The added effects include powerful mastering technology by iZotope, G-Sonique, ToneBoosters, and Acoustica, such as the iZotope Mastering Essentials effect suite. Igru raduzhnaya pautinka 2 cherez torrent bez registracii. The new Acoustica Pro Studio Reverb offers cutting-edge studio reverb technology that’s easy on the CPU, and the Acoustica 31-Band EQ offers precise, transparent frequency trailoring.

The key features of Acoustica's Mixcraft have always been affordability and ease of use. Version 6 builds on these strengths but also adds a new Pro Studio edition. Acoustica's Mixcraft has made several previous appearances in SOS, most recently in September 2010 (), when version 5 came under scrutiny.

Now version 6 has arrived, on offer both as a standard package and as part of a larger Pro Studio bundle. 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. 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. A large sound library is also included.

The aim is to provide a user-friendly, self-contained virtual studio equipped for all but the most elaborate production tasks. Mixcraft is available for Windows only (XP, Vista and 7), with a 1GHz CPU and 2GB RAM as minimum hardware requirements. 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. If you're already a registered Mixcraft 5 user, you can upgrade for just $20. 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. Given what it could cost to buy a comparable bundle of third-party plug-ins yourself, the price difference is not outrageous. Acoustica 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?

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. 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. Lest this make the installation disc seem rather pointless, bear in mind that it also contains the complete and rather extensive loop and sample library, which would otherwise need downloading too.

I've mentioned GarageBand and Acid already, and Mixcraft is built around a similar single-window, two-pane layout, which remains essentially unchanged in version 6. Audio and MIDI tracks occupy the main pane at the top, while the pane below is split across several tabs where smaller details can be viewed and edited. When a part is selected on an audio track, for example, its waveform and associated parameters are automatically displayed in the Sound tab below. MIDI tracks work similarly, although with a piano-roll or score editor in place of the waveform view. The mixer can also be accessed in this way and, in fact, almost every kind of adjustment can be made in the lower pane, quickly and easily, without losing sight of the larger arrangement above. Although the layout is fundamentally unchanged, version 6 sees the program's graphics refreshed for a slightly more upmarket look, and beneath the surface it becomes apparent that small improvements have been made throughout the application.

For instance, Mixcraft is now a Rewire host: MIDI sequence data can be used to trigger instruments in connected Rewire applications — which are treated just like any other instrument, with the resulting audio being channelled back into Mixcraft's mixer. Similarly, Mixcraft now supports unlimited audio outputs for VST Instruments (individual outputs can be added or deleted as required). A large sound library was already included, and in version 6 this has been expanded to over 6000 loops and sound effects, many arranged as 'Song Kits' in a variety of styles. The quality of these is generally good, and there are lots of useful and usable building blocks to choose from. The Library tab also now includes an improved Search feature, which works well, and an Import function for adding new loops to the library. Audio tracks now include a convenient built-in guitar tuner. A single click brings up the tuner interface, which temporarily replaces the level meter for that track.

The name of the nearest note (for instance, 'A' or 'G') is displayed, with a 'cursor' indicating how sharp or flat the incoming pitch is relative to it. Punch-in/punch-out recording is another new addition. Simply click the Punch In/Out button, then click and drag in the timeline to create a 'punch area' dictating where recorded takes should begin and end. Looped recording is also now possible, with each pass automatically stored as a separate clip.