Cool Edit Pro v2 added support for real-time non-destructive processing, and v2.1 added support for surround sound mixing and unlimited simultaneous tracks (up to the limit imposed by the actual computer hardware). Audio processing, however, was done in a destructive manner (at the time, most computers were not powerful enough in terms of processor performance and memory capacity to perform non-destructive operations in real-time). Syntrillium later released Cool Edit Pro, which added the capability to work with multiple tracks as well as other features. The full version was useful and flexible, particularly for its time. Originally developed by Syntrillium as Cool Edit, the program was distributed as crippleware for Windows computers. Syntrillium Software was founded in the early 1990s by Robert Ellison and David Johnston, both former Microsoft employees.
