PC and Music News

After its announcement at the latest Winter NAMM, Eastwest has finally announced that EastWest/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra "Play" Editions will start shipping July 15th, 2008.

Play-Powered Quantum Leap Platinum Plus carries an MSRP of $1,295, Platinum $1,195, Gold $695 and Silver $295.

Special upgrade pricing is available to registered users of the previous Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra versions on the company's website until June 30, 2008.

The high power New York Brass section that has played on countless movies, productions and albums around the globe including Ray Charles, Queen Latifah , Frank Sinatra and Blood Sweat and Tears has started a new live brass internet service. A musician or producer can now have one of the most versatile, dynamic live brass sections on his production regardless of his location on the globe.

Their system makes the whole process extremely simple. The producer sends a mp3 or other audio file to NewYorkBrass.com and receives a price estimate for the tracks. After agreeing on price, format, number of players, and arrangement, the music is then recorded and the producer receives the files in high quality wave/aiff format. The Turnaround time is days. Current prices range from $85 to $450 a song depending on complexity and number of musicians present with an average song costing around the $170-$200 mark. Note that NewYorkBrass.com accepts PayPal.

Other than brass, NewYorkBrass.com can also help set up live string sessions over the internet. As a service to the community the NewYorkBrass.com website offers advice and tips, and features free downloadable samples that can be dropped into existing projects. These samples were extracted from real projects.

On popular demand, starting on July 1 and ending on July 31, Modartt will offer a summer group buy for Pianoteq with prices ranging from 179 € to 229 € (ordinary price is 249 €). If interested in participating, please note that the number of participants is limited to 100. When this number is reached, the group buy offer expires.

For more information, please visit the link below :

Modartt has just released a new add-on for Pianoteq called Grimaldi.

This is a physically modelled virtual copy of a harpsichord by Carlo Grimaldi dating from 1697, copied by Andrew Wooderson (Bexley, 2007). Typical of a short-scaled Italian instrument it has a crispness of attack and transparency of tone that makes it ideal for continuo use, and is also well suited to 17th and 18th Century Italian and German solo repertoire. Its two registers can be played separately or combined together.

The Grimaldi harpsichord is part of the KIViR project with the aim to create virtual copies of historical keyboard instruments. It is freely available to all Pianoteq customers as an add-on instrument on the Modartt website.

API has established a brand new line of analog signal processing products, Arsenal Audio.

Arsenal Audio will launch at Summer NAMM in Nashville with an initial offering of three new products, the R20 two-channel mic pre and the R24 two-channel four-band EQ, plus the V14 four-band VPR 500 format equalizer.

The Arsenal R20 ($1195) is a meticulously detailed and solidly constructed dual-channel microphone preamplifier. It features low-noise, high-quality inputs for both mic and instrument in a rack-mount chassis with internal power supply. Each channel includes rotary gain control plus individual toggle switches for phantom power, phase, pad and mic/instrument input selection.

The Arsenal R24 ($1195) features two identical channels of equalization modeled after the classic APSI model 562. The R24 is rack-mounted with internal power supply and delivers an affordable combination of rugged construction and solid performance. Individual continuously variable control knobs allow for separate adjustment of frequency and gain. All four bands are peak/dipping parametric design with 12dB of boost/cut per band. EQ in/out is controlled by classic toggle switches. The Arsenal R24 includes a custom transformer-balanced output with extended headroom of +23dB.

The Arsenal V14 ($695) is an extremely high-quality four-band equalizer modeled after the classic APSI model 562 EQ, and is designed for the popular API VPR 500 series rack format. Controls include dual concentric pots providing continuously variable adjustment of frequency and gain, plus an EQ in/out switch. All four bands offer peak/dipping parametric configuration with 12dB of boost/cut per band. The Arsenal V14 includes a custom transformer-balanced output with extended headroom of +24dB.

Ueberschall has announced the release of LoungeOramA, its latest Elastik Player-based sample library.

LoungeOramA features 1.7 GB / 880 loops and samples in 20 all new easy-going construction kit mix foundations made exclusively for Ueberschall's advanced 'Nouvelle' series. Each mix, backing and drum bed in a kit are over a full minute in length. All source material loops and samples used to make the full mix are included. Outro / Intros, Verses and Chorus provide the framework of all kits.

LoungeORama provides lush samples with a huge variety of Rhodes licks, vintage analog synthesizers and drum machines, live-recorded basslines, guitars and percussion, atmospheres and fx. Separate drumloops (bassdrum, snare, hi-hat loops) and tons of single sounds are also included.

LoungeOramA is available now with an MSRP of $119 / €99 / 17.800 / £69.

Vir2 has just released BASiS, a new virtual instrument dedicated to the "low end".

Featuring a comprehensively sampled collection of electric, upright, fretless, and synth basses, BASiS includes more than 7 gigabytes of the most diverse collection of basses available in the world of virtual instruments: classics like the Jazz Bass, P-Bass, Rickenbacker, and Musicman basses are presented alongside personality and genre tributes such as a classic Motown bass, a gospel bass, Jaco's Fretless, and Macca's Hofner. One upright bass and three slap basses are also included. In the synth bass category, more than a hundred patches are provided, ranging from thumping vintage synth basses to techno basses and esoteric fresh creations to spice up your tracks.

All electric basses have been sampled from both the direct input (DI) and an amped perspective. A knob on the interface allows phase-aligned blending of the two, or the selection of one or the other. For the upright bass, the same knob allows mixing of the direct input and a phase-aligned tube mic output capture of the same sessions. Other onscreen controls allow pitch bend range adjustment, pick noise and fret noise controls, release layer controls, adjustable velocity curve, and instant and detailed control over EQ. A comprehensive selection of effects is included, including an octaver, compression, saturation, lo-fi, distortion, limiter, phaser, flanger, chorus, reverb, and delay.

Performance features include a legato tool and a customizable vibrato engine with control over vibrato types, speeds, and depths. Rather than opting for traditional LFO-based vibrato, BASiS uses a sophisticated character vibrato modeled after real bass players, completely controllable from the keyboard and onscreen interface. Randomized pick noises, release samples, and fret noises add to the realism of each instrument.

Powered by the Kontakt Player 2 engine, BASiS is available now for Mac OS X and Windows in VST, AU, RTAS and Standalone versions for a fee of $299.95.

LinPlug has released SaxLab 2. The main concern in this upgrade was to prevent easy handling, improve the sound quality to obtain the best possible result and to support all types of saxophones.

Main Features :

- High-Quality Soundsets for bass, baritone, tenor, alto and soprano saxophone.
- Monophonic with real sax behaviour
- Adjustable mix of the Air layer, the Keys layer and the main tonal layer
- User-definable, velocity-sensitive amplitude envelope
- Tonal characteristics of the instruments overall sound are user definable
- Real-time control of amplitude, brightness and the roaring of the sound.
- Three modes of mono performance: Legato, Retrigger and Alternate
- Separate control of Up/Down PitchBend and Scoop
- Adjustable pitch, air and body frequency deviation per no ...

Alesis announces ProTrack, an handheld digital stereo recorder for iPod.

Features :

- Sleek industrial design incorporates iPod
- Integrated recording to iPod (Classic and 5th generation) and iPod nano (2nd or 3rd generation)
- Pro-grade connections: two combo XLR - 1/4-inch inputs, 1/8-inch stereo output
- Supplies 48V phantom power to inputs when wall-powered
- Records 16-Bit, 44.1kHz or 22kHz stereo
- Two built-in condenser microphones for detailed recording
- Built-in microphones in XY configuration for optimum stereo image
- Switchable limiter ensures overload-free recordings even in unpredictable aural situations
- AC power adapter included
- Four AAA batteries provide four to five hours of operation
- Tripod stand mount for placing into ideal recording conditions

ProTrack will be available on Q3 2008 with price TBA.

Alesis unveils the MultiMix 8 Line, a flexible, affordable rack line mixer for stage, studio, boardrooms, conference rooms, health clubs, restaurants, houses of worship, and other installed sound applications.

Features :

- Eight-channel stereo line mixer
- Microphone/line input on channel one
- Stereo effects bus can be shared between two linked units
- Channel expansion feature for expansion to 16 stereo input channels
- Individual Pan and Effects Send controls on each channel
- Signal clip and overload LEDs on each input channel
- Stereo five-stage LED ladder for output level indication
- Stereo monitor out
- Mono input source compatibility for stereo output
- 1RU 19-inch standard equipment rack size

MultiMix 8 Line will be available on Q3 2008 with price TBA.

Tascam has announced the avaibility of the SS-CDR1, a single-rackspace CD recorder which also features solid state recording to Compact Flash cards for maximum flexibility and recording times. Audio can be recorded to Compact Flash card and then transferred to CD or vice-versa, and the recorder features standard Tascam features such as automatic track increment, balanced XLR in and out and RS-232C control.

The SS-CDR1 has balanced and unbalanced analog I/O as well as S/PDIF digital I/O. The unit can be controlled with RS-232C, parallel or a wired remote control. Compact Flash cards up to 8GB can be installed for hours of recording time at MP3 or WAV file formats.

Let me introduce you to Breverb, a high quality reverberation plug-in for Mac and PC which features four different algorithms modeled after several popular and very classic hardware units.

"Breverb claims to model some of the industry's most acclaimed classic reverb hardware, and though they do not mention what exact devices they are I doubt I would be far off the mark to say that the name Lexicon would be right at the top of the list. In fact the sounds remind me very much of Lexicon's now defunct Lexiverb but without the heavy CPU hit that made it available only for digidesign TDM users – certainly not the case for Breverb."