User Guide

19 Requirements
MultitrackStudio can be used on any computer that runs Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000 SP4, including the 64 bit
versions of Windows 7/Vista/XP. Some performance issues are discussed in the following sections. With
newer computers the sound device usually is the only thing to worry about.
Sound Device
At minimum, a 16 bit/44.1kHz/stereo sound device capable of full-duplex operation (ie., simultaneous
playback and recording) is needed for audio recording/playback. About any modern device will be capable
of this.
For MIDI recording using the Sampler or VSTi/DXi plugins an audio device with an ASIO driver is
recommended. On Windows 7/Vista the VistaSound driverset will do as well. A (non-emulated) DirectSound
driver will work, but latency will typically be too high for playing live. Soft Monitoring requires an ASIO
driver, except on Windows 7/Vista where the VistaSound driverset will work as well.
CPU Power
Real time audio processing requires a fast processor. A 400 MHz CPU will let you run a basic mix (a
Reverb and say 10 other effects). The Convolutor and the Sampler require a lot of CPU power. Although
they can be used on a 400 MHz CPU, 750 MHz is no luxury if you plan on using them. The Pro Plus
edition's Guitar Amp requires a lot of CPU power too, a 1 MHz CPU is recommended.
If you use 88.2 or 96 kHz samplerates (Pro Plus edition) a 1 GHz or higher CPU is recommended. 2 GHz is
recommended for 192 kHz operation.
MultitrackStudio takes advantage of multiple core CPUs (up to eight CPUs can be used).
Memory Usage
MultitrackStudio's memory requirements are very modest, unless you're using very large sampler patches.
In practice memory won't be an issue if Windows runs fine on the computer. With Windows XP/2000 even
128 MB will do for modest projects.
Note that some sample based VSTi plugins can use lots of memory, if you use a lot of those then having 2
or 3 GB of memory is a good idea.
Disk Speed
If your songs contain about ten audio tracks a fast hard disk (7200 RPM as opposed to the once standard
5400 RPM) is recommended. Make sure the disk's DMA capabilities are used.
Video
24 bit color depth is recommended but not required. Graphics suffer if the color depth is less than 16 bits.
Audio Gear
You may need some special wires to connect microphones etc. to your sound device, especially if you have
a cheaper sound device which typically use 3.5mm jack plugs, whereas microphones use 6.3mm jack plugs
or XLR connectors.
Using an external high-quality mic preamp can significantly improve the sound quality of your recordings.
They usually provide Phantom Power as well, so you can use condenser mics.
An analog compressor can reduce the risk of overloading the sound device's input. It also allows you to get
more out of a 16 bit sound device's resolution.
Not all sound devices allow you to set different recording levels for left and right channels. This can be quite
a problem if you want to record two tracks at the same time (for instance a vocal track and an electric guitar
track). You can solve this problem by using two mic preamps (that have a level control). Using a small
analog mixer may be a cheaper alternative.