After you've installed it from the disc, there's a good chance you'll be informed that you're running an outdated version and prompted to download the most recent update.
The boxed Pro Studio package, reviewed here, contains a single installation DVD and a leaflet with some tips for setting up your audio hardware the full manual is on the DVD in PDF format, and there's an online version available at the Acoustica web site. Given what it could cost to buy a comparable bundle of third-party plug-ins yourself, the price difference is not outrageous.Īcoustica have made a virtue of Mixcraft's ease of handling and apparent simplicity, trading under the admirable slogan "Software Should be Easy to Use!” But after several rounds of maintenance releases and whole new version number, is it still easy to use? World Of Mixcraft The Pro Studio bundle is pricier at $149.95 (for a download) and comes with a selection of extra effects not included in the standard package.
If you're already a registered Mixcraft 5 user, you can upgrade for just $20. The standard version of Mixcraft 6 costs an inflation-busting $74.95 (about £47) when bought as a download, just as version 5 did before it, while a boxed edition is available for 10 dollars more. Mixcraft is available for Windows only (XP, Vista and 7), with a 1GHz CPU and 2GB RAM as minimum hardware requirements. The aim is to provide a user-friendly, self-contained virtual studio equipped for all but the most elaborate production tasks. It provides built-in tools for manipulating the pitch and tempo of sampled loops, similar to those pioneered by Sony's Acid and included in Abelton's Live and Apple's GarageBand, among others. To recap, Mixcraft is an audio and MIDI sequencing application capable of hosting third-party effects and instrument plug-ins, a number of which are included. Now version 6 has arrived, on offer both as a standard package and as part of a larger Pro Studio bundle. Version 6 builds on these strengths but also adds a new Pro Studio edition.Īcoustica's Mixcraft has made several previous appearances in SOS, most recently in September 2010 ( /sos/sep10/articles/mixcraft-5.htm), when version 5 came under scrutiny.
The video editing and scoring environment facilitates the loading and editing of video files and still images - crossfade video clips, add transitions, add video effects and quickly create slideshows from photo collections. And for the performance oriented artist, automatically synced audio and MIDI clip grooves can be triggered via a flexible Performance Panel. Adjust clips and digital audio to suit the pitch or tempo of a composition using the built-in time-stretching and pitch-shifting functions. The software provides full 32-bit and 64-bit compatibility with the added ability of using both 32-bit and 64-bit instruments and effects simultaneously (64-bit version only).
The software allows for recording audio, arranging loops, remixing tracks, composing with MIDI and virtual instruments, adding effects, scoring and editing video, and mixing and mastering tracks to create professional level projects. Mixcraft Pro Studio 7 from Acoustica is a music production and multi-track recording workstation for Windows based computers that ships with thousands of music loops, audio effects and virtual instruments.