Week of November 30, 2003 Saturday, December 6 2003 | dmac Traxmusic update: reviews & articles... Update: We'v just added more new content for your stairing eyes: QuantumFX review from db audio-ware, by Derik White. Are you into effects, no? well maybe you will be... Enjoy. Saturday, December 6 2003 | dmac SampleTank 2 Plug-In Now Available IK Multimedia is now shipping the SampleTank 2 plug-in sample workstation. SampleTank 2 has been completely redesigned to create the most advanced sample based sound workstation IK Multimedia has ever made and offers a range of new features that set it apart from other samplers or sound modules. 3 synth engines can be switched on the fly to provide more sound flexibility: traditional Resampling (the conventional method of playback most samplers use), Pitch-Shift/Time-Stretch and IK's all new STRETCH engine. STRETCH (Sampletank Time REsynthesis TeCHnology) gives complete sonic control over the tempo, pitch and harmonics of samples. No more "chipmunk sounding" transposition, no more loops and phrases out of sync. More Than 30 Built-In Effects SampleTank 2 offers over 30 DSP effects built-in to the module, with the ability to applie 5 effects per instrument channel. Included are effects from the AmpliTube and T-Racks plug-ins, plus 12 stage phasers, flangers, chorus, delay, reverb, rotary, and tremolo, all saved with the sound for instant recall. Compatible with Virtually Any Host Platform SampleTank 2 is available for MacOS9, MacOS X and Windows XP. VSTi, DXi, RTAS, MAS and Audio Unit formats are all included in the same box. Price and availability SampleTank 2 is available in 2 versions: SampleTank 2 XL, 8CDs of sounds with 1.500 sounds and more than 4.5 GB of samples, 8 CDs, $/€ 499 SampleTank 2 L, 4CDs of sounds with 500 sounds and more than 2GB of samples, 4 CDs, $/€ 299 2 upgrades are available, all to XL version (must be a registered ST1 user to be eligible): SampleTank 1 DJ, L, XL 1 to Sampletan 2 XL , 8CDs, $/€ 249 SampleTank 1 SE (Digidesign bundle), LE 1 to Sampletank 2 XL, 8CDs, $/€ 349 Users having registered SampleTank 1 DJ, L and XL it since 1st May 2003 will be able to download a FREE special upgrade to SampleTank 2 . For more information, visit their web site at www.sampletank.com. Saturday, December 6 2003 | dmac Cakewalk Sonar v3.0 demo released Cakewalk have released the demo version of Sonar 3.0, the latest incarnation of their flagship product. They also recently released localized language versions of Sonar 3.0, now available in French, German, and Japanese in both Producer and Studio Editions. Saturday, December 6 2003 | dmac Plugin updates: Spectrasonics: Atmosphere, Stylus, Trilogy have updated the OS X. Audio Units versions of all plugins are now v1.0.1 and the OS X VST/RTAS versions are v1.0.2 for Atmosphere & Trilogy and v1.0.6 for Stylus. SpeedSoft VSampler updated to v3.0.4. Friday, December 5 2003 | dmac Tobybear release MixBox MixBox is a useful VST plugin that allows you to share and mix audio streams between different plugin instances or even applications! With 4 internal busses that are shared across each instance of the plugin, you can easily realize a submixer (with up to 5-channels) or stream the audio from one application/VST host to another. WARNING: This plugin is still in beta stage, and due to its experimental nature, it might not work on every system/configuration. More @ Tobybear.de. Friday, December 5 2003 | dmac Central Station Studio Control Center Previewed PreSonus Audio Electronics will formally introduce the Central Station, a purely passive studio control center, at winter NAMM 2004 in January, offering five stereo inputs and outputs (two digital and three analog) and a street price under $500. The Central Station features a purely passive signal path, offering the most transparent sonic quality. The main audio path uses no amplifier stages including op amps, active IC's or chips, eliminating coloration, noise and distortion they add. The Central Station delivers what is needed for professional monitoring control (wide-frequency, high headroom and low noise), enabling the listener to hear the true sound of the mix. To minimize noise and maximize signal integrity, the unit is equipped with 28 sealed silver relays, which utilize a minimal path signal so that the audio does not pass through extraneous electronics. Accompanying three sets of monitor outputs, each with their own set of trim pots, are three sets of analog stereo analog inputs to accommodate DAW/Mixer, Tape/CD or Keyboard/Sampler. Two of these inputs feature balanced TRS jacks and the third has RCA inputs with trim control for matching signals at different levels. It also accommodates two digital inputs via S/PDIF or TOSLINK, providing D/A conversion up to 24Bit/192kHz thus enabling the user to send a digital signal directly to the Central Station to bypass lesser D/A converters say from the DAW, a CD or DAT player. Fast-acting 20 segment digital LED meters provide for high resolution metering of input level. The Central Station also offers a talkback omni directional condenser microphone that is routed through the CUE outputs for communication between artist and engineer. When the talkback feature is used, the cue mix is automatically dimmed for optimal communication. Other features on the Central Station include two headphone outputs, MUTE, DIM, INPUT select, CUE select and OUTPUT select. An optional remote control is available for talkback, mute, dim, input and output selection, as well as level adjustment. For more information, visit their web site at www.presonus.com. Thursday, December 4 2003 | dmac Tobybear releases Kondor 1.5 What's new: compiled with latest VST 2.3 headers supports all extensions from 2.1, 2.2, 2.3  improved screen layout and display VSTTimeInfo flags property does now also display the single bits as separate values More @ tobybear.de. Thursday, December 4 2003 | dmac Sony Oxford Plug-Ins Now Available for Pro Tools LE In a move designed to bring the power and flexibility of Oxford Plug-ins within the reach of home studio-based producers, engineers and artists, Sony Oxford now offers a full line of plug-ins designed to work with Pro Tools LE systems. In addition to bringing the full range of individual Plug-Ins, EQ, Dynamics, Inflator and Transient Modulator, the LE versions are available in a bundle combining three primary tools: EQ, Dynamic and Inflator plug-ins at a special price. The Sony Oxford plug-in products for Pro Tools LE are: Oxford EQ Based on the exact same processing algorithms as Sony's OXF-R3 flagship recording/mixing console, it includes a 5 Band Equaliser, with additional variable slope HP and LP filters. Control coefficients are calculated in real time, allowing quantization-free and noise-free operation and an analog sound. Four EQ characteristic types are included. MSRP: £250. Oxford Dynamics This plug-in is also modelled using the algorithms from the flexible dynamics processor used in the OXF-R3. It features Mono and Stereo Channel Dynamics with separately controlled sections for Compressor, Limiter, Expander, Gate, and 2 Band Side-Chain EQ. A 'Warmth' feature allows variable harmonic enhancement, providing extra loudness, presence and 'punch.' MSRP: £250. Oxford Inflator Increase the loudness of virtually any material regardless of prior processing, such as compression and limiting, without going 'over'. The Inflator is a real-time process which adds power, presence and warmth without those pumping effects associated with compressors and limiters, where time constants are involved, according to the company. Enhance a full program mix or individual instruments with its tube reminiscent character. MSRP: £145. Oxford Transient Modulator The final plug-in the line is a new resource for bringing transient events in the audio program forward, or pushing them into the background, enabling the attacks of instruments to be accentuated or softened depending on settings. With Transient Modulator, you can modify the dynamics of individual instruments or revitalize whole mixes. MSRP: £145. Oxford LE Bundle The bundle combines the Oxford EQ, Dynamics and Inflator for less than the price of two plug-ins. 15 day demo downloads are available from: sonyoxford.co.uk. These new Oxford LE plug-ins are available for purchase from sonyplugins.com and dealers world-wide. Wednesday, December 3 2003 | dmac OS X Support for UAD-1 DSP Card Available as Beta Release Mackie and Universal Audio have released a beta version of the 3.3 update with Macintosh OS X support for the Mackie UAD-1 DSP Powered Plug-Ins card. The public beta release of this software is currently available as a free download for registered Mackie UAD-1 owners from both the Mackie and Universal Audio websites. The final version is scheduled for release on December 18, 2003. Version 3.3 will support OS X on all Macintosh platforms including G5 processors. Download the beta versions at: Mackie website. Universal Audio website. For more information, visit their web site at uaudio.com. Wednesday, December 3 2003 | dmac TL Audio Unveils New Ivory 5060 Preset Valve Compressor TL Audio are proud to unveil the new 5060 Preset Valve Compressor, which is the latest addition to the best selling Ivory 2 series. The 5060 couples a dual channel compressor with a high quality discrete mic preamp, plus stereo line and instrument inputs. The compressor stage features a selection of 15 vocal, instrument and mix presets plus a ‘manual’ mode that allows access to fully variable control of threshold, ratio, attack/release, gain make-up and soft/hard knee modes. The 5060 can be operated in mono or linked stereo modes, making the 5060 equally powerful for both mono/stereo tracking and final stereo mix processing. The preamp stage offers a total gain range of 100dB, with 48V phantom power and a 90Hz low cut filter. A single illuminated VU meter monitors the output level or the compressor gain reduction for both channels, with Drive and Peak LEDs providing a visual indication of valve drive and clipping respectively. Both balanced and unbalanced line outputs are provided which can be used simultaneously. More @ TL Audio. Tuesday, December 2 2003 | dmac VirSyn TERA 2.0 released New Features: Six new pages specializing on either   - Waveshaping - Analog synthesis - Spectrum Synthesis  - Formant - FM synthesis - Physical modeling allows easy access to TERA's mighty sound engine. In the modular page you have unrestricted access to all modules and parameters. - Custom waveforms for all Oscillators - Supersaw Mode - The unique "Slotmachine" enables the user to get random sounds which are really usable. - Syncable multisegment (64) envelope generators - Combi programs for layer and split sounds. - Microtuning - PC and Mac OS 9/OS X standalone / VST / AudioUnit - New: ReWire 2 and RTAS. - last but not least you get more then 500 new phantastic sounds !   More @ virsyn.com. Tuesday, December 2 2003 | dmac Tobybear release update for Humanisator Today Tobybear release an updated version of Humanisator, a little VST MIDI plugin for added a bit of 'human touch' to your recordings. What's new: compiled with latest VST 2.3 headers added relative velocity mode (random velocity in range gets added to incoming note) fixed bug with exclusive random ranges More @ tobybear.de. Tuesday, December 2 2003 | dmac ANWIDA Soft launches Xmas Pack Until January 6 2004, buy CX1V, L1V and GEQ15V as a bundle for the special price of $99 US, a savings of nearly $100 off retail price! CX1V, L1V and GEQ15V are, respectively, a compressor/expander, a limiter/maximizer and a 15 bands graphic equalizer available as VST for PC plug-ins. This is an unrepeatable opportunity to make a unique and professional gift to your studio. Works in progress at Anwida:   Parametric Equalizer Pro v. 3.0 new versions of DX Modulation Pack and DX Reverb (full MIDI automation, built-in preset manager, etc...) VST plug-ins for MAC OS More information about the Xmas Pack and all other products can be found on anwida.com. Tuesday, December 2 2003 | dmac Camel Audio Releases Cameleon 5000 Additive Morphing Resynthesizer UK-based software developers Camel Audio, announced the arrival of their first full-blown software instrument. Cameleon 5000 is the creature's name, and it's an unusual and exotic hybrid designed to produce some fresh and original sounds. Described by its creator as an 'Additive Morphing Resynthesizer', it combines a flexible sound generation engine with some audio analysis algorithms, to produce an instrument that's not quite a synth and not quite a sampler, yet invites comparisons with both. Cameleon 5000 is supplied with a library of more than 500 presets, and is available for both Windows and Mac OS, in VST and Audio Units plugin formats. It can be purchased online from www.camelaudio.com at a special introductory price of $229 (199 euros), until the end of the year. A free demo version, together with sound examples and further information are also available. For more information, visit their web site at www.camelaudio.com. Monday, December 1 2003 | dmac Helios up'ed v2.2 Tobybear has updated Helios to v2.2. New: Compiled with latest VST 2.3 SDK. WAV Pre-Listen option in file open dialog. If WAV file is not found, you can now manually locate it. More @ Tobybear. Sunday, November 30 2003 | dmac XARC Mastering launch europes first online mastering studio Today XARC Mastering announced the launch of europes first online mastering studio. This new service is available worldwide and is unique in that they will handle the entire process over the Internet, via a secure SSL encrypted connection, making it much faster and more affordable than conventional mastering studios. Lorenz Vauck, the founder of XARC Mastering said, “we felt it was time to offer high quality, but affordable mastering while making use of today’s communication possibilities. Because our costs are lower than conventional studios, mastering is no longer only a luxury of the professional musician. Now artists at all levels can use our experienced engineers to ensure that their material is mastered to the high quality required for commercial success.” There is absolutely no risk involved in using XARC Mastering. Before the client makes any payment, they will receive the results in MP3 format. If this result is not satisfactory, no charge is made. More information about XARC Mastering, as well as information about their free mastering trial, can be found at their website. www.xarcmastering.com Sunday, November 30 2003 | dmac Version 2.1 of ReCycle Now in Beta Release Propellerhead Software announced ReCycle 2.1. ReCycle 2.1 will be a free update for registered users of ReCycle 2.0, and a beta version is available now for those users that don't like to wait. ReCycle 2.1 is now a suite of tools that include Reason Adapted, (a Reason version streamlined for loop composition that includes Dr. REX, REX2 file player, a mixer, effects, the NN-XT sampler plus the Reason Sampler) and the Reload utility for importing Akai samples. The combination of three applications (ReCycle, Reason Adapted and Reload) provide the user with everything they need for working with loops and grooves-all the way from ripping Akai Cds to Rewire-ing fully edited and treated loops into Cubase, Pro Tools, Logic and more. In addition, ReCycle 2.1 can now leverage the advanced technologies of Mac OS X. ReCycle is a creative tool that prepares drum loops by analyzing and slicing them. It then creates the necessary audio elements and embeds the required sequencer data to the specialized REX file format (read by over 2 dozen applications). The effect of this is that the loop becomes tempo independent, that you can edit its components freely to "rebuild" the loop, and that the timing information in the recording (the musician's "groove" and "feel") can be applied to other (sequenced) elements of the music. REX files can be played and edited by all major audio sequencers such as Cubase, Logic, Digital Performer and Sonar. In addition, they can also be played back by software sampling applications such as Propellerhead Software's own Reason, Steinberg Halion, Emagic's EXS24mkII and many more. Pricing and availability ReCycle 2.1 will be a free update for registered users available as a download on the Propellerheads' website - www.propellerheads.se. ReCycle 2.1 will be available at Propellerhead Software Dealers worldwide for MSRP US$229/Euro $ 229 by the end of 2003.. For more information, visit their web site at www.propellerheads.se.