Products of Interest Magic Samplitude Pro X4 feature allows multiple recordings of with various playing techniques; a particular passage to be displayed Orchestra Ensemble, which is based Magix’s Samplitude is a digital audio and combined. on a recorded symphony orchestra; workstation (DAW) for recording, Along with the usual track editing Sansula, a virtual African thumb mixing, mastering, and music pro- functions, Samplitude Pro X4 also has piano; as well as a Drum Engine, Bass duction (see Figure 1). The software object editing tools. These allow the Machine, Church Organ, and Pop application was designed to be sound user to apply nondestructive effects, Drums. neutral for recording and to provide editing, or routing at the object level. The newly added Independence optimal latency management. In The user can copy tracks within Sampler is a sampler workstation Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/43/2-3/172/1962998/comj_r_00529.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 terms of music production, it offers and between projects. A checklist with a large sound library (12 GB in options for producing scores, func- for settings to be copied is provided, theProX4and70GBintheProX4 tions for MIDI editing, and virtual and this includes VST plug-ins, AUX Suite), a live performance mode, and instruments, and it also allows the buses, submix buses, and VSTi return virtual effects. Analogue Modelling user to work on large arrangements of tracks. Suite Plus provides four analog tools, tracks with intuitive mixing, flexible A six-band equalizer has oversam- including an analog compressor routing, and automations. pling and linear phase modes, and with switchable tape saturation. The This latest version of Sampli- a multiband stereo enhancer allows essentialFX Suite also includes a tude, the Pro X4, adds new virtual the stereo image of an individual further 11 effects plug-ins, including instruments, new workflows, im- frequency range, or the entire mix, flanger, tremolo, chorus, compressor, provements to automation, editing of to be modified during mastering. A and a toll for optimizing speech and effects parameters, improvements to brickwall limiter with a number of vocal recordings. The Vintage Effects the MIDI editor, and a more efficient modes is also provided and in the Pro Suite includes three plug-ins: Corvex, workflow when using plug-ins. The X4 Suite version, intersample peaks Ecox, and Filtox. Corvex is used to software is available in two versions, are also taken into account. create natural sounding modulated the Samplitude Pro X4 and the Sam- The Red Book standard is sup- chorus and flanger effects. Ecox plitude Pro X4 Suite, a version that ported for creating masters, which emulates the echoes from analog tape includes more advanced tools and can be burned directly to disc in devices caused by fluctuations in the features. uncompressed linear pulse-code track. The Filtox is an Oberheim filter The DAW can now support central modulation (PCM) or compressed and is used to control the frequency processing units (CPUs) with up to formats. The Pro X4 Suite version response of a modulation source. 32 cores and new features include au- of the software also supports digi- A tube preamplifier, transient tomation lanes that give an overview tal DDP masters and has a preview designer, and mastering dynamics of track automation data, a new plug- plug-in for use with MP3 and AAC tool (with compressor, limiter, clip- in browser for quickly searching for formats so that the user can check for per and mid/wide editing), are also effects and instruments, new MIDI compression artefacts or other issues included with Pro X4 Suite. Also editing functions, 17 virtual instru- before exporting. only available in the Suite version of ments, and the Independence Pro Plus Celemony’s Melodyne Essential the software is a spectrogram-based sampler. Up to 999 tracks can be used plug-in for complex editing and cor- tool for identifying and removing and there can be up to 256 inputs and rection of audio recordings is included unwanted frequency-based sounds outputs. Both 16- and 32-bit floating with the purchase of the DAW. The such as coughing or clapping. There point audio formats are supported at latest version of zplane’s elastique is also a DeHisser, DeClipper, and sampling rates up to 384 kHz. Pro algorithm is also bundled with DeNoiser. Several subtracks or automation the application. It combines DSP The attack dynamics of MIDI lanes can be used to display and with psychoacoustic models for time notes can be adjusted with a Velocity edit track automation. Automated stretching and pitch shifting. Dynamics function. A MIDI editor parameters can include volume, Virtual instruments new to this has a new parameter editing tool pan, or Virtual Studio Technology version of Samplitude are Analog that allows the user to move, stretch, (VST) effects, and they can be edited Synth 2, a virtual vintage synthesizer; compress, and scale selected events in simultaneously. A Take Composer Century keys, a VST instrument relation to each other. MIDI data can with a range of piano sounds across be displayed as notes on a score in real musical styles; Grand Piano; Power time. Edits to note pitch, duration, doi:10.1162/COMJ r 00529 Guitar, a collection of guitar sounds and velocity in the score notation 172 Computer Music Journal Figure 1. A screenshot from the Samplitude Pro X4 DAW. Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/43/2-3/172/1962998/comj_r_00529.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 are automatically updated in the comes in three forms: Mono Grid, hardware devices using modules that MIDI editor display. Lyrics are also Poly Grid, and FX Grid. send control, trigger, or pitch signals supported and imported MIDI files The Grid (see Figure 2) allows the as CV Out and receive CV In signals. that have lyric markers will result user to design sounds graphically, Contact: Bitwig GmbH, Schwedter in the text being displayed within by patching together the more than Str. 13, D-10119 Berlin, Germany; the score. The score notation can be 120 modules that are available. e-mail [email protected]; Web output in the form of sheet music. The output port of any module www.bitwig.com. Samplitude Pro X4 is listed for can be connected to the input port US$ 399 and the Pro X4 Suite for of another. New modules can be US$ 599. Contact: MAGIX Computer dropped directly onto ports to be Tracktion Waveform 10 Products International Co., 280 Greg automatically wired into a patch. St., Suite 10 Reno, Nevada 89502- There is an option to wirelessly Tracktion’s Waveform is a music 2272, USA; Web www.magix.com. connect signals that are regularly production application for Mac OS, used. A set of phase modules are Windows, Ubuntu Linux, and Rasp- included to drive time functions and berry Pi platforms. It offers users an Bitwig Studio 3 modulation synthesis. A stereo signal unlimited number of tracks with 80 path is used for control and audio built-in effects, plug-ins, and virtual Bitwig Studio is a cross-platform signals, and four-times oversampling instruments. DAW for Windows, Mac OSX, and is available. Devices created with The latest release of the applica- Linux. Details of the original appli- The Grid can be nested or layered tion, Waveform 10, has a new Actions cation and features were included with other devices or plug-ins and Panel that can be used to customize in Products of Interest, Computer they can be controlled from the the user interface. Common oper- Music Journal 38(4), 2014. This latest Open Controller API. The existing ations can be favorited and rarely release of the software, Bitwig Stu- modulators in Bitwig Studio can used ones hidden. Macro scripts dio 3, features a new open modular be used to control grid parameters. can be used to create actions and environment called The Grid, which The software can be integrated with key commands can be customized. A Products of Interest 173 Figure 2. The new Grid sound design patching interface in Bitwig Studio. Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/43/2-3/172/1962998/comj_r_00529.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 right-click menu makes actions quick Antares Technologies’ Auto-Tune which can be combined together to and easy to access. The Actions Panel Access plug-in is available for real- build rich effects. Users can create is also used to launch edit screens and time pitch correction and vocal their own faceplates for plug-ins, de- plug-ins. effects. Celemony’s Melodyne is in- ciding what controls and parameters A new edit groups feature has also corporated as a plug-in. It displays are on view, and adding new controls been added, with an edit group panel a graphical representation of notes, to create a customized plug-in inter- to manage and access groups. Among which the user can click on to modify face. There is also a Multi-Sampler the new tools are a Groove Doctor, parameters such as pitch, vibrato, vol- instrument that can record directly which can be used for phase accurate ume, and timing, as a more intuitive from other apps or a Web browser. quantization across multiple tracks and alternative method to working There are six new modifiers avail- such as multitrack drums and to with a waveform. Zplane’s Elastique able to the user for manipulating extract the time variances in a track Pro time-stretching algorithm is also parameters: LFO, Breakpoint, Step, as a groove template to be applied to included. Waveform 10 also comes Envelope Follower, Random, and other tracks. with Artisan Collection, a series of 62 MIDI Tracker.