TURNTABLE LAB

the lab review

OVERVIEW
Pro Tools M-Powered 8 software puts the industry standard in audio/MIDI production on the fast track, letting you enter the powerful world of Pro Tools on your own terms. Pro Tools M-Powered has the same user interface as Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools LE, all while expanding your creative hardware options to dozens of M-Audio interfaces. Session compatibility with all current versions of Pro Tools software means that you can easily move your projects between pro, project and mobile personal studios at just under $300. Pro Tools M-Powered 8 is the serious music production choice for power, compatibility, options and ease of use without spending serious money.

FEATURES
PRO RECORDING EDITING AND MIXING
Pro Tools M-Powered 8 software enables M-Audio hardware enthusiasts to easily access the powerful recording, editing and mixing features of Pro Tools. Now with up to 48 simultaneous stereo tracks of 16- or 24-bit digital audio, and support for up to 96kHz sample rates, Pro Tools M-Powered 8 is an ideal companion for M-Audio interfaces and audio interface keyboards, whether you're recording solo or entire bands. And the optional Music Production Toolkit 2 expands Pro Tools M-Powered 8 to up to 64 mono or stereo tracks, and adds more effects and instruments, a multi-track version of Beat Detective and the Pro Tools MP3 Option.

STOCKED STUDIO PLUG-INS
Pro Tools M-Powered 8 comes fully packed with a huge, comprehensive collection of music creation and sound processing plug-ins, giving you a well-stocked studio right out of the box. You get an incredible array of 70 DigiRack, A.I.R. and Bomb Factory plug-ins right out of the box, including EQ, dynamics, delay, reverb and many more. You can also create and play music with six groundbreaking virtual instruments from the renowned Digidesign Advanced Instrument Research (A.I.R.) group: the Mini Grand piano, Boom drum machine, DB-33 tone-wheel organ, Structure Free sample player, and Vacuum and Xpand!2 synths.

LOOPING TOOLS
Pro Tools M-Powered 8 features a variety of tools that make loop-based music creation faster and more imaginative than ever. In addition to importing REX and Acid files, the Loop Trim tool also makes it easy to turn audio or MIDI regions into loops. The Elastic Time and the new Elastic Pitch features make it a breeze to change tempo/time and pitch on the fly. As a result, you can integrate a wide variety of loops and audio files with your current session throughout the entire writing process. And DigiBas, the program's internal database, even has a Loop Preview feature that allows you to preview loops in sync, in real time, before bringing them into your session.

REWIRE TORQ
ans of M-Audio Torq DJ software and other standalone applications can utilize ReWire within Pro Tools M-Powered for the best of both worlds. Simply send Torq software's output streams into Pro Tools M-Powered via ReWire for further mixing and processing. Pro Tools M-Powered also accepts MIDI directly from ReWire applications for recording controller data to a Pro Tools MIDI or Instrument track. With Pro Tools M-Powered and ReWire, the creative possibilities are endless.

EASE OF USE
Elegance and power are the reasons why Pro Tools is used in the majority of professional recording studios around the world. At the same time, Pro Tools M-Powered 8 is very simple and intuitive. And once you know how to use one version of Pro Tools, you know how to work in any Pro Tools environment, from personal to pro studios.

FLEXIBLE AND PORTABLE
A wide variety of M-Audio PCI, FireWire and USB hardware interfaces are compatible with Pro Tools M-Powered software, giving you more options in where, when and how you work. Whether you need just a little I/O or a lot,or a desktop, mobile or hybrid system, you'll find the perfect solution with our PCI, USB/USB 2 and FireWire audio interfaces. Mix live and in the studio with the NRV10 interface/analog mixer. Experience compact productivity with an M-Audio audio interface keyboard. And DJs can enter the world of Pro Tools with our Torq products.

read more about Pro Tools M-Powered 8 here.

reviewed by the mgmnt 01/05/2009

• lab staple item

key features

- 48-track mono or stereo audio recording, editing, and mixing up to 24-bit/96kHz
- 256 tracks of powerful, intuitive MIDI sequencing
- industry-standard session compatibility with countless Pro Tools-equipped project and professional studios around the world
- completely non-destructive editing with world-class tools
- real-time audio processing
- import MIDI, REX, ACID, WAV, SDII, AIFF, AAC and MP3 audio files
- unique Beat Detective LE automatic groove analysis and correction tool
- powerful loop recording options
- Elastic Pitch allows manipulation (+/- 4 octaves) or pitch correction of any audio region in real time without affecting time or tempo
- Elastic Time real-time tempo manipulation feature lets you change the tempo or timing of audio tracks on the fly without affecting pitch
- real-time MIDI processing enables control of MIDI quantization, note duration and velocity, transposition, and timing as you record
- host processing efficiency allows you to run many select RTAS effects and instrument plug-ins simultaneously
- up to 32 internal mix busses and up to 10 sends and inserts per track increases mixing flexibility and allows larger, more complex mixing architectures
- advanced virtual instrument integration including 6 free A.I.R. virtual instruments
- easy dragging and dropping of audio, MIDI, REX, and ACID files from the desktop to the timeline
- compatible with Digidesign-qualified Windows Vista- (32-bit Business or Ultimate), Windows XP-, or Mac OS X 10.5.5-based computers

includes

- 70 free DigiRack, A.I.R. and Bomb Factory plug-ins, including EQ, dynamics, delays, reverb and more
- Dynamics III DigiRack plug-in allows easy and powerful control of mix dynamics
- Torq LE DJ software
- 8GB of pro-quality loops

manufacturer's info

• manufacturer's website

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