With the female voice in mind, AKG Acoustics has introduced its new Elle C live performance vocal microphone, which was designed for the acoustic and ergonomic requirements of the female vocalist. The Elle C features an XLR connector module with gold-plated pins, a gold-plated transducer case, a spring-steel wire-mesh grill, a 60 to 20,000 Hz frequency range, and more.

Stand-Alone Mode firmware is now available for Ensemble, Apogee Electronics Corporation's multichannel audio interface. Stand-Alone Mode allows Ensemble to function without being connected to a Mac by FireWire. The control panel, routing, and low latency mixer settings only have to be configured in Maestro once, at which point the settings remain operational despite the absence of a host computer. All front panel controls remain active. However, changes to routing or settings in Maestro still require Mac-connectivity. Ensemble may be used in a wide variety of new configurations, including conversion between analog and optical and/or S/PDIF coaxial.

Prism Sound's new FireWire recording interface, the Orpheus, offers eight analog recording channels, eight monitoring outputs, and S/PDIF and Toslink optical digital I/O ports. MORE.

Roger Nichols Digital has released Dynam-izer, Uniquel-izer, Finis, Frequal-izer, Inspector XL, and Detailer for Windows Version 1.2, which are compatible with Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit. The updated plug-ins now include Roger Nichols Presets, a new questions button for accessing the online manual, and two looks for each plug-in—brushed aluminum and "elemental blue." Current owners may download the 1.2 updates here.