Pro Sound News - "Audio Design Desk Launches add.app Sound-for-Picture Software"
09/04/2020
Los Angeles, CA (January 31, 2020) — Audio Design Desk has launched add.app, a new approach to finding and placing sound effects, sound design and music for video using AI-assisted content creation tools.
Using patent-pending Sonic Intelligence, every element in add.app’s library of 20,000-plus sounds is assigned identifying characteristics and carries an embedded sync point, so that as sounds are previewed and chosen, they automatically land on the timeline in the correct position relative to the video.
To use the software, the user simply imports a video file into the app and presses keys on a keyboard—H for hits, R for rises, D for drones, and so on—making it a Smart Sampler. The user can then strike the keys to position sound elements in real-time while watching the video playback, in effect, using the QWERTY keyboard to play add.app like an instrument.
By adjusting replacement criteria such as intensity, complexity, genre or feel, Audio Design Desk can further use its Sonic Intelligence to turn a single composition into infinite alternates without losing sync. According to the developers, using AI and Machine Learning, the software understands which sounds a user likes, and which sounds they reject so that over time, add.app will learn and adjust to its user’s taste.
Audio Design Desk was first conceived by Gabe Cowan, CEO and product architect of Audio Design Desk, a recording artist and filmmaker, to address the challenges he faced while finding and placing sound effects, sound design and music for his films. Cowan teamed up with creative partner Sam Music, also a recording artist and sound designer. Cowan and Music in turn joined forces with Ryan Francesconi, a musician and software engineer who was a core contributor to AudioKit and streaming technologies underpinning the likes of YouTube.
The new content creation tool, currently only available for Mac, has been named on the shortlist of the 2020 SXSW Innovation Awards in the Music & Audio category.