Mac and Music News

Ask The DJ will next week reach version 1.4 (29$). It is an intuitive DJ software with BPM detection, smart list sorting (on bpm, rhythm and volume) and only 3 buttons and two sliders for control. It even allow you to export the result in one or multiple files in CD quality. More on it in our soft tracker

New features in 1.4 are:
- Search engine in Unicode so that even our Japanese friends for example can find their favorite tunes.
- An explorer window to manage the tracks an other way, also helping iPod users to move their files from their little white friend.
- Availability of a French version (including manual and help) along the English one.

Now our members searching a soft for DJing will have _no_ excuses.
And you know, if you hide the main window in the dock, the dancer will start moving in rhythm in the file part of the dock

Sampletank come back in its 2.0 version, and IK Multimedia has added a few but important features:
- STRETCH, an engine that pitch shift, stretch, works on timbre and harmonics. this way, as the resampling engine used before is still there you can plays the samples with very different timbres as both methods are treating harmonics in STRETCH much more elegantly.
Add to this it permit a realistic glide with portamento that is natural.
- a loop function using the STRECH engine that in one click synchronize, pitch shift, strech etc. the loops loaded in Sampletank and you can play them without even thinking about the math crunching behind. Ear the STRETCH!

We just updated our Apple Expo photos gallery (gallery 6). We also published photos of our stand, the biggest Music stand... ;-)

Native Instrument announces an Upgrade for REAKTOR SESSION downloadable on the NI site : with a more efficient CPU use, some display bogs fixed, AKAI samples Import available (with Mac OS 9 but not yet with Mac OSX), and an easy way to use the SD2 files in the map editor....

A new beta Vsti version is on the verge to be tested with ARTURIA : An emulation of the CS80 Yamaha. It looks pretty and seems to have a great sound (possible comparison with the Moog Modular).

I'd like to introduce myself to everyone here on MacMusic.org as the new English Editor-in-Chief. Since its founding as the first major site to be devoted to Mac musicians, MacMusic has grown to be the largest and most comprehensive resource on the web for music, and, just as importantly, the only completely bilingual site. We think it can get even better, and what better time to expand the site than a time when the Mac is reaching a new era for digital music, as Apple finally embraces us as one of its core markets. You may have read the site I started in June, musiconmac.com. I'm happy now to take some of the plans forged on that site to this one, and welcome my readers from musiconmac here. Over the coming months, I'll be posting more news, more reviews, more interviews, and more tutoria ...

I would like to welcome Peter Kirn, founder of the young but already great MusicOnMac.com website. We decided to combines our forces to dramatically boost the english side of MacMusic.

Peter, will be in charge of the english news (which layout should improve soon) as well as Articles, Review, interview and so on.. As a NYC resident, his english should be far better than mine ;) and far better than our translators team.

We expect Peter to continue the wonderfull job that he started with MOM, now at MacMusic with a larger audience, structure and a team to help him. He will shortly tell you more...

Welcome Peter! :)

Update can be downloaded at the Steinberg Website. Original Installer CD is required to install the 17 MB file. The Update also includes a new bank with 64 sounds ! (Platform: Mac OS 9 and OS X)

Modularing, MilProd's virtual synthesizer, is almost available in an OSX version. They are still looking for beta-testers.

Pinknoise Studio's Soundbank has unveiled a new Reason Refill for the NN-XT sampler featuring sampled analog modular synths. I was skeptical of this approach at first, fearing sampled Moog's or something horrendous like that. Instead, the bright folks at Pinknoise have created a Refill with basic analog components (sine waves and the like) so you can take advantage of the advanced modular features of the NN-XT to replicate the creative synthesis possibilities of a full-featured analog synth. Demos are available, and the full version is just US$19 for a download. With Reason's excellent pattern sequencers, this could be a lot of fun -- stay tuned for a review.

IRCAM, the famous french institute for musical research and Eowave associated last year to develop the eobody. Eobody is a CV to MIDI interface we already talked about in the MM news. It is on demo on AE2003 with its MAX/msp developed editor and the available sensors (light, pressure, piezo pads, ground captors, distance, acceleration etc.) and under developement sensors (ribbon and capacitive keyboards) to trigger sounds (I develop everywhere ;), notes or video events in real time. (see the pics)

Now you can really play your tunes by scratching your head or square dancing!

Lucky you! During all the AE2003 an iSight streams the teamers sleeping nude… uh… working hard on the MM Booth (F14, Hall 4 ;). Expect also pics and news from the novelties at the exhibit in the following days

The Apple booth has uncovered rows of new powerbook G4, we have the pics of the beasts.

I've had a chance now to give Live 3 a test-drive. So far, the new release looks very solid, and even in beta runs fine. An interesting detail: the new plugins ship as VST plugins, as opposed to proprietary Live plugins, so you can use them with other software. The previous plugins remain proprietary. Despite the fit-and-finish on this new release, however, you will want to wait for the final software to ship. Unlike the Live 2 beta, the beta software warns that files saves with the beta may be incompatible with the final release version. I'll have more on Live 3 later this week; in the meantime feel free to email me your impressions.

In a statement by Ableton's Gerhard on the Live user forum, Live's developer says Live 3 won't bring significant audio performance improvements, and furthermore, Velocity Engine optimization (which would benefit Mac G4 and G5 users) would require a complete rewrite of the underlying audio engine that won't occur in this upgrade.

Have you ever wondered if it is possible to seemlessly morph from one sound to another? It's now really possible : Prosoniq announce "morph VST" a very interesting and fast new VST (and stand-alone) plug-in from Prosoniq. For Mac only (OS 9 & OS X compatible too!). Morph VST is availaible for 179 $.

Here it comes the new audio interface 96i for Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools Accel (see the last M.M news for this).

Featuring sixteen inputs with gain control (six switchable levels for the first four and two for the others), two analog outputs with 96kHz conversion, one SPDIF 24 bits input/output, Digidesign announce that the converters of the 96i will be as good as the one of the 96 I/O. Up to six 96i can be use to allow simultaneously up to 96 analog inputs.

Rumors are coming and going, the only thing that can be seen right now (no one is allowed on the huge Apple Booth) are dark veils waiting to be uncovered tomorrow morning during the keynote.

Facts: seems to be some hardware (a huge panel up to the ceiling is covered (haha…) and a row of little booths to touch the gizmos IRL). But tomorrow, not before (rumors are according on this at last).

New powermac G4 anyone? (we want a G5!) As MacNN.com marked it and is showing it, no powerbooks can be seen on the booth now, so… could be… ;)