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Editorial author

Erick Finn

Erick Finn writes SoundForgePro guides about audio editing, restoration and mastering using documented product information.

This archive collects SoundForgePro articles credited to Erick Finn. The review methodology explains how test sections combine published measurements, how prices and versions are checked and how verdicts are set.

Correction, September 17, 2026: earlier profile text described a recording career, a studio location and routine hands-on testing. Those claims have been removed because the reviewed project records did not substantiate them.

To report an article error, include its URL, the disputed wording and supporting evidence. The Corrections Policy explains the reporting route through the existing Facebook and X profiles.

Latest guides

Guides by Erick Finn

Shotgun microphone in a grey furry windscreen on a boom pole beside a compact field recorder, a coiled lavalier microphone, closed headphones and a brass desk lamp on a linen-covered table

Audio ToolsNov 2026

SpectraLayers Pro 13 Review: Worth Buying or Upgrading From 12?

SpectraLayers Pro 13 adds Reconstruct, voice cleanup and sound-effects unmixing but leaves song stems as they were in 12. Who should buy it, who should pay the $89.99 update and who should stay on 12.

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Acoustic guitar on a floor stand beside an upright piano, with a wooden music stand holding staff paper, a pencil and closed-back headphones in warm window light

Boris FX AudioOct 2026

Is Melodyne 5 Worth It? Review, Editions and Test Results

Melodyne 5 earns its price in two editions: editor for notes inside chords and loops, studio for editing stacked vocals together. Four reviews, detection limits, ARA hosts and the cases where assistant, a bundled essential or your DAW's pitch tool is enough.

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Studio monitor speaker, closed-back headphones, a small USB audio interface with its cable unplugged and a brass-handled screwdriver on a light wooden desk in warm daylight

TroubleshootingOct 2026

Ozone 12 Not Working? Fixes for Missing, Crashing and Trial Prompts

Check the Ozone 12 version first, update to 12.2.0, and confirm your system and DAW are on iZotope's list. Then fix the symptom: plug-in missing, crash or hang, activation prompt, Master Assistant or high CPU, plus Ozone in Sound Forge.

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Glowing glass vacuum tube in a small brass socket beside two spare tubes on a grey cloth, closed-back headphones and a small hardware unit with brass knobs on a light oak desk

iZotopeOct 2026

iZotope Plasma Review: Price, Verdict and Buyer Results

iZotope Plasma adds tube harmonics only where the spectrum needs them. Buy it at $49 for gentle color on masters, buses and vocals; skip it if you want obvious grit, need a Mix knob, or already own it through Music Production Suite 9, the Everything Bundle, Plus or Pro.

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Warm morning still life on a light birch desk: a small MIDI keyboard resting on a larger keyboard, a coiled cable, open-back headphones on a wooden stand, a brass desk lamp and a succulent

ComparisonsOct 2026

ACID Music Studio 11 vs Acid Pro 2026: Discontinued, What It Lacked, How to Move Up

MAGIX withdrew ACID Music Studio 11 in early 2026, and Acid Pro 2026 is the only ACID Boris FX sells. The Acid Pro functions Studio left out, what six reviews and owner threads said, Windows 11 status, the upgrade check for Studio owners and why Boris FX Music Studio is a different program.

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An amber glass bar cut in two next to a brass craft knife, a steel ruler, studio headphones and blank music manuscript paper on an oak desk

WorkflowsOct 2026

How to Split a Note in Melodyne 5: Every Edition, Plus Move and Merge

Press F6 and double-click to split a note in Melodyne assistant, editor or studio; in essential, double-click with the Main Tool just above the blob. Plus moving and merging separations, soft vs hard, algorithms and batch splits in Note Assignment Mode.

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Walnut desk corner in warm daylight with a two-needle analog VU meter box, a black studio monitor, open-back headphones on a hook and a notepad, next to the title iZotope Insight 2

iZotopeOct 2026

iZotope Insight 2: Meters, Delivery Presets, Price and Verdict

iZotope Insight 2 puts loudness with twelve delivery presets, levels, history, sound field, spectrum, spectrogram and a dialogue Intelligibility meter in one plug-in. What each meter shows, how to set a target, Relay routing, US prices, published verdicts and the TBC3 comparison.

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Pale oak desk in morning light with a compact USB audio interface, its unplugged USB cable coiled beside it, closed-back headphones on a brass stand and an open precision screwdriver set

TroubleshootingOct 2026

ACID Pro 11 ntdll.dll Crash: What Fixes It and What Doesn't

ntdll.dll is where Windows caught the crash, not what caused it. The order that got ACID Pro 11 running again in published crash threads: both Visual C++ v14 runtimes, then plug-ins, audio or graphics drivers, then a crash dump for Boris FX support.

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White Wi-Fi router with an Ethernet cable beside a studio vocal microphone and closed-back headphones on a light oak desk

TroubleshootingOct 2026

Melodyne Network Error: Activation, Wi-Fi and Plug-in Fixes

Fix a Melodyne network error by activating from the stand-alone on the same computer, checking that celemony.com/login opens and updating to 5.4.2. Also covers repeat activation prompts from random Wi-Fi addresses, launch crashes, ARA in Sound Forge Pro and bundled Essential.

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Home mixing desk corner in warm daylight with a pair of small studio monitors, a closed laptop, closed-back headphones and a compact mixing controller with faders

iZotopeOct 2026

iZotope Neutrino: Where the Free Plugin Went and What Replaced It

iZotope's free Neutrino spectral shaper is gone from the free page, the store and the Legacy Products page. What it did, whether an old copy still runs, what reviewers reported, and how Neutron 5's Sculptor, in Elements or the full suite, takes over its job.

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Vintage wooden tabletop radio with brass trim beside a draped brown wool throw and a small brass alarm clock on a wooden nightstand in warm amber light

Audio ToolsOct 2026

Brown Noise Generator: Deep, Continuous Brown Noise Online

Brown noise generated live in your browser, not looped: four filter depths, stereo or mono, a capped level, a sleep timer with a five-minute fade and a WAV loop save. Below it: what brown noise is in numbers, why it seems to swell, why phones play so little of it, and how loud to keep it.

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Brass-rimmed speaker driver with a mesh grille and a vintage oscillator with a large frequency dial on a walnut desk, a coiled audio cable with jack plugs in front

Audio ToolsOct 2026

Sine Sweep Generator: 20 Hz to 20 kHz, Log or Linear

A log or linear sine sweep of 1 to 120 seconds, played on your device with a live frequency readout, marks for the notes that rattle or boom, and a WAV save. Below the tool: which law to pick, how long each octave takes, room-mode arithmetic, safe levels for tweeters and ears, and device limits.

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