DAWs

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.

The ES2 synthesizer within Logic is a powerful beast. We take a look at what it has to offer in this handy reference guide...

Pro Tools doesn't support RAID arrays, but does have its own disk management features that allow you to 'stripe' audio files across multiple disks, or record additional safety copies of everything.

Sonar's Synth Rack is a great time-saving concept that has started to deliver on its full promise with version 6 of the software. However, not all aspects of it are completely obvious - so this month we'll be doing our best to put you on track with the Rack.

Live's built-in instruments are pretty sophisticated, yet retain the ease of use that is central to the Ableton philosophy. In this article we're going to look at how to make the most of the Impulse drum machine.

If you've ever wanted a cheap and easy way to do drum replacement with Cubase, there are some good solutions out there...

We all want our software to be fast and responsive, and there are simple things that can be done to enhance Logic's performance in this respect. Our guide shows you how.

Reason's BV512 is pretty sophisticated as vocoders go, and is capable of much more than Sparky's Magic Piano-style voice effects. Find out more...

In last month's overview of the new features in Pro Tools 7.3, we saw that some of them deserve a more in-depth look. Here's what you can do with Key Signatures, the new Dynamic Transport Mode, and enhanced editing and video functions.

Ever wished you could use your favourite control surface to change not just mixer controls, but effects plug-in parameters and virtual instrument settings? Apparently someone at Cakewalk has too...

All digital audio workstations offer a 'virtual mixer' for balancing, EQ'ing and processing the elements of your mix, but Samplitude augments it with a powerful alternative.

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.

Dynamics processing plays an important part in almost all modern music production. We look at some practical examples using Cubase 4's built-in dynamics plug-ins.

Last month, we looked at OS X's Network MIDI capabilities and how they get along with DP. This time, we go further into the brave new world that is network audio and remote access. Prepare to give your network connection a workout...

Rewiring Live through Pro Tools can open up a world of new possibilities for both applications.

Step sequencing is often regarded as a pastime of '80s revivalists, but it can be used effectively in Logic to produce creative results in all kinds of music.

In this month's column, we give you the low-down on the wealth of new features coming your way in the version 7.3 updates to Pro Tools TDM and LE.

Sonar's Session Drummer has evolved from a MIDI plug-in to a sophisticated tone module that also includes pattern playback capabilities. We take a look beneath the surface.

Sonar's Audiosnap time-stretching tools offer some mind-boggling possibilities, including REX-like beat slicing and sophisticated audio quantising.

Cubase's Play Order Track is a powerful, but often overlooked, facility that is a Godsend for songwriters, composers and remixers alike.

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.