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Description
Step into a world of limitless musical possibilities with the MOTU Digital Performer. This professional-grade DAW software is a powerhouse, perfectly suited for composers, producers, and live performers alike. Whether you're scoring a feature film, crafting a hit single, or performing live, Digital Performer provides the tools you need to bring your creative vision to life.
Harness the power of Articulation Maps, offering seamless integration with advanced orchestral libraries, making it a dream for composers working with intricate arrangements. The software's support for MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) is equally impressive, allowing you to inject a level of expressiveness into your music that was once the domain of live instruments only. Compatible with MPE-capable controllers like those from Roli, Digital Performer opens up a new realm of creative potential.
Never miss a moment of inspiration with Retrospective Recording, which ensures that even your impromptu performances are captured and preserved. The Clips window transforms your DAW into a live performance instrument, enabling real-time triggering and looping of audio and MIDI clips. Whether you're in the studio or on stage, Digital Performer offers a flexible and scalable interface tailored to your workflow, ensuring that your environment is as dynamic as your music.
Key Features:
- Comprehensive DAW software for audio recording, scoring, and post-production
- Articulation Maps for advanced orchestral sound library integration
- MPE support for expressive MIDI control
- Retrospective Recording to capture spontaneous performances
- Clips window for live triggering and looping
- Flexible user interface with customizable layouts
- Integration with external controllers like Novation Launchpad and Akai APC series
- Stretch Audio with Zynaptiq ZTX PRO technology for high-quality time-stretching and pitch-shifting
- Advanced video engine for HD video clip playback
Product specs
| Brand | MOTU |
| Model | Digital Performer 9 |
| Finish | Black |
| Year | 2010s |
| Categories | Boxed Audio Plugins and Recording Software |
FAQs
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What operating systems is MOTU Digital Performer compatible with?
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MOTU Digital Performer is compatible with both macOS and Windows operating systems, providing flexibility for users on different platforms.
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Does MOTU Digital Performer support MIDI and audio recording?
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Yes, MOTU Digital Performer supports both MIDI and audio recording, making it suitable for comprehensive music production and sequencing tasks.
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Can I use third-party VST plugins with MOTU Digital Performer?
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MOTU Digital Performer supports third-party VST plugins, allowing you to expand your sound palette and integrate a wide range of virtual instruments and effects.
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Is MOTU Digital Performer suitable for film scoring?
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Yes, MOTU Digital Performer is well-regarded for film scoring due to its robust MIDI capabilities, notation features, and support for video playback and synchronization.
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What are some standout features of MOTU Digital Performer?
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Some standout features of MOTU Digital Performer include its advanced MIDI sequencing, comprehensive mixing environment, and flexible audio editing tools.
Videos
Sound On Sound magazine
MOTU - Digital Performer 10
MOTU - Digital Performer 10
Sound On Sound magazine
Digital Performer 10 for beginners #1 tutorial (motu)
Thomas Foster musicproduction
First Look: MOTU Digital Performer 11
Sweetwater
MOTU Digital Performer | REVIEW
A MINOR ERROR
DP webinar: What's New in Version 11.2
motuTV
NAMM 2019 - MOTU Digital Performer 10
Ask.Audio
Reviews
PROS
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Highly adaptable and versatile, suitable for various audio production needs
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Exceptional MIDI programming platform with a longstanding reputation
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Offers video integration, adding multimedia capabilities
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Unique design likened to "Photoshop" for digital audio and MIDI production
CONS
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Steeper learning curve compared to more intuitive DAWs
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Digital recording functions can be less transparent than competitors
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Perceived lack of updates and sales, leading to a feeling of abandonment
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Niche product with a cult-like following, not for mainstream users
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about MOTU Digital Performer.
Features and functionality
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Digital Performer excels in video handling, allowing for smooth operation and synchronization even on older Mac hardware like a 2012 Mac tower.
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Digital Performer 11 introduces Articulation Maps, allowing detailed control over keyswitches, expressions, and dynamics, especially useful with VSL and other orchestral libraries.
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MPE support in Digital Performer 11 eliminates the need to switch DAWs for ROLI Seaboard users, a significant improvement for those using expressive MIDI controllers.
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Users appreciate the 'chunks/v racks' option for organizing multiple sequences and setups within a single project, enhancing workflow flexibility.
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User experience
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Users frequently port projects from Ableton or Live into Digital Performer for post-production, citing its powerful orchestration and mixing capabilities.
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The interface might feel overwhelming initially, but closing side panels and focusing on the track section can simplify the learning curve for new users.
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Software and compatibility
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Some users experience plugin issues with Digital Performer, leading them to incorporate Reaper and Cubase as alternatives.
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Digital Performer 11 can be installed alongside previous versions without overwriting, though shared assets like themes and plugins will update.
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DP 11 supports Novation and Akai Pad controllers and NI Komplete Kontrol controllers, expanding hardware integration options for users.
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Vienna Ensemble Pro users face a learning curve with Digital Performer, particularly with integrating external MIDI instruments and managing multiple computer setups.
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Use cases and applications
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Digital Performer is particularly favored for film scoring, with users appreciating its intuitive interface and robust features for video integration.
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Live Performance Mode in DP 11 supports dynamic live setups, enhancing its utility for performers who require real-time DAW interaction.
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Some users utilize Broadway scores with 15-25 instruments to learn Digital Performer, finding this method effective for understanding orchestration within the DAW.
Source
4.5 out of 5
Based on 1 Review and 6 Ratings
Artist usage
Add artist
A forest of Digital Performer automation and MIDI controller data gives some clue as to the detail that goes into Autechre's programming and sound editing.
"So for me, as much as I love the front end of all this — by that I mean the Sibelius aspect, the Digital Performer aspect, the Ableton Live aspect — I've never been crazy about the result. And when you have one thing going into one speaker, that's sort of OK for me — like a guitar or a bass into an amp. And yet at the same time, to have a whole bunch of things crammed into two speakers, which is what we all do, it's not that satisfying to me.”
Recorded on an Apple Mac G4 running Digidesign Pro Tools and MOTU Digital Performer with Steinberg Cubase VST and Cycling '74 Pluggo, Chasm includes guest appearances by Arto Lindsay, David Sylvian and various Thai monks, as well as YMO's Hosono and Takahashi (now known as Sketch Show).
at 4:53 at the bottom right corner it states that Ludwig used MOTU digital performer to make the initial demo
"I compose in MOTU Digital Performer, but I use Avid Sibelius to get the score ready so the musicians can read it. Sibelius is hell to use as a composition platform. People do it, but it’s insane. But [as a scoring platform], it’s like somebody turning on the lights."
Quoted from the interview about his studio equipment, Bob said:
Digital Performer, Reason and Live are the three packages I use to create things.
In 2005, Elfman recalled: "I compose at the keyboard and I have a work table with a big keyboard and screen with a sequencer. I'll create these huge templates and use a program called "Performer", but then I send it out to a guy who puts it into Sibelius for generating the parts. It just looks like notes with no dynamics or anything before it is put into Sibelius."
At the studio we record in, they have Pro Tools, but I take the files and convert them to Digital Performer because I like to work with Digital Performer – I’m not a Pro Tools guy.
Amy Winehouse used MOTU Digital Performer while working on her album Frank, as detailed in the article "The Making of Amy Winehouse's Frank and Back to Black" on Reverb.
Featured in the Gear List on Richard Barbieri's website.
"I use [MOTU] Digital Performer for my sequencing. I don't have time to spend building sounds.”
The Body Bags score was composed using Digital Performer software running on a Macintosh Iicx computer. Sampling was done with an Emulator IIIxp and a Forat F16. Other electronic instruments include Hammond B3, Wurlitzer electric piano, MicroMoog, Roland MKS80, D550, Prophet VS, Yamaha DX and TX series, EMU Proteus 1 and 2, Korg M1r and M1rex, and an AKAI 612.
The score was digitally recorded using Alesis ADATs and BRC and John Hardy microphone preamps. Microphones included AKG414, Shure VP88 and SM57. The music was mixed on a custom Speck Electronics model 62 console. Signal processors used include: Behringer MDX 2000, SNR 802, DBX165a, B&B and Troisi cq, Dyna-Mite, Aphex expander gates, Lexicon and Yamaha Reverbs, Zoom, TC and Korg delays. Additional DSP and editing done in Sound Designer/Sound Tools. -John Carpenter
Album Usage
The MOTU Digital Performer has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use MOTU Digital Performer, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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