Published 7/2/08
And update long-serving 828
US-based hardware and software manufacturers Mark Of The Unicorn made some major announcements at the NAMM show in January. For starters, they've released Digital Performer 6, the latest version of their popular DAW software package. As is often the case with whole-number incremental software updates, the overall look of Digital Performer has been revamped, although not so drastically that existing users will be deterred. Usefully, users can now resize the height of their DAW channels, and the left-hand inspection palettes can be customised to show important information.
But it's under the hood that the most significant changes have been made. MOTU have obviously had post-production and audio-for-film users in mind with this update, as there are new XML file-interchange facilities for use with Apple's Final Cut Pro video-editing software, as well as long-awaited support for interleaved Broadcast WAV (BWAV) files. On the pro audio front, they've added better support for third-party Audio Units plug-ins, as well as beefing up the facilities for users who use DP6 as a front-end for Pro Tools HD systems. Also, users now have the ability to 'bounce and burn' directly to an audio CD.
A neat new track-comping feature allows users to easily select and edit audio to build a new track out of a number of takes, and you can even 'comp a comp', for even more flexibility.
For the first time in Digital Performer, there's a bundled convolution reverb, called Proverb. It comes with dozens of impulse responses but, should you wish to use your own audio file as an IR, you can simply drag and drop from the Apple Finder window. All of Proverb's parameters can be adjusted in real-time, so you can change the length of the IR on the fly, for example, without the plug-in 'powering down' to re-calculate. What's more, there's a Dynamic Mix feature that automatically rides the relative levels of the wet and dry outputs, to retain intelligibility when using large amounts of reverb.
DP6 also features a new compressor/limiter plug-in called Masterworks Leveler that's accurately modelled on the Teletronix LA2A levelling amplifier. Interestingly, when designing the plug-in, MOTU measured a number of LA2As and found that their LA4 opto-couplers reacted differently depending on age. So they decided to include models of a number of models, allowing you to select your favourite model from history.
While at the NAMM show, we were given a sneak peak of the latest revision of the MOTU 828 Firewire audio interface. New features of the 828 mkIII include a higher track count than that of the mkII, and an on-board 32-bit floating point DSP, which allows the device to mix signals internally and process effects without a host computer. In practise, this means you can, for example, set up a zero-latency monitor mix with reverb, to help the vocalist or performer get the best possible foldback mix, which we all know can be tricky to achieve.
Mixes can be set up using a piece of PC or Mac software called Cuemix, or using the controls on the 828's front panel, so you can use the 828 as a stand-alone mixer on stage, for example. Using Cuemix is far easier, however, as you can draw in EQ curves (the EQ is modelled on that of the Sony Oxford console, by the way) and view and edit mixer settings in a pleasing-to-the-eye GUI.
The most significant addition to the hardware compliment of the 828 in the latest revision is the inclusion of a second bank of ADAT optical connections, which can operate using the standard eight-channel ADAT protocol or the 'double-rate' SMux format. This brings the total number of simultaneous inputs and outputs on the 828 mkIII to 28 and 30 respectively at 48kHz, and 18-in, 18-out at 96kHz. However, the 828 mkIII can record at sample rates of up to 192kHz with lower channel counts.
Also new from MOTU is Electric Keys, a sample-based virtual instrument dedicated to the faithful recreation of 50 of history's much-loved electronic keyboard instruments. Electric Keys comes with a massive 40GB library of sample content, with over 20,000 24-bit/96kHz samples, and includes multi-sampled patches of numerous Fender Rhodes electric pianos, the Yamaha CP80, a Hammond organ, the Farfisa combo organ, the Mellotron, various Moogs and many, many more classics.
The library runs on the increasingly popular UVI engine, and is separated into 12 categories of instrument. Each category has its own 'skin', making it look like the hardware from which it's modelled. Should you need to programme the sound of someone repeatedly falling onto your keyboard of choice with the sustain pedal down (which, I must say, I have often felt the urge to do), Electric Keys has a massive 256-note polyphony which, according to MOTU, ensures that "notes are never cut off due to voice-stealing".
Musictrack +44 (0)1767 313447
www.musictrack.co.uk
www.motu.com
But it's under the hood that the most significant changes have been made. MOTU have obviously had post-production and audio-for-film users in mind with this update, as there are new XML file-interchange facilities for use with Apple's Final Cut Pro video-editing software, as well as long-awaited support for interleaved Broadcast WAV (BWAV) files. On the pro audio front, they've added better support for third-party Audio Units plug-ins, as well as beefing up the facilities for users who use DP6 as a front-end for Pro Tools HD systems. Also, users now have the ability to 'bounce and burn' directly to an audio CD.
A neat new track-comping feature allows users to easily select and edit audio to build a new track out of a number of takes, and you can even 'comp a comp', for even more flexibility.
For the first time in Digital Performer, there's a bundled convolution reverb, called Proverb. It comes with dozens of impulse responses but, should you wish to use your own audio file as an IR, you can simply drag and drop from the Apple Finder window. All of Proverb's parameters can be adjusted in real-time, so you can change the length of the IR on the fly, for example, without the plug-in 'powering down' to re-calculate. What's more, there's a Dynamic Mix feature that automatically rides the relative levels of the wet and dry outputs, to retain intelligibility when using large amounts of reverb.
DP6 also features a new compressor/limiter plug-in called Masterworks Leveler that's accurately modelled on the Teletronix LA2A levelling amplifier. Interestingly, when designing the plug-in, MOTU measured a number of LA2As and found that their LA4 opto-couplers reacted differently depending on age. So they decided to include models of a number of models, allowing you to select your favourite model from history.
While at the NAMM show, we were given a sneak peak of the latest revision of the MOTU 828 Firewire audio interface. New features of the 828 mkIII include a higher track count than that of the mkII, and an on-board 32-bit floating point DSP, which allows the device to mix signals internally and process effects without a host computer. In practise, this means you can, for example, set up a zero-latency monitor mix with reverb, to help the vocalist or performer get the best possible foldback mix, which we all know can be tricky to achieve.
Mixes can be set up using a piece of PC or Mac software called Cuemix, or using the controls on the 828's front panel, so you can use the 828 as a stand-alone mixer on stage, for example. Using Cuemix is far easier, however, as you can draw in EQ curves (the EQ is modelled on that of the Sony Oxford console, by the way) and view and edit mixer settings in a pleasing-to-the-eye GUI.
The most significant addition to the hardware compliment of the 828 in the latest revision is the inclusion of a second bank of ADAT optical connections, which can operate using the standard eight-channel ADAT protocol or the 'double-rate' SMux format. This brings the total number of simultaneous inputs and outputs on the 828 mkIII to 28 and 30 respectively at 48kHz, and 18-in, 18-out at 96kHz. However, the 828 mkIII can record at sample rates of up to 192kHz with lower channel counts.
Also new from MOTU is Electric Keys, a sample-based virtual instrument dedicated to the faithful recreation of 50 of history's much-loved electronic keyboard instruments. Electric Keys comes with a massive 40GB library of sample content, with over 20,000 24-bit/96kHz samples, and includes multi-sampled patches of numerous Fender Rhodes electric pianos, the Yamaha CP80, a Hammond organ, the Farfisa combo organ, the Mellotron, various Moogs and many, many more classics.
The library runs on the increasingly popular UVI engine, and is separated into 12 categories of instrument. Each category has its own 'skin', making it look like the hardware from which it's modelled. Should you need to programme the sound of someone repeatedly falling onto your keyboard of choice with the sustain pedal down (which, I must say, I have often felt the urge to do), Electric Keys has a massive 256-note polyphony which, according to MOTU, ensures that "notes are never cut off due to voice-stealing".
Musictrack +44 (0)1767 313447
www.musictrack.co.uk
www.motu.com
