Mac and Music News

PowerFX have launched a new section of their website dedicated exclusively to users of Apple's Soundtrack & Final Cut Pro 4 software. The new section features custom "Apple Loops" Sample Packs which are pre-formatted for use with Soundtrack and are organized into different styles. Each Sample Pack contains various instrument parts that can be arranged & mixed as desired. There are also streaming demos which preview each collection. Also available in the Apple Zone are the ProScore sound effect & music composition libraries. The series consists of 2 separate DVDs each containing over 2200 "Apple Loops" and are available only from the PowerFX website via free, worldwide shipping.

Native Instruments has announced the new version 2.5 of Traktor DJ Studio. Traktor is a software solution for DJ mixing, live remixing and mix recording using tracks in MP3, MP4 (AAC), WAV, AIFF, and Audio CD format. The new version 2.5 available November 10th in stores and for US$199 on the NI Online Shop.

Ed: We'd reported this was coming; new in this version -- high quality time stretching engine with up to +/- 30% tempo and pitch shifting without audible artifacts; full-length, easier-to-read track display; new auto-gain to adjust perceived volume; optimized control surface and screen presets; OSC sync with other apps (even over a network!); plus Final Scratch Database support, automatic tempo recognition for folders, seamless looping, full ID3 and iTunes support, and lots more. This is a really big update for a "point-5". Enjoy! -PK

Over the last week we've covered lots of compatibility issues and feature updates with OS X Panther; now here's your exclusive music-centric guide to upgrading, all in one place. The good: better audio, lots of updated software from MOTU, Tascam, Edirol, BIAS, and others, including new features and new functionality from MOTU enabled by the OS the day of the release! The bad: FireWire 800 drive problems, roadblocks with compatibility. The ugly: Digidesign users are advised to stick with Jaguar for the near future.

Steinberg announced at AES Convention in New York the latest Nuendo 2.1 version which now includes all functionality from Steinberg's Cubase SX music production software. Cubase SX has now reached version 2.01, with a free update now available for download.

These two upgrades are available for Nuendo 2 (on Mac OS X 10.2.5) and Cubase SX 2.0 (on mac os 10.2.3) users.

Whoa: 16-in, 12-out, 24-bit 96KHz audio plus MIDI over FireWire for PC and Mac, US$599? At least on paper, Hercules' new interface, due to ship in December, is impressive to say the least. The new interface also features 2 mic/instrument pre-amps, no latency monitoring, and OS X drivers, plus bundled copies of special editions of Storm and Live. If the hardware name is familiar, Hercules is best known as the major "high-resolution" graphics board for the PC in 1982 -- anyone remember selecting Hercules drivers on your IBM XT? This is the company's first entry into the Mac audio market; it'll be interesting to see what the reception is to the new interface. At that price, people are likely to at least look -- and from the screenshot, the interface looks quite portable, too!

USB Virtual Instruments' Plugsound plug-ins, including Plugsound Free, are now in beta on OS X at version 1.87, the first OS X release of this previously OS 9 and Windows-only sample playback synth. MAS, VST, RTAS, and AU are supported on OS X. The software is a Keyboard Key Buy recipient so quite welcome on OS X (and the only software I've seen to advertise the Keyboard award in the interface!).

IK Multimedia says it has started shipping pre-orders for SampleTank 2 this week, its highly anticipated sample playback workstation for RTAS, VST (OS 9, X), MAS (OS 9) and AU (OS X) as well as Windows RTAS, VST, DXi. Upgrades are available for SampleTank 1 users starting at USD/EUR 249. With 8 CDs, SampleTank is shipping with some 4.5GB of samples and the technology was even featured in the Matrix Videogame score by Chris Vrenna. Now the wait for version 2 is finally over, it appears.

The latest update to Emagic Logic features Digidesign HD Accel compatibility on OS X, smart snap option, a fix to hanging MIDI notes and TDM errors, and a demo of Space Designer.

The good folks at EM411 have run across a Java applet for mobile phones that lets different users "jam" and create their own tunes with other users on the mobile network. Daisyphone is designed for creating looping music with samples of instruments with modifiable pitches, all represented by a literal daisy with flower petals. The creators were impressed by non-musicians' instant ability to create experimentally. Check out the discussion on EM411 for more interesting issues this raises -- and if you're handy in Java, perhaps create your own "pro" app. I have learned from a contact at Steinberg that the German development team has ported a specific version of Cubase to limited Siemens mobile phones, so music is likely to make more of a splash on your mobile in the near future. Have you found a way to turn your phone into an instrument for sampling, jamming, or collaboration? Hit the comment link and let us know.

Extreme Tech has an extensive article on a prototype technology called RangeScan from circuitry manufacturer Infinite Range, which could be implemented in numerous consumer devices once licensed. XtremeMac, the author writes, is already planning on releasing an iPod enhancement that will stream the iPod's audio (or anything else with a minijack out) to portable speakers, headphones, a home stereo, or car speakers. The best news: it works. It's not hard to imagine even pro laptop musicians finding a way to employ this in performance -- which could justify the anticipated $180 cost for use with our iPods.

"Apple has identified an issue with external FireWire hard drives using the Oxford 922 bridge chip-set with firmware version 1.02 that can result in the loss of data stored on the disk drive," the company tells MacCentral. FireWire 800 drives affected by the problem appear as unrecognized volumes, and, in a nasty twist, cease to work with other versions of OS X, as well, following the issue. Apple is suggesting not using the drives, and ejecting them immediately if users encounter the problem.