It is the windows version of the garage band opening up an array of possibilities. Your own tracking studio with the ability of recording audio, creating video and using core-defined loops is what Acoustica’s Mixcraft 5.0 is all about. If you are into multiple track editing, the Acoustica Mixcraft 5 will have no serious challenge for you to get used to. In fact this would be no problem even if the field were virgin territory. Some practice and the operation would be within your comfort zone. The Acoustica’s Mixcraft 5.0 becomes pretty manageable relatively soon.

A truly wide range of sounds ranging from the standard acoustic guitar to the charming harp, and everything else from bells, vinyl, and vocals not forgetting bagpipes are contained in the library tab at the bottom. It offers preview facilities for each, which need not interfere with your project that is on the make.  You click twice to merge your selected sounds into one track.  The mixer that is present affords you the total range from the lows to highs while making available an equally impressive range of effects. The Mixcraft 5.0 will be the enticement the musician in you needs to get a song going without much difficulty.

Your projects tempo or pitch, might not sync all that well with that of the provided sounds. In this case the Mixcraft 5.0 easily sets each instrument to match project settings. Any input device or microphone can be used to do a direct record onto a track, while having fun and including effects while on the job.

Where greater user agility might have been enjoyed, is the scroll bar that controls the whole project. It is the same length as the track and does not give you the facility of compressing. To see the whole project in detail, one might have to use the keyboard plus and minus signs for reducing the scroll bar and then viewing it for effective usage.

Videos can be added to your projects, and projects mixed to create needed files. Above these basic functions there didn’t seem to be a variety of things you can actually do with the videos.  That is other than adding soundtracks. An array of special effects using video would have been nice. The ability to play with video can become a selling proposition of its own.

Overall a worthwhile device to own if you are constantly playing around with songs, video production and getting a kick out of replaying them. If you have been jealous of the Mac user, for his ability to have the garage band facility the Acoustica’s Mixcraft 5.0 should not be missed.  Use the technology available to enhance the talent, and you could be easily setting your path towards production stardom at least.