ACID Music Studio 11 is discontinued: MAGIX withdrew it in early 2026, before Boris FX took over the ACID line, and Acid Pro 2026 is the only ACID edition Boris FX sells. Acid Pro costs $149.95 perpetual with one year of upgrades, $69.95 a year or $12.95 a month (Boris FX US store price on October 23, 2026). Keep Studio while your songs fit inside it, and move up when you need the piano roll, automation recording or the Groove Pool.
I'd keep ACID Music Studio 11 for as long as it runs on your PC and your songs are built from loops, because paying $149.95 for tools you don't miss yet buys nothing. I wouldn't wait for a Studio 12 either. Boris FX's purchase named Vegas Pro, Sound Forge and Acid Pro, and nothing in that announcement points to a new entry edition. When a missing tool starts to cost you a session, the step up is Acid Pro, and the upgrade question is worth one e-mail before you pay full price.
Is ACID Music Studio 11 still sold?
No. The publisher stopped selling it, and the Boris FX deal did not include it. MAGIX's old ACID Music Studio address now redirects to the magix.com homepage, the VEGAS Creative Software site sends its former Studio page to its homepage and lists only Acid Pro under ACID, and the Boris FX store carries Acid Pro licenses, subscriptions and upgrades with no Studio product beside them. The Boris FX help center has no ACID Music Studio article either.
The timeline is short. MAGIX released ACID Music Studio 11 in January 2019, five years after version 10, with a 64-bit engine and a new interface, according to MAGIX's release announcement on its forum. A 2021 Humble Bundle is where many owners got their copy, with keys activated by serial during installation and support routed to MAGIX. The MAGIX US store still listed Studio in January 2026, and within weeks that page sent visitors to Acid Pro instead. On March 30, 2026, Boris FX announced it had acquired Vegas Pro, Sound Forge and Acid Pro from MAGIX, and ACID Music Studio is not named in it; the Music Studio the release mentions is the Samplitude-family program covered below.
Acid Pro now sits in Boris FX's audio lineup next to Sound Forge, Samplitude, Sequoia and a product called Music Studio, which is not the ACID edition you remember (more on that below). Sound Forge's old entry edition raises the same "is it still sold?" question, and my Sound Forge Audio Studio vs Sound Forge 2026 page answers it for that line.
ACID Music Studio 11 vs Acid Pro: what Studio leaves out
Studio leaves out the tools you reach for once you record performances or edit MIDI note by note: the piano roll, automation recording, grooves, the Vita Sampler, loop export and the studio routing features. The AMS 11 help page "Acid Music Studio restrictions" named 14 Acid Pro functions missing from Studio, as owners quoted it in an August 2022 MAGIX forum thread about the missing piano roll. That help page no longer loads and MAGIX never replaced its old edition chart, so the quote is the best record left. The piano roll gap goes beyond the help text: two owners confirmed it on their own Studio installs in the same thread.
| Function | ACID Music Studio 11 (AMS 11 help, quoted 2022) | Acid Pro |
|---|---|---|
| MIDI piano roll editor | No; MIDI clips are edited inline on the track | Yes, the piano roll in the Acid Pro 2026 help |
| Automation recording | No | Yes, records envelope and keyframe automation |
| Groove Pool, Groove Strip, groove files | No | Yes (2026 help) |
| Vita Sampler | No | Yes (2026 help) |
| Vita Solo instruments | 6 of 25 | All 25 at the time of the AMS 11 help |
| Loop export | No | Yes, File > Export Loops (2026 help) |
| Real-time rendering, input busses | No | Yes (2026 help) |
| Control surfaces, 5.1 surround, ReWire | No | Yes (2026 help) |
| MIDI sync, Program Map editor, MIDI merge recording, video on an external monitor | No | Listed as Acid Pro functions in the AMS 11 help |
| Track count | Not published | "One track or 1000+", unlimited audio, loop and MIDI tracks |
| Melodyne through ARA2 | Not published | Melodyne 4 or later since Acid Pro 9 |
| VST3 plug-ins | Added in a late-2019 update, per an owner's post | Yes |
| Sidechaining, Morph Pads | Tagged "Pro | Suite" in MAGIX's tutorial index | SidechainSender; up to 12 X-Y Morph Pads |
The difference between the two automation rows matters more than it looks. Studio could draw MIDI keyframe automation by hand, but it couldn't capture a fader or knob move while the song played, which is how most people write a filter sweep or a volume ride. MAGIX's own ACID tutorial index drew the same line, tagging the automation workflow, sidechaining, Morph Pads and the coreFX VolumeFormer as "Pro | Suite" only.
Studio was never a toy, though. It kept the core ACID loop workflow plus the Beatmapper and Chopper remix tools, inline MIDI editing, a drum grid mode, MIDI keyframe automation and track freeze, as Producerspot's launch write-up listed them. Both editions host VST plug-ins, and an owner in the release thread credited a late-2019 Studio update with VST3 support.
Two of the gaps lead outside ACID. Studio has no Vita Sampler, so if slicing your own recordings matters more than loops, the sampler software guide covers dedicated options. Melodyne support isn't published for Studio, while Acid Pro's help says Melodyne essential is included; my Melodyne essential vs assistant comparison shows when the next edition earns its price. Neither ACID is a waveform editor in the Sound Forge sense: ACID builds the song and Sound Forge edits the file, which my Acid Pro vs Sound Forge comparison explains.
Loops, instruments and effects in each edition
Studio shipped with enough content to start a song, and Acid Pro ships with more. MAGIX's release announcement listed more than 2,500 ACIDized loops, 8 virtual instruments and 6 effect plug-ins for ACID Music Studio 11. The instruments were Urban Drums, Grand Concert, Pop Drums, Electric Piano, Drum Engine, Rock Drums, DN-e1 and VITA 2; the effects were eFX Chorus Flanger, eFX Phaser, eFX Stereo Delay, eFX Limiter, am|track SE and Vandal SE. The AMS 11 help adds that Studio carried 6 of the 25 Vita Solo instruments and fewer bundled effects than Pro.
On the Pro side, the Acid Pro product page lists nearly 3 GB of royalty-free loops, and the 2026 release added nearly 1,000 loops, one-shots and songs. One catch for anyone comparing before buying: the bundled loops come only with the full version, so the trial runs on your own audio, VST plug-ins and MIDI.
What Studio cost, and what Acid Pro costs now
ACID Music Studio 11 launched at $59.99 on the MAGIX store with a 30-day demo, and the MAGIX US store still listed it at a regular $59.99 in January 2026, shortly before the withdrawal. That price is history now, because there is no Studio checkout left to pay it at.
The only ACID prices that apply now are Acid Pro's three from the opening paragraph. For a single project that needs one missing tool, the monthly plan at $12.95 is the smallest commitment. For anything longer, my Acid Pro 2026 review works through perpetual versus subscription, and the Boris FX and iZotope deals page tracks when Boris FX discounts.
Moving from ACID Music Studio to Acid Pro 2026
Run the trial, then check the store's Upgrade option before you pay full price. Boris FX's upgrade-eligibility article names only Acid Pro 11: buyers from MAGIX on or after January 1, 2026 get the 2026 version free by e-mailing sales, and earlier buyers choose Upgrade and select their Acid Pro 11 serial. The store also sells an $89.95 "Upgrade from Magix Serial" option, but no published rule says an ACID Music Studio serial qualifies, so treat it as an open question rather than a discount you already have.
- Install the 15-day Acid Pro trial. It is full-featured and Windows-only. Open copies of two or three Studio projects and listen for missing loops, instruments or effects.
- In the Boris FX store, choose Upgrade on Acid Pro and sign in with the e-mail address from your MAGIX purchase. See whether your Studio serial appears in the serial list.
- If it doesn't appear, write to Boris FX sales at sales@borisfx.com with your Studio serial and ask what applies to you before paying $149.95.
- Buy the license that matches how long you'll use it. The Acid Pro 11 upgrade section of my review shows how the published route works for Pro owners.
Humble Bundle owners face the same check, since Humble Bundle routed support for those keys to MAGIX. Keep the serial and the account e-mail together, because both the Upgrade check and any question to sales start from them. I'd send that e-mail even if the store shows nothing, since the gap between the upgrade SKU and a new license is $60.
Acid Pro 10 and 11 owners can ignore Studio altogether; owners in two MAGIX threads said a Pro owner has no need for it, and Boris FX's published upgrade route covers Acid Pro 11 serials.
System requirements and Windows 11
Acid Pro 2026 is specified for Windows 11. ACID Music Studio 11's last published spec listed Windows 7, 8 and 10, and no vendor statement covers Windows 11. Both are Windows programs with no Mac version.
The Acid Pro system requirements ask for little: a 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM with 8 GB recommended, onboard graphics at 1024x768, 700 MB for the program and up to 16 GB for content. It imports and exports AIFF, FLAC, MP3, OGG, W64, WAV and WMA audio and imports AVI, WMV and MP4 (H.264) video.
Guard your Studio installer and serial. With the product pages gone, I wouldn't count on downloading it again from a vendor. Running Studio on Windows 11 is outside every published spec, so when you replace the PC, install the Acid Pro trial on the new machine first and keep the old one until your projects open.
Test results: what six reviews and owner threads say about Studio
No reviewer published a score for ACID Music Studio 11, so the result here is a count of verdicts: six published sources from 2009 to 2023, three editorial and three MAGIX forum threads where owners compared the editions. They agree more than they differ.
| Source | Date | Verdict on Studio |
|---|---|---|
| MusicRadar (ACID Pro 7 review) | January 2009 | Much cheaper beginner choice with Pro's basics |
| Filmora (ACID Pro overview) | Undated | Lighter, more beginner-friendly version |
| Producerspot (launch news) | February 2019 | Big update at an attractive price |
| MAGIX forum, release thread | 2019 | Cut-down ACID; Pro owners don't need it |
| MAGIX forum, piano roll thread | August 2022 | No piano roll; owner would have to upgrade |
| MAGIX forum, Pro 10 vs 11 vs Studio | June 2023 | No automation recording; for loop-based beginners |
Five of the six describe Studio as a cut-down ACID for beginners. MusicRadar's 2009 ACID Pro 7 review pointed beginners to the much cheaper Acid Music Studio 7 at £38, with Pro's basic functions but few of its new ones, and Filmora's ACID Pro overview still calls Studio a lighter, more beginner-friendly version.
Four of the six name price as the reason to buy it. Producerspot greeted version 11 as "a really big update at an absolutely attractive price", and an owner in the 2019 release thread wrote that the Studio series did everything he needed, so he'd rather spend less.
The two owners who compared the editions directly each named one missing tool. In the 2022 piano roll thread it was the piano roll, and the owner concluded he would have to upgrade. In a June 2023 thread comparing Acid Pro 10, Acid Pro 11 and Studio, an owner wrote that the big difference for him was no ability to record automation, and a reply quoting MAGIX's own positioning placed Studio with loop-based beginners and Pro with audio engineers and musicians who record. Two of the six say an Acid Pro owner has no use for Studio, and two report that no official edition comparison could be found, not even through MAGIX sales.
Put together, the six verdicts point one way. Studio was a sound buy for loop-built songs at its low price, and the complaints start when owners record performances or edit MIDI note by note. That is the line I'd use to decide when to move up.
Not the same product: Boris FX Music Studio
The Music Studio that Boris FX sells now is a different program. It is Music Studio 2026, the entry rung of the Samplitude family, and the Boris FX Music Studio page says it shares Samplitude's hybrid audio engine. It costs $95 perpetual with one year of upgrades or $35 a year in the same store, records up to 128 tracks and runs only on Windows. Its $45 upgrade is published for owners of an earlier Music Studio version.
Boris FX bought Music Studio together with Samplitude and Sequoia from MAGIX in August 2025, seven months before the ACID deal. It's a reasonable beginner DAW in its own right, but it isn't loop-painting ACID, so moving to it is a switch rather than an upgrade. Samplitude vs Sequoia explains the rungs above it.
Verdict: keep it, move up or move on
My verdict: keep ACID Music Studio 11 while it runs and your songs stay loop-built, and move to Acid Pro 2026 the day you need the piano roll, automation recording or the Groove Pool. New buyers have no Studio to buy, so the choice is the Acid Pro trial or a different beginner DAW. Owners should do the store Upgrade check and send one e-mail to Boris FX sales before paying for a full license.
For the full verdict on the ACID that is still sold, read my Acid Pro 2026 review. If you're leaving ACID altogether, my Acid Pro vs FL Studio comparison covers the obvious alternative.
FAQ
Is ACID Music Studio discontinued?
Yes. MAGIX withdrew ACID Music Studio 11 in early 2026, and Boris FX's March 2026 deal covered Vegas Pro, Sound Forge and Acid Pro only. Acid Pro 2026 is the only ACID edition Boris FX sells.
Can I upgrade ACID Music Studio to Acid Pro?
You can move to Acid Pro, but upgrade pricing for Studio serials isn't published. Choose Upgrade in the Boris FX store with your MAGIX purchase e-mail, and if your Studio serial doesn't appear, ask Boris FX sales before buying the full license.
Does ACID Music Studio have a piano roll?
No. Studio edits MIDI inline on the track; the piano roll editor is an Acid Pro feature.
Does ACID Music Studio 11 work on Windows 11?
The last published spec listed Windows 7, 8 and 10, and no vendor statement covers Windows 11. Acid Pro 2026 is the ACID edition specified for Windows 11.
Is Boris FX Music Studio the same as ACID Music Studio?
No. Boris FX Music Studio is a Samplitude-family DAW with a different engine and its own upgrade path; ACID Music Studio was the entry edition of ACID.