J
JuSumPilgrim
New member
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I'm reviewing CEP2 for Keyboard and while you'll have to read the mag to get the full report, here are a few items of interest...
STRENGTHS
CEP2 does looping really well. Think Acid with a built-in digital audio editor.
I think the interface looks a lot nicer...more like Logic, Cubase, FruityLoops...that neutral kind of "euro look."
Real time effects - it's about time. But with processor-intensive effects, you need to tweak the premixing parameters to prevent breakup. I appreciate the serial/parallel mixing option.
I still like the concept of a program that does multitrack recording AND serious digital audio editing. The effects/plugs included with the program are solid, the de-noising/clicking stuff if very good.
Being able to change the levels of individual samples works SO much better than the pencil tool in other programs.
The Scripting feature is very cool.
The video import function is solid.
I love that you can type in a precise number of samples and trim to that. Fantastic for creating sample-accurate loop lengths.
It recovers files very well if your computer locks up, thanks to that whole premixing concept. But so far CEP2 has been quite stable.
You can load just about any format in the known universe and convert to any other format in the known universe.
Multitrack mode is more intuitive than Wavelab's Montage mode, which also tacks on multitrack capabilities to a basic digital audio editor.
LIMITATIONS
No real MIDI editing. You can load in an SMF and split it into pieces, but that's about it.
No soft synth support (boo!!).
For some reason, CEP2 doesn't recognize VST effects run through VST-DX adapter. It's the only DirectX program I have that won't see the VST effects.
No meters on individual channels, just for the master. Or am I missing something?
Can't save videos in formats other than AVI.
Editing software without a multiband compressor?!? Yes, you can create a script to run a compressor multiple times to give the same result, but that's a pretty convoluted approach. Better to spend the bucks on a multi-band compressor plug-in.
Real time effects still aren't handled as seamlessly as programs like Wavelab.
So in conclusion, it's a lot of bang for the buck. It's definitely an overachieving digital audio editor, but in many respects, it doesn't replace programs like Sonar, Cubase, Logic, etc. because of the minimal MIDI and soft synth support (assuming those things are important to you). My take is that people who already like CEP will like CEP2 even more, and it will also pick up some new users because of the multitrack/audio editor/looping/built-in effects combo at a really reasonable price.
--------------------
Craig Anderton
*free music available at craiganderton.com
I'm reviewing CEP2 for Keyboard and while you'll have to read the mag to get the full report, here are a few items of interest...
STRENGTHS
CEP2 does looping really well. Think Acid with a built-in digital audio editor.
I think the interface looks a lot nicer...more like Logic, Cubase, FruityLoops...that neutral kind of "euro look."
Real time effects - it's about time. But with processor-intensive effects, you need to tweak the premixing parameters to prevent breakup. I appreciate the serial/parallel mixing option.
I still like the concept of a program that does multitrack recording AND serious digital audio editing. The effects/plugs included with the program are solid, the de-noising/clicking stuff if very good.
Being able to change the levels of individual samples works SO much better than the pencil tool in other programs.
The Scripting feature is very cool.
The video import function is solid.
I love that you can type in a precise number of samples and trim to that. Fantastic for creating sample-accurate loop lengths.
It recovers files very well if your computer locks up, thanks to that whole premixing concept. But so far CEP2 has been quite stable.
You can load just about any format in the known universe and convert to any other format in the known universe.
Multitrack mode is more intuitive than Wavelab's Montage mode, which also tacks on multitrack capabilities to a basic digital audio editor.
LIMITATIONS
No real MIDI editing. You can load in an SMF and split it into pieces, but that's about it.
No soft synth support (boo!!).
For some reason, CEP2 doesn't recognize VST effects run through VST-DX adapter. It's the only DirectX program I have that won't see the VST effects.
No meters on individual channels, just for the master. Or am I missing something?
Can't save videos in formats other than AVI.
Editing software without a multiband compressor?!? Yes, you can create a script to run a compressor multiple times to give the same result, but that's a pretty convoluted approach. Better to spend the bucks on a multi-band compressor plug-in.
Real time effects still aren't handled as seamlessly as programs like Wavelab.
So in conclusion, it's a lot of bang for the buck. It's definitely an overachieving digital audio editor, but in many respects, it doesn't replace programs like Sonar, Cubase, Logic, etc. because of the minimal MIDI and soft synth support (assuming those things are important to you). My take is that people who already like CEP will like CEP2 even more, and it will also pick up some new users because of the multitrack/audio editor/looping/built-in effects combo at a really reasonable price.
--------------------
Craig Anderton
*free music available at craiganderton.com
