developing their products. AFAIC, it was only somewhat less neglected than ACID Pro.