Mac and Music News

The Apple press conference is just over : It was a very music-slanted conference (Steve Jobbs with a piano on the stage, chatting with Bono, Mick Jagger).

In details, not much new stuff but "music for the masses" :

- 3rd generation iPod, thiner than 2 CD boxes, now offering a 10 000 song storage capacity (40 Go model), more than 670 hour recording capacity (mic/phone kit at $49) with latest Itune synchro. Apple also releases a 20 000 pictures capacity iPod storage kit at $99, now iPhoto supported.

- The iTunes Music Store, which represents 70% of the legal world on-line music sell bizness, is now selling audio books (5 000 already available). The iTunes music store and iTunes are now PC compatible with the Mac interface, also support PC CD burning. You can only download iTunes at ...

Eventide announced Reverb, the plug-in that brings their best reverbs from their flagship Orville processor to the desktop. The Eventide Reverb plug-in for Digidesign Pro Tools TDM for Mac v5.1.3 or greater, is a multi-effects plug-in that incorporates a pair of delays, pre and post stereo three-band parametric EQ, a high-quality compressor, and a Lo-Fi effect.

The look of the Eventide Reverb plug-in is simple and succinct, presenting operators with a single graphical user interface that features all of the tools in a single window. Their unique snapshot feature provides an intuitive way to capture or recall parameter settings with a single mouse click.

The sound quality is equally compelling. The Eventide Reverb plug-in uses the highest quality reverb algorithms from their flagshi ...

Eventide introduced the Octavox Harmonizer diatonic pitch shifter plug-in for Digidesign's Pro Tools TDM platform. As the first ever Eventide Harmonizer eight voice diatonic pitch shifter plug-in, the Octavox allows users to create anything from stacked harmonies and subtle, wide choirs to musical rhythmic sequences.

The easy-to-use graphical interface not only gives access to the pitch shifting capabilities of Octavox, but also provides unique and musical control of the pitch and delays using the Notation Grid. This "notation meets step sequencer" presents pitches on a traditional music staff with quantized grids superimposed for placing notes over time. Snapshots can be used to instantly rearrange the entire sequence.

All of the tools required to load, edit and save a preset are a ...

M-Audio has been working directly with Apple to ensure that all of the company's PCI-based products will be compatible with the PCI-X architecture introduced with the Power Mac G5. Delta models being redesigned for G5 compatibility include Audiophile 2496, Delta 1010, Delta 44, Delta 66, and Delta 1010LT. (The critically acclaimed Revolution 7.1 consumer surround sound card is already PCI-X compatible.)

The original versions of M-Audio Delta cards operated on 5 volts as supplied by the original PCI bus standard. The newly revised cards are PCI 2.2 compliant (3.3 volts) and universally keyed, allowing compatibility with 64-bit PCI-X standards on all Power Mac G5s. On-board sensing technology will also allow the new Delta cards to be backwards compatible to work in 32-bit 5-volt PCI syste ...

I was talking about the upcoming compatibility issues between Digidesign and G5 systems with Panther. It seems to me that some major changes need to be taken under consideration in light of Digidesign's current three step calendar:

- phase 1: (October 2003) Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel systems will feature G5 compatibility but only on OS 10.2.7.

- phase 2: (mid-November 2003) Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, and Mbox support for G5 compatibility for (with caution !!!) OS 10.3 Panther.

- phase 3: (early 2004) Pro Tools|24 MIX G5 compatibility for (again, with caution!!!) OS 10.3 Panther.

I have tested a Digi 002 and Pro Tools with Panther (final development version), and trust me: it does not work. Sadly, others have experienced the same thing as well...

So, dear Dididesign ...

Your favourite website have just exceeded the twenty thousand members... Hand in hand we could form a 20 km chain... but more seriously everyday we make up a great solidarity chain to resolve our Mac and Music difficulties...

Dxb is the new digital mixing board from Mackie

Some cool features include:
- 96k digital mixing console with 72-channel I/O matrix
- Selectable 192k operation with 36-channel I/O matrix
- Firewire I/O cards for streaming audio to/from desktop or laptop computers
- mouse control
- Twenty-five 100mm Penny & Giles motorized optical touch-sensitive faders
- Full dynamics and parametric EQ on every channel, input and output
- Onboard support for VST plug-ins
- 8-channel surround mixing and monitoring capabilities
- Onboard Universal Audio LA-2A and 1176LN compression, Pultec Program EQ, Cambridge EQ, Dreamverb and more via integrated UAD-1 Powered Plug-Ins card
- Tape-style transport with memory location recall and Jog/Shuttle wheel
- Comprehensive automation system with e ...

Heard thru the grapevine (thanks to the grapeviners ;), shown on pics somewhere on the net, EH is about to release (when?) a real analogue filter into a 3U rack. the designer behind is Mike Beigel (Mr Mutron Bi-Phase). The Bi-Filter is a 2 filters (switchable parallel/serial) with LFO and envelope follower. Price TBA but supposed to be reasonable.

Also on the booth is a big rack named NY-2A (ain't the AES in NYC?) a 2 channels compressor… There's glowing things inside but sorry no detail right now…

PolyFractus just released DR-Verb 1.3b, a high quality Reverb VST plug-in which emulates any room from small rooms to a "Hall" or "Church." This version adds a new reverb algorhithm and only supports Mac OS X.

Thanks to its large number of controls and to its EQ section, this reverb can also be used to produce strange ambiences or even FX sounds. DR-Verb is a US$40 shareware. The 1.3b update is free for registered users.

Requirements:
- Mac OS 10.x
- Any Macintosh software using Steinberg VST technology.

We've waited a long time for this: Cycling `74 announced at AES that Pluggo 3.1, a new version of its wildly popular audio plugin software, will support Mac OS X and Audio Units and should ship in mid-November. Pluggo has been a Mac favorite for a long time: it's Mac-only, it includes a completely unique collection of over 100(!) plugins from the bizarre to the indispensible, and as if 100+ plugins weren't enough, you can design your own audio plugins in Cycling `74's Max/MSP visual development environment. Write a plug-in once, and it'll work in RTAS, VST, and AU environments on OS X. The release of Pluggo for OS X will mean hundreds of new plug-ins will soon be appearing on OS X. It's a critical piece in the transition to OS X, and for many, many users, it will mean OS X audio has finally arrived.

Steinberg had a bevy of announcements regarding its Nuendo production system in New York last weekend. Nuendo 2.1 will be available this month at dealers worldwide, featuring new collaboration tools for multiple users to work via TCP/IP. ID (for Input Device) is a new control surface for Nuendo that's intended to feature a traditional "console" design. Lastly, Nuendo will now support the DTS encoder for digitally encoded surround sound in that format.

Nuendo's networking capabilities support (amazingly) the full range of editing tools from audio to MIDI to video. There's also data management over a server from Nuendo 2.0; under 2.1 you can combine separate projects via the network. Also new in the upgrade: Time Warp for creating complex tempo maps, plus Freeze functionality for VST inst ...

Traktor DJ Studio 2.5 features a redesigned time stretching engine allowing pitch-independent tempo changes of up to +/- 30%, or tempo-independent pitch shifting of up to six semitones, without audible artifacts. Also in the upgrade: an enhanced visual interface with a full-length track overview for each deck, OSC integration for sync across networks, 100% Final Scratch compatibility, seamless looping, user-defined screen setups, complete support for iTunes song fields, hot swap of external devices, and volume/tempo recognition on import. EUR/US$199, EUR/US$49 upgrade (download) or EUR/US$69 (boxed). Available immediately.

Radial is a fascinating Mac-only loop-based composition and performance tool, but its release earlier this year was largely overlooked since it lacked OS X support. That should change soon: Cycling `74 has announced Radial 1.1 with full Mac OS X support plus new file grouping and improved sync capabilities. Radial is "not simply another loop sequencer" says Cycling `74, but a performance tool uniquely optimized for live performance. Extras include a dozen Pluggo effects, a free library of loops, and now new plug-ins for live audio input, parameter automation, and reverb. Stay tuned for a review soon to see how Radial stacks up to Ableton Live for live performance. US$199 MSRP, expected to be available early November.

Formerly Windows-only, Guitar Shed is now available for Mac OS X, combining a number of cool features for guitarists into one US$15 program. The software includes a tuner, tablature organizer, chord library, jam machine with simple background beats, tab finder, and more, plus integrated iTunes search tab (Mac only!), editable alternate tunings plus included presets, a song jam for practicing with music on your computer including section looping and variable play-speed for practicing songs, and more. Free demo is available. Thanks to Larry Zonka for the tip.

Smart Playlists.com, a website which focuses on creating, sharing, and chatting about Apple's iTunes Smart Playlists, was launched a few days ago .

Smart Playlists.com is specifically designed for iTunes and iPod users, so they can tap into the many ingenious ways in which Smart Playlists can be used to keep your music fresh.

Learn to personalize your listening experience by creating sophisticated Smart Playlists based on powerful features like My Rating, Last Played, Keywords, and Total Play Count.

Smart Playlists.com was designed for users of Apple's iTunes 3.0 and up. For more information visit the website at http://smartplaylists.com

Native Instruments announced yesterday its newest addition to the product line. Komplete is all of NI's greatest apps including Reaktor Session, Kontat, Battery, Absynth 2, Vokator, Ni-Spektral Delay, FM7, B4 Organ and Pro-53.

NI KOMPLETE is available October 17th for 1499 Euro/Dollar from Authorized Dealers worldwide and directly through the NI Online Shop.

As announced when we were demoing the beta at AE2003 (hey! we were the first!) the green guys in Berlin released Live 3.0. It costs EUR/US$ 399 or:

Upgrades: From Live 1.x are EUR/US$ 99 for the download version and EUR/US$ 129 for the boxed version. From Live 2.x are EUR/US$ 69 for the download version and EUR/US$ 99 for the boxed version. Users that upgraded to Live 2.x after August 1, 2003 will receive the download Upgrade to Live 3 at a reduced price of EUR/US$ 30.

Free Upgrades: New users that Buy and Unlock Live 2.x on or after August 1, 2003 are eligible to receive a free download Upgrade to Live 3.

Note than unfortunately Live is still not optimized for G4-G5 but it's next on the tablets!

Universal Audio announced the coming availability of the V3.3 software for it's UAD-1 PCI card. Most important is that this version will bring OSX and Audio Units compatibility. Also pics from UA show the card working on G5s.

This new version will be available before the end of the year (Q4)

Note that V3.2 with the Dreamverb is available for free for registered users before the 23rd of October but it's still OS 9 compliant only. Later it won't be for free!

Emagic have released a plugin which allows Logic Platinum 6.0 (or higher) software to be controlled by the Tascam FW-1884 and fader extension FE-8. The plug-in can be downloaded from the following link:

Focusrite's brand new Liquid Channel transports classic front-end processing into the digital age, removing the need for endless patching and adding fluidity and reliability to the studio environment. Quite simply, The Liquid Channel is every mic-pre and compressor combination in history, inside a single 192kHz 2U device.

This is achieved through a unique two-part process. Firstly, the use of dynamic convolution techniques is applied, utilising lightning fast SHARC chips applying unique level-dependant impulse responses to every sample of audio. However, whilst this is more than sufficient to identically re-synthesise a compressor's sonic behaviour, in order to replicate precisely every subtle nuance, the pre-amplifier must physically match the way in which the classic unit interacts w ...

Unique Recording Software (URS) has digitally recreated the two most legendary musical equalizers known in the recording industry. These plugins works with TDM / RTAS  - HD Accel, HD, MIX and RTAS for Mac OSX and OS9.

The URS A Classic Console EQ (vintage Api EQ emulation) is a Class AB classic in every sense of the word. Each band offers 7 switchable filter frequencies spanning 4 to 5 octaves. The URS B is unlike any other equalizer you will ever use.

The URS N Classic Console EQ (vintage Neve EQ emulation) is very broad banded and musical. It is a must have tool for recording and sweetening drums and bass. It is smooth and silky and a little goes a long way.

Priced $499.99 each or $899.99 both together as the Classic Console EQ Bundle

Open Labs announced that they have created the OpenSynth NeKo 64 line of AMD Opteron processor-based ultra-high performance keyboards.

Starting with the OpenSynth NeKo (previously named eKo), Open Labs will now offer single and dual AMD Opteron processor-equipped models capable of addressing up to 8GB of RAM. The OpenSynth NeKo 64 is an all-in-one keyboard workstation and the first of its kind with AMD64 architecture, which allows musicians to run all existing 32-bit Microsoft Windows-based musical applications and plug-ins as well as 64-bit applications seamlessly.

Expected ship date for NeKo 64 is Q4, 2003. The NeKo 64 can be seen at the AES show in New York October 10-13, 2003 and is priced from $6,645.00

Would'nt they make one G5 based ? ;-)