PC and Music News

PreSonus has just announced the Monitor Station mixing console, a desktop monitoring and communications system for your recording studio. This new device allows you to listen to your mixes on different speakers; with and without the subwoofer, compare your mixes to your favorite CDs and vinyl, listen in mono to check phase cancellation, use talkback to communicate to the artists during recording, and send Cue Mix to the four headphone amps and the Main Mix to your speakers.

Features :

- Main Speaker Volume control
- 3 stereo inputs (two balanced TRS, one RCA Aux/Phono)
- 3 sets of balanced TRS speaker outputs, each with level adjustment
- Talkback microphone with volume control to feed headphone and Cue output
- XLR input for external dynamic talkback microphone
- Accurate fast- ...

Db audioware has released version 1.1.0 upgrades of Sidechain Compressor and Sidechain Gate, its latest two dynamics processing plug-ins. All the enhancements in the release have been suggested by users since the plug-ins were launched in July 2007.

Sidechain Compressor gets a new manual Gain control, which can either be used independently for manual gain make-up, or to fine tune output levels when used with Auto Gain. This rounds out the Compressor's feature set and greatly improves its operation as a standard insert effect.

Both Sidechain Compressor and Sidechain Gate get enhanced external side-chain capability. It is now possible to side-chain multiple "receive" plug-ins from a single "send" plug-in, opening the way to one-to-many-tracks as well as one-to-one-track side-chain applications.

Finally, the noise bursts in the demo versions of both plug-ins have been reduced in repetition and volume so as to be less intrusive to potential users trying them out.

Intel has announced at the l'IDF the consititution of a working group to work on the new USB 3.0. The bandwith should be around 5 Gbps instead of the actual 480 Mbps... so it would give a transfert rate of 625 Mo per second, not less than that ! Planned to allow energy savings, USB 3.0 will be compatible with USB 2.0 ports and should support an optical version .

First draft due to first semester 2008... FireWire is already shaking ;-)

Expert Sleepers has released the Windows version of Meringue (v2.0.2) which is a delay effect. Unlike most delays, the delay runs alternately forwards and backwards, rather than continually forwards, and the time between a note and its echo varies, depending on the location of the note in the delay buffer (unlike a normal delay, where the time between a note and its echo is constant). Meringue has a filter/saturation section for creatively treating the sound. The delay time and the filter LFO can be synced to the host application's tempo. The phase of the delay and the LFO can also be reset manually.

Meringue is available now as a VST plug-in for Windows and costs $19. Note that a demo version is also available.

SONiVOX announced the release of their Sonic Implants Symphonic Harp sample library for the Kontakt platform. Recorded in the same space as SONiVOX's Symphonic Collection, this sample library is a collection of sampled harp tones and glissandi that aims to capture this instrument's full depth of nuance, finesse, and lyrical expressiveness while providing serious performance flexibility and control. With gigabytes of sample data and a variety of programming features, Symphonic Harp affords users an expansive palette of color and texture while Kontakt2 scripting features make glissandi creation as simple as selecting a scale type and loading it for fast, easy, and effective sequencing.

The Sonic Implants Symphonic Harp sample library is available now and costs $259.

Korg Germany has announced the new pocketsize Kaoss called the Kaossilator (dynamic phrase synthesizer). It comes packed with 100 sound programs that combine Korg's modelling synthesizer engine with effects from the KAOSS Pad series. Its horizontal axis is assigned to note/pitch, while the vertical axis is assigned to parameters such as: cut-off, feedback, or modulation depth, giving you a wide range of performance possibilities. In addition to classic synthesizer sounds, there are faithfully simulated piano, guitar and trumpet sounds as well as looped and one-shot drum sounds.

The KAOSSILATOR offers you a choice of 31 different scales, including chromatic and diminished, as well as major and minor blues and pentatonic scales – by using the key setting function, you can play them in any ...

Audio Damage has announced the release of Liquid, an analog-style through-zero flanger. Unlike traditional flangers, which are just short delays with a bit of feedback, Liquid models the original flanging method, where two tape machines were used to create artificial double-tracking effects. Perfect for "stereo-izing" monophonic signals like voice and vintage analog synths, Liquid also provides more mind-bending flanging at higher feedback settings.

Features :

- True through-zero flanging.
- Perfect for "stereo-izing" analog synths, electric pianos, and other mono sources.
- Capable of extreme vintage-style flanging effects.
- Full MIDI learn on every parameter for hardware control (VST version only).

Liquid is now available for purchase in the Audio Damage store priced at $29.00 for Mac OS X Audio Units and VST, and Windows VST.

Cakewalk has announced the release of Sonar 7 Producer Edition and Sonar 7 Studio Edition.

Sonar 7 Producer Edition includes user customization for MIDI with Smart MIDI Tools, the introduction of a powerful Step Sequencer, true Linear Phase Mastering Plug-ins, internal sidechaining, delay compensation for external hardware through an External Insert plug-in, pitch to MIDI functionality with Roland V-Vocal 1.5, integrated CD burning, and numerous workflow and delivery enhancements throughout the application.

New Features for SONAR 7 Producer Edition :

* Integrated Step Sequencer view provides an innovative step sequencer feature set.
* Smart MIDI Tools—intuitively use one tool for multiple editing tasks; completely customizable.
* Real-time Drag-Quantize allows selected ...

Togu Audio Line has released TAL-Phaser, a carefully modelled stereo phaser effect. The user can choose between two, four and six stages and it is possible to adjust the lowest and highest frequency of the filter.

Features :

- Two, four and six stage mode.
- Lowest- and highest-frequency adjustable.
- Stereo phase offset from 0 to 180 degree.
- Feedback (a very small amount of second order distortion in the feedback path).
- Syncable LFO.
- Adjustable Dry/Wet.
- Some default presets.

TAL-Phaser is free and is available as a VST effect plug-in for Windows and Mac OS X (UB).

Puremagnetik has just released Punchpak, a collection of sounds created from the 8 bit synthesizer chip on the classic Nintendo® (NES) gaming console. All sounds have been mapped out and programmed into the Ableton Live 6, EXS24 and Kontakt 2 environments. Puremagnetik has taken the sounds a step further with added effects that include ambience and arpeggiation. Punchpak also includes a selection of multisampled menus with lo-fi glitch, noise and static sounds. With patch names like "Zelda", "Castlevania", and "Mega Man" Puremagnetik has recaptured these vintage 1980's video game sounds for the modern DAW.

The Ableton Live version of Punchpak includes instrument racks for both Sampler and Simpler while the Kontakt 2 version comes with a customized KSP panel for easy editing.

For more information, please visit their web site.

Adobe has announced Audition 3, a major upgrade to their recording, mixing, editing, and mastering software for Windows.

New features :

- VSTi virtual instrument support
- Enhanced spectral editing
- Improved multitrack editing
- New effects including Convolution Reverb, Analog Delay, Mastering tool, and Tube-modeled Compressor
- Radius time stretching from iZotope
- Guitar Suite effects
- Noise reduction and phase restoration tools
- Waveform editing tools

In the United States and Canada, Adobe Audition 3 is expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2007. Adobe Audition 3 will be available for an estimated street price of $349, directly from Adobe or through Adobe Authorized Resellers. Upgrades from any previous version of Adobe Audition or Adobe Production Studio cost $99. Pre-ordering is available. Note that a 30-day trial version of Adobe Audition 3 will be available for download from the Adobe website shortly after the product begins shipping.