Last but not least, in DP6 a window that you're resizing updates in real time, whereas in previous versions only the window outline updated. As before, Consolidated Window cells can be 'popped out' into independent windows - good, for example, if you have a two-monitor setup and want to keep DP's mixer permanently visible on a second monitor while all the editing takes place on the first. You can stack up windows or editors in a single side–bar cell using an 'Add Tab' option, and then switch between them by clicking the relevant tab. It's a similar story in the side–bars too, except that here you switch what's in a cell by using a pop–up menu on its tab. Central cells in the Consolidated Window get tabbed tops that switch between the editing windows on offer, along with a separate tab at the far right that lets you switch sequences (or tracks, when appropriate) and is also the new home of each cell's mini–menu. In its place is a much sleeker and more modern off–white and grey look, which adheres more closely to OS X standards. All this has gone, and I don't think anyone will miss it. In the old days, title bars bristled with unusual and initially unfamiliar buttons, and there were title–bar 'mini–menus' that popped up commands specific to individual windows. In essence, there's a central area for all the main editors that are suited to being fairly wide, with 'side–bars' to the left and right for smaller or more vertically oriented panels such as Event Lists, Information palettes, lists of Markers and audio Soundbites.ĭP6's way of managing windows is substantially different to any previous version. The Consolidated Window, meanwhile, is a multi–pane window that can contain the vast majority of editing windows in almost any configuration to suit the needs of individual projects. ![]() It's neater now, and more compact, and there's no chance that important information can be hidden in a closed drawer. In previous versions of DP it had fold–out 'drawers', which contained various controls relating to audio settings and data selection, but in DP6 these are gone. The former is your standard transport window. Workplace PoliticsĪs before, the heart of DP6 is the combination of the Control Panel and the Consolidated Window. There's still no complicated copy protection - no dongle, challenge/response or anything else except the requirement to enter a unique keycode printed in the User Guide and have the installer CD in the drive when you first run DP. If you're planning on using DP6 with Pro Tools hardware, you need a Digidesign HD 1, 2, 3 or Accel system with DAE version 7.2 or later. The official minimum requirement is a 1GHz G4 Power Mac with 1GB RAM, running OS 10.4.7 or later, but the recommended minimum is for a multi–core or multi–processor G5 or Intel–based Mac with 2GB RAM. System RequirementsĭP6 is a Mac–only application, though compatible with both Power PC and Intel–based machines. It's available free online at Many sections of that review - Features Overview, Editing Environment, much of Audio Recording & Playback, Mix Matters and Software Synths - are equally applicable to DP6. So for that reason, as well as the near impossibility of reviewing a sequencer as sophisticated as DP without feeling like you're rewriting War And Peace, please do refer to my review of DP5 in the September 2006 issue of SOS alongside this one. Consequently, there's an awful lot in DP6 that is almost exactly the same as it was in DP5. Starting life way back in the mists of Mac history, DP's development has been one of gradual accumulation of features rather than frequent reinventions. Clearly the MOTU design team thought these were important issues too, because they've all been addressed in the new version 6. Back then, version 5 added a range of useful features intended to benefit users working in many different fields, but MOTU continued to resist any overhaul of the rather old–fashioned and quirky user interface, while there were still concerns about audio performance efficiency, and continuing grumbles about the native audio format and the lack of any easy way to 'comp' multiple takes. ![]() It's been a bit over two years since MOTU last made a major update to their flagship sequencing software, Digital Performer. ![]() The highlights of Digital Performer's latest incarnation include advanced comping tools, new plug–ins - and a revolutionary alternative to track and instrument freezing.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |