MultitrackStudio 3.1

MultitrackStudio has recently released it's 3.1 update. This update addresses a few bugs that were is the 3.0 release, but also adds some very nice features and a few interface updates that really adds a little bit of freshness and appeal to the application as well.

Before we get too much into looking at version 3.1, any newer members should be made aware we have taken looks at the previous two releases of MultitrackStudio as well. A good read of those article may be good to do for a complete introduction to this application.

• MultitrackStudio version 3.0
• MultitrackStudio

Let's take a deeper look into what they have actually done in this new release, be warned the list is pretty long, and the results are pretty impressive.

• New:
  • Default-named audio/MIDI files or tracks can be created easily (from within a track or using the Recording menu).
  • Tracks, Songs and Songlists can be renamed.
  • MIDI file splitter (loads streams in separate tracks).
  • All MIDI controllers are supported (except data entry and RPN).
  • Knobs can be controlled by rotary or vertical mouse movements.
  • MIDI editors: notes that are being added, selected or moved are audible.
  • Manual compensation for soundcard driver with sync problems.
• New (Pro Plus edition only):
  • Track editors: mouse operations are audible ("scrubbing"). Works on both audio and MIDI tracks.
  • 176.4 and 192 kHz samplerates are supported.
  • .aif files are supported.
  • "Vintage Reverbs" impulse response files for Convolutor effect.
• Improved:
  • Reverb effect: the four programs sound significantly better.
  • Exciter effect: new oversampled algorithm for smoother sound.
  • Master Limiter: sounds better (release time is program dependant).
  • Convolutor effect: can now be used 'live', changing IR file no longer requires transport restart, added some controls.
  • EQ effect: per-section bypass buttons, improved Low Mid and High Mid algorithms no longer affect treble frequencies.
  • Tremolo effect: Stereo and Vintage buttons added.
  • Saturation effect: improved tube and tape distortion modelling.
  • Doubler, Phaser and Echo effect have been improved.
  • Sampler: Pitch Wheel and Detune knob now affect playing notes.
  • Samplerate Converter tool: better sound quality.
  • Moving effect knobs produces less clicking noise.
  • .wav files can now be up to 4 GB.
  • Drum editor: dragging a note no longer changes its duration.
  • Improved .gig file import, ASIO compatibility and DirectX plugin compatibility.
  • Better graphics.
  • MIDI punch-in recording works again (was broken in 3.0 version).
  • Pasting stereo audio in mono track now works.
  • Various other fixes and improvements.

Installation and Configuration

MultitrackStudio installs like any Windows-based application, with a simple install wizard. It is a bit unique with it's registration scheme, however. Rather than a typical CD-Kay or registration code, you pay for your copy (which is quite reasonably priced at $69 for the base version and $119 for 24 and 32 bit support and sample rates up to 192KHz) and you are emailed a key file to drop into your PC to register the program.

Configuration is very simple and quick, and can involve no interaction from the user at all if you have a single sound card and basic requirements. There are essentially only two dialog boxes for basic configuration.

• Studio > Preferences - This is the dialog where you select your VST plugin folder, sampler patch folder and impulse response folder, as well as personal preferences regarding the apps behavior with moving knobs, mp3 recording quality and various default behaviors for other features and functions.
• Studio > Devices - In this dialog you select the sound card you want to use as well as the driver type that you want the card to use. Also, you select the bit depth you want to record at as well as other properties you want the audio and MIDI functions of the card to operate with.

Working With Audio

The way the MultitrackStudio works has remained relatively unchanged, which is good, because it's so easy to use. Create a file name for the tracks source, which tell the app whether it's midi or audio, then record you stuff. Easy as that. One big difference is that the Pro Plus version now supports sample rates of 176.4 and 192 kHz, which is very cool. While they are not often used due to the high system overhead they require, having the ability to is surely a plus.

The recording and editing of audio in MultitrackStudio continues to be very easy and intuitive. The panel next to the transport bar (seen below) contains some of the editing behavoir preferences such as enabling snap selecting, whether the snap works within beats or time, the zoom control and time signature control.

Something I have grown to really like in MultitrackStudio is the implementation of it's snap function and how it is tied with the zoom. In MultitrackStudio you simply turn the snap on or off. The fine tuning of the snap is directly related to how far the track is zoomed in. The higher the zoom is the smaller the increments which the app snaps too. Zoom way out and it will snap at the measure, zoom in farther it will snap at the beat, etc.

The time signature map is also very simple, and very effective. Simply click the time signature button at the top next to the zoom in and out buttons and it brings up the tempo map. By default every measure is assigned 4/4 time. If you wish you can go in and set any measure to any time signature you wish allowing you to very much customize your song to any time signature or collection of time signatures that are becessary for your song. This simple functionality is sometimes overlooked by even more expensive, or much more well-known applications.

The playback timer, like the snapping and tracks units of measure, can be displayed by time, or by measure and beat.

The way MultitrackStudio has implemented multitrack recording is kind of unusual, but actually very cool. It just uses sound card inputs in the order they are on the card. For example, if you create 4 audio tracks, all mono and arm all four, the first track will use input on, the second input two, etc. In the case of a stereo track, it will use the next two ordered inputs. This is kind of cool due to the no interaction required by the user, however, in any given situation, if you are not using ASIO drivers, if you have your studio hard-wired in specific way, it may force one to juggle wires a little to get all the inputs and tracks to line up as wanted. It all depends on how well the studio is set up for flexiblity. ASIO drivers provide a bit more flexiblity in routing inside the application.

All things considered, MultitrackStudio offers a lot of recording and editing power for it's price.

The one feature I would like to see added is color preferences for the track editing window, as the green and black color scheme is hard on my eyes, I would like to be able to set it to something that is higher contrast.

The Plugin Effects

For me personally, the thing that has always impressed me most about MultitrackStudio has been the bundled plugins. They don't have the fancy looks of some of the big name plugins or anything like that, but they have always sounded great, and had very reasonable CPU usage. Well, in this newest version of MultitrackStudio some of the biggest improvement are in the plugins, they look, sound and perform even better. The appearance has been improved with new knob imagery and such enhancements, the sound and performance has been enhanced across the collection. I listene to and monitored performance of a few and they continue to impress me. The one thing I find very unfortunate is that they are part of the app, not DirectX or VST compatible. I wish they were so I could use them in WaveLab as well.

MultitrackStudio comes with the following plugins:

• Automated Fader - a volume control that can be programmed to change with time. It can be used to attenuate, amplify or mute part of a Track. It can also be used to turn off Reverb or Echo effects.
• Chorus - adds thickness and warmth to the signal. The output signal is a mix of the input signal and a delayed copy of it. The delay time is modulated.
• Compressor - attenuates loud parts, while leaving soft parts untouched. Apart from this, it can make sounds 'fatter' or just make them fit better in the mix without any significant compression taking place.
• Convolutor - this unique effect processes the audio signal using an impulse response file. Its main purpose is generating Reverb. In this case the effect will typicaly be used in an Effect Return section.
• Deesser - reduces 'S' sounds in vocals in a very unobtrusive manner.
• Doubler - 'doubles' a vocal track, it makes the vocals sound a bit 'fatter'. Also useful for the common cloning of guitar tracks to get that "wall of guitar" rock guitar power sound.
• Dynamics - combines a Limiter, a Compressor and an Expander in one effect. The Transfer Curve Display shows what the effect is doing. Very useful in many situations. The compression effects of this app I believe are it's best.
• Echo - produces one or more echoes, depending on the Feedback control. If Feedback is zero, only one echo is produced. Otherwise a decaying sequence of echoes is produced.
• EQ - consists of six tone control sections.
• Exciter - adds harmonics to the treble part of the audio signal. The harmonics generator is modeled after a vacuum tube.
• Flanger - the effect that occurs when two tape recorders playing back the same signal run slightly out of sync.
• Inverter - can be used to correct out-of-phase stereo recordings.
• Limiter - used to maximize the level of the mix. Best used as the final effect in a chain in the master output bus.
• Noisegate - attenuates signals below a certain level. In certain situations can be used to remove noise as well.
• Phaser - particularly suited for electric piano and electric guitar.
• Pseudo Stereo - converts a mono signal to stereo using a filter.
• Reverb - typical reverb effect with for room programs:
  • Room is a small room program, can be used to add 'ambience' to vocals.
  • Chamber is an echo chamber program.
  • Hall is a concert hall program.
  • Plate is plate program.
• Saturation - adds either Tube or Tape type distortion, depending on the why you use it.
  • The tube simulator consists of a preamp and a power amp simulator. The preamp mainly generates second order harmonics, the power amp generates lower order odd harmonics.
  • Drive controls the virtual recording level. The level meter shows the peak value of the recording level. At 0 dB total harmonic distortion is approx. 1%.
• Tremolo - modulates the level of the signal with a sine wave.
• Vibrato - modulates the pitch of the signal with a sine wave.
• VST Plugin - this option displays a menu of all the VST plugins and instruments available on your system.
• DirectX Plugin - this option displays a menu of all the DirectX plugins and instruments available on your system.
• Adding serious customization and power to the effects slots:
  • Multi Effect - is a container for other effects. Use it if you need more effect slots than available.
  • Stereo Effect - separate groups of effect slots for the left and right channels.
  • Band Effect - splits the audio signal in two or three frequency bands. Each band can have its own effects. After effects processing the three bands are mixed, where the Volume knobs control the band levels.
• An added bonus that now comes with the Pro Plus edition of MultitrackStudio is the Vintage Reverbs pack. This pack contains impulse response files to be used with the Convolutor effect.

Working With MIDI

The MIDI functionality of MultitrackStudio has quite a bit added to it in version 3.1.

The biggest addition for me personally is that the MIDI notes being added, selected or moved are now audible. Meaning, when you place a MIDI note in the track while step time sequencing, it actually plays the note you have placed, same with notes that are being selected or moved. That is a big deal for me, as I am always in step time because I use MIDI mainly for virtual instruments and have no keyboard because I can't play one...so it would do me no good anyway :-)

Also, all MIDI controllers, with the exception of data entry and RPN controllers, are now able to be used with MultitrackStudio.

Regarding bug fixes in version 3.1, the MIDI note-off bug that affected some users (including our MIDI guru, Paul "Noize2U" LaBarre) has been fixed, as well as the MIDI punch-in feature that was mysteriously broken in version 3.0.

The biggest improvement I still have not seen in the app is that, in MIDI tracks, in the right or left side of the track, I would really like to see a higher-contrast piano roll associated with the MIDI track so I could more visibly see which note I am clicking on and placing notes in. That alone would increase the usability 100% in my personal opinion. Additionally, the piano roll view is very common, almost standard, among MIDI-capable multitracking applications, so it would make a user more comfortable in other applications still able to use MultitrackStudio reasonably easily, and get to using it quicker.

The snap and zoom functionality works with MIDI as it does with audio described above, and additionally, the quantize function as well is still very accurate and very powerful.

Final Thoughts

Since working with MultitrackStudio for the first time many months ago for the first look at the application that we did, I have continued to use it from time to time, though it has never become my main multitracking application. With the many improvements it has been undergoing recently with version 3.0 and now this version 3.1 I am continually more impressed with it and will likely use it more and more as time goes on.

As previously stated, the biggest problem I have with MultitrackStudio continues to be the black and green color scheme of the track editing windows, as it can be hard on the eyes, especially for people that already have vision problems. It would be nice to have a preference that allows the user to set the foreground and background colors of the editing view to remedy that problem. While the red and green from strictly an astetic point of view is kinda techie and cool, in use it's very hard on my eyes.

At $119 for the Pro Plus edition, which supports 24-bit and 32-bit audio, it is also a very affordable application and places it, in my opinion, on the top of the heap in multitracking programs in this price range. The 16-bit version is only a meer $69.

Both versions support all the latest standards of plugins and device drivers as well as now MIDI controllers. Has powerful editing features for audio and MIDI and some awesome built in effects. All in all, the package is hard, if not impossible to beat for the price.