..how ACID Pro works with editing programs such as Sound Forge ..
You can set up ACID to use just about any wave editor (SoundForge, CoolEdit, WaveLab et al.) in Preferences, I think.
The editor you choose is launched when you ask ACID to edit a wave file in your song. When you've finished with the file, save it and return to ACID. ACID should then update the wave. That's it.
...what part do mixing programs play when it comes to using ACID...
I don't quite follow this. ACID *is* a mixing program. In fact it's very similar to Cakewalk in that you can lay down multiple audio tracks and then mess around with them. ACID, though, is aimed more at the hobbyist. It's main use is for throwing together samples from whatever source and then playing them all back in time (coz it's good at time-stretching etc.) It's also very easy to use.
Cakewalk is aimed more at the professional due to it's better interfacing with external gear, MIDI and video.
I use ACID when I've got a loop I need to get into my Cakewalk song. It's much easier than pissing about with time/pitch stretching plugins.
