Back at NAMM in January MOTU (Mark of the Unicorn) announced plans for their flagship DAW (digital audio workstation) Digital Performer to jump to both Mac AND Windows with the release of version 8. Original release was planned for the spring, but today MOTU announced that both Mac and Windows versions are now available – and we also get pricing on the software and myriad upgrade deals!
Here are some key new features:
?64-bit support – Digital Performer’s 64-bit support ensures that you can take full advantage of all the memory space in your computer for optimum performance from your MOTU desktop studio.
?Windows 7 support – Version 8 brings Digital Performer’s award-winning design and features to Windows 7 and beyond. Operation is almost identical to the Mac version, making it easy to work on either platform.
?17 new effects plug-ins – Digital Performer’s 17 new plug-ins add to an array of over 80 included effects. You get everything from modeled analog EQ to realistic convolution reverb.
?15 new themes – Digital Performer gives you dozens of user interface themes that completely transform the look of the app.
?Punch Guard confidence recording – Digital Performer’s new Punch Guard features always captures extra time before and after punch points, so you can simply uncover any additional material with a simple edge edit.
?100% Cocoa UI for Mac OS X – Many of the third-party plug-ins you’ll use everyday with Digital Performer are in the process of being converted from Carbon to Mac OS X’s ultra-modern Cocoa UI platform, and Digital Performer is 100% ready to host them. Cocoa is the future, and Digital Performer is there.
?New video playback engine – Enjoy full-screen viewing of 720 or 1080 HD video clips on a primary or secondary computer monitor, or on a conventional HDMI or SDI video monitor connected to a MOTU video interface like the HD Express or HDX-SDI.
?In-line control panel – You can now embed the control panel in the consolidated window to conserve screen space. Customize what appears, including the shortcut buttons and editor tools. Pop it in or out at any time.
?Plug-in management – Version 8’s new plug-in chooser lets you organize and quickly find the effect or preset you are looking for. You can also organize all your plug-ins, factory and third-party alike, just the way you prefer, regardless of format.
?Rewire and VST plug-in support – With support for VST plug-ins and Rewire on both Mac and Windows, you can easily move DP projects from one platform to the other seamlessly, with no additional steps required. Just open the project and go.
Pricing is as follows:
- ~$495 for a single license
- $395 for an upgrade from a competing product
- $395 for an upgrade from AudioDesk
- $295 for an upgrade from any Performer version
- $195 for an upgrade from earlier Digital Performer versions
This is one of the premiere DAW software tools, and is incredibly powerful for working with MIDI, audio and video, integrates tons of features and external support, and can help you create just about anything you can imagine. I have been using it for more than 25 years and cannot imagine anything else meeting my needs the same way.
Head to the official Digital Performer site for more details!