News from the web

OPINION: This week Microsoft made big waves unveiling its latest smartphone, the Surface Duo 2, and updated Surface Pro 8 and Surface Go 3 tablets. But in the sea of announcements there was one key device missing: the Surface Book 4. Prior to the event there was a sea of “leaks” suggesting the firm planned to release a new Book. ...

TV antennas aren’t just for cord-cutters looking to cut back on the cost of TV entertainment. A good TV antenna will bring in anywhere from 20 to more than 100 channels, depending on where you live. The stations are free, don’t require a broadband connection (with the exception of some ATSC 3. ...

Stop right there! Did you see this deal? A decked-out Lenovo Legion 5i gaming laptop for only $1,200 at B&H! That’s a whopping $400 discount on this power-packed beast of a machine. This Lenovo Legion 5i is loaded with a top-end Intel Core i9-14900HX processor and a jaw-dropping 32GB of DDR5 RAM. ...

For the most part, we’re fans of Roku’s friendly, intuitive remotes, and particularly the ones that have voice capabilities. But there’s a sticking point—four of them, actually—when it comes to the Roku remote: the quartet of buttons at the bottom stamped with the logos of popular streaming services. ...

A decade after the Portege laptop exited the consumer market, it’s back — and with a user-replaceable battery, too. On Friday, Dynabook — which, as Sharp, took over Toshiba’s PC business in 2018 and then renamed itself — announced the Portege Z40L-N, a $1,699 laptop based upon the Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processor. ...

Despite Nvidia’s dominance of the consumer graphics card market, AMD’s 7000 series is pretty great… unless you want ray tracing. The advanced lighting techniques are where Nvidia’s cards truly shine, and AMD just can’t keep up — even at (sort of) better prices. But what about the new RX 9070 and 9070 XT cards? Adam and Will investigate in the latest PCWorld YouTube video. ...

Spring and summer are right around the corner, which means it’s time to get out of your seasonal depression funk. Go outside, soak in the sun, and have fun with a Bluetooth speaker at your side! JBL’s Flip 6 portable speaker is up to the task — and it just so happens to be on sale for $99.95 on Amazon, a 23% discount off its MSRP. ...

If you’re still rocking a 1080p desktop monitor, I think it’s time to upgrade. At 27 inches, a 1440p display gives you almost twice the screen real estate in terms of pixels while still being comfy enough for day-to-day use. Today, you can get Acer’s take with upgraded IPS panel for just $109.99 at Best Buy. That’s a smooth $90 off. ...

You already know you should keep your computer, tablet, and phone updated to keep them secure (or at least I hope you know that by now, otherwise I’m not doing my job). But a recent malware attack shows why it’s also important to keep all the other devices on your Wi-Fi network updated as well. ...

If you haven’t been paying attention to the news, heads up—prices for tech gear are shooting up. Tariffs are now in effect for goods imported from China, and they’ve doubled since their original announcement. The US government is now imposing an additional 20 percent tax, instead of 10 percent. ...

If you’re thinking of getting an SSD and you plan on taking it out and about with you everywhere, across all sorts of terrain in all sorts of conditions, then you need something that’s ruggedized — like the Samsung T7 Shield that’s on sale at Amazon. Right now, you can grab the 1TB version for $100 (was $170, now 41% off) or the 2TB version for $150 (was $285, now 47% off). ...

FrozenPlain has released Dulcitone, a virtual sound library for the free and open-source Floe player (macOS and Windows). This plugin is a multisampled 19th-century Model F dulcitone. This celesta-like tuning-fork piano product is designed for film scoring, video game soundtracks, and atmospheric productions. ...

W. A. Production has released Noizzer, an FX plugin for macOS and Windows. They say: Punchy drums and crisp percussion are the heartbeat of every great track. But sometimes your snares might lack snap, or those hi-hats just don't cut through the mix. ...

Independent developer Marco Allegretti (23DSP) has released Orbitail, a new creative reverb plugin designed around astrophysical concepts. Orbitail combines established algorithmic reverb structures with modulation, shimmer processing, and stereo field control to provide a tool that moves between traditional ambience and more experimental sonic spaces. ...

quietformat has announced updates for two of its instruments. MELTONE (v1.2.1) is an analog-style synthesizer with full MPE support and the built-in GILLA ARP engine, designed to create expressive tones and evolving textures. MELINO (v1.1.0) is a vintage keyboard instrument that layers electric pianos, flutes, and other classic sounds to capture the feel of retro keys. ...

Muletone Audio has released Djembê, for Kontakt. A new addition to our percussion palette, the Djembê arrives with hundreds of rhythmic variations. Several dynamic velocities, with 1888 samples. Recorded with 4 microphones, a pair of Neumann KM184, a Neumann TLM102 and a AKG C414 for room. The preamp section used was a pair of Chandler Germ 500 MK2 and a Millennia HV-35. Four. ...

Audiolounge has announced the release of Synth Bass Center, a VST/AU instrument plug-in focusing on 80's style synth bass. Synth Bass Center features over 220 synth basses programmed using the Classic analog synthesizers of the 1980s. ...

HY-Plugins has updated HY-MBMFX3 (both full and free version) to version 1.0.2. Changes: Fix: The edit window of the Step SQ module did not close properly when the preset was changed (Full). Fix: The UI scale state didn't store/load correctly (Full/Free). Fix: Some tooltip texts didn't work properly (Full/Free). Some minor changes (Full/Free). Read More

Rast Sound has released Naturaliser 2, an effect plugin that applies time-varying micro-variations to incoming audio. Version 2 updates the interface and core engine and adds controls for shaping movement across spectral, transient, colour, and noise dimensions. New in Naturaliser v2 New interface: cleaner layout for faster tweaking. Refined engine: more natural, refined micro-variety. ...

Positive Pressure Audio has released SmarterHUMANIZE 2.0, an advanced MIDI humanization script for Logic Pro's Scripter plugin for $7.99. SmarterHUMANIZE 2.0 is a humanizer script that gives the user deep control of what, where, and when to humanize MIDI notes. Building on the original SmarterHUMANIZE released in 2020, version 2. ...

Studio Major7th has released Smooth Vocalise M for Kontakt. Features: Library Size: 320MB, zip file: 321MB. Format: 24-bit/48kHz MONO. A, E, I, O, U, N. Legato Speed, Vowel Speed. Legato, Sforzando, Staccato, Breath. Humanize, Vibrato, Breath volume, Reverb. Octave bend, 5th bend, 4th bend, 2nd bend. Multi controller, Brightness. Price: 5,000 JPY. The Full Retail Version of Kontakt 5.8. ...

09/30/16 - Download and convert videos between various formats.

iPhone, iPad / Education / Training: An app for choral singers who don't read music well. Snap a photo or import JPG, PNG or PDF. Touch notes in the image to hear the pitch. Not for instrumental parts - see details below. Whether you sing in a choir, or a barbershop quartet, or other vocal group,...

iPhone, iPad / Education / Training: All aspiring music students understand the importance of Sargam practice. Practicing Sargams each day does wonders to your “Sureelapan� as well as confidence. Practicing every day under watchful eyes of your Guru is the ideal way. But that is difficult...

iPhone, iPad / Instruments / Sound Effects: Get the simplest soundboard creation app: Load sounds, samples or songs through your iTunes library Create and edit soundboards quickly and easily Up to 8 sounds per soundboard Make the most of your screen thanks to the adaptive layout Play multiple...

iPhone, iPad / Education / Games, Ear Trainig: Introducing Notes - Sight Reading Trainer, the ultimate iOS app for mastering sight reading in music! Whether you're a beginner or an experienced musician, Notes is your is your tool to become the musician you were meant to be. When you are ready to...

iPhone, iPad / Education / Games, Ear Trainig: StaffWars is a game designed to help beginning and intermediate musicians learn, practice and woodshed the note names on the grand staff, treble, alto and bass clefs. THE APP for anyone who wants to master these clefs.

iPhone, iPad / Tools / Analysis: SPL Graph is an audio Sound Pressure Level (SPL) environmental noise analyzer, real-time frequency analyzer, chart recorder and data logger. It includes: Plot sound level over time Record audio while plot is running, playback to identify sounds that may have...

iPhone, iPad / Education / Sheet Music & Tablatures: PLAY FREE MUSIC SCORES Whatever instrument you play, whether it's a piano, trumpet, guitar, or harmonica, or kalimba, you will always find notes of excellent quality. • Browse the most extensive sheet music collection from MuseScore....

iPhone, iPad / Tools / Tuners: Plays tuning notes for Viola (C G D A)

iPhone, iPad / Education / Training: Accelerate your sight reading skills with instant feedback on timing accuracy. Our carefully graduated levels, from beginner to professional, allow you to start at your optimal skill level and progress at your own pace. You'll improve more rapidly than...

iPhone, iPad / Tools / Tuners: Sleek, efficient, and responsive, TuneWave is the no-nonsense utility that lets you tune your instrument quickly and easily. TuneWave puts everything you need front and center for optimal visibility and glanceable feedback. It can transpose if you’re using an...