DP 5: features, enhancements, issues

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:14 am

In the interest of establishing a single thread that is devoted to DP 5 and its featuers, enhancements, issues, and just our general responses to it, I'm starting this one. Use it if you like. Or start your own. I just thought we'd try to consolidate under one appropriate title.

Ok, to start off with, I see some things I already love:

1) Add and name markers on the fly. Yippeee! Another long-time request has closure.

2) "Wait" Button behaviors. If you've ever used the Wait button to start your recording, you know how sensitive it can be. If you hit a pedal, breathe into a breath controller, or touch anything, it's off and running whether or not you intended for it to start. This new preference enables you to limit the start cue to a 1) note, 2) a controller or note, or 3) any MIDI activity. Wow! That will save me a lot of false starts when using the WX5 Wind Controller by Yamaha, which sends MIDI info when you even so much as put it in your mouth.

3) Pre-Rendered Effects: Already mentioned in another thread, this saves on processing by doing a "mini-freeze" of effects every time you close an effects window. You can choose to run the effect in real-time, avoiding the pre-rendering if you desire. It was described as an annoyance by one poster, but I see it as a great asset (especially since I use an older dual 1GHz G4).

4) Import/Export Audio Bundles. No more setting up audio bundles in each file. Just import it from another.

5) Set Track Color from Sequence Editor, Mixing Board, and V-Rack with Control-Click on the track name.

Enjoy the new stuff--

Shooshie

BobK · Post by **BobK** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:28 am

Would you indulge this impatient kid (my copy doesn't arrive for another week) and describe the markers feature? If this is what I'm hoping it is, I'll be delighted - it's something I've emailed MOTU about...

aplanchard · Post by **aplanchard** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:28 am

I have been adding markers on the fly for a long time -- Control M. Is there enhanced capability in version 5?

blue · Post by **blue** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:51 am

thanks, shooshie for attempting to start a single dp5 thread. i hope others post here as well.

a couple of the things you report as new have actually been part of dp's feature set for a while, so i'm curious if maybe the functionality of those features has been improved in some way. markers on the fly, for instance. i've been able to do that for a while. also, importing audio bundles could be done through the load command, though i always found that process sort of cumbersome. setting track colors was available in the sequencing editor but not the mixer, so that's cool.

i'm curious, have you noticed much in the way of cpu savings when opening an older project in dp5? does the pre-rendering of effects help that much, or is it more trouble than it's worth. i could see how this would be great for heavier plugs like altiverb, but annoying for the eqs and compressors i have on every track. it would be great if motu could create plugin-specific prefs for this feature, so you could turn it off for plugins that don't require much juice.

anyway, thanks for the report. keep 'em comin' everbody!

TechSupport · Post by **TechSupport** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 11:09 am

aplanchard wrote:I have been adding markers on the fly for a long time -- Control M. Is there enhanced capability in version 5?

There is a new command in DP 5, Add Marker & Edit Options. It doesn't have a key binding by default, but you can assign one in the Commands list. When invoked, this command brings up a dialog allowing you to name the marker you are creating, and also set its streamer & punch settings.

waxman · Post by **waxman** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 11:13 am

Yeah that is cool... crtl M and then having to option click and type the name before the next marker was always a bit interesting. I call it beat the clock...

BobK · Post by **BobK** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 11:43 am

That dialog is exactly what I wanted (and requested), so I could name markers when adding them, without having to go to the markers window.
Saw that in PTLE last year, and immediately begged MOTU to add it. Nice little workflow enhancement.

Thanks, Josh, and thanks DP development team!

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 11:57 am

blue wrote:thanks, shooshie for attempting to start a single dp5 thread. i hope others post here as well.

a couple of the things you report as new have actually been part of dp's feature set for a while, so i'm curious if maybe the functionality of those features has been improved in some way. markers on the fly, for instance. i've been able to do that for a while. also, importing audio bundles could be done through the load command, though i always found that process sort of cumbersome. setting track colors was available in the sequencing editor but not the mixer, so that's cool.

i'm curious, have you noticed much in the way of cpu savings when opening an older project in dp5? does the pre-rendering of effects help that much, or is it more trouble than it's worth. i could see how this would be great for heavier plugs like altiverb, but annoying for the eqs and compressors i have on every track. it would be great if motu could create plugin-specific prefs for this feature, so you could turn it off for plugins that don't require much juice.

anyway, thanks for the report. keep 'em comin' everbody!

You've always been able to add markers on the fly, but not name them. This enables you to do both. You can leave streamers and other options for video. I'll try to give more detail later. I'm typing in my Powerbook, while DP is running on my Quicksilver tower, as I want my first couple of tours of DP5 to be without external variables (like Safari running in background). Later, when I can do screenshots or copy/paste from the ReadMe file, I'll attempt to add more details.

The ability to import bundles directly will be less cumbersome, as you said, which I welcome. Also, the ability to change colors on V-Rack tracks will be welcomed.

The pre-rendering does indeed lower the CPU hit of Altiverb. But I don't get the feeling (so far) that there is any general CPU headroom gain otherwise. In other words, I don't think DP 5 is generally any more efficient than DP4.61, but I'm just starting out in it. I may change my mind later after I see a few more projects and try some recording, mixing, etc. But the pre-rendering does indeed make it seem more efficient, which basically means that it IS more efficient.

Shooshie

aplanchard · Post by **aplanchard** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 11:57 am

TechSupport wrote:
aplanchard wrote:I have been adding markers on the fly for a long time -- Control M. Is there enhanced capability in version 5?
There is a new command in DP 5, Add Marker & Edit Options. It doesn't have a key binding by default, but you can assign one in the Commands list. When invoked, this command brings up a dialog allowing you to name the marker you are creating, and also set its streamer & punch settings.

Great!! Thanks.

billf · Post by **billf** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:07 pm

Good thread Shoosie. Here's my issue:

My DP5 is still on a UPS truck somewhere in the middle of the country. I'm feeling antiquated being on DP 4.61 while the rest of you are celebrating and swapping DP5 war stories.

What shall I do until the Brown UPS truck arrives at the end of the week with my golden DP 5 package?

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:08 pm

Let me say something that is 128% cool:

-------METER BRIDGE--------

I'm serious. The meter bridge rocks. I've wanted this since the first day I ever used Digital Performer. The Mixing Board was ok, but it's not the meter bridge. The meter bridge is

My thanks to the MOTU Team for a great new release of our favorite music-maker. You guys are hot!

Shooshie

Dragonwind · Post by **Dragonwind** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:08 pm

Shooshie wrote:Let me say something that is 128% cool:

-------METER BRIDGE--------

Shooshie

Sooo...what your saying is that you have a mild liking towards this meter bridge.

Chris

blue · Post by **blue** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:35 pm

yea, i'm all about the meter bridge. that alone makes me want to upgrade.

thanks for the clarifications on the new features shooshie. things are sounding really good, especially since nobody has complained about stabilty or performance yet! i'm about ready to fork over the cash.

out of curiosity, is anyone running dp5 on panther? i'm still stuck on 10.3.9 and can't upgrade until antares gets their •••• together.

taylor12k · Post by **taylor12k** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:53 pm

i'm the poster who found this feature annoying

because i open and close my plug ins a lot and don't want to hear the audio glitches, which can be extreme...

however, following up on what i quoted below, yes, the feature can be turned on or off for individual plug ins....

i was requesting a global on/off in my thread about the feature.. but maybe you've hit the key here..... maybe i should turn it off for light things that i may tweak a lot, like EQs.. but keep it on for altiverb and other "set and forget" things.. ColorTone, etc... CPU intensive stuff.

anyway... still experimenting with the feature in general... but, again, to answer your question, the feature is turned on/off on a plug in by plug in basis thru the plug in's mini menu

blue wrote:thanks, shooshie for attempting to start a single dp5 thread. i hope others post here as well.

i'm curious, have you noticed much in the way of cpu savings when opening an older project in dp5? does the pre-rendering of effects help that much, or is it more trouble than it's worth. i could see how this would be great for heavier plugs like altiverb, but annoying for the eqs and compressors i have on every track. it would be great if motu could create plugin-specific prefs for this feature, so you could turn it off for plugins that don't require much juice.

blue · Post by **blue** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 2:25 pm

taylor12k wrote:but, again, to answer your question, the feature is turned on/off on a plug in by plug in basis thru the plug in's mini menu

but can you turn it off globally per each plugin? that's what i would want. to keep it on for all instances of altiverb, but off for all instances of, say, renn comp.