Digital Performer Update for Mac

User Reviews

• Rock Solid Professional Audio and MIDI software package

  DougBlazeSeptember 8, 2010

  Pros

  It keeps getting better with each version. MOTU have created a very intuitive interface with excellent integration in OSX 10.6. The bundled plugins are very useable and almost all major 3rd party plugins and instruments are available for purchase.

  Cons

  There is not much I dislike about DP 7.2. I would like to see some improvement in the time stretching algorithm, but since I don't use this very often, it is not a deal breaker. If I need to I can use Izotope Radius with Logic if I have to.

  Summary

  The current version (7.2) is very stable with CPU efficient plugins bundled. I have tried almost all the other platforms, and although they are all excellent, I find the user interface the most accessible in my opinion. It's also what you get used to, and I have been using it professionally since the MIDI only days of Performer 2 in 1988. I have used it live and in the studio since then. The program has never let me down, although my Macs have needed repair or replacement at times. MOTU keeps the program current and very competitive with other offerings, and has a responsive support staff when I have needed them. I use several 3rd party plugins and virtual instruments from Spectrasonics and Izoptope to Waves and Native Instruments with very stable results once again. Function and reliability are very important to me and MOTU have delivered a product with both with a very nice assortment of 3rd party additions available if your not happy with one or more of the bundled plugins etc.

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• Another Amazing Release

  musicMManJanuary 20, 2010

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />Glad that most bugs have been crushed. GUI could be a little darker, but there are mods for that at MOTUNation.com as well as near instantaneous tech support and interesting discussions by pros.

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• New News...

  musicMManNovember 16, 2007

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />DP 5.13 works great with Leopard. Oddly, DP 5.12 didn't but DP 5.11 did! Some issues with time stamping are grumbling about and not everyone is happy about the retention of the SD II audio format. But no one has said anything about crashes or failures in Leopard and DP 5.13 so it looks like it's safe to move forward.

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• So far so good

  netwillstuffJune 3, 2006

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I'm sorry some of these other (two) guys who have had trouble, but I only had one problem that I solved my self*, since then, even running under Rosetta with PowerPC vrtual synths has been successful on my 6-week old MacBook Pro. I can't wait for the Intel version (apperantly I'm not). As for those other issues, I was able to successfully open and use/reassign projects from various previous versions, including a couple from '95 when I only had Performer 6 -- loading up both the new DP Virtual Synths along side my Plugsound Virtual Synths to play ten-year old music on the latest sytem. * There appears to be a (fatal) problem with the original "MAS AudioUnit Support.bundle" plug-in (and possibly the "Reverse.bundle" and "InvertPhase.bundle" as well). I don't know if that's just a Rosetta/Intel thing, but I moved them out of the MAS folder, and now everything works fine.

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• So far so good

  netwillstuffJune 3, 2006

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I'm sorry some of these other (two) guys who have had trouble, but I only had one problem that I solved my self*, since then, even running under Rosetta with PowerPC vrtual synths has been successful on my 6-week old MacBook Pro. I can't wait for the Intel version (apperantly I'm not). As for those other issues, I was able to successfully open and use/reassign projects from various previous versions, including a couple from '95 when I only had Performer 6 -- loading up both the new DP Virtual Synths along side my Plugsound Virtual Synths to play ten-year old music on the latest sytem. * There appears to be a (fatal) problem with the original "MAS AudioUnit Support.bundle" plug-in (and possibly the "Reverse.bundle" and "InvertPhase.bundle" as well). I don't know if that's just a Rosetta/Intel thing, but I moved them out of the MAS folder, and now everything works fine.

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• First Impressions

  VersionTrackerUserOpinionApril 19, 2006

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />After using DP5 for one day, I can say that it is a tremendous leap forward - even though the app looks about the same. The track folder feature is a godsend. The new VIs are squarely aimed at hiphop. The synths are very good emulations of some really, really vintage gear - the kind that makes a lo-fi track current sounding. They're geeky in the best possible way. Previous versions of DP have managed to screw up tracks from older versions, but I've opened and tested several projects created in DP4.61, and they all work perfectly. There are some new controls that allow the user to tweak the performance of the application, basically allowing the user to choose a balance between horsepower and graphical smoothness. I'll leave the extensive new video post feature for others to comment on, but as a whole, DP5 is solid, improved and a bargain upgrade fro 199 dollars.

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• really not that bad

  LoSchifo ®July 7, 2005

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />they implemented a lot of things: multichannel support for AU instruments, a new gate plugins, multi video support a ton of other stuff and expecially a sort of melodyne-style function that allows changing pitch and formant not destructively on all audio tracks for harmonic correction and other purposes... WOW! i'm looking forward using it! dp 4.52 was really stable. hope motu kept working in that direction. I really used to love DP, but i've bought logic because of instability and incompatible plugins I experienced with DP 4,0 - 4,1 after 4.51 release. things are getting better and better. now logic is instable (crashes 3 times per day and has a lot of problems with DAE) and DP stable- they even fixed a ton of DAE issues... good shot for mark of the unicorn!

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• One Day...

  BeanieNseashellsJanuary 7, 2004

  Pros

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  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />years ago I was in a recording studio creating more bad music for the world and in the control room was a small digital piano and on top of it was a (I came to learn) little Apple Macintosh Computer. I noticed on the screen of the small Sienfeld looking Apple was what looked like a tape deck. What is that I innocently asked ? Ten years later, now a graphic artist, composer of still more bad music and a die hard Mac phreak sourrounded by pianos and synths- hooked up to DP. Motu.... your my daddy.

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• Still crashes, has plugin issues.

  IIRNovember 6, 2003

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />On 10.3, this update crashes when a plugin list is selected (but none chosen), under repeatable conditions. Also, the MOTU plugins have a CPU usage issue (one can run about 30% more in Cubase or Logic) - as an example, when the CPU performance meter is just below 50%, the audio glitches and the dialog 'your CPU is overloaded' appears. I find it extremely odd that muting a track that also auxes out to another bus doesn't mute the aux send as well by default; it is Yet Another Mouse Operation to mute the aux send, then again when the track is unmuted. Grr.

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• Nice, but overall - frustrating.

  IIRSeptember 29, 2003

  Pros

  Cons

  Summary

  This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />Its best feature is the automatic multiple take system when recording audio - unfortunately they did not apply it to MIDI instruments - a glaring omission. The sequencer still feels half-finished, as if no-one at MOTU actually uses it to compose music - evident in its terrible loop editing, not being able to create a track by simply double-clicking (Cubase does), assigning tracks to editors (Cubase does) etc, thus making what should be a creative task merely frustrating and time consuming. I really wanted to like this sequencer, and it has a lot going for it, but is severly let down by poor operational issues. Thank goodness the AU and plugin support is relatively stable.

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