EXCLUSIVES

MOTU MachFive 1.07
By David Hutchison

August 2004

Introduction
Sample-based synthesis has matured over the last three decades from bulky and expensive hardware-based solutions to software based plug-ins that integrate seamlessly with MIDI and digital audio sequencing tools. Most recently, the publishers of two leading pro audio tools on the Mac®, Emagic and MOTU, have begun marketing their own software sampler plug-ins for Logic, Digital Performer, and, in the case of MOTU, other host software. In this review, we look at MOTU's MachFive software sampler ($395).

Full-featured and Versatile
Whereas Emagic's sampler, the EXS24MkII, is tightly integrated with (and therefore, only compatible with) Emagic Logic, MOTU's MachFive aims for total ubiquity and cross-platform operability in supporting a wide range of Mac and PC pro audio tools. The sampler supports the Audio Units, HTDM, MAS, RTAS, VST, and DXI plug-in formats. So, too, it ships with a custom version of the UVI-Extract software for importing samples (and batch importing full sample CDs) into MachFive's native format. Supported import formats include WAV, Akai, Roland, Kurzweil, Creamware, Reaktor, SampleCell, EXS24, and GIGA, among others.

While MachFive can import libraries stored in other sampler formats, few, if any, sample titles are available (as of this writing) in the MachFive format itself. (Regrettably absent for MOTU Digital Performer is a MachFive version of the massive EXS24MkII formatted Vienna Symphonic Orchestra Library reviewed elsewhere in this issue). I attempted to import a few EXS24MkII Vienna instruments into MachFive without success. Batch importing a full CD-ROM of Roland formatted Ilio Symphony of Voices samples met with better success, but MachFive nevertheless crashed each time I attempted to play an imported program. Clearly, there is work to be done in improving MachFive's sample import support. The UVI-Extract interface could also be user-friendlier.

The good news is that MachFive ships with an impressive 5GB library of samples that are very useable right out of the box. Included are electric and church organs, acoustic and electric guitars, basses, drum kits, loops, and a variety of synth sounds. Definitely worth noting are the high quality Bosendorfer piano samples which offer a tantalizing peak into MachFive's potential.

The MachFive synthesis engine supports surround sound (a welcome benefit for soundtrack composers and DVD-Audio producers) and up to 24-bit 192KHz audio. Flexible and advanced parameters for controlling the properties and routing of filters and LFOs are also on board. The latter can be synced to a song's tempo and most synthesis options can be controlled via MIDI. And, samples can also be edited in real time as a song plays. MachFive provides graphic control of a sample's loop points, as well as commands for normalizing, fading, reversing, and otherwise processing samples.

As of this writing, MachFive requires plenty of RAM (1GB or more) since samples must be loaded into volatile memory. (A streaming version of MachFive should be available by the time you read this.) For copy protection, MachFive relies on a USB dongle. This may be problematic for some users whose host software (e.g. Logic) also requires a copy protection dongle.

As with other MOTU software, MachFive boasts a beautiful interface, full of attractively rendered knobs and sliders that are carefully laid out in an organized way. Sections of the interface are devoted to loading and saving samples, instruments, and complete performances; organizing the multitimbral layers of a performance; graphically editing sample loop points; setting the key range of samples; editing the timbre of sounds; and controlling MachFive's integrated effects. Plenty of thought has clearly gone into planning the MachFive user experience.

Still, MachFive's full-featured interface does come with a cost: size. At 900 X 740 pixels, MachFive uses more screen real estate than most competing products, including Emagic's EXS24MkII, which sacrifices multitimbral and effects support for a streamlined interface with separate editing windows. (Emagic's Winter NAMM 2004 announcement that the EXS24MkII sampler will be bundled with Logic Pro 6 ($999) also ups the ante in the competitive marketplace of software based safmplers. Might MOTU follow suit?) Still, MachFive will appeal to users who wish to open a single instance of a sampler plug-in with which to create a complete 16-part multitimbral arrangement with integrated reverb and other effects.

Conclusion
There are a wide range of alternatives from which to choose when it comes to software samplers on the Mac; but if your studio has a legacy library of sample CDs in various formats (e.g. Akai, Roland, and SampleCell), MOTU's MachFive could emerge-once its sample import problems are solved-as a solid choice for moving those libraries from CD to the Mac. MachFive also functions as a versatile plug-in for pro audio software in the Windows® world, an important consideration for those who work across platforms. Finally, if you are looking for a full-featured software sampler that is both multitimbral and chock-full of effects, MachFive will not disappoint. That said, before adopting MachFive as your primary software sampler, you may wish to wait for a few native MachFive sample libraries to be released.

Contact: MOTU, http://www.motu.com. Pros: Full featured sample playback and editing; attractive and intuitive interface; powerful synthesis and effects support. Cons: Stability problems with some imported samples; large interface; few MachFive native sample libraries.