Week of August 13, 2006 Wednesday, August 16 2006 | dmac Recording School Online Announces Free Downloadable Demo Of Extreme Punch VST Plug-In   A free demo download of analog tape emulator Extreme Punch is now available. Extreme Punch not only emulates the sound of analog tape but more importantly it reproduces the dynamics. Back in the days of analog recording there was one very outstanding recording tool. It was analog tape. Analog tape had one great advantage, it was warm and fat. Part of the esthetics of analog tape is the result of tape saturation. When the magnetic partials on analog tape become saturated, they created the best compression that ever existed. The result was a fat and dense signal which was both warm and punchy. RSO created a plugin to do just that with Extreme Punch, and made it easy to use and fool proof. For more information, visit their web site at recordingschoolonline.com. Tuesday, August 15 2006 | dmac Traxmusic update: Review - Rob Pappen's - Blue Newly added review of Rob Pappen's - Blue. Tuesday, August 15 2006 | dmac Crysonic Announces Immediate Availability Of Spectraphy Mastering Limiter/Maximizer   Crysonic today announced the release and availability of Spectraphy, the first Mastering grade look-ahead brickwall limiter of its type to utilize the principals of mechanical physics for audio processing. The innovative approach represents a paradigm shift in the way these types of DSP effects have been designed to date. The unique method employed easily allows the mastering engineer to achieve maximum perceived "loudness" transparently without ever getting overshoots (Digital-over's) with minimum audible distortion. The characteristics of the final audio can quickly be adjusted to taste, be it analog or digital with only two rotary-dials. The drive / color dial component also allows the addition of analog saturation when "running hot", this can naturally be disabled if not required. Spectraphy has been designed for ease of use and efficiency in mind without sacrificing creative freedom. Spectraphy Physics? What makes Spectraphy's process unique is the novel approach used for its dynamic signal analysis. Internally Sprectraphy utilizes a special physics engine to accurately simulate multiple response signals to maximize the perceived signal volume and to also "brick wall" upper limit to peak set levels. Final response curve is computed on the analysis of multiple simulations each having different characteristics that are driven mainly by incoming transient signals concurrently. This approach tends to produce a more natural sound, almost completely eliminating the risk of introducing audible nonlinear distortion. Spectraphy Main Features: NEW Physics based Peak Limiting Maximum transparent loudness Look-ahead Brickwall limiting with no overshoots (Digital-overs) Variable Limiter mode (Analog / Physical - Digital / Current) Elasticity - Limiter Transient (Peak) response strength / Speed Saturation / Drive Dial VST Automation for all parameters Gain reduction and RMS meters 64-bit internal precision 24bit/96Khz audio support Highly optimized custom DSP code Suitable for Mastering, Mixing and Tracking For more information, visit their web site at crysonic.com. Tuesday, August 15 2006 | dmac Gigfiles.com Announces Minimoog Voyager Bass Library For GigaStudio, Halion, Kontakt, Exs, Soundfont Gigfiles.com has announced The Minimoog Voyager bass library. This library has been recorded from a Minimoog Voyager v3.01 all options and offers the best sound of Minimoog basses from the original soundbank. Features: Each sound is recorded for six seconds or more 4 levels of velocity for exactly the same as heard from the original Mixed with a true analog Mackie LM-3204 mixer and an EMU card in 44.1Khz, 16 bits Each patch is 30MB large so it leaves plenty of space in your computer memory. This DVDROM contains AKAI (.akp), PULSAR (.p), HALION, KONTAKT, Reaktor (map), GIGASTUDIO 2 (.gig), EXS24. Everything is compressed on a single DVDROM, PC/MAC compatible. For more information, visit their web site at gigfiles.com. Tuesday, August 15 2006 | dmac Sample Logic Releases Ambience, Impacts, And Rhythms Sound Library   Sample Logic has released a new sound library, Ambience, Impacts, and Rhythms. A.I.R. is focused on blending three essential building blocks for the composer into one library: Ambience, Impacts, and Rhythms. Powered by Native Instruments' Kontakt 2 player, Ambience, Impacts, and Rhythms is available for AU, DXI, RTAS, VST and standalone configurations. The two DVD set contains over 6GB of instruments categorized by genre, timbre and the mood they evoke. The system is designed to help you with organization and finding the sound you are looking for without having to funnel through thousands of presets to find the sound you want. Features: Over 300 Ambient Instruments 100 Impact Instruments & Kits Tons of Killer Combination Platters that Combine Several Ambiences with Impacts and Rhythms 300 Tempo Adjustable Rhythms A.I.R. covers all the bases, from sci-fi, piercing, distorted tensions, and chilling action sounds to light, sacred, and spiritual atmospheres. MSRP: $299.00 Sample Logic was founded by Joseph Trupiano and Keith Robinson in 2005 to introduce a fresh approach to sampling and virtual instruments. For more information, visit their web site at samplelogic.com.