EM News - April 1st to 8th
Product Update
New
products, software updates, and more. . .
Ableton is including
a free PowerFX Sample CD with purchases of Live 2.0.
Analogue
Solutions has released the Red Square, a rackmount semi-modular
analog synth with a MIDI-CV converter. The Red Square's patch points
use 1/4-inch jacks, so it can easily interface with other analog
synthesizers or be used as an effects processor. Red Square is
available in the US from Big City Music.
Digidesign is
offering Pro Tools 6.0.1 as a free update to owners of Pro Tools 6.0.
The update is available as a Web download or from local dealers. Also available from
Digidesign is the Core Audio Driver for Mac OS X (Pro Tools 6.0.1 is
required) and a MIDI I/O driver update.
Digidesign has
also announced the MDW Hi-Resolution Parametric EQ (Mac) plug-in for
Pro Tools|HD, created by George Massenburg of Massenburg DesignWorks.
The plug-in lets you select frequencies from 10 Hz to 41 kHz and
emulates the constant-shape reciprocal filter curves of Massenburg's
GML 8200. The plug-in requires an iLok Smart Key for
authorization.
FXpansion is
offering a VST-to-Audio Unit plug-in adapter for Mac OS X users. The
company notes that, once installed, the adapter is invisible to the
user: the VST plug-ins load and behave exactly like native Audio Units
plug-ins.
Iced Audio has announced AudioFinder (Mac OS X), a shareware utility
for browsing and auditioning audio files using an interface like the
Mac OS X Finder. AudioFinder can be controlled exclusively from a
keyboard or with a mouse.
Native Instruments has announced that its new
products will support the Digidesign RTAS plug-in format. The company
also says that RTAS support will be added to existing products in
future updates.
Propellerhead
Software has released Reload (Mac/Win), which allows Reason and
ReCycle users to load Akai S1000 and S3000 samples.
StudioSystem 4.1
(Mac/Win) is an administration application for studios and musicians,
which features archive, contact, invoicing, and inventory databases; a
studio calendar; and a track-sheet printer; among other goodies. All of
the forms can be customized, and it includes templates in English,
German, French, Spanish, and Italian. A demo version is available
online. On an unrelated note, the company also offers an application
called Virtual WineCellar for wine collectors.
Vintaudio announced
its Ultimate Yamaha C7 Grand Piano Collection for Tascam GigaSampler
and Steinberg Halion. The library is 8 GB in size and includes 3000
samples divided into three sections: close miked, ambient, and player
perspective.
The Zoom MRS-802CD is
a personal digital studio that offers eight mono tracks, a stereo
master track, a stereo drum track, a built-in drum machine, effects
processing, and a CD-R/RW drive. It features 1/4-inch (balanced and
unbalanced) and XLR inputs with 48V phantom power, and MIDI I/O. The
device is also available without a CD drive.
Calendar
The Spring 2003 leg of M-Audio's M-World tour will feature guest artists
demonstrating Propellerhead Reason, Arkaos VJ, and Ableton Live 2. In
addition, participants will have a chance to get their hands on all of
M-Audio's latest hardware products. The cities and dates include
Atlanta, April 2-3; New York City, May 14-15; Washington, D.C., May
28-29; Chicago, June 4-5; Montreal, June 18-19; and Toronto, June
23-24. Register at M-Audio.com.
The
Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at
Stanford University is offering three workshops during the summer of
2003. This year's workshops include:
July 14 through 25: Digital Signal Processing for
Audio: Spectral and Physical Models with Perry R. Cook and Xavier
Serra
July 28 through August 8: Physical Interaction Design
for Music, with Bill Verplank, Michael Gurevich, and Scott Wilson
August 11 through 22: Perceptual Audio Coding, with
Marina Bosi
Application materials and detailed information about the workshops can
be found here.
EM News - April 8th to 15th
Product Update
New
products, software updates, and more. . .
Apogee has
announced the Rosetta 800, an 8-channel, 24-bit A/D/A converter
available in versions that support 96 kHz and 192 kHz sampling rates.
The Rosetta 800 also offers eight channels of AES/EBU digital output,
eight channels of ADAT Lightpipe output, as well as Apogee's SoftLimit,
UV22HR, and Intelliclock technologies. An optional FireWire card is
available for compatibility with OS X and Windows XP.
Dash Synthesis is
offering daAlfa2k, a 16-voice VSTi wavetable synth. Each of its three
oscillators can load a waveform: pick something from the 12 MB library
that's included or load your own 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV files. The synth
also comes with a 24 dB (4-pole) resonant filter with Automatic Gain
Reduction; a 6 dB (1-pole) highpass filter; two ADSR envelope
generators; two LFOs; a noise generator; and delay and chorus
effects.
Digital Music
Doctor has released Sonar: Swift & Deep, a CD-ROM tutorial for
Cakewalk Sonar users. The CD-ROM includes 70 minutes of videos and
sample projects that cover all aspects of recording, editing, and
mixing.
EastWest is
distributing a number of new and interesting items in the US. SwarPlug
(Mac/Win) is a VSTi offering 21 virtual Indian instruments and over 500
MIDI loops based on Indian classical and folkloric music. The SAM
Trombones (GigaSampler format) is a sample library of an orchestral
trombone section that offers a variety of articulations, including
marcato, staccato, and swells. Also distributed by EastWest are the
Post Musical Instruments (PMI) Grandioso Bosendorfer 290 in the Kontakt
format and Downtown Strings 2, a collection of string-quartet samples
in 24-bit WAV format.
Propagamma has
released a public beta version (0.8b) of its Mac OS X USB audio driver.
The driver connects external soundcards with audio applications via
Core Audio. The company says it will add ASIO support soon.
RealTraps has
introduced MiniTraps, acoustic treatment that absorbs midrange and high
frequencies. The company says that MiniTraps are made with rigid
fiberglass and metal instead of foam and are fire resistant. Product
details, performance data, and a page entitled Acoustics: Fact &
Fiction can be found on the RealTraps Web site.
Syntrillium
Software has introduced Cool Edit Pro version 2.1, which adds 5.1 surround
features, WMA 9 support, improved noise reduction, and support for
Mackie and Tascam hardware controllers. Users can preview the surround
mix on any sound card that has a DirectSound multichannel driver and
export the mix as an interleaved 6-channel WAV file or six mono WAV
files.
Tascam has introduced
the FW-1884, a FireWire DAW control surface and audio and MIDI
interface. The FW-1884 offers eight analog XLR mic/line inputs (with
phantom power and inserts on every channel); 24-bit, 96 kHz A/D/A
converters; eight 100 mm motorized touch-sensitive faders; a master
fader; a weighted jog wheel; and controls for pan, solo, and mute.
Digital I/O includes 8-channel ADAT Lightpipe and stereo S/PDIF, and
the controller has four MIDI inputs and four MIDI outputs.
The Starr Labs Ztar
Z6SX is a guitar-like MIDI controller that includes a thumb-operated
joystick, six programmable trigger pads, as well as ribbon and breath
controllers. You can edit the Velocity response curves for the
fingerboard, triggers, and sensors so they match your style of
playing.
Calendar
The Spring 2003 leg of M-Audio's M-World tour will feature guest artists
demonstrating Propellerhead Reason, Arkaos VJ, and Ableton Live 2. In
addition, participants will have a chance to get their hands on all of
M-Audio's latest hardware products. The cities and dates include
Washington, D.C., May 28-29; Chicago, June 4-5; Montreal, June 18-19;
and Toronto, June 23-24. Register at M-Audio.com.
If
you're interested in Cakewalk's Project5 Synth Workstation, you won't
want to miss the All Access Retail Clinic Tour during the month of
June. Visit Cakewalk's Web site for more details.
Expo for
the Artist & Musician is an annual event that creates a space for
education, networking, sharing resources, and cultivating the arts from
the grassroots up. The event is set for May 4 (11 a.m.-6 p.m.) at
Cellspace, 2050 Bryant St., San Francisco, CA 94110. A benefit and
reception in support of the Expo is scheduled for April 17 at 111 Minna
Gallery, featuring Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist, Tomas, Ms. E, Corey
Black, and Jonah Sharp. 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna St., San
Francisco, CA 94105. For Expo details, click here.
The 2003
Rocky Mountain Electronic Music Conference (RMEMC) is slated to take
over Denver, Colo., May 8-10. The conference offers panels and
workshops, including "Women in the DJ Business" and one presented by Remix magazine. For
complete information, including registration options, click here.
The
Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at
Stanford University is offering three workshops during the summer of
2003. This year's workshops include:
July 14 through 25: Digital Signal Processing for
Audio: Spectral and Physical Models with Perry R. Cook and Xavier
Serra
July 28 through August 8: Physical Interaction Design
for Music, with Bill Verplank, Michael Gurevich, and Scott Wilson
August 11 through 22: Perceptual Audio Coding, with
Marina Bosi
Application materials and detailed information about the workshops can
be found here.
April 15th - 22nd
Product Update
New products, software updates, and more. . .
Big Fish
Audio has released Platinum Essentials (Audio/Acidized WAV ), a
collection of urban sounds created by Keith Clark (aka Clizark) and
Luke Most. Clark is known for his work with Snoop Dogg, B-Legit, Mack
10, Kurupt, Eastsidaz, and TRU. The collection includes a wide range of
percussion, bass, and synth samples, as well as construction kits, with
tempos ranging from 93 to 103 bpm.
Berklee
Press, in partnership with Digidesign, has published the second edition of
Producing in the Home Studio with Pro Tools by David Franz. The new
edition covers the latest features in Pro Tools 6 as well as the Digi
001, the Digi 002, and the Mbox. A chapter on digital-audio editing has
been added to the book, in addition to new hands-on projects in every
chapter. Producing in the Home Studio with Pro Tools is being jointly
distributed by Digidesign and Hal Leonard Corporation, but is also
available directly from Berklee Press.
Celemony
announced Melodyne 1.5.2 (Mac/Win), which runs on Mac OS 9; Mac OS X;
and Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP. The latest version supports a wide
range of audio hardware, including Hammerfall and MOTU devices. A
30-day demo of the program is available online.
Cycling '74
has released Mac OS X versions of Max 4 and MSP 2. Both programs take
advantage of OS X's Core Audio and Core MIDI, which makes the use of
multiple I/O audio interfaces straightforward and renders OMS and ASIO
unnecessary. The update is free to registered owners of Max 4 and MSP
2
Digidesign
has announced that it is the worldwide distributor of TC Works Master X
TDM plug-in and the TC Tools bundle of TDM plug-ins. Master X and the
TC Tools version 3.6 updates compliment Pro Tools|HD by providing
support for Mac OS X, with sampling rates up to 96 kHz. Digidesign has
also announced an online contest, for prizes such as coffee mugs and
t-shirts. Contestants must learn about Digidesign-distributed Blue Microphones and
Focusrite
ISA-series products and then visit the contest site and answer questions about the
products correctly. Fifty prizes will be awarded each month, between
April 1 and June 30, 2003.
Great
River Electronics has introduced the ME-1NV preamp, a
single-channel version of its MP-2NV Mercenary Edition model. The
ME-1NV combines modern circuitry and a design based on the Neve 1073
preamp. Gain is adjustable from 5 dB to 60 dB, in 5 dB steps. The front
panel has a 1/4-inch high-impedance input, and the rear panel offers
balanced XLR analog I/O and a -10 dBV output (on a 1/4-inch jack) for
no-latency monitoring.
Kenton is now
shipping the Spin Doctor, a compact, entry level MIDI controller with
16 programmable rotary encoders. The controller can be programmed using
software editors (Mac/Win) or Kenton's Control Freak. Spin Doctor can
load Control Freak profiles, including those containing SysEx data. The
profiles, available from the company's Web site, allow Spin Doctor to
control hardware modules as well as software applications. Spin Doctor
is available in the US through Big City Music.
MOTU is shipping
Digital Performer 4.0 (DP4) for Mac OS X. DP4's Freeze Tracks feature
allows users to temporarily print audio and virtual-instrument tracks
to disk to free up computer processing resources. The program supports
CoreMIDI, CoreAudio, Audio MIDI Setup, and MIDI Time Stamping, as well
as Propellerhead's ReWire 2.0. MOTU also plans to support OS X Audio
Units and Digidesign Pro Tools|HD TDM in a future, free update
Roland is now
shipping the VR-760 Performance Keyboard. The instrument includes
Virtual ToneWheel organs, FP- and RD-series pianos, and COSM amp
modeling. The VR-760 has a 76-note keyboard, a DBeam controller,
support for Roland's V-Link video system, and two SR expansion slots
for adding sounds.
Calendar
The Spring 2003 leg of M-Audio's M-World tour will feature guest artists
demonstrating Propellerhead Reason, Arkaos VJ, and Ableton Live 2. In
addition, participants will have a chance to get their hands on all of
M-Audio's latest hardware products. The cities and dates include
Washington, D.C., May 28-29; Chicago, June 4-5; Montreal, June 18-19;
and Toronto, June 23-24. Register at M-Audio.com.
If you're interested in Cakewalk's Project5 Synth Workstation, you
won't want to miss the All Access Retail Clinic Tour during the month
of June. Visit Cakewalk's Web site for more details.
Expo for the Artist & Musician is an annual event that creates a
space for education, networking, sharing resources, and cultivating the
arts from the grassroots up. The event is set for May 4 (11 a.m.-6
p.m.) at Cellspace, 2050 Bryant St., San Francisco, CA 94110. A benefit
and reception in support of the Expo is scheduled for April 17 at 111
Minna Gallery, featuring Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist, Tomas, Ms. E,
Corey Black, and Jonah Sharp. 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna St., San
Francisco, CA 94105. For Expo details, click here.
The 2003 Rocky Mountain Electronic Music Conference (RMEMC) is
slated to take over Denver, Colo., May 8-10. The conference offers
panels and workshops, including "Women in the DJ Business" and one
presented by Remix
magazine. For complete information, including registration options,
click here.
The Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at
Stanford University is offering three workshops during the summer of
2003. This year's workshops include:
July 14 through 25: Digital Signal Processing for
Audio: Spectral and Physical Models with Perry R. Cook and Xavier
Serra
July 28 through August 8: Physical Interaction Design
for Music, with Bill Verplank, Michael Gurevich, and Scott Wilson
August 11 through 22: Perceptual Audio Coding, with
Marina Bosi
Application materials and detailed information about the workshops can
be found here.
April 22nd - 29th
Product Update
New products, software updates, and more. . .
With the introduction of the iTunes Music Store, Apple has gotten into the content delivery
business. The iTunes Music Store lets customers download individual
songs or entire albums (including cover art) from the catalogs of the
five major labels (BMG, EMI, Sony Music, Universal, and Warner). Apple
has over 200,000 songs currently available, and the database of titles
can be searched in a variety of useful ways. Songs are priced at $0.99
each, but album prices vary and there is no subscription fee. Each song
is encoded in Dolby's AAC audio format at 128 kbps. To support the
content, Apple has introduced a new version of the iPod, which is
available in 10 GB, 15 GB, and 30 GB models. The new iPod, which allows
you to edit your playlists on the device itself, offers FireWire and
USB 2.0 connectivity and is Mac/Win compatible. (Owners of older iPods
will need a software upgrade in order to download music from the iTunes
Music Store.) To tie it all together, Apple has introduced iTunes 4,
which supports Rendezvous and allows users to stream music between
computers.
Applied
Acoustics has an online demo of its popular physical-modeling
synthesis program, Tassman 3 (Mac/Win).
Carvin has
announced a new line a keyboard amps. The portable KB100 offers four
inputs and delivers 100W RMS into a 15-inch woofer and horn. The KB1010
(with two 10-inch speakers and a horn) and KB1015 (with a 3-way 15-inch
speaker, a dual 8-inch speaker, and a horn) offer seven stereo (or 14
mono) inputs and deliver 1,000W RMS. Other features include a DI input,
a built-in cross-over for bi-amping, a DI ground lift, a headphone
jack, and a master 4-Band EQ.
The Clone
Ensemble is offering a collection of inexpensive VST and DX effects
plug-ins. The list includes Bass Chorus (freeware); Clone Ensemble; the
Alien Solo synthesizer; and Water Glass, an FFT-based noise-reduction
processor.
Cycling '74
announced the release of Jitter for Mac OS X. Jitter is a set of video,
matrix, and 3D graphics objects for Max/MSP. The program can be used
with video and still images, text, spreadsheet data, particle systems,
or audio. Registered users of earlier versions of Jitter can update to
the OS X version for free.
Mackie has
announced that Syntrillium Software now supports the Mackie
Control hardware control surface in version 2.1 of Cool Edit Pro.
Mackie is offering a Cool Edit Pro-specific overlay for the Mackie
Control's master section, which indicates the main functions of each
button. The Cool Edit Pro overlay is available to current Mackie
Control owners at the Mackie Web site.
MusicLab has announced SmartFlute 1.0, a DXi
plug-in that is the first in the company's series of Smart Virtual
Instruments (SVI). A time-limited trial version of the plug-in is
available for download.
PowerFX and DigiFreq are
sponsoring the Dyad DXi giveaway contest. Three winners will each
receive a copy of the new Dyad DXi software sample player. The contest
runs until May 22, 2003, and the list of winners will be announced in
the June issue of the DigiFreq newsletter. Sign-up at the DigiFreq Web
site.
Recordare has
released a beta version of Dolet for Sibelius (Mac/Win), a Sibelius 2.1
plug-in for exporting files to the MusicXML format. The plug-in allows
Sibelius users to
share their music with people using Makemusic!
Finale, Noteheads Igor Engraver, or other programs that can
read MusicXML files. The plug-in supports MusicXML 0.7, the latest
release of the MusicXML standard for digital sheet music. Click here to
read reviews of Igor Engraver and Finale.
The Vienna Symphonic
Library Orchestral Cube is now available in the Emagic EXS24 mk II
format. The library includes a diverse set of samples ready for use in
Emagic's Logic 5.5 and Logic 6. The company is also
preparing a plug-in version of the library (for Windows, Mac OS 9, and
Mac OS X), that is scheduled for release in late May.
Calendar
The Steinberg Virtual Band Tour (April 28 to June 4, 2003) will
focus on Cubase SL and SX; the company's latest virtual instruments;
and integration of the VSL2020 audio card, V-Stack software, and VST
System Link into one system. Visit SteinbergUSA.net
for information on the dates and locations of the events, as well as
news about special deals.
The Spring 2003 leg of M-Audio's M-World tour will feature guest artists
demonstrating Propellerhead Reason, Arkaos VJ, and Ableton Live 2. In
addition, participants will have a chance to get their hands on all of
M-Audio's latest hardware products. The cities and dates include
Washington, D.C., May 28-29; Chicago, June 4-5; Montreal, June 18-19;
and Toronto, June 23-24. Register at M-Audio.com.
If you're interested in Cakewalk's Project5 Synth Workstation, you
won't want to miss the All Access Retail Clinic Tour during the month
of June. Visit Cakewalk's Web site for more details.
The 2003 Rocky Mountain Electronic Music Conference (RMEMC) is
slated to take over Denver, Colo., May 8-10. The conference offers
panels and workshops, including "Women in the DJ Business" and one
presented by Remix
magazine. For complete information, including registration options,
click here.
The Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at
Stanford University is offering three workshops during the summer of
2003. This year's workshops include:
July 14 through 25: Digital Signal Processing for Audio: Spectral and
Physical Models with Perry R. Cook and Xavier Serra
July 28 through August 8: Physical Interaction Design for Music, with
Bill Verplank, Michael Gurevich, and Scott Wilson
August 11 through 22: Perceptual Audio Coding, with Marina Bosi
Application materials and detailed information about the workshops can
be found here.