MOTU Digital Performer Audio Workstation Software

About: MOTU Digital Performer Audio Workstation Software

Artistry and engineering in elegant counterpoint

Exciting new plug-in processors, a powerful synth and many workflow enhancements headline this major new upgrade.

Spark your creativity, then refine your mix — all in a singular workflow. Digital Performer delivers inspirational features devised to ignite your creative muse, combined with state-of-the-art studio production technologies engineered for the most demanding, world-class recording and production environments.

MX4™
Mega MultiSynth with new EDM soundbank

Meet the 64-bit instrument plug-in powerhouse for your Digital Performer desktop. Inspired by legendary subtractive synthesizers, MX4 combines several core synthesis techniques in a unified, hybrid synthesis engine that delivers fresh and vintage sounds alike. As you explore its many banks and hundreds of presets, you'll soon rely on MX4 as your "go-to" instrument. Fat basses, nasty leads, analog pads, vintage electronica — it's all at your fingertips and conveniently saved with your DP projects for instant recall.

Signature EDM soundbank for MX4
Spark your EDM tracks with cutting-edge sounds

Developed by synth guru Erik Norlander, this exciting new soundbank spans the EDM sound spectrum, from deep house to neo disco to electro swing. You'll find presets that inspire new directions, and with a little tweaking, define your unique sound. Browse dozens of basses, leads, pads, arps, sample & hold and rhythm blocks. These presets are a showcase for MX4 as a synth programming powerhouse.

Seven new plug-ins for DP
From vintage compression to mega synthesis,
you'll use these plug-ins every day to take your productions from initial inspiration to final mastering.

MasterWorks FET-76™
The 1176LN peak limiter reborn

Digital Performer's spot-on emulation of the classic 1176LN compressor includes all the quirks of the revered D/E revisions, including "all buttons" mode for absolute slamming, when needed.

MultiFuzz™
Craig Anderton's QuadraFuzz reborn

There's no fuzz box quite like Craig Anderton's seminal QuadraFuzz™ — except DP9's new MultiFuzz™, which faithfully reproduces the unique fuzz tones of the original hardware kit from the 70's.

MegaSynth™
Turn your guitar into a synthesizer

MegaSynth combines polyphonic octave generation with flexible signal routing, envelopes, LFOS, a pattern generator and macros. Input your guitar — or any signal — and let the synthesis mayhem begin!

MicroG™
Polyphonic octave generator for guitar

MicroG is a subtractive synth processor that emulates polyphonic octave generators (POGs) streamlined for guitar. Try it on vocals, instruments or any type of signal for truly unique effects!

MicroB™
Polyphonic octave generator for bass

Tuned for bass guitar, MicroB lets you get your Funkadelic on, with that classic bass sound from the 70's made popular by Parliament. But that's just the beginning with this synth processor.

Hardware Insert
Bring in your outboard gear

Got a vintage compressor or favorite hardware reverb? Bring all your outboard gear into your DP effects chains with ease using the new Hardware Insert plug-in, complete with latency compensation.

SMPTE-Z™
Time code generator

Generate SMPTE time code locked to DP's time line, or freewheel independently, for effortless sync. Route time code anywhere in your system, at any standard frame rate. Print time code tracks with ease.

Productivity enhancements
DP9 is loaded with new features to speed your workflow
and inspire your creativity

Next-gen Pre-gen™ engine
Run more plug-ins and VI's than ever before

DP9's enhanced pre-rendering engine delivers an incredible jump in your computer's CPU performance. Run more plug-ins and virtual instruments than ever before, with seamless transition between pre-gen and real-time operation. You won't believe how many plug-ins you can run in DP version 9!

Reduced host buffer latency
Enjoy industry-leading latency performance

Host buffer latency under OS X has been cut in half. In addition, DP's audio engine has been optimized for low buffer settings. The result? Industry-leading I/O performance. In a round-trip latency (RTL) test using a 1248 over Thunderbolt, DP achieved RTL of 1.6 ms with a 32 sample buffer at 96 kHz.

Automation lanes
Clarify your automation data

Mix automation can add life to a flat mix, allowing it to breath with the musical ebb and flow of the track. Automation lanes display each type of automation data — volume, pan, plug-in settings like filter cutoff — in their own lane below the parent track, giving you the clarity you need to perfectly dial in your automated mix. Show as many lanes as you like. Display any type of automation data you wish, for audio tracks, instrument tracks and MIDI tracks.

Spectral display
See your audio's frequency content with color and clarity

Digital Performer 9 can display the spectral content of each audio track, side by side with their waveforms, directly in the Sequence Editor time line. Vertical position represents frequency; brightness represents intensity. This gives you a colorful, informative visual representation of the frequency content of your tracks within the context of surrounding tracks — and your entire mix. The Spectrogram display can be invaluable in helping you effectively balance and manage the frequency content of your mix over time. Choose from among a dozen compelling color schemes.

Retina graphics
Take full advantage of your display's amazing resolution

Digital Performer 9 takes full advantage of your Mac's Retina™ display, delivering stunning graphic resolution, clarity and color depth to your Digital Performer experience.

MIDI Learn for audio plug-ins
Punch, twist and swipe your audio with hands-on control

Working with plug-ins in Digital Performer has just become a hands-on experience: now you can sweep filters, morph macros and toggle bypass switches with the physical controls on your favorite MIDI controller. Mapping is easy: just click the Learn button and hit your controller. Molding your sound has never been more interactive.

MusicXML export
Export your DP score to other notation apps with accuracy and ease

Digital Performer's QuickScribe notation window has long been recognized for its elegant transcription of non-quantized MIDI tracks. DP9's new MusicXML export feature lets you transfer QuickScribe's beautiful notation to other MusicXML-savvy notation programs, such as Finale™ and Sibelius™, while preserving QuickScribe's elegant transcription, including key signatures, meter changes, dynamic markings, lyrics, transpositions and even marker text. Your score will look fantastic and you'll save huge amounts of time because you won't have to "clean up" the score in the other program.

Create Tracks command
Build an entire DP project in one operation

Create Tracks lets you make dozens of audio, MIDI and instrument tracks in one operation. Quickly set up new projects or add tracks to existing projects.
A huge time saver!

Project Notes
Save text notes directly in your project

Now you can save text notes in your DP project, rather than in a separate text document. Log production info, keep a To Do list, build up liner notes.

More searching
Find markers and chunks faster

Like most list windows in DP, the Markers and Chunks windows now have search fields, allowing you to quickly find markers and chunks when the lists get long.

Mute MIDI Notes
Mute notes with the Mute tool

DP's Mute tool is a convenient way to temporarily mute audio regions. Now it can mute MIDI notes, too — even multiple selected notes with one click.

Floating plug-ins
Keep them in front, always

Keep your potent processors front and center as you work. Set the floating preference globally or choose to float on a per window basis for complete control.

3rd-party video hardware
Use Blackmagic and AJA video hardware

DP now supports video output through video hardware from Blackmagic Design and AJA Video Systems.

Support for Softube Console 1
Real console feel from Softube

Softube's Console 1 integrates a hardware console with premium plug-in processing, for real console feel.

More vertical zooming
Zoom larger in the Tracks Overview

DP 9 adds more vertical zoom steps in the Tracks Overview so that tracks can be even taller.

View menu
Take a different view

The new View menu consolidates many features, new and existing, related to managing what you see.

Custom track layouts
Save and recall your own track layouts

Show and hide tracks with new commands in the View menu. Save as many custom track layouts as you wish and recall them with a single keystroke.

Enhanced track selector
Manage large sessions with greater ease

The Track List now displays the track selector, which can be popped out and used as a global track selector for all windows.