Digital Video - January 2009 - (Page 16)

IN REVIEW ABALTAT MUSE 2.0 SOUND CHOICE FROM SIMPLE TO SUBSTANTIAL, THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO SCORE LIKE A PRO. license key, which is tied to your specifbaltat Muse 2.0 performs audio ic hardware, so make sure you install it magic on your QuickTime only on the system you intend to use it movies by virtually writing a with. score to your picture with a few mouse Upon launching the program, clicks. You can use the results as-is, tweak you’re greeted with… nothing! You’ll and customize them to your liking or even have to open a QuickTime movie (by export a MIDI file to build onto your compodragging its icon onto the Muse icon in sitions with other music programs. the Dock or using the File > Open comWhen I was first assigned the review for mand), and Muse begins to analyze your Muse 2.0, I was familiar with the product video. How long this takes depends on only by name. At first glance, the program the speed of your system and the length appeared to be a costlier version of your video, but in general it’s AWARD OF better to open short clips (less of Apple’s popular GarageBand or Soundtrack Pro. Thankfully, than a few minutes), which will Abaltat set me straight on that EXCELLENCE take a minute or two to analyze, right away on a telephone walkdepending on their complexity. through of the software with one of their After the movie is analyzed, you’ll product managers, and it was clear that this notice a Color Timeline window with nine is a different animal altogether. different color patterns and a graph disMuse 2.0 requires Mac OS X 10.4.7 playing your video content as waveforms. (PPC) or 10.4.8 (Intel) or higher (it runs The Color Timeline is how Muse does its great for me using the latest, Leopard magic — it translates the video to a spec10.5.5) and 2GB of hard disk space, most trum that can be matched to the music it of which is taken up by the professional creates, using the various colors to detersound samples the software uses to cremine the mood and style of the piece ate your score. Installation is fast and sim(with a little help from you, of course). ple, and the Muse program itself is quite The main window for Muse 2.0 features small compared to many modern proyour QuickTime movie, a volume slider for grams (only 20MB). You’ll have to enter a Music and Movie, the option to solo or mute five audio tracks (Melody 1, Melody 2, Bass, Drums and FX), a Compose button and a timeline, where you can add, delete ABALTAT MUSE 2.0 and modify keyframes to alter your compoPROS: Simple, minimalist interface with quick, sitions. At the bottom are standard transeasy and customized results. CONS: Probably too port controls for your video playback, and pricey for many prosumers, often cumbersome to the music remains locked to them as well. tweak your scores without MIDI export, not as It’s a pretty lean interface (even the effective on fast-paced video content. BOTTOM Preferences window is bare-bones), but LINE: Pulls a giant rabbit out of your magic hat by don’t be deceived… there’s a lot of power allowing content creators to sketch out musical under the hood here. ideas or even produce finished, customized scores Click on the large Compose button and with a few clicks. MSRP: $299.99 (introductory you can select a Band type: Atmospheric, price for download or CD) CONTACT: Ensemble, Hip Hop (Classic), Minimalist www.abaltat.com (Orchestra), Minimalist (Electronic), BY J.R. BOOKWALTER A DV SCORE Percussion or Retro Tech. Each Band type has presets you can use or alter accordingly using the Advanced button. If you want to get started quickly, select a Band and Preset and click OK. Muse will process your selection against the Color Timeline of your video (you’ll see a Progress box as the score is built and samples are added), and in a moment you’ll be ready to preview your composition. Click the Play button (or space bar) and your score plays back with the movie. It’s that simple! For better results, the Advanced button expands the selector to offer a few adjustments to further make your music your own. You can choose from Melodic or Freestyle compose methods, tell Muse to concentrate its arrangement only on specific color types (you can use the Color Timeline window to scroll through the video and see which ones are affecting your music and where), adjust the tempo, complexity and time signature of your finished cue, and more. The real wonder of Muse is that it can “read” your movie and translate it into anything resembling real music to begin with. And keep in mind that no two cues will ever be the same, even with the same presets, because Muse is creating a piece that’s customized to whatever video you feed into it. Before you decide to hand your friendly neighborhood music composer his walking papers, remember that Muse 2.0 is not just going to do a complete music score to your project at the click of a button. Abaltat’s (continued on page 35) You’ll find an extended version of this review on our site. Visit DV online. 16 dv january 2009 www.dv.com http://www.dv.com http://www.abaltat.com http://www.dv.com

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Digital Video - January 2009 Contents First Look: D90 Camera Sonicfire Pro 5 You Pod Instant Expert Muse 2.0 FXFactory Pro 2.0.5 Motype Fxpack DV Product Directory All Powered Up Creating Your Own Sun DV101 Production Diary

Digital Video - January 2009

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