PC and Music News

Bismark has just released bs-0, a freeware software playback sampler which can load and play SoundFont 2 and DLS files.

Features :

- Loads 1 SoundFont / DLS file.
- 1 (mono) output.
- 4 voices :

* Oscillator/Amplifier/Filter.
* Modulation LFO (to Osc/Amp/Fil) and Vibrato LFO (to Osc) supported.
* Volume EG (to Amp) and Modulation EG (to Osc/Fil) supported.

- Supports MIDI note on/off, CC, Program Change, pitch bend , system exclusive (Universal realtime / non-realtime, Roland GS compatible).
- Internal Effects: Reverb and Chorus.

bs-0 is available now for Windows and Mac OS X Universal Binary in VST 2.4 and Audio Units plug-in formats.

Note that Bismark has also released the final (i.e. non-beta) versions of bs-1 / bs-16 v4.0 and bs-spectrum v1.3.

Wave Arts is pleased to announce the 5.40 update for their Power Suite 5 product line, which features TrackPlug external sidechain improvements, including support for VST.

A new VST plug-in called TrackPlug 5 ExtSC allows external tracks to be routed to TrackPlug as sidechain signals in hosts such as Cubase 4 and Sonar 7. External sidechaining allows one track's dynamics to be controlled by the signal of another, for example, engaging a compressor on a bass track whenever a kick drum on other track occurs. External sidechain is now supported in Audio Unit, VST, RTAS and MAS formats.

The update is free for registered v5 users.

Nine Volt Audio has released a 10-minute video which is a step-by-step tutorial showing Stylus RMX users how to combine a few simple techniques to create dramatic sounding affects, all of which can be controlled in real-time.

In this video you will learn how to use Stylus RMX's MIDI Learn function to control a multitude of effect parameters with a keyboard's mod wheel and also how to create and save custom "Morphing" effect presets for use in any project. At the conclusion of the video users are given a link to download the "Morphing" preset created in the tutorial, along with seven other "Morphing" presets. A link is also provided where users can download eight "Morphing" presets, including the main one demonstrated in the tutorial.

The tutorial can be viewed at the Nine Volt Audio web site and clicking on the "Tutorials" link. Note that Nine Volt Audio is not endorsed or affiliated with Spectrasonics.

G-Sonique presents its new virtual synth called Renegade. Described as an alliance between "the warm and organic analog sound and the sharpness, toughness and preciseness of digital", Renegade is based on algorithms of DSP chips and analog circuits of real hardware synthesizers. It includes special features like Supersaw oscillator, serial combination of vintage analog filters with precise and tough digital filters or the amplifier section without inner clipping with non-linear analog saturation.

Renegade is intended especially for tough fat lead sounds, basses or organic analog sounds and is most effective in the following music styles: Trance, Dance, Drum and Bass, Breakbeat, Electro, EBM, Tek House, Psytrance, Goa and many more.

Renegade is available now as a VSTi for Windows and is priced at €36.

BBE announces its all-new D82 Sonic Maximizer plugin. Based upon BBE's 882i and 482i hardware Sonic Maximizer processors, this plug-in aims to restore the high frequency definition and detail while focusing bass frequencies for any sound source.

The D82 Sonic Maximizer is compatible with all VST, AU and RTAS hosts on Mac OS X, Windows XP and Vista. It will be available on February 2008 via download and March 2008 in retail boxed product at BBE dealers worldwide.

Blue Cat Audio has released Blue Cat's Remote Control v2.0, a new version of their virtual control surface. It is a set of VST and DirectX plugins for Windows which let you control and monitor in real time several MIDI controllable plug-ins or hardware devices from a single customizable user interface. The new version introduces many user interface changes and new features such as window opacity control and undo/redo.

New features :

- New user interface design.
- New joystick skin with XY controls.
- Undo/Redo support.
- Window Opacity Management: make the plugin window transparent and see behind.
- Load/Save presets in a host-independent format: you can now share presets between the directX and VST versions.
- New toolbar to access main functionalities.
- MIDI settings are now available from the plugin user interface.
- Improved Skins loading performance.
- Curves are now anti-aliased.
- Improved the display of parameters values in the MIDI settings panel and the host application.
- Improved graphs refresh rate.
- Reduced memory consumption when using several instances.
- Default values for MIDI controllers have been changed to be more convenient.
- Blue Cat's Skinning Language 1.4.1 support.

Blue Cat's Remote Control is available now with a limited-time 15% discount: €41.65 / $58.31 (instead of €49 / $68.60). Note that free tutorials for this product are available from the company website.