Mac and Music News

Cycling '74 has announced the newest update to Pluggo, bringing OSX Audio Units support.

Pluggo 3.1 is an extraordinary collection of more than one hundred audio plug-ins that work with Mac OS sequencers and audio applications that support Audio Units, Steinberg's VST plug-in format, and Digidesign's RTAS plug-in format.

The update to 3.1 is free for all registered 3.0 users and available to registered 2.0 users at a discounted price of $99. For new users, Pluggo can be purchased for $199.

A few more tidbits of interest . . .First, MacAlly is showing an alternative to Griffin Tech's iMic. It's their iVoiceII digital microphone and stereo ADC (analog to digital converter). See:

http://www.macally.com/new/new_ivoice2.html

for more info. Also, EJ Enterprises is demo'ing their digital turntable adapter for DJs. The MIDI turntable adapter requires modification to a traditional turntable, transforming it into a tactile controller with a traditional feel. See:

http://www.ejenterprises.tv/

I'll report more news as I find it...

So you want to run Garage Band with your other audio software, eh? Looks like just the solution for this -- and a lot of other audio routing -- has arrived. -PK

From the official press release: "Jack is a low-latency audio server, written originally for the GNU/Linux operating system. It connects any number of different applications to a single hardware audio device; it also allows applications to send and receive audio to and from each other. Jack is different from other audio server efforts in that it has been designed from the ground up to be suitable for professional audio work. It focuses on two key areas: synchronous execution of all clients, and low latency operation.

Griffin Technology announces the iTalk voice recorder for the iPod. This accessory snaps directly on top of the iPod and turns it into a fully functional voice recorder and playback device. In addition to it's built in microphone and internal speaker the iTalk has a connector that supports both headphone monitoring and the use of an external microphone.

The iTalk has a preorder special price of 34.99 euro until it begins shipping in
April.

PSP announces some news and evolutions on three products : EasyVerb, MasterQ and MixPack 1.7.

PSP EasyVerb is a reverberation effect plug-in on VST, AudioUnit and RTAS formats for Mac OS X, and contains nine high reverb algorithms designed to simulate physical spaces. MSP EasyVerb costs 69 euros.

PSP MasterQ is a parametric equalizer designed to operate at sampling rates ranging from 44.1 to 192kHz. MasterQ is a VST plugin for Mac OS X and costs 149 euros.

PSP MixPack is a collection of 4 plug-ins processors (MixBass, MixSaturator, MixPressor and MixTreble) in VST for Mac OSX, VST and MAS for Mac OS 9. The downloadable version costs 149 euros.

Information regarding these three products are available on the PSP web site.

With a US$250 price difference (not including other bundled apps), it's understandable that recent purchasers of the standalone Soundtrack may be kicking themselves with Apple's announcement today of Garage Band. But there are important differences between the apps and their markets. Let's compare:

Steve anounced new Xserve G5 (2G or 2x2GHz), FinalCut Express 2, MS Office 2004, iLife '04 (iPhoto 4, iMovie 4, iDvd 4, iTune) and GarageBand, a new part of the iLife family.

Jam Pack is an additionnal $99 pack for GarageBand adding more virtual instruments, loops, amplifier models and effects.

Apple updated its low-end iPod model from 10G to 15G still prices at $299.

Apple also introduced iPod Mini , a mini 4G iPod sized like a business card, featuring Firewire and USB2. iPod Mini will ship from february in multiple colors for $249.

Live from San Francisco, Apple has just introduced GarageBand, entry level music production software -- a genre long-missing from the Mac platform. The software is being demoed by John Mayer (with the admission that he's "a guitarrist," hence playing only in C). You can use GarageBand as a 64-track audio/MIDI sequencer, loop-based tool (a la Soundtrack, complete with 1000 pro-quality loops), or simply take advantage of it as a 50-instrument virtual instrument. Export to iTunes bounces directly into a special iTunes playlist. The software instruments sound absolutely gorgeous. GarageBand is integrated into iLife for US$49, free with new Macs. (!!)

Here's the moment you've been waiting for: M, the algorithmic composition software developed by defunct Dr. T's and not seen by many since leg warmers were in fashion, is coming to OS X, courtesy Cycling `74. Okay, that's probably not the moment you've been waiting for, but if M is on OS X, I think we can safely say the OS X transition is coming to a close, and it'll be a chance for many to discover this delightful program. The moment you probably HAVE been waiting for: Pluggo for OS X, bringing with it the ability to create infinite plugins in Max/MSP and to load up your OS X plug-ins menu with an obscene number of odd (and useful) effects. California developer Cycling hasn't stopped there: there's also Sustained Encounters, the first Cycles audio library, plus Mode plug-ins announced at Messe. It's like Christmas for OS X audio. Enjoy.

It's Macworld time again, so you know what that means -- an even bigger show for Mac music, the NAMM, is looming just around the corner. And this is going to be a NAMM of "Blasts from the Past" -- long awaited apps arriving on OS X. First up: Propellerheads' legendary (and still unequaled) app for chopping up beats for tempo warping, ReCycle. ReCycle should be a great companion to Reason on OS X, for newcomers who haven't discovered this software. Check the site below if you're already a user to join the public beta and get ready for more from NAMM. Also promised is a "Reason Education Pack" (I'll let you know what that is), and some "surprises." We'll be watching.

Oxford Semiconductor will announce a dedicated FireWire audio controller at Macworld Expo 2004, the company announced today.

The new Integrated Circuit (IC) will be launched and demonstrated at the show. It is compatible with FireWire400 and FireWire 800 connections and offers eight digital audio output channels.

The product (the OXFW970) can be used to build high-quality surround-sound systems for Macs and PCs. It uses the bandwidth and quality-of-service attributes of FireWire to overcome the limitations of USB multi-channel audio solutions and removes the need for PCI-based soundcards.

The company says its FireWire audio controller can receive and process 32-bit audio data sampled at up to 48kHz at a streaming speed of up to 100MB/sec. FireWire's power-carrying capability also means that the speaker configuration does not require the use of external power supplies.

Evolution/M-Audio is looking for Beta testers for an application allowing users of their latest generation of hardware (MK-425C, MK-449C, MK-461C, UC-33e, X-Session) to configure all the memories/presets of their device, directly from the mac (OS X) by using drag&drop from a "library" of well known plugins and application settings.