Week of October 9, 2005 Saturday, October 15 2005 | dmac Receptor Version 1.4 Software Announced Muse Research announced the latest version of software, version 1.4, for its Receptor hardware plug-in player. This new version of software improves the RAM utilization in Receptor as well as adding new MIDI features that improve its ability to serve as the ultimate synth, sampler, and sound module. Version 1.4 software will be available free to all registered Receptor customers this month. Receptor was designed for live use, which means many of the design decisions took into consideration the reality of using high-technology products in unpredictable environments. Thanks to improvements made in the last software update, Receptor has become a platform upon which to run sampler programs such as Kontakt 2 and sample libraries such as those from Garritan or from companies like EASTWEST. Since samplers demand a large amount of RAM, the engineers at Muse Research developed new optimization routines that improved the amount of available memory to be used for sample memory and improving the overall performance for all plug-ins. Now a vast majority of Receptor's 2GB maximum memory is devoted to running plug-ins instead of being used to run the OS or host applications. Also new in Version 1.4 is the ability to pass controller information directly to a plug-in or to use that controller information to control Receptor's mixer functionality which is entirely MIDI controllable. The result is an ideal blend of versatility allowing you to manage your plug-ins or Receptor's mixer functionality using the wide variety of available MIDI controllers. Receptor version 1.4 software will be free to all registered Receptor owners and downloadable from their plugorama.com software website at the end of this month. For more information, visit their web site at museresearch.com. Saturday, October 15 2005 | dmac PowerCore Goes Unplugged TC Electronic announced a new version of a PCI card for the PowerCore platform. PowerCore Unplugged is the same piece of hardware as PowerCore PCI mkII but without the included plug-ins. This allows the user to compile an entirely individual package of optional plug-ins for any mixing, mastering or production situation. PowerCore Unplugged is also a solution for users who need further processing power for their existing setup in order to run even more plug-ins simultaneously. With the introduction of PowerCore Unplugged, it has never been easier to gain targeted access to the selection of mixing and mastering tools for TC's PowerCore platform. From state-of-the-art reverbs and dynamics to voice modelling tools and legendary synths, PowerCore offers audio solutions for all production facilities. The large range of PowerCore plug-ins include professional plug-ins ported from TC's flagship, System 6000, as well as dedicated tools from a growing number of 3rd party developers like e.g. Sony Oxford, TC-Helicon, and Access. PowerCore Unplugged will ship in October, 2005 at $745 MSRP. For more information, visit their web site at tcelectronic.com.