MOTU DIGITAL PERFORMER | SOS Tutorials, Techniques & Workshops
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MOTU DIGITAL PERFORMER | SOS Tutorials, Techniques & Workshops
Making The Most Of DIGITAL PERFORMER Digital Performer Notes & Techniques DP7 includes enticing new features ideal for guitarists. Here’s a quick-start guide to the best of them. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques When you need to tweak or re-work a track to produce alternative versions, DP has features that make it easy. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Digital Performer has a great range of features to help you avoid and clean up noise in your recordings. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Digital Performer’s time-display and grid features are the key to several cool techniques, including instant glitch effects. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Save time and make Digital Performer work just how you like it, with easy custom templates and preferences tweaks.  Here's a collection of the most recent 100 Digital Performer Notes articles from SOUND ON SOUND magazine. The most recently-published 5 workshops are locked and accessible only to subscribers, but the others are now free for all to enjoy. (Use the SEARCH page to find even more past articles.) Previous 100 DIGITAL PERFORMER NOTES workshops (unlocked) Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Comping multitrack audio needn’t be a headache with new features in Digital Performer 6. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques The ability to move around your project quickly and easily, making fast and accurate selections for editing, can take much of the pain out of music production. We round up some of the best power-user shortcuts. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques MOTU's Digital Performer 6 hugely simplifies the task of CD burning, while at the same time allowing more complex burning tasks to be undertaken. We talk you through the options. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques We present a DP-user’s guide to troubleshooting audio files and formats, and pass on tips for when the unthinkable happens... Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Achieving exactly the recorded guitar tone you’re after is easier than it’s ever been, with the facilities on offer in a DAW package such as Digital Performer... Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Version 6 of DP comes with improved hosting of Audio Unit plug-ins — but what does that mean for the MAS format? We consider the issues, and bring you a guide to DP's new bundled convolution reverb, ProVerb. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques If you've lots of third-party plug-ins in different formats, it can be a pain to keep tabs on where they're stored and which version to use. We explain how DP's plug-in manager functionality can help, as well as offering guidance on DP6 features, including the essential new 'pre-generation'. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Digital Performer has retained the same basic look and feel from its introduction right up to version 5.13 — but no more. The new DP6 looks almost like a different application, and conforms much more to OS X standards, so this month we bring you the first-look guide to what's new. Digital Performer Notes & Technique DP's Memory Cycle can benefit you whatever kind of music you make. We look at how to work smart and fast with this crucial feature. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques How do you create a four-minute masterpiece out of just a few measures? And what's the best reverb to make you sound like that drumming gorilla on the TV ad? These questions, and more, answered in this month's Digital Performer workshop... Digital Performer Notes & Techniques DP's Drum Editor provides a unique environment for programming and editing MIDI data, free from the 'piano roll' - and it's not just for drums, either. We look at how to get the best from this great feature. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques DP offers an excellent environment for working with the little pieces of 'ear candy', such as filtered drops, beat-mangled breaks and reversed audio phrases, that can make such an impact in pop and electronica production. We look at some of the techniques involved. Cubase Notes & Techniques The tools for audio slicing were overhauled in Cubase 4.1. Find out how to get the best from them. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques We offer a clutch of hints and tips for DP users considering adding a Focusrite Liquid Mix DSP plug-in platform to their setup. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques There's more useful stuff than you can shake a stick at this month, including advice on input monitoring, ways to get around latency issues, and news of CD-burning and audio networking applications to make your life easier. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Everyone performs better when they can hear exactly what they need in their headphones. After our guide to simple DP monitor mixing options last month, we follow up with ideas for those with more complex monitoring requirements. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques With so many exciting features on offer in modern DAWs, it's easy to overlook less glamorous things that you need every day. A prime example is proper monitoring — not sexy, but a crucial factor in successful multitrack recording. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Propellerhead's Reason software studio offers some great instruments and makes a good partner for DP - but there are various things to be aware of if you want to create the most hassle-free partnership. Our in-depth look at using the two applications together explains it all. Digital Performer Notes We take a look at how MOTU's new MachFive 2 sampler integrates with Digital Performer 5, explore a DP plug-in that makes it easier to work with MIDI controllers, and round up the customary batch of news and tips for DP users. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques DP supports a wide range of plug-in and virtual instrument formats, which is great for flexibility and variety but sometimes not so good when it comes to trouble-free operation. We explain how to take the pain out of plug-in management. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques DP's native Sound Designer II audio format can carry region information within files. That fact may not sound especially significant — but with the help of our guide you can use it to help you compile and burn CDs quickly and easily. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques This month, a look at how some of DP's features can be used to co-ordinate multiple finished tracks prior to burning an album or EP. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques MIDI plug-ins are often overlooked, regarded perhaps as the poor relations of the more glamorous audio type, but they can give you real power-user status if you take the trouble to investigate their capabilities. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques If you're serious about digital audio you need to know about dither — both what it is and when to use it. So here it is: the SOS Digital Performer dither primer. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Last month, we looked at OS X's Network MIDI capabilities, and how they get along with DP. This time, we go even further, into the brave new world that is network audio and remote access. Prepare to give your network connection a workout... Distributed Processing With Digital Performer Unlike Logic, DP doesn't have any sort of distributed processing scheme, but by using additional Macs in your DP setup, with a network connection between them, you can achieve a similar result. Here's how it's done. Digital Performer Notes & technique We update you on changes to new Macs' built-in audio hardware, then take a look at how Bundles can help users of older and current Macs alike to easily reconfigure their audio I/O. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques You'll soon be wondering how you ever managed without the audio editing tricks and shortcuts offered by this month's essential DP workshop. Digital Performer Notes & Technique We take a look at a variety of audio-related techniques, from the staples of soundbite editing to DP5's new Soundbite Volume feature. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques The subject of clicks might not seem terribly interesting — but it's surprising how much difference a well-chosen timing reference can make to the recording of your musical performances. Digital Perfromer Notes & Technique MOTU have released DP 5.1, a Universal Binary version of Digital Performer that allows owners of Intel Macs to finally make the most of the application on their new machines. But while this is a crucial piece of the jigsaw in enabling DP's use on the Intel platform, it's going to be a while before you can recreate a fully loaded G4 or G5 setup. Here's the low-down... Digital Performer Notes & Technique DP5's new virtual instruments have all the facilities you need for creating large and well-organised libraries of patches and samples, easily accessible and portable between projects and computers - as long as you know where to look. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Last month, we passed briefly over the flashier additions to the latest version of DP, in favour of some less obvious but rather useful new features. Now it's time to return for a closer look at those shiny new bundled instruments... Digital Performer Notes After being extensively trailed at this year's NAMM show and at Sounds Expo in London, DP5 is finally here. But besides its shiny new additions, such as the six bundled MAS instruments, there are some unexpected and intriguing new features that might just prove to be more useful to some... Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Your next project might be a four-track demo or a 100-track surround mix for cinema. Either way, at some stage you're going to have to mix it — but with DP on your side, that doesn't need to be a headache. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques When it comes to controlling sequence tempo and imposing a meaningful beat structure on freely-recorded MIDI and audio, DP has plenty of tricks up its sleeve — including Live-like 'liquid audio' powers. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques If you favour the feel of music that results from real people playing real instruments, the strict-tempo approach of a sequencer can feel like a straitjacket. But DP offers many ways of breaking out, and this month we explore them, as well as bringing news of the major update that is Digital Performer v5. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Quantising is all about turning your sloppy playing into rigid, computerised perfection, right? Well, no — at least, it doesn't have to be. We check out the finer points of quantising in DP and look at what it can do for your music. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Many of today's most interesting and popular audio-processing techniques are achieved with plug-ins. This month, we look at how you'd go about recreating some of them in Digital Performer, and continue our coverage of more unusual plug-in features. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Can you honestly say you use all the features of DP's plug-ins? If not, prepare to be intrigued, as we dig deeper into Dynamics, Multimode Filter, Sonic Modulator and more, in search of the facilities you didn't know were there. Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Few of us use our software sequencers in isolation — we all need associated hardware, such as monitors, external effects, and favourite MIDI synths. This month we take a look at using DP with such hardware. News & Tips We've got news of some interesting new plug-ins this month, and the solution to one of those software compatibility problems that can drive you bananas... Technique One of the most exciting and unexpected new features unveiled in Digital Performer 4.6 is V-Racks, and, like many of the best things in life, it's something you probably didn't realise you needed until it came along... News & Tips Click with a new metronome, tune up a pitch correction problem and stop that annoying whistling. In short, catch up with the latest from MOTU's wonderful world of Digital Performer... Workshop Move over Auto-Tune: Digital Performer v4.6's new Pitch Automation features are fully integrated into the program and provide considerable power over all aspects of pitch. We explain how they work and take you through some practical examples. Workshop Knowing how to squeeze the very best performance and efficiency out of your DP setup can let you work more quickly and increase your creative options, whether you own a G3 iMac or the latest G5. For all you need, read on... News & Updates We investigate a newcomer to the orchestral sample-player scene and provide a quick round-up of the 'powered processing' options available to DP users. News & Rumours More news and ideas from the DP scene — as well as some good old-fashioned rumour-mongering... Workshop This month's Digital Performer workshop aims to help you get into the groove more effectively, through the use of the program's sophisticated quantisation facilities. Digital Performer Notes Tiger, Apple‘s latest version of OS X, has some implications for Digital Performer users. Happily, they‘re nearly all good...
Workshop An accomplished sequencer such as Digital Performer certainly allows its users to push the envelope when it comes to sophisticated music and sound production, but it should also act as a ‘sketchpad‘, facilitating composition and musical experimentation. We take a look at what DP can offer in this area. 3rd party developments Now that the excitement surrounding the launch of DP 4.5 has subsided somewhat, developments by MOTU-friendly companies get this month's column under way. Workshop If you are a user of MOTU's Digital Performer sequencing software, you have access to an extensive and full-featured automated mixing environment. For hints and tips on how to use it, read on... Digital Performer Notes This month, how to tweak your tracks with MOTU's answer to Sony's Oxford EQ and speed up your workflow with the essential DP keyboard shortcut selection! Digital Performer Notes MOTU hinted at even more additions to DP during January's NAMM show. We get a sneak preview, as well as exploring the program's Tempo Analysis powers. Digital Performer Notes Smooth your audio edits, create soundbites from beats, find out about tempo analysis and get the run-down on why you need the DP 4.52 update... Digital Performer Notes The new Beat Detection Engine in DP 4.5 gives you much greater control over audio quantising and tempo manipulation. We explain how. Digital Performer Notes DP 4.5 delivers new features that promise to fundamentally change the way users work, as well as offering smaller but crucial enhancements to existing features. Digital Performer Notes MOTU recently announced the latest big update to Digital Performer, version 4.5. We offer a brief preview of some of the new features to come, as well as explaining how to use DP effectively with Ableton's Live. Digital Performer Notes A guide to DP's options for audio pitch and tempo manipulation is on the agenda for this month's instalment of Performer Notes. Digital Performer Notes A bundle of tips helps you get the most from Autotune running inside DP, and there is plug-in news aplenty... Digital Performer Notes This month we're feeling bouncy, as we explain how to use DP's facilities to mix down Projects into stereo files for CD burning, MP3 conversion or mastering processes. Digital Performer Notes Your DP Project is safely completed and stored to hard drive, but you want to burn the whole thing to CD or post it on a web site. In the absence of an easy 'export mix' facility, what's the procedure to follow? Digital Performer Notes This month, Performer Notes concludes its look at DP's Consoles, and suggests some ways of 'future-proofing' your Projects against the relentless flow of application and plug-in updates. Digital Performer Notes Fancy turning your knob-laden MIDI synth into a control surface for tweaking plug-in synths? DP's Consoles make this kind of application possible. Digital Performer Notes If you've never investigated DP's Consoles feature, you may be missing out on interesting MIDI and Audio control possibilities. We explain, as well as introducing a couple of indispensable new utilities. Digital Performer Notes The plug-in and inter-application software world grows ever richer for DP users, and a set of new features for the program is announced at the NAMM show mdash; including, at last, a 'beat-slicing' function. Digital Performer Notes MOTU finally have their own soft sampler, Mach Five, which is ideal for use with DP, but doesn't always work exactly as you might expect. Read on for the Performer Notes primer... Digital Performer Notes An old favourite utility returns this month, and Digital Performer 4.1 learns something from Cubase SX — on the PC! Surely not? Digital Performer Notes As Mac OS X's Panther incarnation brings some slinky new working methods to Digital Performer, we pass on some advanced ways of pasting data, as well as rounding up the usual tips and news for DP users. Digital Performer Notes A whole world of free, inexpensive or just plain great VST plug-ins opens up for DP 4 users who also run FXpansion's indispensable VST to AU Adapter. We check out how it works and round up some DP news and tips to boot. Digital Performer Notes DP 4.1 is here at last, with significant increases in stability and efficiency, as well as support for Apple's Audio Unit plug-in standard. So is Digital Performer finally ready for the big time in OS X? Digital Performer Notes The news that Waves' range of quality plug-ins is now available for DP adds to the activity in an already interesting month for Digital Performer users — despite a delay in the release of 4.1. DP v4.1; VST plug-ins under OS X DP v4.1 is available, and it looks like MOTU can provide a viable alternative to DP3 under OS 9 at last. Plus a look at VST plug-in support in DP under OS X... Digital Performer Notes This month we take a look at using multiple audio interfaces with DP3, the new OS X patchlist format, and practical uses for the Waveform Editor for all DP users. Digital Performer Notes More on DP4 and OS X this month, including the new 'Freeze Tracks' feature... OS X Version At last, Digital Performer for OS X is a reality. But does it offer any real advantages over the previous version, and more importantly, what compromises are 'cutting-edge' users going to have to make? Performer Notes A closer look at Digital Performer for OS X (which shall henceforth be known as DP4), and MachFive, plus the latest MAS plug-in releases. MachFive; OSX; Track Groups As expected, MOTU showed Digital Performer for OS X for the first time at the recent NAMM show in California. But they also had some surprises up their sleeve... Audio File-handling Digital Performer's audio file-handling has been streamlined in v3.1, making it easier to manage and archive large audio-based projects. We take a closer look... Project & File Management Facilities We finish our look at DP3's new comprehensive Undo functions, and begin examining the program's Project and file management facilities with a view to making large projects portable. Search Multiple Criteria We continue to ask some Searching questions, and look at what to do when FreeMIDI is no longer enough... DP3 MS Decoder We conclude our look at selecting and editing data, delve into the mysteries of DP3's MS Decoder plug-in, and bring you all the latest MOTU news. Creative Uses Of MAS Plug-ins We continue looking at creative uses of the MAS plug-ins supplied with Digital Performer - this month, it's the turn of Trim. We kick off with more data-selection and editing tips. Built-in plug-in Delay We continue our look at DP3's built-in plug-ins, turning the spotlight this month on Delay. But first, some tips on the finer points of data selection and editing... MasterWorks Gate and other software synths This month, we recap on using Digital Performer with software synths of all kinds, and take a good look at DP3's built-in MasterWorks Gate plug-in. * MW Limiter and Quan Jr We continue our examination of DP3's Step Record window, and come over all of a dither with MW Limiter and Quan Jr. Plus all the latest MOTU-related news. DP3 Plug-ins; MW Limiter We begin looking at some of the more useful DP3 plug-ins, starting with MW Limiter. Plus hints and tips on DP3's step-record feature. Drum Editor window We conclude our look at DP3's Drum Editor window, learn more about zooming and scrolling functions and input strips, and round up all the usual MOTU-related news and advice. Drum Editor; VST Wrapper v3 Performer Notes moves on to the more advanced features of DP3's Drum Editor, plus more useful Performer-related tips, techniques and news. Drum Editor; MAS for DP3 Performer Notes gets funky with Digital Performer's Drum Editor this month, and rounds up some of the latest MAS plug-ins to emerge for DP3, plus MOTU-related hints and tips. MIDI Automation Features Performer Notes turns its attention to DP3's MIDI automation features. Plus all the latest MOTU-related news and tips. Sequence Editor; Audio Bundles Performer Notes continues its detailed look at some of DP3's new features. This month, there's more on mix and plug-in automation, creative aux buss routing tips, and the mysterious new Audio Bundles window is unveiled... New Tool Bar and Graphical Editing Options DP3 is here - and there's a number of fundamental changes to the way the program looks and works. This month, we examine the new tool bar and graphical editing options and consider how to get the most out of your plug-in effects... DP plug-ins; USB hardware controller This month, more on DP plug-ins with side-chains, plus tips on improving audio timing, using Mix mode, and news of a compact USB hardware controller for use with DP. Clipping Window; VST Freeware plug-ins; Setting Up Side-chain This month, Digital Performer's useful but little-known Clipping window falls under the Performer Notes spotlight. Plus tips on where to find top VST freeware plug-ins for use with DP, and advice on setting up side-chain access to MOTU plug-ins. Memory Cycle Function More invaluable MOTU-related user tips, including effective mix automation and the use of grouped controls, as well as customised Mixing Board layout editing, plus loop editing and crossfading. Propellerhead's Rewire SOS's resident MOTU expert Robin Bigwood looks at ways of working with audio loops in Digital Performer, and hands out tips on using Propellerhead's Rewire to interface DP with software synths. Polar Logic and Cubase owners have had their own dedicated SOS columns for several months Ñ so we're now devoting space to another of the world's favourite sequencers, MOTU's Digital Performer. Long-standing DP user Robin Bigwood presents the first of this regular column. How to make the most of this DAW software
| Friday 20th November 2009 December 2009
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Other recent issues: Photos too small? Click on photos, screenshots and diagrams in articles to open a Larger View gallery.  Gear Reviews Technique
Classic Tracks
Secrets of the Mix Engineers
Ableton LIVE techniques
Apple LOGIC techniques
Cakewalk SONAR techniques
Digidesign PRO TOOLS techniques
MOTU DIGITAL PERFORMER techniques
Propellerhead REASON techniques
Steinberg CUBASE techniques
Sound Advice
People Microphones Mastering |
