Things You'll Need:
- Mac OS 10.3.7 or higher
- G4 500 MHz or faster
- 512 MB RAM
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Step 1
Your two main windows are the Transport Control and the Track Window. The transport control is used for playback, record, counter, as well as editing functions, such as the loop editor, drum editor, and overdubs.
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Step 2
The Track Window contains all recorded information (called regions). The left side of the track window contains instruments information, while the right side contains recorded data—such as MIDI tracks or audio tracks.
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Step 3
To add a track, go to the Project menu. Click on Add Track. Here you’ll see a list of options, such as Midi Track or Stereo Audio Track. Click the appropriate track for either Midi-controller recording or direct input recording.
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Step 4
To record a track without following the metronome, select Step Record from the Studio menu. In the Step Record menu, check to see you are recording on the correct track (lower left corner). Note: you’ll need a high-quality MIDI controller to trigger software plug-ins, preferably with 48 keys or more.
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Step 5
To record guitar, vocals or other third-party instrument, you’ll need an audio input device. This will have to be configured to work directly with DP. Usually the audio interface will use a separate software driver, so make sure your computer’s up to speed. To record in real time, all you have to do is select a track and press the record button. You can select or deselect the metronome and count-off.
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Step 6
To edit, go to the region menu. Using a feature such as Quantize, will lock a performance to a grid, so notes will always play in time. Think of it like a pitch-shifter for vocals, except it is done for tempo. In the Graphic Editor, you can stretch or shrink a note manually, or else automatically using the Quantize function. The Graphic Editor icon can be found on the right side of the Transport.
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Step 7
To mix down, select Mixing Board from the Project menu. Use the Expand function to select which tracks display in the Mixing Board. Use audio plug-ins (echo, gate, reverb, filter, etc.) to add effects to each track separately, as well as the master track.
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Step 8
Finally, use the Bounce feature—Audio menu, Bounce to Disk—to convert the audio recording to an mp3 or other format.
