The tricky thing about introducing a new feature is that you almost immediately hear from users about other features that would go well with that feature. (There’s a children’s story that goes this way.) The folks at Cakewalk have done what I think is a pretty amazing job of working through a big feature list, and throwing in additional goodies users get without even asking. They’ve also listened to users and been thorough in fixing issues – some quite particular – in 8.5. The result is that SONAR 8.5.2 brings a mature version of some significantly-changed features, and an unusually significant amount of stuff for a “point” release. If 8.5 was beginning to feel like 9.0, 8.5.2 definitely does.

DP6 is here (or will be here soon, say commenters), with a badly-needed UI update and a number of new features. The results still look like DP – in the way that should appeal to current users, that is – but enhancements demonstrate that the ongoing DAW battles carry on.

DP6 New Features

In the usability category:

• Updated UI with vertical track resizing (about time, jeez!) and better zooming and resizing
• Window tabs, which are a pretty cool way of switching between windows and tabbing views a la Firefox, Safari, et al (I’m surprised we haven’t seen more tabs in music software, given their popularity in browsing)
• Inspector palettes
• Build comps by selecting from different takes, which would be exciting if we hadn’t just seen similar features elsewhere

New Effects

As welcome as these features will be, most of the buzz I’ve heard from DP users centers around the new effects plug-ins. The MasterWorks Leveler models the “Teletronix LA-2A optical leveling amplifier.” Translated into plain English, it’s an automatic gain adjustment that can have some of the dynamic-smoothing qualities of compression without their soul-sucking quality – it’s an arguably better way of adjusting dynamics. I know at least one very prominent Ableton Live and Logic lover who wants DP6 just to run this plug-in. See the full description on MOTU’s site.

AudioEase’s Altiverb remains the king of the convolution reverbs, providing highly realistic recreations of reverberations and other sounds by digitally combining your source with a recorded impulse. Lately, they’ve been going mad for impulse response recordings, the samples that drive the convolutoin process.

The original Altiverb was infamous for its creation not only of soaring churches and halls, but the back of a Ford Transit van and a toilet. Ah, you say, but I don’t want a Ford Transit van. I want a Ford Ka — no, wait, make that a Peugot Partner. And I don’t want the sound of the toilet while I’m in the loo — I want to hear that same sound as though I were listening from the living room. Wait, forget the toilet entirely: I want the sound inside an old factory tank north of the Netherlands. But I want to run that through a spring reverb — no, wait, make that a cheap plastic echo toy.

All this and more can be yours, thanks to the extensive boutique of impulse response recordings over at AudioEase.

They’re free, but only to registered Altiverb users. Then again, how else can you recreate the sound of music playing in your downstairs living roo– oh, yeah, actually, I guess you could easily record that. But I bet you don’t own a Ford Ka (and if you do, you probably can’t squeeze your whole band into it).

This isn't just a reverb plug-in. This is a hugely tricked-out ultimate convolution reverb with all the stops pulled.

Altiverb first popularized the use of sampled spaces for software reverbs via a digital technique called convolution. As I reported here, Altiverb 5
brings plenty of new features, including new controls for where your
audio is 'heard onstage,' four band reverb EQ for controlling separate
frequencies of your sound, and CPU controls so you don't max out your
processor.

• Mac OS X Only with support for every format: HTDM / RTS / AudioSuite (Digidesign), MAS (MOTU), and, of course, VST and Audio Units
• Reverse reverb mode because there's nothing quite as sweet as hearing reflections first
• Explore reverb visually with three-dimensional waveform views, pictures of sampled spaces, and even VR movies

And lots more. Copy protection evidently lets you choose between iLok and challenge/response.

Now here comes the sticker shock:
US$595 buys you first-class convolution luxury. (US$895 for Pro Tools
users.) If you're an AltiVerb vet, though, you can upgrade for $169-269.

Just want the sampled impulse responses? US$39.95 buys you the impulses
for loading into reverbs like Logic Pro's Space Designer. But no VR
movies, of course.

Sure, it's fun playing around with convolution reverbs like
Apple Logic's Space Designer, but if you really want ultimate
flexibility and realistic space modeling, you need Altiverb. It was the
first software plugin to feature convolution, and with upcoming version
5, there's no question it's the Rolls Royce of reverb.

Check it out:

• Multichannel IRs and waveform preview, with 3D time/frequency plot
• Preview sounds
• Triple band damping and absurd number of gains and delay controls plus 2-band parametric EQ
• Virtual placement of sound source
• Altiverb site still features lots of great IR samples for real-world spaces; huge included library
• CPU optimization controls

Oh yeah, and it looks really gorgeous: photos of the actual spaces as
in previous versions, plus useful, gorgeous new 3D views. Pricing and
availability TBA — I'll let you know, okay?