Products of Interest

Magic Samplitude Pro X4

Magix’s Samplitude is a digital audio workstation (DAW) for recording, mixing, mastering, and music production (see Figure 1). The software application was designed to be sound neutral for recording and to provide optimal latency management. In terms of music production, it offers options for producing scores, functions for MIDI editing, and virtual instruments, and it also allows the user to work on large arrangements of tracks with intuitive mixing, flexible routing, and automations.

This latest version of Samplitude, the Pro X4, adds new virtual instruments, new workflows, improvements to automation, editing of effects parameters, improvements to the MIDI editor, and a more efficient workflow when using plug-ins. The software is available in two versions, the Samplitude Pro X4 and the Samplitude Pro X4 Suite, a version that includes more advanced tools and features.

The DAW can now support central processing units (CPUs) with up to 32 cores and new features include automation lanes that give an overview of track automation data, a new plug-in browser for quickly searching for effects and instruments, new MIDI editing functions, 17 virtual instruments, and the Independence Pro Plus sampler. Up to 999 tracks can be used and there can be up to 256 inputs and outputs. Both 16- and 32-bit floating point audio formats are supported at sampling rates up to 384 kHz.

Several subtracks or automation lanes can be used to display and edit track automation. Automated parameters can include volume, pan, or Virtual Studio Technology (VST) effects, and they can be edited simultaneously. A Take Composer feature allows multiple recordings of a particular passage to be displayed and combined.

Along with the usual track editing functions, Samplitude Pro X4 also has object editing tools. These allow the user to apply nondestructive effects, editing, or routing at the object level. The user can copy tracks within and between projects. A checklist for settings to be copied is provided, and this includes VST plug-ins, AUX buses, submix buses, and VSTi return tracks.

A six-band equalizer has oversampling and linear phase modes, and a multiband stereo enhancer allows the stereo image of an individual frequency range, or the entire mix, to be modified during mastering. A brickwall limiter with a number of modes is also provided and in the Pro X4 Suite version, intersample peaks are also taken into account.

The Red Book standard is supported for creating masters, which can be burned directly to disc in uncompressed linear pulse-code modulation (PCM) or compressed formats. The Pro X4 Suite version of the software also supports digital DDP masters and has a preview plug-in for use with MP3 and AAC formats so that the user can check for compression artefacts or other issues before exporting.

Celemony’s Melodyne Essential plug-in for complex editing and correction of audio recordings is included with the purchase of the DAW. The latest version of zplane’s elastique Pro algorithm is also bundled with the application. It combines DSP with psychoacoustic models for time stretching and pitch shifting.

Virtual instruments new to this version of Samplitude are Analog Synth 2, a virtual vintage synthesizer; Century keys, a VST instrument with a range of piano sounds across musical styles; Grand Piano; Power Guitar, a collection of guitar sounds with various playing techniques; Orchestra Ensemble, which is based on a recorded symphony orchestra; Sansula, a virtual African thumb piano; as well as a Drum Engine, Bass Machine, Church Organ, and Pop Drums.

The newly added Independence Sampler is a sampler workstation with a large sound library (12 GB in the Pro X4 and 70 GB in the Pro X4 Suite), a live performance mode, and virtual effects. Analogue Modelling Suite Plus provides four analog tools, including an analog compressor with switchable tape saturation. The essentialFX Suite also includes a further 11 effects plug-ins, including flanger, tremolo, chorus, compressor, and a toll for optimizing speech and vocal recordings. The Vintage Effects Suite includes three plug-ins: Corvex, Ecox, and Filtox. Corvex is used to create natural sounding modulated chorus and flanger effects. Ecox emulates the echoes from analog tape devices caused by fluctuations in the track. The...