Mac and Music News

The french site, MacBidouille, just published some pictures and a PDF showing the futur Pro PowerMacs coming soon. The news case contains 4 PCI slot, 1 AGP, up two 6 IDE drive, SDRAM, and an audio input minijack (coming back). Decide for yourself!

(07/23) Apple just forced Macbidouille to remove the pictures, but we've found another copy here...

M-Audio ships Uno MIDI, a basic MIDI USB interface which provides and MIDI activity indicators (leds). Drivers available for Windows 9x/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or greater including OS X. OMS only...

TASCAM has recently announced the version 2.0 operating system update for their DM-24 Digital Mixer. This update is available as a free download from the TASCAM web site at www.tascam.com. Version 2.0 software adds 20 new features and functions to the DM-24, including Mackie HUI emulation, improved internal signal routing and direct surround panning capabilities, new footswitch control capabilities and more.

2.51 updates of Spark & Spark XL are available on the TC-Works website. Essentielly bug corrections and some minor improvements of existing functions.

Korg today unveiled at NAMM a new 37-key portable synthesizer. Based on the same DSP synthesis engine as the MS-2000 (referred to as it's "big brother") it offers modeling synthesis, vocoding, real-time control (plenty of knobs in other words), effects and external audio processing.

The newest of these is the ION, a new 8-voice 4-part multitimbral analog modeling 49-key synth. The processor inside runs at an impressive 500mips (million instructions per second), with 3 oscillators and 2 multi-mode filters per voice.

Plugsound is a virtual instrument based on a sample library, available as a VST2 plug-in (Mac-PC), and a MAS and RTAS plug-in. This Volume 3 is a sound module that offers hundreds of presets using more than 6,000 samples (540MB). Under the hood is the UVI-Engine which features dual multimode filters, separate amplitude and filter envelopes, keyzone editing, and much more.

A beta version of Clockworks for Mac OS X is now available on the MOTU website.

Steinberg is now shipping Nuendo version 1.6. The latest version of its recording and editing system for Mac and PC features up to 200 tracks of digital audio, surround mixing capabilities, video integration et synchronisation, MIDI editing, native VST and VSTi support, and more.

Nuendo 1.6 adds a selection of interesting new features like AES 31 import and export, VST System Link and 192 kHz support.

A better and better tool...

It may seem that the company ArtisFinance went bankrupt last friday. All alone this group was representing 70% of imports of companies in France (SCV Audio, Guillard-Musique, Codim, MSK, TIP, Dynamic Audio, Audiopole, DM2J, PHL audio… 1st importer in France). It was also shops like Backstage (Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux) and Star Music (Paris, Lyon). The legal settlements is under way and we should know soon more on the future of the profitable companies that may survive… Bad trip!

After the issuing of Jaguar (OSX.2), which will be released on the August 24th, music arrives at last in force on OSX :
Driver for the MOTU 828 in 4 weeks, Digital Performer as a christmas present, Logic Audio 5.2 in beta, almost finished, out during august (at worst for the 24th), Native Instrument stuff "soon"…

Source; MacworldNY visitors (big thank you to every one on the Analogue Heaven mailing list)

The long awaited BitStream PRO configuration software is now available to Mac users from the Wave Idea website, free for download.

MOTU, Inc. announced today that Digital Performer, MOTU's flagship audio workstation software, is coming to Mac OS X, maintaining its fidelity to the Mac-only platform.