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REVIEW Audio Objects With Handles: these make file editing and MAGIX SEQUOIA !! manipulation fun and intuitive. Like the Californian giant, Sequoia stands tall and imposing in a forest of audio applications. Text: Robin Gist In the interests of full disclosure, I need to state that I o$ers a high degree of visual and general customisation that am a long-time Magix Samplitude user and fan, but enhances both work"ow and creativity. Let’s have a look at apart from experiencing Sequoia in use at both Benchmark some of the more interesting features that set Sequoia apart and 301 Mastering in Sydney, this is the !rst time I’ve had a from the pack. chance to put it through its paces hands-on! LOVE HANDLES Sequoia is the "agship PC application amongst a series Both Sequoia and Samplitude use the concept of object- of audio products from Magix that includes Samplitude, based audio editing, which is a very powerful feature in Samplitude Pro, Vandal, a suite of high quality VST its own right. %e individual visual objects that represent plug-ins and the entry-level Magix Music Maker. Sequoia every audio segment in a project have !ve handles each. comes complete with all the Magix plug-ins included, %is intuitive approach works at the most basic of levels – and as such, is a ready-to-go DAW application that will the top horizontal handle of an object controls its volume, allow you to tackle any audio job big or small. From the manipulating the top le# handle controls fade-in time while simplest voiceover to a complex multitrack recording, the top right handle – yes, you guessed it – controls the start MIDI sequencing with so# instruments through to audio point of your fade out. %e !nal pair, the bottom le# and post and red-book CD and DVD audio mastering, Sequoia right handles (not love), delineate the start and end points of can do it all. the audio segment within the object. %en, more speci!cally, As well as the inclusion of the aforementioned plug-ins, in ‘time’ and ‘pitch stretch’ mouse mode, the bottom right Sequoia distinguishes itself from its binary stablemates by handle controls the amount of time stretch while a new the addition of a powerful four-point editing system, OMF/ central handle – that appears only when you’re in this mode AAF import, SDII import, DDP support, 12.0 surround – moves vertically up and down to set the pitch. mixing, EuCon protocol, radio content management system You can apply plug-ins to each individual object, EQ them integration and a ra# of extensive video and networking and group them. You can cut them into the smallest size you options. Unlike other top-end audio apps, Sequoia also like and even have a di$erent range of e$ects or EQs on each AT !" one, which is very useful in a mastering situation. ‘A di!erent EQ for every word of a chorus’ I hear you say – easily done. You can do this, keeping all the objects on one track, apply further processing at a channel level and do it all in real-time without having to bounce, render or use up extra channels for di!erent e!ects! You can even burn a CD straight from the multitrack session without having to bounce down. "is is one very powerful app. AKG HIT FOR FOUR At the top of Sequoia’s distinguishing features list would have to be the DMS 700 four-point editing system. "is feature allows you to set the ‘In’ and ‘Out’ edit points on both source and destination tracks and then perform the edit in one operation. It also works with multitrack #les as well as allowing for The new DMS 700 is a revolutionary digital di!ering source and destination tracks. Within this function are the sub choices of inserting the source material and shi$ing the subsequent material wireless solution designed for the future: in the edit to the right or overwriting existing material with the source material. Working in conjunction with four point editing is the multi-synchronous editing function or what Magix calls ‘MuSyC’. "e object of MuSyC is to minimise time spent searching for similar passages of music that you might The First Professional want to audition within a project. "is feature gives you an overview project Digital Wireless System window that lets you see primary source material that has been recorded as multiple takes. "e takes are analysed for musical similarity and then ordered as individual visual objects. You can then easily audition these takes synchronised to an edit point within your main project. As you can imagine, this is a very powerful feature that has the potential to speed up work%ow considerably. IT GOES UP TO !"? I am not aware of any other so$ware that allows you to mix in surround using up to 12 channels. You could probably fudge something with auxiliaries or buses in other applications but Sequoia is good to go if you get that call to mix the next huge Hollywood blockbuster in glorious 12-channel surround and have it done by last week. All other variants of surround con#gurations, for your less urgent smaller-scale projects, are of course available as well. "e screenshot (overleaf) shows the surround editor with the movable mix position ‘M’ indicated by the orange dot and the surrounding 12 channel positions with their relevant levels. I wish I had a 12-channel monitor system just to listen to and experience the journey of the sound of the ‘AT’ automation curve I drew in the editor! "e surround editor can also operate in di!erent visual modes that include sound #eld, angle and panning law Up to 150MHz tuning range modes that all o!er great visual representations of complex positional mixing 256 bit RC4 signal encryption for secure audio tasks. transmission SUITE PLUG-INS 2-channel digital true-diversity receiver "e restoration suite native plug-ins are worth a mention and consist of a de-noiser, a de-clipper, a de-hisser and a combination de-clicker/de-crackler. No Compander (used in analogue systems): higher "e de-noiser lets you sample your own noise or select from a list of presets. sound quality On-board DSP per channel (Compressor, EQ, Limiter) Quick setup via infrared data link to the transmitter Graphical spectrum analyser helps find clear channels Remote monitoring and control via PC The De-Noiser Plug-in lets you tailor your own noise reduction. AT !" The Surround Editor: with this tool you can pan things like never before… or simply use it as an Etchasketch. It displays a multi-plot graphic representation of the process FLOATS MY BOAT NEED TO KNOW – pretty standard in most de-noisers these days, but this Some of the things that initially attracted me to Samplitude Price plug-in also lets you draw, either free hand or assisted, a way back at version 1 were "oating-point processing and #$%&' !lter EQ curve directly onto the display giving the user great the option to use any PC-compatible hardware that I liked Contact "exibility and control over tailoring of the noise sample. or, more realistically, could a%ord. #e audible bene!ts of Professional Audio Technology "oating-point processing are well known and Sequoia takes ('") !()* +")" As you can see from the screenshot on the previous page, [email protected] full advantage of this architecture using selectable 32-bit there is plenty of control over artefact suppression, which is www.proaudiotechnology.com.au "oating-point internal processing at all the standard sample essential and helps !ne-tune the quality and transparency of rates up to and including 384kHz. Pros the noise reduction. I found this plug-in worked very well Transparency of processing. Powerful object-based on all kinds of material – from noisy electric guitars to hissy It is fair to say that the sound of most studios using a editing. vinyl transfers. DAW is more greatly a%ected by the choice of monitors, Extensive feature set. converters, consoles and, of course, the acoustic design of Compatible with all major PC #e other restoration plug-ins in the suite are similarly the space it’s in, rather than the ‘sound’ of a certain piece of Audio hardware. designed, each with graphic representations of their so$ware. However, a$er using di%erent audio apps in the Cons functionality and each doing a great job for its intended Expensive. same studio for a while, you can start to hear the di%erences purpose. PC only. between them, subtle as they may be. In this respect, Summary FINAL FILES & FORMATS Sequoia would have to be the most sonically pristine of all A complete and powerful Continuing on with some of the other more interesting audio app that can do anything the apps I have used to date, no doubt due to the increased asked of it. It’s intuitive to use, features and further to Sequoia’s mastering capabilities is digital headroom that 32-bit "oating point internal sounds pristine and provides the program’s ability to export the !nal master as a DDP processing provides for. #is level of !delity is obviously a comprehensive professional !le. Disc Description Protocol is a proprietary format used working environment. extremely important in a mastering application. to specify the contents of optical discs including CDs and TALL TIMBER DVDs. #e main advantage with a DDP export is you can Sequoia is used by a number of very well known mastering FTP the !le.

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