A new year has just begun and the entire Audio World is already working around the clock to unveil a great bunch of exciting new product.

This is NAMM time my friends and 2010 promises to be top-notch !

Stay tuned from now 'til next sunday as the whole 440Network Team is on the starting blocks to get you informed about the latest news in this "Winter NAMM Special Report", and in our Daily News Section.

So, as Sgt Pepper said, hope you will enjoy the Show !!

The latest addition to Roland's KC-Series keyboard amplifier lineup, the KC-110 Stereo Keyboard Amplifier is now shipping. It combines two industry firsts for a portable keyboard amp—AA battery-powered operation and true stereo sound—with a host of additional features that make it flexible for a variety of performance applications.

The KC-110 features 30 watts of stereo power driving two 6.5" woofers and two tweeters. Most modern keyboards feature stereo sound output, and the KC-110 enables musicians to experience the full, rich stereo sound of their instruments while using a small amp. Power can be supplied with eight AA batteries (including NiMH rechargeable types) or AC power, and there's even a removable battery case for quick and easy battery replacement.

Featuring a multi-channel mixer with a Mic/Line input, two stereo inputs, and two AUX inputs for connecting devices such as MP3 or CD players, this versatile amplifier is suitable for compact PA applications as well as keyboards. High-quality stereo digital effects are also built in, allowing performers to sweeten their sound with reverb, chorus, or a special "wide" chorus effect.

The KC-110 is now shipping with a suggested retail price of $469.00.

Synapse Audio has released a major upgrade to its virtual synth Poly-850, now named X-Poly.

Features / Changes:

• Full Stereo engine.
• Panorama knob for both oscillators.
• Dual Voice mode for thicker patches.
• Enhanced interface.
• Stereo Noise generator, providing more spacious sounds.
• Release stages are now semi-log as opposed to linear (sounds better).
• Zero CPU usage when idle.
• Chorus section now provides feedback and modulation depth controls.
• Maximum polyphony upgraded to 20 voices.
• Semi-transparent readouts for all knobs.
• Additional presets added.
• LFO Rate range extended.
• Amplitude responds to velocity.
• Bug fixes - Multiple instances on multiple cores now work properly.
&bul ...

MXL Microphones is about to unveil the new Revelation Variable Pattern Tube Microphone at Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Germany March 24-27, booth B47, hall 5.1.

The Revelation is a studio mic weighing in at over two pounds. An EF86 tube is designed to deliver "warm, transparent sound while its tuned grill cavity reduces standing waves and harmonic distortion".

Polar pattern selection is virtually limitless thanks to the variable knob located on the Revelation power supply that allows users to alter the polar pickup pattern from omni-directional to figure 8, and everything in between.

Other features include a -10 dB pad for high SPL sources and a bass roll-off switch to help reduce proximity effect.

The Revelation includes an aluminum flight case, 15ft 7-pin Mogami cable, 15ft XLR Mogami microphone cable, Revelation power supply, shockmount, and micro-fiber cleaning cloth.

Pricing: $1,495

112dB has updated its near-field monitor simulation for headphones, Redline Monitor, to version 1.0.4. This maintenance release applies to both the retail and the trial version.

Changes :

• Dim attenuation selectable from -3dB to -12dB to prevent clipping.
• Dim attenuation disabled when the plug-in is bypassed.
• Fixed - Option to disable tooltips wasn't remembered after closing the plug-in.
• Fixed - The plug-in caused a +6dB level increase on OS X.
• Fixed - The installer mistakenly warned about Windows 7 not being supported.

This update is free for all registered users.

SPAN is a freeware real-time "fast Fourier transform" audio spectrum analyzer plug-in. For the most part it was derived from Voxengo GlissEQ dynamic parametric equalizer and reproduces its spectrum analysis functionality.

New features :

• Multi-channel analysis
• Mid/side analysis
• Correlation meter
• Multi-platform support
• Undo/redo
• Preset manager
• User interface coloration
• User interface re-scaling
• Plug-in instance naming

SPAN v2.0 is available now for Mac (AU, VST) and Windows (VST).

Starlight is Applied Acoustics Systems' third sound bank title for Ultra Analog VA-1 and lands with sounds "collected at the confine of the galaxy". Its 149 presets scatter across ambient, arpeggiator, arpeggiator bass, chime, effect, keys, lead, rhythm, and synthesizer categories, and breach into outer space for an impregnable intergalactic landscape. Whether you want to teleport your music into another dimension or simply leave for an orbital spaceflight, Starlight is your ideal shuttle.

The Starlight sound bank for Ultra Analog VA-1 is available now at $39.

Additionnally, until April 1st, 2010, Ultra Analog VA-1 is at $179 instead of $229 and includes the Starlight sound bank.

Ultra Analog VA-1 runs on both Mac OS X and Windows as a standalone application as well as in host sequencers supporting the VST, Audio Unit, and RTAS plug-in formats.

Steinberg releases its final set of compatibility patches and updates for its VST instruments, as already announced in December of last year, thus completing the transition to supporting the latest operating systems Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6.

The Grand 3.0.1 maintenance update for Windows and Mac OS X includes several minor feature enhancements and ensures that The Grand 3 is fully compatible with Snow Leopard.

With the release of version 1.5 for Mac, HALion Symphonic Orchestra now also runs on Snow Leopard.

The HALion Player 3.5 update ensures full compatibility with Snow Leopard and comes with a 64-bit version for Windows 7 including an additional sound bank with 128 great sounds, as a little reward for your patience.

Finally, Groove Agent 3 users may also download a new installer which now makes Groove Agent 3 Snow Leopard compatible.

Livid Instruments announces that the Limited Edition Block Diablo is now available.

Block is a compact and programmable MIDI control surface designed for interactive audio performance. Built on the same bi-directional and adaptable platform as the Ohm64, Block provides a powerful interface for creating and interacting with sound in a small easy-to-transport body. Sixty four backlight led buttons provide endless possibilities for visual feedback with the instrument by connecting it to Ableton Live, Max/Msp, our open source sounds apps, or any other software that supports MIDI. The Limited Edition Block Diablo is only available while supplies last. This version has a mahogany body, black faceplate, and red LED's.

Features:

• 9.75" x 9.75" x 1.5" (WLH) / weight 3 lbs.
• US ...

D16 Group launches the "Buy 2 and Get 3rd Free" promotion : for every customer who purchases 2 products in March, D16 Group adds 3rd product for free.

Promotion covers only the following products: Phoscyon, Drumazon, Nepheton, Nithonat, Devastor, Fazortan, Decimort, Redoptor, Toraverb and Syntorus.

For more details, please visit the link below :

QuikQuak has announced the release of BarChimes, a Bar Chimes simulator.

Features :

• A detailed 36 bar kinetic physics simulation.
• Gravity, collisions and audio accurately portrayed.
• Velocity and sweep analysis simulates user movement through the chimes.
• Parameters for physics, pitch and time.
• Frequency editing with fundamentals and partials.
• Percussive rendering with decay controls.
• Swing modulation effects.
• Photo-realistic 3D representation and collision effects

BarChimes is available now for both Mac OS X and Windows in VST and AU formats at a price of £20.

Camel Audio has released Alchemy Player, the perfect solution if you lust after the sounds of their virtual synth Alchemy but don't want to create your own presets. It's also extremely affordable at just $59 / €49 / £39. The Player is included free when you purchase any Alchemy soundbank, turning each of these banks into a standalone instrument in its own right.

Alchemy Player includes 150 presets and 360 MB of samples taken from the full factory library, including evolving soundscapes, lush pads, and pulsing arpeggios.

Alchemy Player features the same advanced sample manipulation engine as its big brother, with additive, spectral, granular, sampling and VA synthesis for totally unique sounds, and is easily controlled via a simple and compact interface. This provides sixteen pe ...

JZ Microphones has announced the release of the second microphone in JZ Vintage series — V67, a newly, high quality studio microphone.

The capsule of V67 is made close to original U67 capsule but it has a couple of design and sound improvements. By taking advantages of technology for transistors, the V67 is not having a tube and with Mr. JZ improvements it still provides the same well known range of U67 sound.

Features :

• Original design in a flask shape
• Built-in shock-mounting system
• Swivel mount which works as a perfect positioning option
• Double diaphragm capsule
• Golden drops sputtering technology on capsule
• Improved electronics according to the nowadays standards
• 5 year warranty
• Pricing : $1999 MSRP

The new mic will be presented in Pro Light+Sound show 2010 at booth #H26 in hall 8.0, March 24. — 27.