MOTU Digital Performer 6.02 Review

Apr 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Mike Levine

           
 

DP GETS A FACE-LIFT AND SOME POWERFUL NEW FEATURES

Digital Performer has always offered Mac users a huge range of features and robust native performance. With the release of version 6, the program adds a slew of impressive improvements, including a redesigned user interface (see Web Clip 1), dedicated comping features, convolution reverb and leveling-amplifier plug-ins, Final Cut Pro import and export features, and plenty more.

The Look

FIG. 1: DP6 includes a spiffier, brighter look and streamlined functionality.

When you first open DP6 (see Fig. 1), you'll notice that the program has had a makeover and now sports a more modern look, with a color palette that's lighter and less austere. Nowhere is this new look more strikingly manifested than in the Mixing Board (see Fig. 2).

Although the Tracks window looks fairly similar to past incarnations, it has been given a key new feature: vertical zooming, which allows you to make the tracks larger. I've always found the Tracks window text to be uncomfortably small, so this capability is a welcome addition.

The Feel

More significant than the cosmetic changes are the functional ones. A lot has been done to rearrange the DP work space to make it more efficient. The first part of the restructuring that you're likely to notice is the Control Bar, which has been simplified significantly, with a large field in the middle devoted only to the main and auxiliary counter readouts. The pullout drawers from previous versions, which contained project audio settings, buttons for accessing the various windows, and more, have been removed. These features are now accessible through the Sidebar windows or the new, customizable Shortcuts window.

FIG. 2: In DP6, the Mixing Board sports a totally new look.

Across DP6, Mini-menus have been changed. They now reside as drop-down menus on the right of windows and are hidden under disclosure triangles. Also, it's now easier to open and close the Sidebar on either side. Double-clicking on the divider at the edge of the Consolidated window accomplishes that.

Also new are Inspector palettes, which are small info windows that can be displayed in a Sidebar cell or popped out of the Consolidated window and floated. These include Snap Info, Cursor Info, Event Info, Selection Info, and Sound File Info. Having these windows readily available improves your ability to quickly ascertain status of a range of parameters and settings.

For those short on screen real estate, a new feature lets you open multiple tabbed windows within a single Sidebar cell. You can then switch back and forth between the different windows by clicking on their tabs.

The new Universal Track Selector is a window that opens in a Sidebar, which updates to match the track selections in the active editor window. Although I see its utility, I would have also liked an option for it to work as a master track selector, which would override track selections in the individual windows. That way, you could be working on a set of tracks in, say, the MIDI editor, and then switch to QuickScribe without having to reselect those same tracks.

Comp This

FIG. 3: DP’s new comping features let you select sections from your takes to construct a comp track (at top).

Probably the most talked-about new features in DP6 are the ones dedicated to track comping. Getting started is easy. First, open the Sequence window and pull down the Track Settings menu of the track you're comping. Next, select Show Takes, and all the takes you've recorded of the track are displayed underneath the track, slightly indented, and are ready for comping or to be turned into separate tracks (see Fig. 3). Using the Comping tool, you then drag over the sections in the takes that you want in your comp, and they appear as separate Soundbites in the comp track at the top. There you can further tweak them and easily add crossfades. I would like to see an automatic crossfade option added. While some users will want to add their own crossfades, others might find such an option to be a time-saver.

You can set up as many comp takes as you want. Just make sure to create a new take before comping again, or you'll overwrite your previous one. You can even comp your comps. Overall, the comping features are intuitive and well thought out. And unlike similar features in some other digital audio sequencers, you don't have to use them unless you want to, which I like.