Fission 2: Audio Editing, Better Than Ever

Fission 2: Audio Editing, Better Than Ever

Posted By Paul Kafasis on September 17th, 2012

Since 2006, our application Fission has been one of the most popular ways to edit audio on the Mac, with none of the quality loss caused by typical audio editors. It’s been great for quick edits of recordings from both Audio Hijack Pro and Piezo, as well as creating iPhone ringtones, editing iTunes Music Store files, and more. At six years old, however, Fission was ready for a big update. Back in April, we first previewed the next generation of Fission to members of our mailing list.

Now, half a year after first previewing it, we’re finally ready to unveil the newest version of Fission to the world.

Meet Fission 2 image

Fission 2 Key Features

Export any file to MP3, AAC, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, or WAV
Batch convert dozens of files at once, with the Batch Converter
Share audio to SoundCloud.com
Chapterized AAC files make creating enhanced podcasts a snap
A gorgeous and easy-to-use new interface
And of course, much more

What’s New

Fission Icon If you’ve used Fission before, you’ll immediately see that the most obvious change is its appearance. Fission now offers both a dark and a light theme, as seen above, both of which have been overhauled with fantastic new art. It’s not just a re-skin, however, as we’ve worked hard on the user experience as well. Every aspect of Fission has been examined and considered, with enhancements made across the board. The editing workflow is a snap to learn for new users, while existing users of Fission will be instantly familiar with version 2.

We’ve also packed in several major new features to make editing audio easier than ever. First up, that includes support for exporting directly to all major audio formats. You can still save losslessly to your file’s original format, of course, but now you can export your audio to MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, FLAC, AIFF, or WAV too.

Fission's Export Options
Fission’s new Export options

Batch Converter Icon If you want to convert multiple files, Fission has you covered there too, with the new Batch Converter. Drop an album’s worth of FLAC files on the Batch Converter, and you can have a folder full of MP3s with just 2 clicks. Converting from one format to another format couldn’t be simpler.

FLAC Icon Speaking of FLAC, Fission now has full support for the popular lossless audio format. FLAC files can be opened, edited, and saved, making it possible to change them as needed, or just export them to a smaller format for portability. Fission 2 now also supports WAV audio files, in addition to its “original four” formats of MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, and AIFF.

Improvements to saving aren’t limited to just file formats either, as Fission now has support for publishing to SoundCloud. SoundCloud is the world’s leading social sound platform, allowing anyone to create sounds and share them everywhere. With SoundCloud support in Fission, it’s now easier than ever to get audio onto the web and to share it with others.

Fission's SoundCloud Sharing
Handy SoundCloud Integration

On top of all that, we tossed in the ability to open multiple audio files at once for easy joining or multitasking, fast creation of Chapterized AAC files for enhanced podcasts, improved iPhone ringtone saving, and more. We’re incredibly proud of Fission 2, and we think you’re going to love it. If you need to edit audio on your Mac, you just can’t go wrong using Fission.

Get Fission 2 Now

Fission 2 runs on Mac OS X 10.6 and up, with a test drive available for download. When you’re ready to purchase, you can buy a license key to unlock the full version directly through our store. You can also purchase and download Fission right through Apple’s App Store.¹

Already Own a License for Fission?

If you purchased Fission before April 1st, 2012 (your license key will start with KRBA-), you’re eligible to upgrade to Fission 2 at a heavily discounted price.²

If you purchased Fission on or after April 1st, 2012, you’ll be receiving a complimentary upgrade to Fission 2! Watch your email inbox for full details on moving up to Fission 2, free of charge.

Go Forth and Edit!

After many, many months of development, we’re thrilled to get Fission 2 into your hands. If you have any questions or feedback, contact us directly. Otherwise, enjoy Fission 2!

Footnotes:

1. Looking for our other apps in the Mac App Store? Unfortunately, Apple’s many restrictions preclude most of our applications from appearing there. As mentioned in this Knowledge Base article, we’ll always sell our software directly, even when it also appears in the Mac App Store. ↩

2. Unfortunately, as you may be aware, Apple provides no way for us to move existing users into the Mac App Store. If you own a Fission 1 license, we’re only able to provide a discounted upgrade through direct purchase.

You are of course able to buy Fission 2 directly through the App Store, but we have no way to provide the appropriate discount there. As such, we recommend all upgraders purchase Fission directly through our store. ↩

26 Responses to “Fission 2: Audio Editing, Better Than Ever”

Marco says:
September 17th, 2012 at 11:18 am

Direct version or MAS version? Does the MAS version have any restriction or missing functionality?
Paul Kafasis says:
September 17th, 2012 at 11:27 am

Marco: It’s really a matter of which you prefer. The functionality is identical between the versions, and we’ll certainly always strive to keep it that way. We don’t recommend one over the other – either is fine.

That said, if you’re truly on the fence, I personally always buy direct versions.
Adam says:
September 17th, 2012 at 11:29 am

Still no multi-tracks, which unfortunately means Fission still has limited use.
brian says:
September 17th, 2012 at 12:05 pm

This post says license keys starting with “KRBA-” are eligible for special upgrade pricing. The actual upgrade page says keys starting with “KUTA-” are eligible. Are both statements true?
Paul Kafasis says:
September 17th, 2012 at 12:12 pm

Adam: Correct, Fission is a stereo editor, as it always has been. As for “limited use”, that’s a statement which applies to anything in the world. Fission’s many existing customers obviously find a stereo editor very useful, and we hope many new customers will as well. If you’re looking for a multi-track editor though, Fission is indeed not for you.

Brian: Thanks for the heads-up, I’ve fixed that typo. KRBA is Fission 1’s prefix, and those are the license keys eligible for a heavily-discounted upgrade. If you haven’t purchased Fission 1, you can purchase Fission 2 at its standard low price.
Roger says:
September 17th, 2012 at 1:13 pm

I know it’s very, very early days for such a question but perhaps you’ve thought about it already anyway: Say there’ll be no upgrade pricing in the MAS once Fission 3 ships, will I be able to “crossgrade” to a direct version to benefit from upgrade pricing?
Paul Kafasis says:
September 17th, 2012 at 3:01 pm

Roger: We certainly can’t commit to anything. If you look at our track record, you’ll see we always try to do right by our customers. As far as the Mac App Store goes, we’ll see what happens – a paid upgrade to Fission 3 is years down the road. If the Mac App Store has paid upgrades then, great. If not, we’ll figure something out.
Tobsen says:
September 17th, 2012 at 3:21 pm

Nice Update!

But not all graphics are retina!?
gregorylent says:
September 17th, 2012 at 4:25 pm

app store purchases can be put on all my macs ..

what is your multiple computer use policy?

thanks
Dan says:
September 17th, 2012 at 4:31 pm

Fission has always been your best app, and this is a significant (and long overdue) update. I’m liking it a lot.

Random comments:

– I think the app should be 64 bit.
– The batch convert is good, but you need to allow MP3 output to be CBR. I won’t ever allow a VBR file in my library.
– You do allow 24kbps mono MP3 export, which is surprisingly rare for an audio converter, so that’s great.
– In order for me to uninstall my old audio converter, which I would like to do, the batch convertor would have to accept Shorten (.shn) files (the format’s popularity is fading, but some older concerts are still circulated in Shorten on bootleg sites).
– The batch convertor interface is pretty and pleasant to use. Nice job on this.
– The batch convertor needs the ability to choose a folder in the open dialogue. Fission should just recognize the audio files in the folder and convert them. I don’t want have to select the files myself.
– It would be nice if the batch convertor placed the output in the same folder as the input by default. The option to automatically delete the originals would be really awesome too.

Don’t let my requests mislead you: I think this is a great update. I’ve always loved Fission, and 2.0 has just made it a lot better. Thanks.
Michael says:
September 17th, 2012 at 5:03 pm

I’d love to see an export to Ogg Vorbis as well. Support for Firefox is complicating my life!
Paul Kafasis says:
September 17th, 2012 at 5:11 pm

Tobsen: Indeed – the parts which are Retina-ized are so by happenstance. We certainly plan to have a Retina update for Fission (and all our apps) in the future, though we don’t have a specific timeline on that. Retina came about at the tail end of Fission 2’s development cycle, and we wanted to get Fission 2 out before we worked on getting it fully Retina-ized.

gregorylent: Our licenses are user-based – you can install Fission on any Macs you own. So there’s not really any difference between MAS and Direct there either.

Dan: Thanks for the feedback! As far as VBR vs. CBR, I can’t say it’s likely we’ll add CBR – for nearly all users, it’s just one more thing to be confused by, and you’re dealing with lossy files anyway. We’ll consider that though, and the other items. Email us directly via our support link if you have more!

Michael: I don’t see Ogg support as being likely, but request noted!
Hooper says:
September 17th, 2012 at 5:25 pm

I followed John Siracusa’s Twitter link for Fission, as I convert a lot of FLAC files, but agree that I would want a 320k CBR MP3 option.
Rob says:
September 17th, 2012 at 6:04 pm

Any word if Audio Hijack Pro will hit the AppStore any time soon? :)

Thanks!
Kevin says:
September 17th, 2012 at 10:08 pm

“The batch convert is good, but you need to allow MP3 output to be CBR. I won’t ever allow a VBR file in my library.”

@Dan: Agreed. Dealbreaker.
vegaz says:
September 18th, 2012 at 4:10 am

I was eligible for an upgrade, but I went the MAS way. I find it so much easier. A little bit pricier than the upgrade, but I’ve used Fission so much that it is still outrageously underpriced to me… :-)
OddyOh says:
September 18th, 2012 at 6:50 am

You had me at batch convert… :)
Georg says:
September 18th, 2012 at 7:27 am

Great, i bought it on March 16th… bad luck…
James G says:
September 18th, 2012 at 7:51 am

The one function I wish Fission had was to split stereo files into two mono tracks, ala Audacity. It is the only thing I use Audacity for, and would happily abandon that clunky program for Fission any day of the week. Better still, if Audio Hijack Pro did that, I would be in seventh heaven. My Skype podcast sessions would be so much easier to split.

I use AHP all the time, so thanks for that. I own fission but don’t open it often. I will have to look at it again with the update.
Gianfranco says:
September 18th, 2012 at 12:47 pm

But Fission don’t support :insert effecs like AU or VST Plug-ins ?

Like :Effect stack or Vbox from Peak Bias ?
Paul Kafasis says:
September 18th, 2012 at 2:36 pm

Hooper, Kevin: Noted. That said, I can’t say I really understand why VBR vs. CBR would be a dealbreaker, when you’re talking about lossy files in the first place?

Rob: Unfortunately, Apple’s many restrictions preclude this from happening any time soon. Piezo, our simpler audio recorder, is in there currently, but Apple’s onerous rules make it impossible to ship Audio Hijack Pro for the Mac App Store. See this link for more details: http://rogueamoeba.com/support/knowledgebase/?showArticle=MiscMacAppStore

vegaz: Glad to hear Fission is so useful to you – if you have a moment, leaving a positive review on the Mac App Store would be a great help!

OddyOh: Excellent!

Georg: Sorry – fortunately, we do offer a deeply discounted upgrade.

James G: Audio Hijack Pro can be set to record one half of Skype to one channel, and the other half to the other channel. You would still need to split them out after the fact though.

As far as changes to Audio Hijack Pro go, there’s some things in the works, which may well be very useful to you. Stay tuned!

Gianfranco: No, audio effects are not supported in Fission.
Pariah says:
September 18th, 2012 at 4:53 pm

So is there going to be an SDK to add additional codecs? I’m specifically thinking of the new IETF Opus codec… (http://www.opus-codec.org)
James G says:
September 18th, 2012 at 8:47 pm

Paul – And that is exactly how I use AHP. It would be great to be able to do the split within AHP. I doubt I am alone in using that workflow. For podcasting, the stereo recording is great, but the next essential step is to split.

Thanks for a great product, though.
Yarrow says:
September 19th, 2012 at 12:51 am

Same here: I co-produce a weekly radio show (terrestrial, syndicated), and we often record interviews via Skype. Having the ability to split the channels into two discrete files would be a real time-saver.

I don’t use Fission 2 very often but the batch-convert aspect bears another look. The main thing I use Fission for is the rare occasion I need to edit an MP3 and need to preserve the original fidelity.

Even though I don’t use it that often, I immediately purchased the upgrade. My way of saying thanks for producing so many unique and incredibly affordable audio tools for Mac.
Yarrow says:
September 19th, 2012 at 12:53 am

I should have specified that we use AHP to record Skype interviews (for those for whom it isn’t obvious).
Paul Kafasis says:
September 22nd, 2012 at 5:38 pm

Pariah: We have no plan for an SDK, no. As for other codecs, we’ll certainly consider adding additional formats, but I can’t say IETF Opus has had any other requests yet.

James G: Like I said, stay tuned for news.

Yarrow: You to should watch for Audio Hijack news in the coming months. Thanks for your support!