DAW Software

We've had a good look at some of the tools available for mastering in Pro Tools. So what are the best ways to use these tools?

Mixer automation lets you create more dynamic mixes, but also provides a fast alternative to arranging all your tracks in the sequencer. We offer a simple guide to making the most of it.

The Pentagon I soft synth bundled with Sonar 5 is a powerhouse that even offers vocoding facilities. If you've overlooked it so far, remedy the situation with our tips, tricks and programming guide.

The facilities for surround sound in Logic Pro v7 are often overlooked, so here we take a peek at how to get going.

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...

Ableton Live isn't just a DJ tool, but a very capable DAW. This month we begin a look at how to approach Live if you want to use it as a fully fledged audio sequencer.

We follow up our comprehensive round-up of mastering limiter plug-ins for Pro Tools with a look at hot new products from three further manufacturers.

The grey Spider devices look mild-mannered and unassuming — but they have super-powers that can unlock the hidden reserves of Reason's sound-making devices, as well as solving a host of more mundane problems.

Sonar offers several ways to mix, but is that a benefit or a source of confusion? Learn what the various mix modes do and you can choose the one that's right for your project.

When sequencers first allowed you to record musical notes in real time, one of the features that became ubiquitous in all systems was quantisation. Here we take a look at how quantise has evolved and is currently used in Cubase SX.

This month we continue exploring Cubase's automation features with a look at the different modes available to SX users, and the issues you'll face when using automation and MIDI Controller data on MIDI Tracks.

The Global Tracks can not only display chords, key/time signatures, and transpose values — they also let you edit them easily.

When Ableton added MIDI support to Live, they also added virtual instrument support — in this article we look at how to take full advantage of software synths within Live.

After being extensively trailed at this year's NAMM show, 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...

When your project includes repeated MIDI or audio parts, the new Region Looping tools in Pro Tools 7 enable you to work faster and with greater flexibility.

Last month we looked at some basic applications of the Redrum module in Reason drum programming. Now it's time to move on to more sophisticated techniques for your rhythm parts.

When Cubase VST became Cubase SX, one of the big improvements was a better automation system for audio-based tracks and channels. This month, we show you how to make the most of this newer system.

Markers have always been available in Logic, but the new Global Tracks feature (introduced in version 7) makes them much easier to use and manipulate than in earlier versions.

They say one step in planning saves two in execution — and that certainly applies to doing a performance with Ableton Live sequencer...

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.

One of the best features of TDM-based Pro Tools systems is the negligible latency, or input-to-output delay, while recording. So what is the best way to deal with this problem if you have only an LE system?