MOTU launches Digital Performer 12, featuring native Dolby Atmos support and AI-powered stem separation, marking its most significant update in years and expanding its capabilities for immersive audio and workflow enhancements.
MOTU has released Digital Performer 12, giving its flagship DAW its most substantial update in years. According to the company, the new version adds native Dolby Atmos support, AI-powered stem separation, a new Arrangement Strip for reorganising song sections, and a wider set of workflow changes aimed at both music production and post-production users. The software is available for Windows 11 and macOS 12.7 or later.
The biggest technical addition is Dolby Atmos integration. MOTU says users can now mix, render and deliver spatial audio directly inside Digital Performer, with support for layouts up to 9.1.6 and built-in binaural down-mixing for headphone monitoring. That places the DAW alongside other modern production systems that are increasingly expected to handle immersive mixes natively, rather than relying on separate tools or external renderers.
Another notable feature is stem separation, which uses AI to split a finished stereo mix into separate elements such as drums, bass, vocals and guitar. MOTU says the tool can also identify ensemble strings and brass, which should make it more useful for remixing, arrangement work and repair jobs when original multitrack sessions are unavailable. AudioTechnology reported that the update also includes the new Arrangement Strip, designed to let users reorder song sections across all tracks by dragging coloured blocks in the timeline.
Beyond the headline additions, Digital Performer 12 brings a long list of smaller but practical changes. These include enhanced Track Freeze behaviour, MusicXML import and export for round-trip work with notation applications such as Dorico, Sibelius and MuseScore, more flexible drag-and-drop importing, expanded search tools, custom keysets, track presets, improved AAF and OMF support, and compatibility for higher frame rates up to 120 fps. MOTU also says the update introduces interactive tutorials, hover help and VST3 auto-migration support. The full version is priced at $499, with upgrades from previous versions set at $195.
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