Magix Music Maker MX review

Sadly, these features are let down by a lack of attention to detail in the interface. Editing performances was fiddly, with a confusing snap-to-grid function that rarely did what we wanted. Some pop-up windows had to be closed before other parts of the interface could be accessed – we couldn’t even click the Stop button. Simple functions such as reordering tracks, setting the recording start point, previewing a loop at a particular point or even just changing the editing tool took more mouse clicks than they should have.

Most worryingly, despite all Magix’s experience with music-production software, it still seems to be struggling with sound card settings. When we clicked record, a pop-up box appeared with a long, confusing message about the perils of not using ASIO drivers – as well as the perils of using them. Having followed the message’s advice and chosen an ASIO driver, the result was not only occasional clicks but also a significant loss of sync, with audio recordings appearing almost half a second later than we performed them. Returning to a non-ASIO driver and hitting record threw up the message, “Cannot close Waveform Device for recording! The specified device handle is invalid.” To our surprise, the recording went ahead anyway, but it’s not what we wanted to see just as we were about to pour our heart out into the microphone.

There’s a prize for anyone who can read this without dozing off

As we experimented with sound card settings, we often found that the recording sample rate had mysteriously changed, thereby pitch-shifting the entire track. Admittedly, getting music-production software to work smoothly without a specialist musician’s sound card – or even with one – isn’t easy, but the system requirements only specify an “internal sound card”. Magix needs to rise to the challenge rather than leave users to troubleshoot using inelegant controls, especially in a consumer-oriented package.

Two stars may seem harsh considering the software’s strengths, but for us, life is too short to be grappling with cumbersome controls, especially when it distracts from the creative process.