Square Wave

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Square Wave
The square wave has only odd harmonics. Square_HarmonicThe interesting similarity to the sawtooth wave is that each harmonic decreases in the same manner except the third harmonic is ½ the amplitude of the fundamental, with the fifth harmonic at 1/3 the amplitude of the fundamental, and continuing along in that manner. This harmonic structure gives the square wave a little more bite to the sound, which can be heard here. 100hz Square Wave   500hz Square Wave   1000hz Square Wave  

Other Soundwave Examples:

Sine Wave – Square Wave – Sawtooth Wave – Triangle Wave

These main four waves can be seen in most synthesizers, DAWs, and testing equipment. There are some variations that include the sawtooth wave going in opposite directions and the lopsided square wave (being larger on the top and smaller on the bottom or vice versa). Depending on the device these waves can be added together to create complex waveforms, can be used to modulate a signal, or can create the pattern for a pulsating effect.

Click on the following to learn more about: Sound Waves and Harmonics

Logic Pro X Leak

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Logic Pro X Leak
The Rumors Logic Pro X has been rumored for some time, especially considering the release of Final Cut Pro X in 2011 and the fact that Logic Pro 9 has been out since 2009. It’s definitely time for a new version, but most people have sworn off the “it’s coming out soon” rumors and have almost given up hope. There is Hope! Apogee recently released a new interface called Quartet. They produced a great video demonstrating the quick production of a song with the interface. Apogee has very close ties with Apple so if any manufacturer had a pre-release version, they would. Apogee made the mistake of using their version of Logic 10 in their new Quartet Interface video. Below is a still of the shot that occurs twice in the video showing the main window in Logic Pro X. Same Old Logic Studio Pro Notice all of the same Logic Pro features; blue audio clips and green MIDI clips, left column view of the selected track and the master fader, and the media bin inset on the right side of the screen. The main visual difference seems to be a black background for the arrange and mix areas, but confirmed rumors tell me that there are under the hood changes to bring Logic Pro back into full competition with Pro Tools, Cubase and Sonar. I’ve even heard that Apple has pursued testers from the other software DAWs to test and consult with Apple to make Logic Pro X better than the rest. Confirmation What Logic X will include is still just a lot of rumor, but this leak provides visual confirmation that Logic Pro 10 is in the works. I also received confirmation from a supposed tester that this is a screen shot of Logic Pro X through his refusing to say whether this was Logic 10 or a tweaked version 9. He upheld his “Non-Disclosure-Agreement” by not saying anything. This is enough confirmation for me to know that Logic 10 will be released…eventually. Below is the video that is the source of the LEAK

Avid Pro Tools 9: An Old Player in a New Game

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Avid Pro Tools 9: An Old Player in a New Game

Pro Tools has finally entered the world of non-proprietary audio interfaces. Pro Tools 9 introduces a handful of new features, but the biggest bombshell is that you no longer have to have a Pro Tools (or Digidesign or now Avid) interface to run Pro Tools. This is great news, but what about all of the baggage that comes with it?

Buying The Software Pro Tools users have become somewhat spoiled since they never seem to have to pay for the Pro Tools software. Of course there are upgrades, but the software is basically free when you buy the hardware. Not a bad deal when you pay $299 for an Mbox 2 Mini and get the full version of Pro Tools LE with it. But now that users can use whatever hardware they like, the Pro Tools software comes at a price…$599. That makes it the most expensive of the big 5 software DAWs. Check it out.

Pro Tools 9 – $599 Logic Studio 9 – $499 Cubase 5 – $499 Sonar 8.5 Producer – $349 Digital Performer 7 – $495

Interface Support One of the benefits in the past of Pro Tools having proprietary hardware is that the software and hardware always worked well together. There weren’t extensive driver issues and mismatches of features and controls. But now Pro Tools has opened themselves up to a world of potential incompatibilities. The forums are already complaining of interfaces not supporting Pro Tools’ “Low Latency Monitoring” and the lack of disabling track monitoring while recording with an external mixer or direct monitoring. These are all issues that every other software DAW has been dealing with for years. Pro Tools now has to open their eyes to work flows and software functions that they haven’t had to deal with in the past.

All Your Eggs in One Basketeggs-basket Pro Tools has always had a built-in dongle…their hardware. You can’t run Pro Tools without Pro Tools hardware. When M-Powered came along the dongle turned into an iLok authorization, and now all Pro Tools systems requires iLok authorization. That is convenient isn’t it since most users already have iLoks for all of their plug-ins? But what if there are thousands of dollars worth of plug-in authorizations on the iLok? Now you have to carry that small and easy to lose iLok with you when you want to use Pro Tools on your laptop at home. If you lose that, you haven’t just lost your Pro Tools license, but thousands of dollars of plug-ins as well…kind of scary.

Old Player in a New Game Pro Tools hasn’t dealt with some of these issues in the past because they have been playing a different game from everybody else…proprietary hardware. Now this old and seasoned player is jumping into this new game (non-proprietary hardware) and there will inevitably be some adjusting.

I Like Pro Tools I have to add this last bit to not sound like such a downer. I like Pro Tools and I am already using Pro Tools 9. I love the new features like automatic delay compensation, Eucon support, and OMF AAF support. I just think that like any change and progression their will be growing pains and some of the issues mentioned above will either be pains for Pro Tools or pains for us.

The Truth About Apogee Symphony

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The Truth About Apogee Symphony
There seems to have been a lot of confusion about Apogee’s Symphony system. It has been marketed as this great competitor to Digidesign’s Pro Tools HD systems, but it really is not an apples to apples comparison.

THE DECEPTION

  • The Apogee Symphony is far less expensive than a Digidesign HD system capable of the same amount of I/O.
  • You get the same thing with a Symphony system as an HD system for less than half the price.

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PRO TOOLS HD

First, lets look at the strengths of a Digidesign Pro Tools HD system.

  1. Versatility with interfaces and I/O configurations (one or multiple interfaces can be connected to the system for customization)
  2. Low latency operation when recording and mixing (tracks can be monitored through the software with nearly no delay)
  3. DSP based processing (plug-ins run on DSP from the installed cards and not the native processor providing higher resolution processing

The main feature that someone pays for in the large price of an HD system is #3 the DSP processing power. This is why HD systems are used in the big studios. They are very powerful and stable when running off of these DSP cards.

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SYMPHONY

Now lets look at the strengths of an Apogee Symphony system.

  1. Versatility with interfaces and I/O configurations (one or multiple interfaces can be connected to the system for customization)
  2. Low latency operation when recording and mixing (tracks can be monitored through the software with nearly no delay)

Notice the difference. The symphony system has no onboard DSP. The system requires that you use a native-based system or other DSP-based systems such as Universal Audio’s UAD2 or TC Electronic’s PowerCore. Apogee’s argument is that native-based systems are getting so powerful that you don’t need any additional DSP processing. This is an argument for another article.

Symph-vs-HD

THE TRUTH

  • Apogee does have a good point in that native-based systems are powerful and by adding I/O versatility and low latency operation you can create a pretty powerful system.
  • Price comparisons between an HD system and a Symphony system are not fair because, as shown above, an HD system is also bringing DSP to the table.
  • The Apogee Symphony is a very stable and versatile system capable of extensive routing options between multiple programs, very low latency operation, and rock solid performance.

CONCLUSION

The Apogee Symphony system is an incredible product with great potential. It has simply been deceptively marketed in an apples to oranges comparison to Digidesign Pro Tools HD systems.

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