Is Recession Over for Musicians?
MOTU's Digital Performer 8 for Mac and Windows
Is the recession over for musicians?
If the many offerings of the 2012 NAMM show are any indication, it may be.
The pickings have been considerably more anemic over the last year or two, but this time around a robust offering of innovative new products at more realistic prices suggests that we’re coming into a better world for musicians.
Tops in personal interest for me as an experimental composer is news of MOTU Digital Performer version 8. Key items mentioned make it an upgrade I will make – 64-bit compatibility and the availability of a Windows version.
The 64-bit feature is key. In the current 32-bit version one could only access 4 GB of memory for the music system. 64-bit means we are limited only by how much RAM we have in our computers.
Many of us have massive sound libraries. Hell, MOTU’s own Mach V version 3 craps out on the larger instruments in 32 bit mode. Everything else MOTU adds to FP8 is gravy in my book, and experience tells me that this will be a major upgrade on many more fronts than this.
The addition of a bunch of new bundled plug-ins, new themes and the ability to send full-screen 720P or 1080 video to another screen adds to my excitement about this new version.
News that Waves plug-ins will soon be 64-bit compatible, and that the company is dropping the iLok protection scheme, is highly welcome.
Arturia Minibrute Analog Synthesizer
As is news of two very affordable and powerful new analog synthesizers on the market – Arturia’s MiniBrute and Moog’s Minitaur.
A whole bunch of promising apps and external gear for smart phones and pads adds to the affordability of musical tech.
And on the laptop front, Blue’s Tiki USB microphone may kill two birds with one stone by creating an inexpensive plug-in microphone that intelligently cuts through the noise. Could be a valuable voice-over tool for video road warriors, and at $60 retail, hard not to take a shot at.
We’re starting to see the first audio and video interfaces with the new Thunderbolt technology hitting the market as well, and Universal Audio’s new interface with real-time UAD plug-ins suggests a major leap in music tech.