DAWs

With Sonar 7 just out, it's time to tweak all our preferences to perfection, before they're transferred over into the latest version of the software.

Reverb and delay are vital tools for mixing. We explain how to get the best from Cubase's bundled plug-ins.

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.

In sound for picture, there's often a need to lock multiple Pro Tools rigs together. We uncover a neat way to obtain professional sync facilities for a fraction of the price of conventional systems.

Reason 4 may be nearly upon us, but there's still plenty of experimenting to be done in version 3 - creating your own effects devices, for example...

Working directly with 'objects', such as MIDI or audio clips of any length from a few milliseconds upwards, opens up a non-linear approach that can provide creative opportunities and also save you CPU resources.

It's now possible to carry out most of your audio editing exclusively in one Logic window. We take a look at the improved Arrange window functionality and discover how it can transform your editing experience.

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.

Cubase is packed with as much functionality as Doctor Who's TARDIS for bending the laws of time, and while the basics are easy, it pays to explore a little deeper.

Whether you're looking into performing with Live on stage, or laying down fast arrangements in the studio, the place to start is the mixer's cue-mixing and crossfading features.

Making the most of your virtual instruments in Logic can involve some complex Environment trickery, but the results are rewarding.

If you've time enough to install it all, the extra software bundled with new Pro Tools systems has a lot to offer — particularly if you have the Pro version of Digidesign's Ignition Pack 2.

Controlling your synth's dynamics using MIDI, rather than audio plug-ins, can offer you greater flexibility and good results. Here's how you do it.

Controlling your synth's dynamics using MIDI, rather than audio plug-ins, can offer you greater flexibility and good results. Here's how you do it.

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.

You might consider the REX file to be just another format on the list of audio import options, but it can actually be used to achieve some very creative results. We take a look at what's possible.

Ever found yourself struggling to remember what you have connected to Input 7, or which effect is on Bus 3-4? Five minutes' work in the I/O Setup window will end your confusion forever...

We go back to basics this month, with an in-depth look at how you can get the best out of Reason's Remix mixer.

DAW software is optimised for helping you record your songs and add lots of production polish, but don't forget that programs like Sonar can also help in the songwriting process, offering features that could make it easier to capture inspiration when it strikes.

The latest utility from Redmatica is targeted at Logic users wanting to get the most from the programs built-in soft sampler.

More and more material needs to be delivered in surround formats, but what if you dont have the time or the budget for a 5.1 remix? We test the current crop of unwrap plug-ins that can create a surround master from a stereo mix.