Fwd: MOTU DP4 is now shipping with new "Freeze Tracks" feature

[Peter Kirn]

Yes, but where's mine? :-)

Some great stuff in the release -- it may be worth the wait!

Peter

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Jim Cooper <jim at motu.com>
> Date: Tue Apr 15, 2003  16:30:37 Canada/Eastern
> To: vip <jim at motu.com>
> Subject: MOTU DP4 is now shipping with new "Freeze Tracks" feature
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
> DIGITAL PERFORMER 4.0 NOW SHIPPING WITH NEW "FREEZE TRACKS" FEATURE
>
> Print-ready and web-ready product images are here:
>
> http://www.motu.com/marketing/motu_products/software/ 
> digital_performer_4.0/
>
> CAMBRIDGE, MA - Tuesday, April 15, 2003. MOTU, Inc. (www.motu.com) is  
> now
> shipping Digital Performer 4.0 (DP4) for Mac OS X. DP4 includes a  
> previously
> unannounced Freeze Tracks feature that allows users to temporarily  
> "print"
> audio tracks and virtual instrument tracks to disk to free up  
> additional
> computer processing resources.
>
> "Initial DP4 orders shipped to the retail channel on our announced  
> target
> date of April 2nd, 2003," said Jim Cooper, MOTU Marketing Director.  
> "Since
> then, manufacturing has steadily ramped up to fulfill thousands of  
> upgrade
> orders. On behalf of the entire Digital Performer development team,  
> I’d like
> to thank our dedicated users for their patience."
>
> As a "Mach-O" app, DP4 takes full advantage of Mac OS X’s modern
> architecture and built-in MIDI and audio services, delivering
> never-before-seen features such as CoreMIDI XML MIDI instrument patch  
> lists.
> DP4 carries forward hundreds of patch lists from previous versions and
> publishes them for any Mac OS X application that supports this new Mac  
> OS X
> standard.
>
> DP4 ships with a previously unannounced surprise feature: Freeze  
> Tracks.
> Users can select an audio track or virtual instrument aux track and  
> "freeze"
> it. Doing so temporarily relinquishes any computer processing  
> resources the
> track required. The resulting frozen track plays back exactly like the
> original. Users can "unfreeze" the original track at any time to make
> changes and refreeze it as needed. The Freeze Tracks feature gives  
> users
> nearly unlimited computer processing bandwidth for
> plug-ins and virtual instruments.
>
> Other features in DP4 include:
>
> - Support for CoreAudio - Digital Performer 4.0 takes full advantage  
> of Mac
> OS X's audio services, providing universal compatibility and
> interoperability with Mac OS X and all CoreAudio-compatible software  
> and
> hardware.
>
> - Support for multiple CoreAudio drivers – users can operate multiple  
> audio
> hardware products simultaneously with Digital Performer. For example,  
> a MOTU
> 828 FireWire audio interface can be used together with a MOTU 2408mk3  
> PCI
> audio interface - or any combination of CoreAudio-compatible  
> interfaces.
>
> - Support for CoreMIDI - Digital Performer 4.0 takes full advantage of  
> Mac
> OS X's MIDI services, providing universal compatibility and  
> interoperability
> with OS X and all CoreMIDI-compatible software and hardware.
>
> - Support for Mac OS X's Audio MIDI Setup utility – This standard  
> utility
> provides universal MIDI system management. Digital Performer 4.0  
> shares a
> common studio setup with all Mac OS X MIDI applications.
>
> - Easy device remapping from FreeMIDI to CoreMIDI - When users open a
> project created in an earlier version of Digital Performer, they can  
> easily
> remap their old FreeMIDI devices to the new devices in their Audio MIDI
> Setup configuration.
>
> - Support for Mac OS X's MIDI device patch lists and drum note names –  
> uses
> can view the sounds in their MIDI synthesizers by name in Digital
> Performer's patch lists. Drum kits can be built with instrument names  
> like
> "808 kick" and "sizzling hat" rather than "C#1" and "D-0". All of  
> FreeMIDI's
> hundreds of patch lists have been ported to Mac OS X, where they can  
> by used
> by any CoreMIDI-compatible software.
>
> - Support for interapplication MIDI - Digital Performer can publish an
> unlimited number of MIDI inputs and outputs, allowing it to transmit  
> and
> receive a virtually unlimited number of MIDI data streams to and from  
> other
> CoreMIDI-compatible software.
>
> - Support for Mac OS X's MIDI Time Stamping – DP4 achieves a 12th of a
> millisecond MIDI timing accuracy on input and a 3rd of a millisecond on
> output with Mac OS X's MIDI Time Stamping features and a MOTU  
> rack-mount
> MIDI interface (or any CoreMIDI-compatible interface that supports time
> stamping).
>
> - Enhanced menu organization – DP4 users enjoy greater ease of use and
> faster operation. For example, all project-related commands, such as  
> adding
> tracks, are now consolidated into the Project menu.
>
> - ReWire 2.0 support – DP4 provides 100% compatibility and  
> interoperability
> with Propellerhead Reason™ 2.0, Rebirth™ and all other Rewire  
> applications.
> Includes direct MIDI I/O support, which allows users to sequence MIDI  
> tracks
> in Digital Performer and use Reason (or other ReWire instruments) as  
> virtual
> sound modules.
>
> - Enhanced QuickScribe notation transcription engine - displays and  
> prints
> unquantized MIDI tracks as beautifully engraved music scores,  
> instrument
> parts and lead sheets.
>
> - QuickScribe Arrangement palette - provides repeat barlines, endings,
> codas, del segno and many other symbols that are used to create a
> consolidated score or lead sheet. The new "Hide" command consolidates
> repeated sections between repeat barlines. The playback cursor follows
> repeats, jumps to endings and codas, and generally follows the flow of  
> a
> condensed score.
>
> - 'Display-only' and 'playback-only' notes – allows users fine-tune the
> appearance of their score for printing, without affecting how it plays  
> back.
> Or they can change the way a score plays back without affecting the  
> notation
> transcription.
>
> DP4 features that are on the way - to be supplied as a free update  
> soon:
>
> - Support for Audio Units plug-ins - A future free update of DP 4 will
> support Audio Units (AU) plug-ins. Users will be able to run any
> AU-compatible plug-in or virtual instrument in their DP4 projects.
>
> - Support for Pro Tools|HD and TDM - A future free update of DP4 will
> provide support for Pro Tools hardware running under the Digidesign  
> Audio
> Engine (DAE), allowing DP4 to serve as the software front end for a Pro
> Tools HD or MIX TDM system of any size.
>
> Users who currently own Digital Performer can order the DP4 upgrade  
> online
> at www.motu.com. A competitive crossgrade is also available.
>
> # # #
>
> CONTACT INFORMATION:
>
> Mark of the Unicorn, Inc.
> 1280 Massachusetts Ave.
> Cambridge, MA 02138
> Phone: (617) 576-2760
> Fax: (617) 576-3609
> Email: info at motu.com
> Web: www.motu.com
>
> Press contact: Jim Cooper
> Phone: (617) 576-2760
> FAX: (617) 576-3609
> Email: jim at motu.com
>
> MOTU is a leading developer of computer based music and audio recording
> software and hardware peripherals. Mark of the Unicorn and Digital  
> Performer
> are registered trademarks of Mark of the Unicorn, Inc. Other products
> mentioned are the trademarks of their respective manufacturers.
>