Mac and Music News

So, you've got your music -- now start your own radio station. We already mentioned this software several months ago; in the meantime it has received a coveted " Best of Show" at Macworld earlier this month. Nicecast Radio works nicely on OS X Panther, allowing you to broadcast music from your Mac in realtime. Your listeners can use iTunes, QuickTime or even Winamp. Best of all, you can play your improvisations, live recordings or even the content of a Logic session, Peak or Live. Nicecast is ideal to broadcast your ongoing work from one continent to the other, from Louisville to Paris. Check it out!

MidiPipe is freeware from Nico Wald. This utility can be useful in a music studio or on stage to modify MIDI messages in real-time. The new 0.7.4 version fixes bugs in "Keyboard" tool and optimizes MIDI message handling (lower latency). MidiPipe 0.7.4 beta is freely downloadable.

Ed: MidiPipe solves a lot of problems, from the simple to the more advanced. For example, you may have a USB MIDI keyboard without an octave transpose button: pop this in and convert it in software. Or try more advanced solutions, like micro-tuning your keyboard. -PK

SymbolicSound has announced the release of Kyma for Mac OS X, an advanced sound design environment allowing users to create their own sound design tools. This new version features a new editor, newly designed and zoomable icons, enhancements to the spectral analysis and synchronization tools and a 432 page users book.

The upgrade of this unique software costs EUR 175. New users will also need the Capybara sound engine which comes bundled with Kyma X. The full bundle costs EUR 3570.

The Mayhem VST plug-in suite by Audiodamage is a collection of four different effects designed to provide new tools for aggressive contemporary musical styles. Included in this package are Filterpod (a low-pass filter with LFO), Crush (the World's Most Dangerous Compressor...), MasterDestrukto (a plug-in featuring four different distortion algorithms for massive audio manipulation), and TimeFnk (a rhythmic delay). The Mayhem VST for OSX and OS9 will be available March 04 for EUR149.

Thanks to Russel Brower on the Modular List, we happened to learn that "Mac version is now being re-considered" (from a Clavia official at NAMM).
Now all of us close our eyes and wish :)

Eric B. from Apple has posted a message explaining all the differences of Soundtrack and GarageBand -- an issue I discussed on today's Inside Mac Radio show audio feature and here on MacMusic.org, but didn't discuss in detail.

Following last week's announcement that the company is shipping its flagship Finale 2004 notation software for OS X, MakeMusic! today has announced its interactive music practice system SmartMusic is also shipping with support for OS 10.2 and higher. SmartMusic is sold on a subscription plan, so current subscribers can receive a CD-ROM with the 8.2 update on it for the cost of shipping. The release also includes Mp3 saving and new contest repertoire plus compatibility with restricted access accounts and other enhancements. Individual users can subscribe for as little as US$90/year with discounts for educational institution installations. (Check the website below for complete pricing.) The combination of Finale and SmartMusic on OS X means you can both create (with Finale) and play back (with SmartMusic) accompaniment files without booting OS 9.

At 2004 NAMM Show, The Sound Guy, Inc. has announced an RTAS upgrade path for SFX Machine RT. SFX Machine RT is an audio multi-effects plug-in, available in Audio Unit format for Mac OS X and VST format for Mac OS 8/9/X.

With a new purchase of SFX Machine RT for 99 euros, users will receive an offer for a 1/3 discount from FXpansion on purchases of the VST to RTAS Adapter.

In what has to be the best NAMM roundup I've seen, Barry Wood has compiled his NAMM Oddities. Barry writes "It's that time of year again and all that's left of the Winter NAMM show is a dull ringing of the ears. That means that there is a new edition of the NAMM Oddities. For those of you are might not be familiar with the NAMM Oddities, they are a collection of all the weird and wonderful things that I found lurking in the corners of the NAMM show."

I've got a gig to get ready for this weekend, but I'll have to respond with MacMusic's own NAMM wrapup -- that is, if the MacMusic staff can dig itself out from under the rest of the crucial NAMM press releases!