Mark of the Unicorn Shipping Digital Performer 9 for Mac and PC!

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Last year Mark of the Unicorn announced Digital Performer 8 at NAMM in January but didn’t ship until late September. This year they have turned around the new version much more quickly-Digital Performer 9 is now available with loads of new and updated features to make this an essential upgrade for all owners!

Mark of the Unicorn Shipping Digital Performer 9 for Mac and PC!

As I mentioned, Digital Performer was one of the very first MIDI sequences, appearing on the Mac back in 1985. I have been using it since 1986 and cannot imagine working without it. Last year’s version 8 upgrade was about jumping to 64-bit support and expanding to include Windows 7 – and dealing with the subsequent bugs! Now for version 9 there are some major enhancements and improvements in usability and workstreams that will help musicians put together songs and tracks more quickly than ever before.

 

Here is some of what’s new in Digital Performer 9:

MX4 MultiSynth
Now included with DP, MX4 is a powerful 64-bit virtual instrument plug-in featuring a hybrid engine that combines several forms of synthesis, including subtractive, wavetable, frequency modulation (FM), amplitude modulation (AM), and analog emulation. Included is a new EDM-inspired soundbank with 120 new presets programmed by synth guru Erik Norlander.

Five new plug-ins
New version 9 plug-ins include the meticulously crafted MasterWorks™ FET-76™ emulation of the classic 1176 limiting amplifier (revisions D/E), MultiFuzz™ model of Craig Anderton’s seminal QuadraFuzz™ distortion kit from the 70’s, MicroG™ and MicroB™ polyphonic octave generators for guitar and bass, and the mind-blowing MegaSynth™ subtractive synth processor, which lets users turn their guitar into a synthesizer. MegaSynth combines polyphonic octave generation with flexible signal routing, envelopes, LFOS, a pattern generator, and macros.

 

DP9 productivity enhancements
Automation lanes in the Sequence Editor — Display audio and MIDI automation data (volume, pan, plug-in settings, etc.) in separate lanes below each track for easier viewing and editing. Show and hide as many lanes as you wish.

Spectrogram display in the Sequence Editor — View the spectral content of each audio track, side by side with their waveforms, directly in the Sequence Editor timeline with a colorful, informative visual representation of the frequency content of your audio material.

Retina display support — View DP’s carefully crafted UI themes like Carbon Fiber, Producer and the all-new DP9 theme in stunning detail on the exceptionally high image resolution of your Mac’s Retina display.

MusicXML export — Export your DP QuickScribe notation scores as a MusicXML file, which can then be imported into popular music notation applications like Finale™ and Sibelius™. QuickScribe’s renowned notation transcription, along with dynamics and many other musical symbols, are preserved during the file transfer.

Create Tracks command — Add many tracks to your project in one step, even different types of tracks (MIDI, audio, aux, master faders, etc.) all at once.

Floating plug-in windows — Keep plug-in windows in front of all other DP windows. Set the floating preference globally or choose to float on a per-window basis.

MIDI Learn for audio plug-ins — Map knobs, faders and switches on your MIDI controller to audio plug-in parameters. Use Digital Performer’s powerful Custom Consoles feature to access advanced programming for the connection.

Mute MIDI Notes — Use the Mute Tool to temporarily silence both audio regions and MIDI notes, including multiple selected notes.

Project Notes — Save text notes in your DP project, rather than a separate text document. Log production info, keep a To Do list, build up liner notes.

More searching — Find Markers, Chunks and plug-in preferences faster with newly added search fields.

Pricing details:

  • New copy of DP9 $499
  • From previous version of DP $195
  • From competing product $395
  • From AudioDesk $395
  • From Performer $295

Head to MOTU’s Digital Performer 9 site for more info or to upgrade/buy now!

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About the Author

Michael Anderson
I have loved technology for as long as I can remember - and have been a computer gamer since the PDP-10! Mobile Technology has played a major role in my life - I have used an electronic companion since the HP95LX more than 20 years ago, and have been a 'Laptop First' person since my Compaq LTE Lite 3/20 and Powerbook 170 back in 1991! As an avid gamer and gadget-junkie I was constantly asked for my opinions on new technology, which led to writing small blurbs ... and eventually becoming a reviewer many years ago. My family is my biggest priority in life, and they alternate between loving and tolerating my gaming and gadget hobbies ... but ultimately benefits from the addition of technology to our lives!