Making Waves (software)

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Making Waves
Making Waves Wenhead icon - Obsolete.png
Making Waves Studio v542 too.PNG
Making Waves Studio v5.42
Developer(s) Making Waves Audio Ltd.
Stable release
5.42 / 2011;8 years ago (2011)
Operating system Microsoft Windows
Type Digital audio workstation
License Proprietary
Website makingwavessoftware.com/

Making Waves (MW) is computer software designed to produce professional quality audio from basic Windows multimedia PCs. This application was among the first of the 16-bit digital sequencers that evolved from the MS-DOS WAV trackers of the Eighties to become the digital audio workstation software available today including Steinberg Cubase, Pro Tools and ACID Pro. Making Waves enabled a small community of independent artists (originally including Daniel Bedingfield) to use existing hardware to record, sample, mix and render their own original work creating professional-quality audio with a modest investment of less than $100. This same dynamic user community played a significant role in the application's development, suggesting program revisions and performing extensive beta testing. These users were all organized and mentored by Stephen John Steele, the original programmer and developer of Making Waves as well as a founding director of Perceptive Solutions, Spacehead Systems and Making Waves Software Limited. [1]

Digital audio workstation electronic system designed primarily for editing digital audio

A digital audio workstation (DAW) is an electronic device or application software used for recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations from a single software program on a laptop, to an integrated stand-alone unit, all the way to a highly complex configuration of numerous components controlled by a central computer. Regardless of configuration, modern DAWs have a central interface that allows the user to alter and mix multiple recordings and tracks into a final produced piece.

Steinberg Cubase Digital audio workstation

Cubase is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by Steinberg for music and MIDI recording, arranging and editing. The first version, which was originally only a MIDI sequencer and ran on the Atari ST computer, was released in 1989. Cut-down versions of Cubase are included with almost all Yamaha audio and MIDI hardware, as well as hardware from other manufacturers. These versions can be upgraded to a more advanced version at a discount.

Pro Tools digital audio workstation

Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation developed and released by Avid Technology for Microsoft Windows and macOS which can be used for a wide range of sound recording and sound production purposes. Pro Tools can run as standalone software, or operate using a range of external analog/digital converters and internal PCI Local Bus (PCI) or PCIe audio cards with on-board digital signal processors (DSP) to provide effects such as reverb, equalization and compression. Like all digital audio workstation software, Pro Tools can perform the functions of a multitrack tape recorder and audio mixer, along with additional features that can only be performed in the digital domain, such as non-destructive editing, using the Undo feature.

Contents

Overview

The application's interface integrates a sequencer, mixer, sampler and wave editor compatible with Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), Virtual Studio Technology (VST) and some DirectX plugins (only effects, not instruments), and the program's key feature is live mixing of MIDI input with VST (instruments and effects) and digital samples including Yamaha XG (EXtended General MIDI) sound libraries. Making Waves Studio renders mp3, wav and MIDI files or can be purchased as an inexpensive audio-only wav sequencer.

Virtual Studio Technology (VST) is an audio plug-in software interface that integrates software synthesizer and effects in digital audio workstations. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware in software. Thousands of plugins exist, both commercial and freeware, and a large number of audio applications support VST under license from its creator, Steinberg.

In computer music and professional audio creation, a DirectX plugin is a software processing component that can be loaded as a plugin into host applications to allow real-time processing, audio effects, mixing audio or act as virtual synthesizers. DirectX plugins allow the replacement of traditional recording studio hardware and rack units used in professional studios with software-based counterparts that can be connected together in a modular way. This allows host manufacturers to focus on the conviviality and efficiency of their products while specialized manufacturers can focus on the digital signal processing aspect. For example, there are plugins for effects boxes, such as reverbs and delays, effects pedals, like guitar distortion, flange and chorus, and for mixing and mastering processors such as compressors, limiters, exciters, sub bass enhancers, stereo imagers and many more.

Yamaha XG

Yamaha XG is an extension to the General MIDI standard, created by Yamaha. It is similar in purpose to the Roland GS standard.

The early commercial success of this embryonic digital audio workstation (DAW) was relatively brief and seemed to build on two significant events, the release of a stable graphical user interface (GUI) version and the production of a "hit" record and album by an independent artist. First, with the release of the 32-bit Making Waves Studio version in April 1998, Perceptive Solutions had a product compatible with the Windows 95 GUI. The version provided a number of audio features never before or since consolidated at that price point. Next, Daniel Bedingfield's number one UK single was created with Making Waves and released in November 2001. His number two first album of the same name, Gotta Get Through This, soon followed. [2] Making Waves began to gain sales and acceptance within the digital audio community as an affordable professional audio platform and VST host, a complete "recording studio-in-a-box". [3] "

Graphical user interface user interface allowing interaction through graphical icons and visual indicators

The graphical user interface is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary notation, instead of text-based user interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation. GUIs were introduced in reaction to the perceived steep learning curve of command-line interfaces (CLIs), which require commands to be typed on a computer keyboard.

Daniel Bedingfield British singer

Daniel John Bedingfield is an English-New Zealand singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the brother of fellow singers Natasha Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle. He was a judge on The X Factor New Zealand in 2013.

While still available for sale, Making Waves lacks a 64-bit version, is not approved for use on Windows 8 and is no longer being maintained following the death of the original developer in 2011.

Related Research Articles

A software synthesizer, also known as a softsynth, or software instrument is a computer program, or plug-in that generates digital audio, usually for music. Computer software that can create sounds or music is not new, but advances in processing speed now allow softsynths to accomplish the same tasks that previously required the dedicated hardware of a conventional synthesizer. Softsynths are usually cheaper and more portable than dedicated hardware, and easier to interface with other music software such as music sequencers.

FL Studio digital audio workstation

FL Studio is a digital audio workstation developed by the Belgian company Image-Line. FL Studio features a graphical user interface based on a pattern-based music sequencer. The program is available in four different editions for Microsoft Windows and macOS, including Fruity Edition, Producer Edition, Signature Bundle, and All Plugins Bundle. Image-Line offers lifetime free updates to the program, which means customers receive all future updates of the software for free. Image-Line also develops FL Studio Mobile for iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Scorewriter software used for creating sheet music

A scorewriter, or music notation program is software used with a computer for creating, editing and printing sheet music. A scorewriter is to music notation what a word processor is to text, in that they both allow fast corrections (undo), flexible editing, easy sharing of electronic documents, and clean, uniform layout. In addition, most scorewriters, especially those from the 2000s, are able to record notes played on a MIDI keyboard, and play music back via MIDI or virtual instruments. Playback is especially useful for novice composers or music students or when no musicians are readily available or affordable.

Rosegarden digital audio workstation program

Rosegarden is a free software digital audio workstation program developed for Linux with ALSA and Qt4. It acts as an audio and MIDI sequencer, scorewriter and musical composition and editing tool. It is intended to be a free alternative to such applications as Cubase.

Renoise

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Tracktion is a digital audio workstation for recording and editing audio and MIDI. The software is cross-platform, running on Apple Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows and Linux.

LMMS sound and music free software

LMMS is a digital audio workstation application program. When LMMS is executed on a computer with appropriate hardware, it allows music to be produced by arranging samples, synthesizing sounds, playing on a MIDI keyboard and combining the features of trackers and sequencers. It supports the Linux Audio Developer's Simple Plugin API (LADSPA) and partially Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plug-ins. It is free software released under the GNU General Public License, version 2 (GPLv2).

Cakewalk (sequencer) MIDI sequencer

Cakewalk was a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) first developed by Twelve Tone Systems, Inc.. Originally for DOS, starting with version Cakewalk 1.0 in 1987, and, beginning in 1991, for Windows 3.0. Cakewalk, until version 4.0 required an MPU-401 MIDI interface card operating in intelligent mode, while 4.0 and later versions relied on the dumb UART mode only. Cakewalk was delivered in two versions, Cakewalk Pro and Cakewalk Express.

Mixcraft is a multitrack recording application for Windows. This music recording software functions as a digital audio workstation, MIDI sequencer, virtual instrument host, non-linear video arranger, and music loop recording program.

JUCE

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MAGIX Samplitude is a computer program made by MAGIX for recording, editing, mixing, mastering and outputting audio. The first version was released in 1992 for the Amiga and three years later for Microsoft Windows. The latest versions of the software are Samplitude Pro X3, Samplitude Pro X3 Suite and Sequoia 13. Samplitude is an example of a digital audio workstation (DAW).

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A bedroom producer is a musician who produces electronic music independently using a home studio. Typically bedroom producers use accessible, low-cost technology, such as MIDI instruments and VSTs, to come up with musical ideas for release to the world. While a traditional record producer oversees and guides the recording process, often working alongside multiple people such as artists, engineers, mixers and writers, a bedroom producer does everything independently: creating the ideas, recording them and processing them for release. Bedroom producers are often self-taught, learning sound design, mixing and music theory by reading music production blogs and watching tutorials on the internet. As bedroom producers depend on the accessibility of music technology, bedroom production has been made easier with advances in home computing power and digital audio workstations (DAW).

References

  1. ↑ Taggart, Chris and McKinnon, Rob. "Stephen John Steele, Director, Perceptive Solutions, Making Waves Software and Spacehead Systems Limited", OpenCorporates , UK, 31 October 2012. Retrieved on 27 December 2014
  2. ↑ Walden, John. "... garage producer Daniel Bedingfield, whose UK number one 'Gotta Get Thru This' was created in Making Waves.", Sound on Sound , Cambridge UK, August 2002. Retrieved on 27 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Bryant, Mike. "Making Waves Studio is ... a powerful product with ... good features for the money", Sound on Sound , Cambridge UK, July 2003. Retrieved on 27 December 2014.
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