In a single action it takes any tracks you've selected (whether they have plug-ins on them or not), creates the same number of new tracks, bounces the selected tracks to them, and then disables the audio voice assignments in the original tracks it has just 'frozen', freeing up processor power. This is where the new Freeze Tracks feature comes in. It's straightforward in principle, but a really tedious chore that can take 10 minutes to set up, and even then, it results in the loss of individual control over the tracks you've just bounced. Getting around this problem has always been possible, by creating a new voice track, routing all the tracks laden with software synths or plug-ins to it via a buss, record-enabling it, making a recording pass then disabling the plug-ins. Extensive use of effects plug-ins sap processor power, resulting in an increasingly sluggish user interface, pops and clicks in audio, and even system instability.

There can't be many DP users out there who haven't pushed their Mac's processor to the limit whilst working on a project. The new Freeze Tracks feature is a great addition to DP, and especially so if you own an older or more modest Mac.

More on DP4 and OS X, including the new 'Freeze Tracks' feature.

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