Audio Design Desk Software Uses AI to Know Where to Add Sound Effects
Audio Design Desk (ADD) is a program that combines a massive library of royalty-free sounds and music with artificial intelligence (AI) to quickly and accurately add sound to a video edit.
The premise behind ADD is that it takes a different, AI-powered approach to placing sound effects, music, and general sound design in video edits. Each of its tens of thousands of sounds and music cues understands where it is meant to be placed in a video and syncs perfectly so that what normally takes hours to do by hand can be done in a matter of minutes.
The company says that each of its sounds comes with an embedded sync point so as they are placed, they land on the timeline in the right spot.
ADD says this is driven by its patent-pending Sonic Intelligence system which is able to know where to place any of the company’s 80,000 sounds, loops, and music cues exactly where they sync with visuals. The technology is accurate enough that those reading this story have probably already heard the results of it: ADD is in use at Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and Bravo.
This past week, ADD’s 2.o update added several new features to the platform including AutoMix, which the company says instantly creates a rough mix, and Isolator, which uses AI to isolate and remove bad noise from poorly recorded production sound or can remove vocals or drums from a music track.
Previous versions of ADD required the use of standalone, separate software, but that changes with ADD 2.0 as well. The company has added direct integrations with Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Final Cut Pro by syncing with the timelines of these video editors and exchanging data in real-time. ADD has integrated with Frame.io since 2020.
This latest version also launches with a new cloud storage system and the ability for teams to collaborate in real-time, which ADD says makes the process of working with other creatives and delivering final assets much easier. ADD 2.0 marks the first major update since the release of version 1.9 last year.
ADD’s pricing can be tailored in three different ways: monthly or annual subscriptions as well as the option to purchase a perpetual license. Plans start at $8.99 per month, $89 per year, or the software can be purchased through a one-time payment starting at $200. Details on all pricing options can be found on ADD’s website.
