Mac and Music News

Sonalksis has announced the release of the SV-315 stereo Compressor/Limiter, an analogue-modelled dynamics processor developed for professional audio applications. This plugin is available in Audio Unit and in VST format for mac OS 9 and Mac OS X. The RTAS support si coming soon. The Sonalksis SV-315 Compressor/Limiter is available on line for EUR 209.99.

Ed: That's US$239 each, $399 for the bundle, EUR349. The plugin uses all physical modeling for the analog processing. -PK

Interesting Freeware on Mac OS 9 for recording and copying audio and tempo-synced loops. A lot of interesting features: record, edit, and apply VST to loops. It's a useful application dedicated to exporting audio files to other apps.

Ed: Great software if you're on a budget, perfect for loading up on that OS 9 machine. And we can hope for an OS X version -- looks like the software was developed in Max/MSP. Product page is French-only, Anglophones. -PK

At the NAMM 04, Tascam announced the release (expected April) of the US2400, a 24 track DAW controler. The US2400 should allow 192 channels and will be equipped with 25 touch-sensitive moving channel faders, 24 encoders (control pan, aux level or channel strip functions like EQ & Aux) and a joystick for the surround control.

The US2400 is compatible with Mac OS X and should list for about US$2000.

Universal Audio has announced that the new UAD-1 Studio Pak is now available. The pack now includes the UAD-1 PCI DSP card and a collection of 20 Universal Audio plug-ins including: the 1176LN/SE and Teletronix LA-2A vintage compressors, the Pultec EQP-1A, RealVerb Pro, Cambridge EQ, Dreamverb, Nigel guitar processor, Fairchild 670 compressor and the CS-1 Channel Strip. The CS-1 itself includes a collection of plug-ins developed specifically for the UAD-1, including EQ, compression, delay modulation, and reflection engine modules.

The UAD-1 Studio Pak supports VST, AU & MAS plug-in formats and is now available for a MSRP of US$1199.

Apple left out standard MIDI file import from Garage Band, but a new app, Dent du MIDI, fills the gap. Current version is 0.1, and lets you drag-and-drop files to convert. Let us know if it's working for you -- hit the comments link.

This NAMM was undoubtedly the NAMM of Mac OS X. While there are certainly some Mac users who happily run along in OS 9, it's clear that OS X is the mainstream standard for the majority of music users and, thankfully, without the tradeoffs that OS X used to require. Native Instrument's entire product line now is on OS X, with full support for Core Audio, Core MIDI, and Audio Units, and the company has announced it will only support OS X in future versions (with ongoing customer support for its OS 9 products). One detail that has gone mostly unmentioned in the Mac press is that Native isn't just making this decision for Mac users: it's also going Windows XP-only on the PC side, where users face a confusing array of OS versions with widely varying support for music. So both platforms are havi ...

Abstract: There isn't much information available, since they don't even have an ETA yet, but the rumor is that it will be more affordable than other firewire interfaces. Basically, the specs look like a better done M-Audio 410. The determining factor will be the drivers (as usual). Ed: Well, quality seems an issue, too, and I prefer the fidelity of the M-Audio eqipment to Edirol, but read on!

Want proof that we're still digging our way out of NAMM news? We haven't had a chance to mention anything about Stylus Realtime Grove Module (RMX), previewed by Spectrasonic in Anaheim. This is a brand new virtual instrument plug-in to be released later this year, expanding on the company's Stylus virtual instrument and being developed by Spectrasonics new in-house software development team, and is the first product to use S.A.G.E. Sounds to me like an acronym for some evil congolomerate that Bond had to fight, but I'll go with them on this. The core of Stylus is a new core library of thousands of grooves and sounds, with a focus on real-time manipulation. There are lots of new genres, expanding on the original Stylus, plus hundreds of kits and customized groove libraries which can be save ...

Spectrasonics has used Winter NAMM 2004 to debut its new software technology called S.A.G.E. — "Spectrasonics Advanced Groove Engine." S.A.G.E. is an underlying core technology that allows extensive real-time control, creation and manipulation of grooves while retaining sound quality. Spectrasonics, previously known only for licensing its technology for other company's virtual instruments, is now stepping into the arena as a developer in its own right (though readers will likely recall the company's excellent Atmosphere plug-in). S.A.G.E. technology will be used in many new products from Spectrasonics in the future, starting with the new "Stylus RMX " vinyl groove virtual instrument being previewed at NAMM. Building on the company's previous Groove Control technology, S.A.G.E. will support that format as well as REX1, and REX2.

AudioFinder (US$49.95 shareware) now has 32 Bit Floating Point DSP Effects:

Normalize
Normalize -3db
Invert
Swap Channels
Fade In To Transport
Fade Out From Transport
Reverse
Reverse Mix
Mirror Forward/Backward
Mirror Backward/Forward
Phat (A totally new kind of distortion effect)
Change Pitch/Speed

Ed: Hallelujah. This was already a must-have utility. These additions make it the single most important utility on my hard drive. Bravo. Stay tuned for a full review with details for more. -PK

Worldlabel.com has released Label templates 1.0, a collection of free label templates for printing on the Mac OSX. The selection of templates includes CD, DVD, mailing, business CD cards and mini CD labels, address, shipping, media labeling and more. templates can be used in graphic programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, Quark Express, and several others. Design and print your own labels from your Mac.

Ed: Excellent stuff. Also a good resource for Mac users is the Avery template library for users of Avery brand labels, since many label makers leave Mac users out in the cold with PC-only design software. -PK

Tom Erbe has announced that a public beta version of SoundHack Spectral Shapers for Audio Units is now available. SSH is a collection of 4 plugins based on processes from the program SoundHack. This public beta version is fully functional for 30 days.

Ed: It's SoundHack Live! (And if you don't know what SoundHack is, check that out, too; it's free!) Yes, we're so completely bogged down in NAMM news that we missed this gem -- get ready for more late news coming. Check out MacMusic's exclusive interview with Tom Erbe
>> for more on this effort, and watch for a follow-up on that plus a review of the new shapers, coming soon. -PK
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