Digital Audio Workstation (Computer Based)

Jan 1, 2000 12:00 PM, the EM Staff

           
 

DIGIDESIGN PRO TOOLS/24 MIXPLUS

(Mac/Win; $7,995)

How do you improve on one of the audio industry's favorite digital audio workstations? Triple the processing power of the DSP card. Digidesign did just that by giving Pro Tools/24 Mix three times the processing power of its Pro Tools/24 system. The Editors' Choice Award, however, goes to the Pro Tools/24 Mixplus system, which includes two DSP cards for an even greater amount of processing power. That means you can mix the dozens of tracks of 24-bit, 48 kHz audio that Pro Tools promises while using more plug-ins than ever before.

The Mixplus package includes the Mix Core card, a Mix Farm DSP card, the DigiRack collection of TDM and AudioSuite plug-ins (with dynamics processors, a parametric EQ, and a delay), and Pro Tools 4.x software. (Version 5 should be out by the time you read this.) Of course, the system doesn't come cheap, but you get what you pay for. It can easily handle just about any project that comes along. The feature set is amazing: you get up to 64 channels (depending on how much processing you do) of fully automated mixing, 32 channels of I/O, sync to picture (including QuickTime movies), real-time TDM effects processing, multiple edit playlists for each track, customizable crossfades, graphic editing for each audio parameter, and much more. You will have to work hard to max this system out.

The fact that Pro Tools remains the digital audio workstation of choice for a large number of recording and post-production facilities speaks volumes, and most of the Pro Tools users we know were very eager to upgrade to 24 Mix or Mixplus. It's easily the top new DAW of 1999.