Week of November 27, 2005 Friday, December 2 2005 | dmac Version 2 of Guitar Rig Announced at AES Native Instruments has announced Guitar Rig 2, the next generation of its digital guitar studio. The new version greatly expands the sonic arsenal with additional emulated classic amps and cabinets, a full setup of bass gear, an extended selection of distortion pedals and effects units, a wealth of intriguing modulation features, a powerful live looping module, and more. Guitar Rig 2 also comes with the all-new Rig Kontrol 2, a foot pedal unit that offers a multitude of practical control and connectivity features. It even includes a USB 2.0 audio interface for direct connection to the computer, making Guitar Rig a true all-in-one solution for both studio and stage. Four new amplifier models, including a full bass setup Based on NI's Dynamic Tube Response technology, the second version of Guitar Rig adds emulations of four sought-after amp classics, bringing the total number of included amp models up to eight. The new Marshall JCM 800 emulation delivers the powerful hi-gain tone that defined the sound of countless punk and metal bands, while the Fender Bassman model adds a highly characteristic vintage flavor for blues and classic rock. Also part of the new amp arsenal is an emulation based on the Roland Jazz Chorus, beloved for its pristine clean sounds by jazz and pop guitarists. Guitar Rig 2 also adds a full setup of bass gear, centered around an emulation of an Ampeg SVT bass head with its signature bottom-end richness and sonic precision. A selection of six bass cabinets ranging from 1x15 to 8x10 sizes as well as four additional microphone models optimized for bass recording allow Guitar Rig 2 to turn into a full-featured four-string studio whenever the need arises. More classic distortion and effect modules Guitar Rig 2 brings the number of included stomp box emulations and effect units up to 36. Three new distortions pedals modeled after popular real-world units offer additional crunch, overdrive and hi-gain flavors, while seven new effect modules add further options to shape the tone.New additions include a stomp compressor, a classic Autofilter model, and a true-to-life emulation of the Dunlop Cry Baby Wah pedal. One of the most creative additions to the arsenal is the new Loop Machine, a powerful and highly intuitive real-time loop recording delay that allows musicians to record and overdub up to 99 layers of audio on the fly. Powerful modulation features Guitar Rig 2 opens up new possibilities for creative guitar sound design with the addition of a powerful suite of modulators consisting of an envelope follower, a multi-breakpoint-envelope, an LFO and two different step sequencers. Modulators can be inserted into the virtual rack at any location, in any order and quantity, and can be assigned to nearly any parameter of the setup. This offers an unparalleled amount of flexibility for unique and innovative guitar tones, from extremely dynamic distortion sounds to complex, evolving soundscapes. The modulation system in Guitar Rig 2 has also been expanded to a full featured modulation matrix, allowing for total freedom in assigning controller sources and targets among each other without compromising the ease of use of Guitar Rig's unique parameter control concept. New multi-functional Rig Kontrol 2 foot pedal At the heart of Guitar Rig 2 is the new Rig Kontrol 2, a multi-functional and fully stage-ready foot pedal that connects directly to the computer via USB 2.0. The pedal unit offers the complete range of control and connectivity features that a guitarist needs in the studio and on stage, and even includes a professional stereo audio interface with pristine audio quality and special low-latency response. No additional hardware is required for using Guitar Rig 2 with any mobile or desktop computer that is equipped with a standard USB 2.0 port. The Rig Kontrol 2 integrates two instrument inputs, a balanced stereo output and an adjustable headphone preamp. It also offers a MIDI I/O and two pedal jacks to easily integrate additional MIDI controllers and external foot pedals into the setup. As a foot controller, the Rig Kontrol 2 offers six precise foot switches and a high-resolution parameter pedal with a further associated button, all of which can be made to control any parameter in Guitar Rig 2 with just the click of a mouse button. Guitar Rig 2 will be available in November 2005 for for a suggested retail price of $ 579/ 499 Euro from authorized dealers and in the NI Online Shop. Detailed information about existing upgrade and update offers for owners of Guitar Rig 1 are available on the NI website. For more information, visit their web site at native-instruments.com. Friday, December 2 2005 | dmac Syntheway Releases Version 2.1 of Realistic Virtual Piano     Realistic Virtual Piano is a acoustic grand piano emulation available in VST format for Windows computers. Capturing the sound of a Kawai Grand Piano, this latest release of the plug-in adds MIDI automation support via MIDI contrinuous controller data, a redesigned GUI, and bug fixes. Features: Based on PCM samples of a Kawai Grand Piano after it has been meticulously tuned and adjusted. Full length sustain samples, no loops (natural decay), stored in 16-bit, 44.100 kHz resolution. ADSR envelope generator with Attack, Sustain, Decay and Release parameters and several modulation targets. Optimized CPU and memory usage. Integrated, variable room simulation. Free variation of acoustic ambience thanks to complete separation of piano and room. Small rooms can be modeled just as larger spaces. Customizable with user controls for: size room, width room, damping factor & mixer, used to create psycho-acoustic models in the DSP environment, without having to load up any other plug-ins. MIDI Automation: MIDI Continuous Controllers support. Cost: US$35. For more information, visit their web site at syntheway.cjb.net. Wednesday, November 30 2005 | dmac Second DrumPak for Jamstix Released Rayzoon Technologies has announced the release of DrumPak #2 for Jamstix, adding 500MB of new sounds to the VSTi plug-in. Unavailable with the default sounds or any other Pak, the new "close stereo" option allows for more intimate but refined sounds by not using ambience samples and extending the close mic samples from mono to stereo. However, DrumPak #2 still comes with normal ambience samples and mono close mic recordings as well so you get the best of both worlds. Also included is the entire kit played with Hot Rods. Compared to normal drumsticks, the hot rods give the kit a quieter more delicate sound with a focused attack. DrumPak #2 also lets you expand your cymbal palette with two new 16" crash cymbals, a 18" crash cymbal, a 14" fast crash and a 14" china. Also included are 14" New Beat hihats with their full, smooth tone. Last but not least, a 20" Zildjian A medium ride completes the kit. DrumPak #2 is available now for an introductory price of $14.99. Furthermore, all Rayzoon products are now on holiday sale with discounts of up to 33%. For more information, visit their web site at rayzoon.com. Tuesday, November 29 2005 | dmac Manytone releases ManyGuitar Manytone has announced that ManyGuitar, a guitar and bass sample based synthesizer with a library of over 1.2 GB of 24 bit samples, is now available. The ManyGuitar sound library includes a wide range of guitars and basses. Each instrument has been extensively multi-sampled, often at several velocities and with a mute layer included. In addition to the single note samples, there are some chord sets and also some new lead guitar styles. This extensive sound library has then been coupled with a highly efficient sample playback engine (based on the EVE One engine from Dash Signature) with a custom amplifier and speaker cabinet emulator and an FX rack designed exclusively for ManyGuitar. The amp section also includes a "deep amp" mode that is suited to bass and other low toned guitars. ManyGuitar also comes with two additional FREE tools: ManyMiniAmp is a VST effect guitar amp and cabinet simulator with a built in compressor. As well as guitars and basses, this is a great effect for mangling drums, loops and can give some unique vocal effects. ManyMapper is a graphical sample mapping utility allowing users to quickly and easily create soundsets that can be used in ManyStation and ManyGuitar from wav files. As well as allowing users to map their samples to create their own soundsets, ManyMapper also allows mapping files to be saved and reloaded so that soundsets can be tweaked. ManyGuitar is available now as a VSTi for Windows for $89.99 (download) or $104.99 (CD/DVD). Owners of Manytone's ManyStation may purchase ManyGuitar until the end of 2005 at the discounted price of $49.99. More @ manytone.com. Tuesday, November 29 2005 | dmac Version 1.1 of Voxengo's Marquis Compressor Released Voxengo has released a new version of their universal compressor PC VST plug-in, designed to be suitable for both mixing and mastering. This version implements a variety of important enhancements, improvements and fixes, and adds more factory presets. Among the most important enhancements is the introduction of the 'compression behavior' switch: now Marquis can deliver attack/release behavior of some well-known analog compressor from the past. Beside that you can also disable intentional harmonic coloration applied by the compressor. Level detector algorithm can now be switched from the default 'Round' mode to a more widely-used 'Classic' mode, which is less precise, but which can be used to get that 'edgy' compression sound. On top of these improvements Voxengo reports to have improved the overall sound of the compressor, making it smoother. Voxengo Marquis Compressor features: Variable knee design Harmonically enhanced sound Three compression behaviors Feed-forward and feedback (opto) modes Different coloration types Release contour controls Key signal filtering 4-level meters "A-to-B" comparisons Factory presets Mono-to-Stereo, Stereo-to-Stereo processing All sample rates supported 64-bit internal precision Native assembler DSP code Marquis Compressor is currently available for purchase on-line for USD 89.95. For more information, visit their web site at voxengo.com. Tuesday, November 29 2005 | dmac New Classical Piano Sound Bank from Gigfiles.com Gigfiles.com has released a new sound bank in a range of different formats: the B 200 Classical Piano. This is a stereo collection with four velocity levels. The piano was sampled every two notes, with sample lengths up to 20 seconds. The Gigfiles B200 is the base sound bank that will be used by the upcoming plug-in from VSTDEV (vstdev.com). The B 200 Classical Piano library is available in the following formats: Halion EXS Kontakt Gigastudio Soundfont Akai (s3000 compatible) The library is available to all Gigfiles membes, with membership prices starting at Euro 89 for four months. The collection is a 85MB (compressed) download. For more information, visit their web site at gigfiles.com. Monday, November 28 2005 | dmac Native Instruments Announces Traktor DJ Studio 3 Native Instruments has announced Traktor DJ Studio 3, the next generation of its mixing software. The new version adds a host of powerful creative features, including four playback decks, a suite of performance effects, an analog-modeled mixer section, a customizable user interface and more. Traktor DJ Studio 3 also allows DJs to browse and purchase the latest club music releases from within the software by giving access to the full catalog of Beatport, an online store for club music. Four full-featured playback decks Traktor DJ Studio 3 takes a significant step beyond the limits of conventional DJ setups by offering two additional playback decks, opening up a whole new world of creative possibilities. DJs can now mix up to four tracks simultaneously, or integrate additional loops and samples. Each of the four decks in Traktor DJ Studio 3 is fully equipped with zoomable waveform displays, comprehensive cueing and looping functionality, and Traktor's time stretching technology that offers unrivalled audio quality even at extreme settings. Beatport online store integration Traktor DJ Studio 3 takes full advantage of NI's partnership with Beatport, an online music store for DJs, currently representing more than 1.200 electronic music labels from all over the world. The complete Beatport catalog can now be accessed directly within the browser section of Traktor, which allows DJs to preview and purchase the latest club music releases with maximum convenience. Traktor DJ Studio 3 integrates a dedicated download manager, and tracks downloaded from Beatport are instantly added to the existing music collection. Professional 4-channel DJ mixer emulation Traktor DJ Studio 3 offers a completely new 4-channel mixer section modeled after the Allen & Heath Xone:92. The mixer emulation is based on analog modeling technology and offers not only the general layout and signal flow of the Xone:92, but also the sought-after audio characteristics of the 4-band-EQ and filter sections, as well as true-to-life channel fader and cross fader behavior. The emulation was developed in close cooperation with Allen & Heath to ensure maximum authenticity and fidelity. Furthermore, each mixer channel can be individually switched to emulate the EQ sections of either the Ecler Nuo4 or the Pioneer DJM-600, to guarantee sonic compatibility when using Traktor DJ Studio 3 in combination with other popular outboard mixers. Beat-synchronized DJ effects Traktor DJ Studio 3 gives DJs a powerful arsenal of creative tools by incorporating a complete set of performance effects. Filter, beat masher, flanger, delay and reverb effects add more depth and variation to the mix, and can be kept in sync with the track at a click of a button. Each effect parameter can be easily assigned to external hardware controllers, and different effects can be inserted on individual channels and the master section of the mixer. New customizable user interface Traktor DJ Studio 3 is equipped with a totally redesigned user interface that offers significant improvements in both flexibility and ease of use. The interface is now fully resizable to adapt to any screen size and aspect ratio, and offers a freely configurable modular section that allows individual control modules to be combined according to the personal preference of the user. This includes control elements for Traktor's extensive looping and cueing functionality, mix and input recording, master section, and various deck and mixer functions. Performance-oriented parameter control A new control concept makes DJing with Traktor DJ Studio even more flexible, intuitive and precise. Parameter changes for knobs and faders can now be "pre-dialed" via mouse and then instantly activated with the click of a button. Additionally the sensitivity for each on-screen-control element can be changed on the fly in five different levels. A new "Snap-to-Beat" mode turns each Traktor waveform display into an advanced control surface, offering DJs unparalleled interaction with the track and making precise cueing easier than ever before. Advanced track collection and library functions The library functions in Traktor DJ Studio 3 have been significantly extended to make handling of ever-growing digital track collections even more efficient. The track browser now supports Context Selection for increased overview and versatile track sorting, while a new Category Search function allows for much faster results when searching for specific tracks, artists, labels or even BPM ranges. Traktor DJ Studio 3 includes a host of further improvements, and continues to offer the full set of features that made the previous version the favorite tool of forward-thinking DJs: powerful library and playlist functions, compatibility with a comprehensive range of audio file formats, non-destructive mix recording, real-time Internet broadcasting, support for the Traktor Mix File format, extensive MIDI remote control options, and seamless integration with Stanton's FinalScratch 2 digital DJ system. Pricing and Availability Traktor DJ Studio 3 will be available in November 2005 for for a suggested retail price of $ 279 / 249 Euro from authorized dealers and in the NI Online Shop. An update for users of Traktor DJ Studio 2 will be available for $ 99 / 79 Euro. For more information, visit their web site at native-instruments.com. Monday, November 28 2005 | dmac Ueberschall Releases Liquid Guitar Virtual Instrument New from Ueberschall is Liquid Guitar, the third instrument in the Liquid Instrument Series for Mac and PC for use with VST, Audio Units or RTAS compatible host applications. Liquid Guitar contains a broad stylistic spectrum of guitar licks recorded with acoustic (nylon/steel) and electric guitars. Styles range from Funk, RnB, Pop, Rock, Blues, Fusion, Jazz, Western, all the way to Sound FX. Liquid Guitar contains rhythmically and soloistically played licks and phrases recorded as: Clean-direct input and Real Amp Recording with crunch, distortion including feedback, tremolo and Wah-Wah sounds. For the user to adapt all the licks in terms of key and mode for his own composition using the Liquid Engine is a breeze. In just a few steps even the melodies can be individually modified. The recordings were made without additional EQ and processing. Featured Guitars Fender Stratocaster (with EMG pickups) Rockinger Strat (with EMG pickups) Gibson ES335 Stereo Steinberger (incl. TransTrem with EMG pickups) Epiphone Imperial Regent Yamaha APX7 Acoustic Guitar Featured Amps Fender Twin Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier VOX AC30 Rivera Bonehead Marshall JMP1 preamp System Requirements Mac OS X 10.3, 512 MB RAM minimum, G4 500 MHz minimum , RTAS (req. ProTool 6.4 or later), AU, VST (MachO), StandAlone Windows 98SE,XP, 512 MB RAM minimum, Pentium 800 MHz minimum, RTAS, DirectX, VST, StandAlone Liquid Guitar (L.I.S. Vol. 3) is available for USD 200 or Euro 169. For more information, visit their web site at ueberschall.com. Monday, November 28 2005 | dmac Voxengo Marquis Compressor VST 1.1 released In Marquis Compressor you may find a very smooth compression performance coupled with a very harmonic-rich sound, both suitable for mixing and mastering. This version implements a variety of important enhancements, improvements and issue fixes, and is carrying more factory presets. Among the most important enhancements is the introduction of the 'compression behavior' switch: now Marquis can deliver attack/release behavior of some well-known analog compressor from the past. Beside that you can also disable intentional harmonic coloration applied by the compressor. Level detector algorithm can now be switched from the default 'Round' mode to a more widely-used 'Classic' mode, which is less precise, but which can be used to get that 'edgy' compression sound. On top of these improvements we have improved the overall sound of the compressor. Now Marquis sounds smoother and has more dimension to its sound. Voxengo Marquis Compressor features:    * Variable knee design    * Harmonically enhanced sound    * Three compression behaviors    * Feed-forward and feedback (opto) modes    * Different coloration types    * Release contour controls    * Key signal filtering    * 4-level meters    * "A-to-B" comparisons    * Factory presets    * Mono-to-Stereo, Stereo-to-Stereo processing    * All sample rates supported    * 64-bit internal precision    * Native assembler DSP code Marquis Compressor is currently available for purchase on-line for USD 89.95. You may find more information and access downloads at our website: voxengo.com.