If you're new to audio editing software, or fancy trying your hand at combining audio and video, Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio 9.0 allows you to experiment for under $170.

Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio 9.0's simplistic interface makes it easy to find your way around and the user-friendly toolbar features buttons providing quick access to the most common areas of the application.

It also offers the tools to experiment with synching video and soundtracks, making controlling playback precisely whilst viewing the results in Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio 9.0's Video Preview window easy.

For those karaoke crooners, Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio 9.0 has the ability to create your own karaoke tracks by removing vocals using the Vocal Eraser with presets for different recording situations. It is quite effective, although the vocals can be heard slightly more than we had hoped. Collections of old damaged vinyl and cassettes can also be recovered and enhanced using the new Vinyl Recording and Restoration tool.

The Show Me How tutorials allow you to discover Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio 9.0's main topics and learn skills interactively. The Show Me How button is quickly accessible from the main toolbar, which enables you to choose your tutorial topic and follow the pointers and guides.

There are 1,001 sound effects, and 30 further professional effects such as reverb, delay and chorus to enhance your projects. Snapping has also been enhanced in Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio 9.0, as has the colour customisation in the display preferences which allow you to set custom colours for the graphics within the application. Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio 9.0 also now supports high-resolution 24-bit files and sound cards for a better quality of audio.

Whether you want to edit and enhance existing files or capture audio directly from a live source, it's easy to carry out. The added bonus is that the quality of the results is impressive for such an affordable package suitable for both beginners and even more experienced audio editors. New features in Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio 9.0 also make it quicker to achieve professional recordings and allow you to customise the software to perform how you desire.