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PRPremiere Pro

Audio Design Desk

by Audio Design Desk·Audio

Images © Audio Design Desk. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Audio Design Desk stands out in the toolfarm library for tying a large royalty-free cue library to real-time, keyboard-based sound design that reaches into Premiere Pro. It's Mac only and M1 native, so plan around those requirements, and note that Sound Packs need extra storage you can offload to an external drive.

What is Audio Design Desk?

Audio Design Desk pairs a large royalty-free audio library with performance-based sound design, connecting to Premiere Pro through a dedicated extension added in version 2.0. The library holds over 70,000 sound and music cues, usable inside Audio Design Desk or your video editor, and the catalog spans Final Cut, Premiere, and Avid.

Sound design happens in real time from your QWERTY keyboard. You can perform sounds, create foley, score scenes, and add transitions and effects with keystrokes. Replacing a sound is a single keystroke that swaps in an alternate without losing sync, and an entire arrangement can be remixed in seconds. Automated import tools bring in and tag your own sounds alongside the built-in library.

Version 2.0 adds Auto Level, which uses the content-aware timeline to adjust gain automatically for an audio element, plus Media Bridge for pulling audio and video from nearly every stock media site, a rewritten faster search, and saveable custom workspaces. Audio Design Desk runs on Mac only and is M1 native.

Who is Audio Design Desk best for?

Audio Design Desk is best for premiere Pro editors on Mac who want a keyboard-driven way to place, perform, and replace sound and music from a large royalty-free library.

How much does Audio Design Desk cost?

Audio Design Desk is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Over 70,000 royalty-free sound and music cues, usable inside Audio Design Desk or your editor across Final Cut, Premiere, and Avid
  • Real-time performance of foley, sound design, music, scoring, transitions and effects from a QWERTY keyboard
  • Automated import tools to bring in and tag your own sounds
  • Keystroke sound replacement that swaps in alternates without losing sync
  • Remix an entire arrangement with your sounds or the library in seconds
  • Auto Level uses the content-aware timeline to adjust gain automatically for an audio element
  • Media Bridge pulls audio and video from nearly every stock media site inside Audio Design Desk

Tags

#Audio Design Desk#Premiere Pro#sound design#sound effects library#royalty-free audio#foley#audio editing#Mac

Frequently asked questions

Does Audio Design Desk work with Premiere Pro?

Audio Design Desk connects to Adobe Premiere through an extension introduced in version 2.0, alongside a DaVinci Resolve extension and the ADD Audio Bridge for Final Cut Pro X. Its royalty-free library of over 70,000 sound and music cues can be used inside Audio Design Desk or within your video editor, and the same catalog covers Final Cut, Premiere, and Avid. Sound placement, performance, and replacement carry into your edit, with replacements swapping in without losing sync.

What are the system requirements for Audio Design Desk, and does it run on Windows?

Audio Design Desk is Mac only and M1 native, with no Windows version. It requires macOS Mojave 10.14 or later, an Intel 1.3 GHz Core M processor or higher, 8GB of RAM, and about 3GB of local storage. The application itself is small, but downloading Sound Packs needs additional free space, which you can keep on an external hard drive managed through the Sound Pack Manager. Version 2.2.7 also added improved compatibility with macOS Tahoe.

Is Audio Design Desk free?

Audio Design Desk is listed as free here, though it runs on a subscription with one license issued per subscription. Version 2.0 added account management, so after signing up for an ADD account you can upgrade or cancel on your own terms. For current licensing and subscription details, check the developer's page. The library and its extensions for Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, and Final Cut Pro are tied to your ADD account, which you create before using the tools.

How do I replace and level sounds in Audio Design Desk?

Audio Design Desk replaces a sound with a single keystroke, swapping in an alternate without losing sync, and can remix an entire arrangement using your sounds or its library in seconds. For balancing a mix, Auto Level uses the content-aware timeline to adjust gain automatically for an audio element. Sounds, foley, music, scores, transitions, and effects can be performed in real time from a QWERTY keyboard, and automated import tools let you bring in and tag your own audio.

Alternatives to Audio Design Desk

Also in Audio for Premiere Pro.

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