MOTU Digital Performer 7 Revealed!
Without fanfare (and before we even got a press release), this morning MOTU posted on its Web site details of Digital Performer 7. We at EM assumed that a new version would be announced by January’s NAMM show, and this news caught us completely by surprise.
For guitarists, the addition of modeled guitar amps and stompboxes will be particularly exciting. The Custom ’59 plug-in emulates three classic guitar amps and isn’t afraid to name names: the Fender Bassman, Marshall JTM45 and Marshall JCM800. You can even mix and match tone stacks and preamp tubes and circuitry to customize your own amp model. Modeled speaker cabinets are the domain of Live Room | G, which emulates five cabs and up to four simultaneous microphones. You also get a nice variety of virtual effects pedals, including a modeled Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer (with user-definable mods), MXR Distortion+, Electro-Harmonix Big Muff ∏, Boss Chorus Ensemble, and Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive.
In the Consolidated Window, DP7’s resizable Channel Strip displays all the mixer settings for whatever track you’re working on, and you can place inline EQ and dynamics right in the mixer channels. Other new functions include consolidated V-Racks, AU instrument sidechains, support for Pro Tools|HD hardware and the ability to print lead sheets. There’s much more to DP7 than I have space to cover here. For additional details, visit MOTU’s DP7 Web pages, where you can read more, watch video clips and listen to audio examples.
DP7 is available now for the retail price of $795, and upgrades from previous versions are $195. You can also crossgrade from other DAWs for $395. Of special note is that for an additional $99, upgrades include MX4 2.2, one of my all-time favorite soft synths, which normally sells for $295. If you don’t have MX4 already, I highly recommend it, especially at this bargain price.
