Reaching over to the mixing console, you tweak the volume levels of the piano track. You’re finishing up a song and tapping your feet as volume meters dance in tempo with the beat. This is a copy of Mac OS 9.2. Mac OS 9.2.2 for PowerMac G4 MDD Retail Mac OS 9 installers do not work on the last generation PowerMac G4 MDD models. MacFixer Mac Software Library a growing compendium of early Mac system, utility and game installers The Internet Archive the grand attic of the internet adds software to its collection.Propellerhead ReCycle 2.2 Loop Editing Software DAW. You’re ready to burn a CD and encode your efforts as MP3 files to post on the Web.Apple Power Mac G4 Desktop. Now there’s just one more thing: you patch in a reverberation-effects unit to give the vocal that rich concert-hall sound.
![]() You also have instantaneous access to any point in a recording–no rewind or fast-forward delays.Best of all, sequencers provide nondestructive processing: they don’t permanently apply your edits and effects to the audio tracks you’ve recorded unless that’s what you want. You can also use editing features to fix flubbed notes, transpose keys, and much more.Sequencers offer huge advantages over conventional tape recording, starting with undo features no razor blade can approach. You can build complex arrangements by recording new tracks while existing ones play back. Jump in LineA sequencer program, the most essential component of the virtual studio, turns the Mac into a multitrack recording deck. But it isn’t exactly efficient–more akin to typing a letter via hunt-and-peck with the mouse and the Mac’s Key Caps instead of simply using your keyboard.Some software synthesizers are designed for creating dance and rhythm loops–repeating series of bass and drum lines. Do you have to own a MIDI keyboard? No, you can create music by entering notes manually in a sequencer program. You generally play a software synth using an external music keyboard plugged into the Mac via some variety of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) hardware device for connecting electronic musical instruments to each other and to computers (see the illustration “The Ins and Outs of Desktop Audio”). With software synthesizers, the Mac can mimic anything from a vintage analog synthesizer to a grand piano to a cello. Effects plug-ins work within your sequencer program, and–as I’ll explain shortly–several different plug-in formats exist. These software effects are comparable in quality to those of dedicated effects hardware, which can be much more expensive. They cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars less than hardware synthesizers, and if you have a PowerBook or an iBook, they’re a lot more portable.Once you have your sounds, effects plug-ins let you add audio effects such as auditorium-like reverberation. But if you’re planning to use software synthesizers and real-time effects plug-ins, you’ll want a G3 or better with at least 128MB of memory. Power InsideAn iMac will take you a long way, and even an elderly 604-based Power Mac will run the sequencers I tested. Still, you don’t have to break (or even rob) the bank to set up a desktop recording studio. Best Sequencer Program G4 Update Patches FrequentlyThis is the bleeding edge, and hemorrhages happen. You’ll also become pals with the Mac’s Extension Manager control panel, because audio programs can bicker with one another and with other software. You’ll download update patches frequently as vendors release bug fixes. The company was resolving these problems as I finished this article, but they underscore two important points: first, verify compatibility with your Mac model and system software before buying any audio software second, avoid updating the system software until you’re sure your audio tools will run with the latest Mac OS.Also, if my experience was any indication, getting a system to work properly can be a challenge. I used a 400MHz blue-and-white G3 with 128MB of RAM for my testing.I also used Mac OS 8.6 because Apple was still tweaking Mac OS 9 to address some audio-related issues. My drive app for macBut for recording, an inexpensive mixer–a device that takes multiple audio inputs and merges them into one or two audio outputs–will greatly streamline your audio connections by providing multiple jacks into which you can plug microphones and instruments (see “The Ins and Outs of Desktop Audio”). In either case, optimizing your drive (or drives) regularly will result in quicker access to your tracks.All Power Macs are capable of stereo recording and playback, so to actually hear your efforts, all you need is a set of amplified speakers or some headphones. Some audio professionals use a second, high-speed SCSI drive to store audio tracks (although an additional fast IDE drive would also do the trick), keeping their programs and System Folder on the Mac’s built-in hard drive. That’s because each track is stored as a separate file, and playing back multiple tracks requires the hard drive to access each of those files in real time. But the more tracks you want to play at a time, the faster the hard drive you need. The hard drives that ship in today’s iMacs and G4s are big and fast enough to record and play back several simultaneous audio tracks. (If you’re new to music on the Mac, check out Christopher Breen’s roundup of inexpensive sequencers, such as Steinberg’s Cubasis and Mark of the Unicorn’s FreeStyle, atWhich sequencer is best? Forests fall and battles rage over that question. Studio Vision Pro is a fine program, but I won’t recommend it until the company’s future comes into sharper focus. (For more information on all the software I tested, see the table “Magical Musical Software.”) There’s a fourth powerhouse sequencer–Opcode Systems’ $100 Studio Vision Pro–but its future remains hazy as Opcode rides out a rough transition to new ownership, and its customers meanwhile endure poor technical support and a dearth of upgrades. Plug Me InThe third-party effects plug-ins and software synthesizers you want to run may influence your choice of a sequencer. Even Digital Performer’s manuals and online help are superior–by contrast, Cubase doesn’t come with any printed material other than a “Getting Started” manual. Digital Performer’s elegant look-and-feel makes it my favorite Mark of the Unicorn has sweated the design details to create a program that looks beautiful and is a pleasure to use (see “Auditioning Sequencers”). But because all three have very similar features and include some effects plug-ins, I based my choice on how the sequencer works.
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