MOTU - Digital Performer 6

Digital Performer 6 offers new features, enhanced operation and improved performance at all levels, from hundreds of small enhancements driven by user requests to major new features and plug-ins that add unprecedented value. Features like track comping will transform your everyday work, while industry-leading features like DP6's new Final Cut Pro integration could very well transform the way film scoring is done. If you are an existing DP user, upgrade today to discover the many enhancements you've been waiting for. If you are new to Digital Performer, there has never been a better time to try DP.

DP6 New Features

• New user interface
• Streamlined operation
• Track comping
• MasterWorks Leveler plug-in
• ProVerb convolution plug-in
• Final Cut Pro integration
• Film scoring enhancements
• Expanded audio file support
• Enhanced Pro Tools | HD support
• Enhanced plug-in operation
• Enhanced softsynth operation
• Direct audio CD burning
• DP6 Productivity enhancements.

New user interface

Digital Performer 6 has a sleek new look and feel to inspire your creativity and drive your productivity. Here are just a few examples of the hundreds of design enhancements that have been made from top to bottom:

Vertically resizable track list - Gives you a better look at each track's settings and graphic overview.

Streamlined window design - Windows look cleaner and information is easier to see. Zooming and navigation controls have been unified throughout. Live window resizing allows you to see the contents of the window as it is resized.

Additional waveform coloring options - Three different styles are available.

Streamlined operation

In addition to its new "look and feel", Digital Performer 6 has been further streamlined to allow existing users to work faster and new users to learn the program quickly and easily. Highlights include:

Window tabs - You can create as many tabs as you wish in any consolidated window sidebar cell.

Inspector palettes - Important settings and information now appear in inspector palettes, which can float as independent windows or "pop into" the consolidated window as sidebar cells with tabs. New inspector palettes include Snap Info, Event Info, Cursor Info, Selection Info and others.

Universal track selector - The unified Track Selector conserves screen space by offering one track selector that updates when you switch to a different window tab.

Track comping

Digital Performer's comprehensive new track comping features offer limitless comping possibilities.

Build a comp with just a few clicks - Previous versions of Digital Performer allowed you to record multiple takes into a track, and then choose one take in the track for playback and editing. Now you can choose "Show Takes" to view all takes side by side. With the new Take Tool, you can easily make split points across all takes and then simply click the desired section from each take to quickly create a composite (comp) take consisting of the sections selected from each take. In the resulting comp take, crossfades can be applied, along with all standard operations for editing audio regions in a DP track.

"Comping the comp" - When you've perfected your comp track, you can use it as yet another take itself, which allows you to "comp the comp" by incorporating any portion of an existing comp take into a new comp take. Each comp appears side by side with all the other takes for a track.

Move easily between tracks and takes - The "Turn All Takes Into Tracks" and "Absorb Tracks" commands allow you to explode takes into tracks, or collapse tracks into takes, respectively — although in many respects, takes behave just like tracks with their own play/mute buttons, output assignments, automation settings and so on. You can freely move tracks between the two models (takes and tracks), which is especially helpful for working with projects created in earlier versions of DP, where takes may have been spread across multiple tracks. In DP6, you can instantly convert them to takes to begin using the new comping features right away.

MasterWorks Leveler plug-in

The latest addition to DP's premium line of advanced audio processing plug-ins...

The MasterWorks Leveler is an accurate model of the legendary Teletronix™ LA-2A optical leveling amplifier, known for its unique and highly sought-after Automatic Gain Control (AGC) characteristics.

Conventional compression and limiting with threshold, attack, ratio, release, etc. do not apply here: the heart of the LA-2A is the T4 opto-coupler, a photoelectric device with almost magical (signal dependent) self-adjusting behavior that makes optical compressors the tool of choice for smoothing out just about any audio material, from vocals to bass guitar to full-program mixes, without destroying perceived dynamics.

The MasterWorks Leveler controls match the front panel of the original LA-2A: Gain Reduction and Makeup Gain knobs, along with Limiter/Compressor buttons and an accurately modeled VU meter that adheres to IEC standards. The LA-2A evolved over the years, producing slightly different characteristics in each generation, so the MasterWorks Leveler also provides four different LA-2A models: slow/fast vintage and slow/fast modern.

ProVerb plug-in

A CPU-efficient convolution reverb plug-in for DP6 that delivers the sound of stunningly realistic acoustic spaces to any track or mix.

Convolution is a process where the characteristics of a real acoustic space, such as concert hall, cathedral or sound stage, are “sampled” (captured) and then faithfully reproduced, down to the last detail and nuance. Convolution reverb is known for its stunning realism, and it is widely considered to be the best type of reverb that money can buy. ProVerb delivers convolution reverb to your Digital Performer desktop with processor-efficient performance and unique features.

Acoustic spaces

Dozens of preset acoustic spaces (impulse responses) are included, from halls and stages, to plates and cathedrals. Plus, you can simply drag and drop any standard audio file into ProVerb's waveform display to add your own. ProVerb has been heavily optimized so that all parameters can be adjusted in real time, including those that modify the impulse response waveform itself. What might take 10-15 seconds in other convolution products occurs in real time in ProVerb, as you adjust the parameter. you can quickly and efficiently sculpt your sound with predelay, damping, four bands of EQ and four modes for adjusting the wet/dry mix.

Dynamic mixing

ProVerb includes a unique Dynamic Mix feature that automatically "ducks" the wet signal as the dry input signal rises, then raises the wet mix as the dry signal level subsides. Properly tuned, this feature allows a "wetter" mix while retaining intelligibility of the input signal. Threshold, sensitivity and strength settings are provided, allowing the feature to function just like a mix engineer expertly "riding" the wet/dry mix control during playback.

Stereo audio example

Here is an example of Proverb:

Surround support

ProVerb supports all of Digital Performer's channel format variations, including mono-to-stereo, stereo-to-stereo, and even stereo-to-n and n-to-n. ProVerb is an advanced convolution reverb processor suitable for even the most demanding surround mixing and sound design applications.

Final Cut Pro integration

DP6 takes a bold leap forward in the art of film scoring...

Both Digital Performer and Final Cut Pro™ (FCP) offer complete end-to-end production workflow: Final Cut for picture and DP for complete soundtracks including music, dialog, foley and sound effects. While recent advances in DP have made it the undisputed leader in film scoring features, DP6's new Final Cut Pro XML file interchange features could very well revolutionize the way film scoring and soundtrack production is done.

The two most pressing challenges for any soundtrack producer are tight deadlines and last-minute picture edits. DP6 now allows for a dynamic link between the FCP editor and the soundtrack producer working in DP6. This link can be managed remotely via emailed XML interchange files (which are very small) or via a dynamic link between DP6 and Final Cut running side by side on the same computer.

Here's how it works. When picture edits are made in Final Cut, the FCP editor can export an XML file that describes all current edits, which the DP6 composer/editor can simply import to then compare and conform all music and audio tracks to the latest picture edits. All changes are displayed in DP6's new "Import Final Cut Pro XML" window, which provides a complete, detailed list of every new picture edit.

Double-click any edit in the list, and DP6 scrolls to and highlights the location of the edit in the Sequence Editor time line. The highlight shows a blue border (old position) and red border (new position) for each picture edit. The DP6 composer/editor can then adjust their conductor track, audio data and/or MIDI data as necessary to conform to the new edit, "snapping" their edits to the vertical red line if necessary.

If DP6 is running on the same computer as Final Cut Pro, the "Export Final Cut Pro XML" command sends all tracks (and all sequences) in the current DP project to the project currently open in Final Cut Pro (or any FCP file on disk, if desired), allowing easy transfer of all work done in DP6 into Final Cut at any point during the production process, from previewing dailies to final conform and export from Final Cut.

In the pressure-cooker world of film and broadcast, soundtrack production most often happens late in the overall production cycle, and these time-saving features offer the possibility for a quantum leap forward in up-to-the-minute delivery of changes to music and sound for picture.

Film scoring enhancements

In addition to Final Cut Pro integration, DP6 provides additional film scoring enhancements.

More frame rates

DP6 now supports 23.976 fps and 30-drop fps as the project frame rate.

Film scoring events over FireWire

DP6 can now apply streamers, flutters, punches and all other visual cues directly to DV output (for NTSC monitoring) without the need to bounce them to a QuickTime movie beforehand.

Floating Movie window

The Movie window now has an option to always "float" on top of other windows.

Expanded audio file support

While DP has historically supported a wide variety of audio export formats, DP6 now allows you to choose Broadcast WAVE, AIFF or Sound Designer II (SDII) as the native audio file format for your DP projects. This allows you to record, play and import audio directly in the chosen format. Separate preferences are provided for project file formats and default file formats.

Native support for interleaved audio files

DP6 can now record and play interleaved audio files (stereo and surround), without the need to de-interleave them into mono files beforehand. Not only does this save you enormous amounts of time when importing and exporting files, it also greatly reduces the number of audio files you need to manage when working with interleaved file formats.

Support for floating point audio files

DP6 can now import, record and play floating point audio files, an emerging file format standard used for high-end recording, mixing and mastering applications. This allows you to take advantage of the same exponential headroom and dynamic range Digital Performer employs internally when performing floating point computations for mixing and processing.

Improved OMF/AAF import

DP6's expanded audio file support means that a wider variety of OMF and AAF files can be imported without converting the audio.

Enhanced Pro Tools | HD support

Digital Performer continues to be the leading alternative software front-end for Pro Tools HD systems. DP6 now supports the use of RTAS plug-ins on aux tracks and master faders. In addition, DP6 supports the use of RTAS plug-ins under DAE on post-TDM inserts. Other enhancements for DAE operation include support for multi-mono effects (to support this mode in Massenberg plug-ins for example), support for instrument side-chain outputs and support for DAE's categorized effects menu.

Enhanced plug-in operation

As a complete production environment, Digital Performer 6 adds many enhancements for hosting third-party audio plug-ins.

The Digital Performer engineering team collaborates with Apple engineering on a on-going basis to continue developing the Audio Unit (AU) plug-in specification with new and improved host/plug-in API's that add exciting new features and better performance.

DP6 includes many enhancements that are a result of this collaboration, including:

• Sample accurate timing — Third-party AU virtual instrument plug-ins are now 100% sample accurate, providing the tightest possible timing between MIDI tracks in DP6 and their AU instrument output.
  
• Side chain inputs — DP6 supports AU plug-in side chain inputs.
  
• Cocoa support — DP6 now supports all Cocoa-based graphics in third-party AU plug-ins.
  
• Ramp automation — DP6 supports ramp-based automation for all automatable AU plug-ins that also support it.
  
• Control surface support — All AU plug-in parameters can be controlled with external control surfaces such as the new Euphonix MC Control™ and MC Mix™ Artist Series controllers, the Mackie Control Universal Pro™ and other supported worksurface devices.
  
• Prioritized MIDI — There is an emerging class of AU instrument plug-in products such as the Access Virus TI™ and Synful Orchestra™ that take advantage of the AU spec's new prioritized MIDI specification, which allows DP6 to take full advantage of the features in these products.

Plug-in Manager

DP6's new plug-in management features help you manage large numbers of audio plug-ins — from the dozens of plug-ins included with DP6 to hundreds of third-party plug-ins (sold separately). You can enable or disable individual plug-ins, create plug-in sets, make plug-ins load even if they don't pass AU validation, re-examine updated plug-ins for validation and more.

Dedicated plug-in Preset menu

A dedicated Preset menu in the Effects window gives you quick access to both factory and user presets. When the menu is closed, the currently loaded preset is displayed; if it's been edited, it becomes italicized to show you at a glance. Next and previous preset buttons have also been added, and can be controlled with standard Mac keyboard shortcuts or from your MIDI controller.

Enhanced softsynth operation

With greatly enhanced CPU efficiency, Digital Performer 6 lets you run more virtual instruments than ever before.

With a whole new approach to hosting softsynths, DP6 delivers significant performance gains for DP's included MAS instruments and third-party Audio Unit instruments alike. you can run many more sequenced virtual instrument tracks, as DP6 now pre-renders instrument track output before playback actually begins, allowing the computer's CPU to distribute the required processing beforehand, rather than in real time. You'll use instruments in the same familiar way, just more of them at the same time.

Because they are now pre-rendered, instrument tracks can now be included in Bounce to Disk operations without the need to "freeze" the instrument track beforehand.

Direct audio CD burning

Master and burn your own audio CDs directly in DP.

Simply drop your songs into a track, add markers for index points anywhere you want (even in the middle of a song). You can use DP's powerful fade and automation tools and apply mastering plug-in processing as desired. Then, choose "Bounce to Disk" with a format of "Burn Audio CD". DP6 creates a standard audio CD for use in any CD player. DP can also create a disk image for easy replication and archiving.

DP6 productivity enhancements

Drum Editor edit grid

You can now use triplet, dotted, and double-dotted resolutions in the Drum Editor.

Help tags toggle

For the seasoned pro, Digital Performer's floating tool-tip Help tags can be toggled off.