Week of June 12, 2005 Friday, June 17 2005 | dmac Clean-Only Version of Prominy's LPC Library Released Prominy announced a new sample library; 'LPC Electric Clean Guitar' for GigaStudio 3.0 / 2.0. LPC Electric Clean Guitar is the clean-only version of the full LPC Electric Distortion & Clean Guitar. The library captures the sound of Gibson Les Paul Custom. The LPC guitar library includes over 30 Gigabytes, about 75,000 samples. The Distortion only version; LPC Electric version is also available. Features: 121 .gig files which includes over 3,600 instruments - Single note, 5th-dyad chord, 4th-dyad chord, mute(tight, medium, loose), octave, vibrato(single note, 5th-dyad cord, 4th-dyad chord, octave), single bend, unison bend, stationary bend, double bend, legato slide, pinch harmonic, various chords, picking noises, scrape, etc. Legato Slide - A huge number of sampled legato slide techniques; From Seminole (1 fret) to 1 octave (12 frets), multiple tempos and velocity options for every single note, 5th-dyad chord, 4th-dyad chord2, and octave playing styles. 'Real time Legato Slide instruments' - Using Giga Studio 3.0's new feature, 'Legato Mode', you can enjoy real-time legato slide. Various chords played by up, down, fast, and slow strokes - major, minor, 7th, minor7th, major7th , add9th, 7th-9th, major7th-9th, sus4th, dim7th, #9th, minor9th, major3rd(vibrato), major (picking harmonics), open chords, etc. Huge number of picking noises are recorded in multiple forms on all frets and strings. Now available. Price: $349.00 (Introductory price of $299.00 ends July 10, 2005) For more information, visit their web site at prominy.com. Friday, June 17 2005 | dmac Version 5 of NI's Reaktor Now Available Special upgrade offer for Reaktor Session users   Carbon 2 Instrument Native Instruments has announced that Reaktor 5 is now available in stores worldwide. Furthermore, Reaktor Session customers can now take advantage of a special time-limited upgrade offer to the full version of Reaktor. Reaktor 5 is the next generation of the modular sound design studio that fuses synthesis, sampling and effects. The latest version introduces the new "Reaktor Core Technology", resulting in a major technology leap that dramatically widens the scope of Reaktor-based instrument design. With a massive instrument library, powerful new routing options, vastly expanded panel design options, a revised user interface and a host of other improvements, the new version of Reaktor is more than ever an unlimited creative resource for musicians and producers. Reaktor 5 is available for a suggested retail price of $579 / 499 Euro from authorized dealers and in the NI Online Shop. An update for owners of Reaktor 3/4 is available for a $169 / 149 Euro. Owners of Reaktor Session can now take advantage of a special Reaktor 5 upgrade offer, allowing them to move up to the full-featured version of Reaktor for only $169 / 149 Euro. From now on, Native Instruments will completely focus Reaktor development on the full-featured version of Reaktor. Therefore, Reaktor Session will be discontinued. The Reaktor 5 upgrade offer for Reaktor Session users is valid until August 31st 2005. For more information, visit their web site at native-instruments.com. Friday, June 17 2005 | dmac Version 1.5 of Audio Damage's Discord Adds Audio Unit Support Audio Damage announced a major upgrade to its Discord pitch-shift plugin. Version 1.5 of Discord includes the following new features: New user-interface design Routable variable-waveform LFO High-pass filter, in addition to the low-pass filter Re-written pitch-shifting algorithm, with smoother shifting at extreme settings Pitch control now has "Fine" knob Delays are now three times longer The biggest news is that Discord has been ported to AudioUnits for OSX. The AudioUnit of Discord v1.5 is now available for purchase for US$39.00 for direct download from the Audio Damage site. VST versions of Discord v1.5 for OSX and Windows will be available by the end of June. For more information, visit their web site at audiodamage.com. Friday, June 17 2005 | dmac Steinberg Offers New Upgrade Programs and Incentives Steinberg Media Technologies announced a new upgrade program for Cubase LE, a new e-store for US upgrades, and special upgrade incentives for Yamaha customers. The new programs are part of a push by new parent company, Yamaha Corporation to enhance the user experience and simplify software and hardware integration. Cubase LE Upgrade Program Steinberg's Cubase LE, a basic cross platform MIDI and audio music production application is bundled with some of the best selling computer interfaces on the market to make them complete turn key solutions. Now for the first time, people who currently own or purchase hardware products bundled with Cubase LE or Cubasis can easily and inexpensively upgrade to the more powerful Cubase SL or SX (pricing below). Customers can simply return to the dealer where they purchased the hardware product and buy a special Cubase LE to SL or LE to SX upgrade package. Customers who bought a qualifying hardware product from a non-authorized Steinberg dealer can purchase these same Cubase LE upgrade at www.steinbergupgrades.com. Limited Time Yamaha Studio Connections Upgrade Incentive Customers who purchase Yamaha Studio Connections compatible hardware products (Motif ES, Motif ES Rack, i88x, 01x, 01V96, 02R96, SPX2000) between June 15 and Sept 30, 2005, qualify for the same special upgrade packages as Cubase LE customers. By returning to their dealer (or purchasing the upgrade along with their hardware), these customers can save $50 on Cubase SL or $100 on Cubase SX. New Online Steinberg Store For US Upgrades Steinberg US has developed a secure e-store for all Cubase, Nuendo and VST application upgrades that require database verification. This software can be upgraded by US customers at steinbergupgrades.com via a streamlined automated process that will verify registration, calculate the price, and ship the upgrade directly to the customer. Upgrade pricing: Cubase LE to SL: $249 (save $50) Cubase LE to SX: $499 (save $100) For all other upgrades, visit steinbergupgrades.com Qualifying Hardware Products: Alesis: Multimix 8 USB, Multimix 12 USB Creative: Audigy Emu: 1820, 1820M, 1212M, 0404 Focusrite: Sapphire Lexicon: Omega PreSonus: FirePod, FireBox Tascam: US-122, US-428, US-424, FW-1082, FW-1804, FW-1884 Yamaha: Motif ES, Motif ES Rack, i88x, 01x, 01V96, 02R96, SPX2000 (limited to new purchases between 6/1/05 and 9/30/05) For more information, visit their web site at steinberg.de. Friday, June 17 2005 | dmac Precisionsound Releases New Free Sample Set The latest Precisionsound release, Koestler Rigoletto, is available now as a free download. The Koestler has been sampled in stereo and contains release samples for added realism. The SampleSet contains 99 24-bit WAV files and 2 programs, "Broken" & "Fixed" for HALion & Kontakt. You can choose between the 24-bit version (HALion/Kontakt) and the 16-bit Sfz version. The Koestler Rigoletto is an air driven portable organ from the -50's -60's made in Germany. A fan is spinning around inside and makes noise if you press the key. The fan noise is quite heavy in this kind of instruments but Precisionsound has managed to remove it so you can toggle it on/off as you like. The sample set is available as a free download, but to receive it, you must fill out a survey form at store.precisionsound.net. Wednesday, June 15 2005 | dmac Audio Takes Over Distribution of GForce Instruments minimonsta impOSCar   M-Audio is now handling world-wide distribution of GForce's virtual models of four vintage synthesizer classics: Oddity, Minimonsta, impOSCar and M-Tron. All four virtual vintage instruments are Mac and Windows compatible. They can operate in either stand-alone mode or with VST 2.0 (including VSTi), RTAS, or AU hosts. The Oddity is an emulation of the classic ARP Odyssey synthesizer popularized by artists as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Styx, Tangerine Dream, Ultravox and Portishead. This legendary vintage synth has been brought back to life in all of its glory, including dual VCOs with sync and pulse-width modulation, monophonic or duophonic control, noise generator, ring modulation, sample/hold, 4-pole 24dB/octave resonant low-pass filter, high-pass filter, VCA, AR and ADSR envelopes and more. Modern improvements include full programmability featuring 384 pre-programmed sounds, the ability to morph between presets, MIDI Continuous Controller support, automation and host-syncable LFOs. GForce's unique Flying Slider feature also allows users to throw a slider to the minimum or maximum setting with the flick of a mouse. Mac requirements for the Oddity are a PowerMac G4, 128MB, and Mac OS X. Windows requirements are Pentium III 300MHz, 64MB, and Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, or XP. The Oddity retails for USD $129.95 MSRP. The Minimonsta is an emulation of the classic Minimoog that was at the forefront of the analog synth revolution and made famous by artists like Jan Hammer, Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Chick Corea, Gary Numan, and Kraftwerk. Every component has been modeled: three VCOs, pink/white noise generator, famous Moog 4-pole 24dB/octave low-frequency VCF, two ADSRs, external input, mixer, glide and more. The Minimonsta improves on the original with additional ADSR and LFO that can route to just about any parameter and be controlled from any MIDI source. There's also a built-in delay function for an instant spacey effect on any patch. Of course, the Minimonsta also features full programmability, and includes a whopping 6000+ pre-programmed sounds right out of the box spanning the gamut of possibilities. There's even a unique morphing feature called "Melohman" that allows users to map 12 presets to an octave of keys and morph between them in real time by playing that octave. The Minimonsta also delivers something else that tons of musicians have always wanted from their Minimoogs--polyphony. There are actually four trigger modes: mono, poly, unison, and legato. All parameters on the Minimonsta map to standard MIDI Continuous Controllers as well, so you can record parameter changes into a sequencer or get your hands on the knobs and switches via hardware for a more tactile experience. Minimonsta minimum requirements on the Mac are PowerMac G4 1.25GHz, 128MB, and Mac OS X. Windows requirements are Pentium IV 1GHz, 64MB, Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, or XP. Minimonsta sells for USD $199.95 MSRP. The GForce Oddity, Minimonsta, impOSCar and M-Tron are currently shipping. For more information, visit their web site at www.gmediamusic.com. Tuesday, June 14 2005 | dmac ArtsAcoustic Reverb updated to 1.0.1.4 An updated version of the ArtsAcoustic Reverb (1.0.1.4) is now available. Changed in the latest version: New: Mac OSX 10.4.1 compatible New: Dry/Wet knobs can be ignored when loading patches New: Improved license system New: Instant notification of changes on the setup page to all running instances New: 'Registered to' field on setup page New: External parameter edit window has new 'parameter-select dropdown' Fixed: External parameter edit window redraw bug for the 'Default' field Fixed: LoadPreset / SetUserPath bug for Cubase (MAC) Fixed: Bug that could cause crackles on hosts with very small blocksizes (e.g. FruityLoops) Fixed: Bug when plug was used as send effect in Cubase Fixed: Last loaded Preset will now be remembered for next / previous preset buttons Updated: Documentation Updated: License agreement Known Bugs: Access Violation when exiting Ableton Live More @ ArtsAcoustic.com