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I still have not switched over,is it worth it?

Straight up, 5.11/5.12 is the place to start these days. Avoid .0, .01, and .10.

You've got tons of new features-- a meter bridge, new click control, streamers and punches for video, easier "add track" features, new convenience features in the Tracks Overview, the ability to import and export Bundles-- formerly called Audio Bundles, but there's so much more to it now-- like MIDI.

I like what 5.11/5.12 are set up to do.

However, different people have had every manner of experience as OSX has been updated. I had 10.4.10.1.1, but went back to 10.4.8 where things seem to work much better. That's not to ignore the fact that some are boasting great success with 10.4.9 while others are very pleased with 10.4.10..

Given that it all doesn't fall down (and given how much I liked 4.61) I find 5.11/5.12 easier for the numerous adjustments to preferences and other features it offers. No longer do you have to worry about audio running at different sample rates. DP just takes care of it without having to check and reset all sorts of configuration settings. And one nice plus is a trio of user-assignable hardware settings-- Work Quanta, Prime Seconds, and Max Work Percent in addition to other settings which help redirect CPU resources to where they are needed more.

I'm sure you've seen the features on MOTU's site. You may want to put 5.12 on another partition or create another user account, *copying* any special VI components into the new user library just to see how it feels without compromising anything.

While I highly recommend it, I will also encourage you to consider the risks of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.

I would have been happy to stick with 4.6 if I didn't need 5 for Intel compatibility. The new features are nice, but I find that I don't use or could live without most of them. 5 does seem more efficient than 4.6, so if you are hitting the limits of your computer hardware then 5 might help you get a little more mileage out of it. Check MOTU's site and see if any of the new features seal the deal for you. If not then save your money and stick with 4.6. You don't have to update just because you can.

If you're on a PPC Mac, I think 4.61 is still the most stable DP release. I have a G4 Powerbook and I'm running 5.11 (without Waves plug-ins, of course) on that, and it's a "little" faster.

The point is, if you have a system that's working, just ask yourself how much you "really" need those sparkly new features in the upgrade. In my case, I never considered track folders or a meter bridge important. The Virtual Instruments - I have tons of those already. IMO the absolute biggest deal for DP was when it became capable of running Virtual Instruments, which happened with 4.5. 4.61 added the pitch correction and the V-rack, two major bonuses. I don't think DP5 added anything close to that kind of upgrade.

An addition that might make me move to a new version of DP - a built-in convolution reverb, and...compatability with Waves.

As Frodo pointed out, it's worth it to consider the risks of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. A stable working system is a blessing not to be underestimated.

Intel Mac users haven't had a choice, on the other hand.

I use DP mainly for pitch correction (I switched to PTHD a couple of years ago as my mainstay). Even though I have DP 5.x, I still use 4.61, because of the non-stop glitching that occurs while doing pitch correction in DP 5.x. This has to do with the rendering thing. When opening or closing a plugin, one can hear a momentary glitch, due to the plugin switching to or from realtime or rendering mode. I understand that, and am not bugged by that. What DOES bug me is to hear the audio glitch as PITCH CORRECTION switches in and out of those modes. Which unfortunately happens with every single move you do. Listening intently to pitch moves while hearing the audio glitch just as you make the moves is beyond unacceptable. None of this occurs with 4.6. I mentioned this to them when it came out, both through email as well as to tech support. That was a LONG time ago! Being a DP user since the 90's, I know that a fix, if it ever comes, will be at least a year. Because of this, I use DP 4.6.

Track folders and enable/disable alone sold me on 5. Templates can be very large, with tracks/VIs collapsed into folders amd disabled (taking up llittle screen real estate and nominal system resources) ready to roll with a couple of mouse clicks.

I'd follow Frodo's advice and set up a new system partition on your Mac to experiment with DP5.12

pcm wrote: When opening or closing a plugin, one can hear a momentary glitch, due to the plugin switching to or from realtime or rendering mode.

does this happen even when playback is stopped? is there any way to disable the plugin rendering mode? Hearing a glitch every time i open a plugin window would drive nuts, no matter the amount of cpu saved. I'm not sure i want to upgrade if it's not possible to shut it off.

You can turn off pre-rendering in the plug in mini menu. Glitching only occurs when the project is running. Pre rendering can be a CPU saver, big time!

It's .39 better.

Someone check my math.

Akai96 wrote:I still have not switched over,is it worth it?

The answer depends on how you use DP. The audio editing tools in DP5 are much improved, so if you do a lot of editing, then yeah, it's definitely worth it. If you need entry level VI's, then it's probably worth it.

chrispick wrote:It's .39 better.

Someone check my math.

Not precise enough. You need to take it out at least six decimal places for true accuracy.

David Polich wrote:If you're on a PPC Mac, I think 4.61 is still the most stable DP release. I have a G4 Powerbook and I'm running 5.11 (without Waves plug-ins, of course) on that, and it's a "little" faster.

FWIW I am finding 5.11 to be a lot more solid/stable than 4.61 on my PPC machine. I am able to push it more before it begins to cry uncle. To me it is the best DP on OS X we have had.

Obviously YMMV.

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Akai96 wrote: What is a PPC Machine?

Motorola or IBM PowerPC (PPC) Processor based machine, the older macs -- example: G3, G4, or G5 processors

versus the newer macs which use

Intel processors - Example:
Core 2 Duo processors for imac and macbook
Xeon processors for Mac Pro

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4.6 was written to run on the older PPC macs.

5.11 was written to run on either the older PPC macs or the newer intel macs. It is what they call a "Universal Binary" application, which means it runs on either processor.

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OldTimey wrote:

pcm wrote: When opening or closing a plugin, one can hear a momentary glitch, due to the plugin switching to or from realtime or rendering mode.

does this happen even when playback is stopped? is there any way to disable the plugin rendering mode? Hearing a glitch every time i open a plugin window would drive nuts, no matter the amount of cpu saved. I'm not sure i want to upgrade if it's not possible to shut it off.

I do pitch correction while the transport is running in a loop, looping a couple of measures over and over again. That way I can continue tweaking until it sounds right. If I had to stop the transport every time I wanted to make a change, and then start it back up again to hear what I did, it would take me many, many times longer. In 4.61, I can make my moves with no glitching. In 5.x, I hear a very pronounced glitch after every move I make. BAD design decision!