![]() Audio Units (or AUs) may well become the standard format for audio plug-ins under OS X, so it makes sense to start getting a feel for them now. Using AUs In DP4Īlthough early DP4 adopters have had to make do without the vast array of MAS format plug-ins that were available under OS 9, they're perhaps compensated to a certain extent by the promise of native support for Audio Units later in the year. Also bear in mind that Freeze Tracks is perfect for capturing the output of external effects processors being brought into DP via an Aux track - freeze the Aux and you have a 'hard copy' in DP that you can mix, tweak and edit to your heart's content. The above works for multiple tracks, and also Aux tracks, so it'll be possible to freeze software synths in this way too. If you want to return to the original track select it (not the bounced track), hold down Control, Shift and Command/Apple and hit the 'F' key again (or go to the Audio menu, hold down Shift, and select 'Unfreeze Selected Tracks'). Your new track appears and the original is 'frozen'. You select an audio track by clicking its name or dragging over a part of its track in an editing window, hold down Control and Command/Apple and hit the 'F' key (or choose 'Freeze Selected Tracks' from the Audio menu). ![]() The advantage of doing it this way is that although you don't get to tweak plug-in parameters any more, you maintain individual control over level and pan, and can of course add more plug-ins! In a single action it takes any tracks you've selected (whether they have plug-ins on them or not), creates the same number of new tracks, bounces the selected tracks to them, and then disables the audio voice assignments in the original tracks it has just 'frozen', freeing up processor power. This is where the new Freeze Tracks feature comes in. ![]() It's straightforward in principle, but a really tedious chore that can take 10 minutes to set up, and even then, it results in the loss of individual control over the tracks you've just bounced. ![]() Getting around this problem has always been possible, by creating a new voice track, routing all the tracks laden with software synths or plug-ins to it via a buss, record-enabling it, making a recording pass then disabling the plug-ins. Extensive use of effects plug-ins sap processor power, resulting in an increasingly sluggish user interface, pops and clicks in audio, and even system instability. There can't be many DP users out there who haven't pushed their Mac's processor to the limit whilst working on a project. The new Freeze Tracks feature is a great addition to DP, and especially so if you own an older or more modest Mac. More on DP4 and OS X, including the new 'Freeze Tracks' feature. ![]()
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