Has anyone seen DP 8? Building a Windows DAW

[sampolfonz]

I'm making the move to a Windows box, anxiously awaiting the DP 8 release.
Has anyone seen v8 yet? Any experience ?

A friend is building me a Windows 7 box with these components for doing audio on a PC:

Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2 GHz, six core desktop processor
Asus P9X79 Deluxe LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6 Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI Bios
Rosewill THOR V2-White Edition Thor V2-W Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Case
2 One-TB Seagate Barracuda Internal Drives
ASUS EAH670/DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128 =-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
XION AXP-1000K14XE 1000W ATX SLI ready CrossFire Ready 80+ Bronze Modular Power Supply
G SKILL Ripjaws X Seris 16 GB (2 x 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 (total of 32 Gig)
Noctua NH-U9DX 1366 Dual Heat-Pipe SSO Bearing Quiet CPU Cooler
Windows 7 64 bit

Any comments....I'm not sure where Apple is going with their PCIe based machines and I think I'm just going to take the plunge and move now.

Thanks,
Sam

[David Polich]

Well, a lot of us who attended the 2012 NAMM show saw a demo of DP8.
But no one outside of MOTU employees or contractors/beta testers (who are under NDA agreements) has "seen" DP8 in action on their own computer.

You'll have to wait until the actual release of DP8.

[theirongiant]

You'll have to wait until the actual release of DP8.

It's been 7 months since NAMM, which is a pretty long time in software development cycles. Sony just released their flagship software on the Mac.

Which begs the question: whither, DP8?

[Michael Canavan]

Had some reason to call MOTU recently and bothered to ask. The lady was very straightforward about it, here's the gist of what she said:
Some bugs were found right before our projected release time, they are working on it, and it will be ready when the bugs are fixed. We hope you can be patient. You don't want us to release it to you with bugs do you?

[Shooshie]

You'll have to wait until the actual release of DP8.

It's been 7 months since NAMM, which is a pretty long time in software development cycles. Sony just released their flagship software on the Mac.

Which begs the question: whither, DP8?

Dudes, this has been debated ad-infinitum. Just consider the following:

• DP8 is a 100% departure from all old code.
• DP8 will be 100% developed in the Cocoa environment for the first time.
• DP8 is moving to future technologies in the Cocoa environment, and is distancing itself from the old machines and operating systems.
• DP8 will be adding Windows compatibility for the first time ever.
• MOTU has resolved to release everything in DP8 on both platforms -- Mac and Windows -- simultaneously. Even if the Mac version is ready, it won't be released until the Windows version is also reliable. Creating a DAW for Windows is a whole different bag of tricks. Windows has historically not been capable of the accuracy in timing that we take for granted in Macs. I'm talking about the versions SINCE XP. And something that's compatible with Windows has to work on a number of operating systems with an infinite combination of hardware. This is no easy thing to do.

Methinks MOTU has bitten off a sizable chunk to chew on, and it's no surprise that they're still chewing. DP7.24 is a joy to use. I absolutely do not want MOTU to release an upgrade to something that is less joy to use than what I currently have. I say "MOTU, keep on working until it's perfect. Do not rush quality. Ignore the critics. Do the best that is possible, and release it ONLY when it's ready. We'll be here."

Shooshie

[sampolfonz]

Shooshie,

Totally in agreement here.

Since I am considering my new computer to be a pc for audio work, I want it to be exactly right, no issues...so, we will wait.

Enjoying Studio One 2 Pro right now. Have you ever seriously looked at this? It's really good. The ARA integration of Melodyne is absolutely fantastic. When needing to use Melodyne, the entire audio file need not be scanned, only the portion that is needing to be pitch corrected is sent over. It's pretty sweet.

I haven't completely buried my DP dreams yet, however if I keep getting used to Studio One, it's gonna be hard to go back.

Sam

[jlaudon]

Check out pitch correction in DP (been around a long time , no need to 'send' over to a plugin - the whole track is ready right away, definitely a huge time saver)?

[sampolfonz]

Yes, I have used it many times. It is just not as accurate or as easy to use as Melodyne.

[Shooshie]

Yes, I have used it many times. It is just not as accurate or as easy to use as Melodyne.

Accurate? It gets the pitch perfectly in tune. What's not accurate about that?

I concede that occasionally I have trouble getting the pitch to move. It's more like a mouse issue -- it happens in lots of apps, where it occasionally requires me to grab it a few times before it moves. I don't know if MOTU could fix that or not. It may be Apple's problem. But other than that, it's pretty darned easy to use. You see the pitch. If it's off, you move it on, and then it's on. It doesn't get much simpler.

Oh well. Melodyne is made for things like that. I suppose it would have to have some advantages, or nobody would want it. But DP's pitch correction is so good that I've never lamented not having Melodyne.

Shooshie

[mikehalloran]

Did I miss something? Does Melodyne now work in DP 7.24 under OS 10.7/8?

[sampolfonz]

I was describing Melodyne in Studio One Pro 2

[sampolfonz]

DP's pitch correction is good, but not as good as Melodyne. Melodyne's corrected pitches sound more natural. The note can be completely changed, completely changed and it sounds natural. It's really pretty amazing how good it sounds.

If a note is moved the same interval in DP, it does not sound as natural. It just doesn't. I've done it several times and the results are evident.

Still cant wait for DP 8 though.

[kassonica]

DP's pitch correction is good, but not as good as Melodyne. Melodyne's corrected pitches sound more natural. The note can be completely changed, completely changed and it sounds natural. It's really pretty amazing how good it sounds.

If a note is moved the same interval in DP, it does not sound as natural. It just doesn't. I've done it several times and the results are evident.

Still cant wait for DP 8 though.

Yep I have to agree with this, at least in part.

DP's pitch correction sounds best when it's a quarter tone or less out. Once it's a semi or more it sounds pretty unnatural.

I can still hear the effect even when it's minor adjustment though, but I bet most can't.

[Klaus]

In live recordings with weak signals and noise, DP will sometimes not even detect the pitch...
That is where I definitively have to merge bits and open in Melodyne...
Maybe I'm missing some settings ?

Klaus

[trackology]

I love the IDEA of being able to correct pitch directly within DP and it put virtually no strain on my system. I have experienced the aforementioned issues grabbing the pitch in DP and it's rather frustrating! Don't see how this could be an Apple problem, considering the entire UI was developed for and on the Mac OS!!! MOTU needs to fix it, not Apple!

Being introduced to Melodyne about a year ago, I have to say that I LOVE IT. I use it all the time. It is a hassle bouncing audio in and out of Melodyne though. That's why I love the IDEA of DPs integrated pitch correction. No bouncing back & forth!

In addition to the mouse issues in DP pitch correction. I have the following issues which, if improved by MOTU, would make DP pitch correction a thing to be coveted by every other DAW.

1. Display - Melodyne's display is extremely clear and appealing to the eye. The corresponding keyboard view is a must. DP shows the piano roll but it disappears once you make the view so large. WHY??? Why not keep the keyboard roll up to 100%? And it's difficult to read the notes in DP - but this is a horribly persistent problem throughout the DP app. The fonts are just TOO small!!!! Lots of squinting going on, especially in the timeline!

2. Audible pitch on grab! In Melodyne, you have the option to hear the pitch as soon as you grab it and start to correct the pitch. In fact, depending on where on note you grab it, it will give you the various pitches during the length of the note! Brilliant! Why doesn't DP offer this? Sure, you can select a region and use Option+Spc to play but when you're correcting pitch, you want the least amount of extra mouse selections and keystrokes as possible. There's nothing more simple than clicking and immediately hearing what you click! Waves Tune also won't play the pitch when clicked on but will sound a note if you click on the piano roll to the left. But Melodyne wins big here!

3. Pitch drift!!!!!! Man oh man - this tool in Melodyne is also brilliant! THIS is the main thing keeping me from fully embracing DP pitch correction. Many singers bend notes which can make pitch correction difficult. Do I want to use the front or the end of this note???? No worries; Melodyne will straighten things out for you very simply! Just choose the pitch drift tool, click on the note and drag until desired straightness!

If DP implements these changes, I'm sold!