David Biedny has good things to say about Musicbed DV in a review, as well as in the context of Soundbooth soundtrack generation:

"Creating compelling, captivating musical scores for your video projects can be a daunting challenge. But with Musicbed DV, you have a truly useful tool to make royalty-free soundtracks. Perfect for commercial projects, it delivers smooth music with minimum effort." - David Biedny, MacLife

Mac|Life provides exclusive, authoritative information and advice for readers who want to get the most out of their Macs, iPods, and third-party hardware, software, and services. The magazine also delivers informative feature articles showcasing the latest hardware and software, an expanded "how-to" section, and candid reviews of the latest gear.

Gary Eskow reviews and/or mentions a number of soundtrack creation applications in an article for DigitalContentProducer.com. The article provides an overview of each application and highlights the distinctive features of each. The article is relatively unique - as of press time there have been few articles providing a comparative review of these soundtrack creation solutions.

The article reviews Musicbed DV favorably:

“Musicbed DV (Mac only) lets you add key frames and automate the music in interesting ways. For example, your video starts with a group of high-school kids chatting in a hallway. At eight seconds, they walk outside, and at the 12-second mark, the video shows them skateboarding at high speed. You highlight the Melodic/Percussive slider, enter key frames at eight seconds and 12 seconds, and draw a line that, over a four-second period, changes the mix of the cue you've selected. It's that simple — and very effective.” - Gary Eskow, Digital Content Producer

The review includes coverage of SmartSound Sonicfire Pro 4, Synk Audio Musicbed DV, Sony Creative Software Cinescore, and a mention of Abaltat Muse (entered market at press time). Read the article to get Gary’s take on which of the reviewed products you should purchase

Company and Product Information:

• SmartSound Sonicfire Pro 4
• Synk Audio Musicbed DV
• Sony Creative Software Cinescore
• Abaltat Muse

DigitalContentProducer.com serves the information needs of the multi-platform market, from complete end-to-end video production and display to motion picture production and post, focusing on the gear, techniques, and technologies that are driving changes across the broadening content production marketplace.

Digital Media Net (DMN), the digital media industry's first choice for news and information, favorably reviews Musicbed DV:

“Overall, I was generally surprised at the ease at which I could create seamless music tracks. I liked the way you can pick tracks to listen to, and as they are playing, you can adjust the Music Characteristics to make them more Punchy/Smooth, Dry/Spacious, or even Soft/Intense, and these are updated in almost real-time, so you have an idea right away if that is what you are looking (or listening) for…” - Kevin McAuliffe, Digital Media Net

Digital Media Net, receiving over 1.8 million visits a month, focuses on distinct digital media market segments, including streaming media, digital video, animation, special effects, desktop publishing, imaging and design, digital audio, CAD, work stations, broadcast and post production, and game development.

Until the end of the NAB Show (April 19th, 2007), the Musicbed DV Bundle is available at a 20% discount (see below for discount details). This is a limited time offer that ends on April 19th.

Browse and Customize Stock Music

Musicbed DV is the revolutionary tool that generates professional music soundtracks to match the mood and timing needs of your video or audio projects.

Choose fully composed and orchestrated music themes from an extensive and included customizable stock music resource.

Sculpt stock music with unique musical style and texture controls. Adjust music intensity, complexity, dynamics, and much more, all in real-time. Punctuate and underscore your project with innovative and easy-to-use musical style and texture automation curves.

All customizable stock music available as stereo mixes, instrument submixes, and surround music at any custom duration. Royalty-free license, use as many times as you like without additional fees.

Features

• Music at any duration
• Adjust music style and texture (Percussiveness, Intensity, Density, etc.)
• Automate music style and texture with keyframes
• Adjust duration, pitch, and tempo independently
• Music section and theme arrangement
• Music clip transition editing
• Music generation without loops
• Extensive music genres (Cinematic, Rock, Pop, Downtempo, and more)
• Ambience, backgrounds, full mixes, and more
• Fully composed and orchestrated
• Encoded from over 28 GB of audio data in over 6100 non-linear tracks
• Thousands of theme variations
• Unlimited number of time-based variations
• Export stereo, instrumental submixes, and surround

Use “NAB2007” code during online checkout until 4/19

Buy Musicbed DV and Seasons 1 & 2 

» Learn more about Musicbed DV

» Learn more about the Seasons 1 & 2 customizable stock music libraries

DigitalContentProducer.com, the combination of websites from leading magazines, Video Systems and millimeter, favorably reviews Musicbed DV:

"…no doubt Musicbed DV will be used to create the music for an indie feature someday… This could be the killer app for many videographers…" - S.D. Katz, Digital Content Producer

DigitalContentProducer.com serves the information needs of the multi-platform market, from complete end-to-end video production and display to motion picture production and post, focusing on the gear, techniques, and technologies that are driving changes across the broadening content production marketplace.

Editor’s Note: Minor correction with respect to the review: music clips may overlap. This feature is provided primarily for transitions between different music themes in different sections of a sequence (interesting ambient textures can also be achieved by layering music from different music packages). A preference exists to specify whether adding music clips to the timeline overwrites or overlays existing music clips in the timeline.  

Mark Montgomery Reviews Musicbed DV in April 2007 Videomaker

Videomaker, the leading national consumer magazine for video enthusiasts, favorably reviewed Musicbed DV in its April 2007 issue:

"The options here really make your track stand out and fit the needs of your production... Having so much control with the timing of each element will help producers change the mood of the song at the appropriate times... This is a perfect tool for producers, whether it's a short web video or a low-budget documentary about your hometown." - Mark Montgomery, Videomaker

Mark Montgomery is Videomaker's Technical Editor. Videomaker, the leading national consumer magazine for video enthusiasts, is a monthly consumer publication devoted to video production. Published for over 20 years, Videomaker offers information on the latest tools, techniques, and cutting-edge technology for making better video.

MacFormat, the UK market leading magazine for Mac enthusiasts, reviewed and awarded Musicbed DV in its March 2007 issue:

"...the real fun begins with keyframes in the audio timeline, through which changes in density, ambience, prominence, punchiness and more can be automated by dragging keyframe handles. Musicbed DV generates sequences that sound just right, devising a musical soundtrack that can be output at up to HD audio resolution as stereo or 5.1 surround... Musicbed DV is easy to use, output is royalty-free. It sounds excellent and makes short work of generating original music." – Karl Foster, MacFormat (5/5)

MacFormat is the UK’s market leading magazine for Mac enthusiasts, with MacFormat as their primary source of trusted and unbiased information. MacFormat readers look to the magazine as a one-stop shop for news, reviews and projects for their Macs. MacFormat is the essential read for all Apple Mac users. Offering authoritative and independent advice on using a Mac for design, web creation and consumption, digital video, connectivity, publishing, games, illustration and more.

Favorable review of Musicbed DV by Chris Marshall on macCompanion:

 "Fundamentally the application allows you to add music to your video projects, and edit them... Without doubt you need to watch the screen cast to see exactly what this application can do, and how easily it does it... The real joy, and benefit, of this application is that all these features work behind the scenes in effect, providing a very easy and intuitive experience." - Chris Marshall, macCompanion (4.5/5)

macCompanion is apart of the Macintosh Professional Network, your guide to all things Macintosh in a worldwide environment.

A favorable review of Musicbed DV is posted at Synthtopia:

"What makes Musicbed interesting is the way it makes it easy to shape and adapt the music… A feature that will really come in handy for some people is that you can change the Music Package at any time, independent of your timeline and your automation curves… You don’t need any musical knowledge to use the program, but there is a lot of power “under the hood”. Once you get familiar with the program, you can work very rapidly with it." - Synthtopia

The review is a great read for users who are interested in some of Musicbed DV’s unique and practical features. For instance, the review covers Musicbed DV’s innovative music package swapping feature (allowing the instrumentation and tonality of the music to be changed while retaining timing and automation). Also, the review works through the exercise of creating a custom music soundtrack that needs to meet specific timing and mood change requirements.

Synthtopia is a portal devoted to all types of electronic music (hardcore to pop electronica, dark ambient to chillout). Synthtopia features news, articles, music and instrument reviews, artist spotlights, and more.

YouTube has launched AudioSwap, a tool/feature that allows users to switch their soundtracks (presumably those infringing original copyrights) to songs from artists and record labels that YouTube has made arrangements with (licensed music with attribution).

From a practical point of view, this is a good mechanism for a user to avoid copyright infringement, and it gives emerging artists exposure. Given YouTube’s ubiquity, it’s easy to imagine that this feature will quickly make its way out of the TestTube.

However, as an advocate for video and film music, the concept bugs me. Esthetically, the idea of just swapping out an existing soundtrack and slapping something else in its place tastes bad (as I’ve noted above, it’s a practical COA move).

This feature may satisfy some. I’m not going to evangelize the craft and importance of sound and music for picture in this post, generally good directors and video/filmmakers already "get it".

Music for Picture Options

If you do care about the esthetic quality of your video and film sound/music, and you happen to be infringing copyrights, there are a ton of free and low cost alternatives:

Give a young composer/producer a break

There are many composers/producers who would love to break into the business, especially given the chance of some exposure. Network with your video/film friends and find a composer/producer. Call the nearest music school or conservatory. Email an indie band.

Use one of many Creative Commons music search options

• Yahoo! Creative Commons Search – Search for content that has a Creative Commons license, including music.

• Creative Commons – Audio - Features a number of audio sites with music under a Creative Commons license.

License linear stock music

• Freeplay Music - Large library of relatively good stock music, generally free for broadcast, otherwise rate card applies.

• 300monks - Relatively unique stock music with personality, not free.

• Many others, search for “stock music library”

Use customizable non-linear stock music

If you want to really tune stock music to your video or film, take advantage of a music generation application. Year 2006 saw a flourishing of these programs; each with a different take and approach on customizing and generating music. All of these applications offer significant bang for the buck compared to licensing individual music tracks:

• Synk Audio Musicbed DV (Mac Universal, our product)
• Sony Cinescore (Windows)
• SmartSound Sonicfire Pro (Windows / Mac Universal)
• Adobe Soundbooth Beta (Windows / Mac Intel)

Even if you have to COA now with AudioSwap, at least try taking one of the alternate music routes described in this post.

YouTube AudioSwap Competitive Crossgrade to Musicbed DV

I’m going to push our own Musicbed DV product. For want of a better term, I’m going to call it a Competitive Crossgrade. To the point, we are offering the Musicbed DV Bundle to YouTube users at a 40% discount (see below for details). This is a limited offer that ends on March 9th, 2007.

Musicbed DV is a Mac application that generates professional music soundtracks to match the mood and timing needs of your video or audio projects.

Use “YOUTUBE2007” code during online checkout until 3/9

Buy Musicbed DV and Seasons 1 & 2

» Learn more about Musicbed DV

» Learn more about the Seasons 1 & 2 customizable stock music libraries

Editor's Note: Thanks to Mashable for the post on YouTube AudioSwap.