Mac and Music News

The L3 Peak Limiter by Waves consists of two plug-ins - Multimaximizer and Ultramaximizer, which are "Multi-Band Auto-Summing Limiters". Like its predecessors, the L1 and L2 limiters, the L3 is destined to become an indispensable tool for mixing and mastering. The L3 first uses linear phase crossover filters to divides the audio spectrum into five bands and the PLMixer then uses psychoacoustic criteria to intelligently decide how much attenuation to apply to each band so that all available headroom is used.

Available both on VST and AudioUnit, L3 Peak Limiter costs $600.

Philipp Haselwander works on new musical instruments and creates FRONT, a specialized hardware interface that enables musicians within the live-electronic range to play such software-synthesizers using a standard connection (usb/midi). With a unique design, Front consists of a knob which can be rotated and moved along a slit and a bendable plastic flap.

All info on this project available on industrial design "Stay Focused!" web site.

Native Instruments has posted three new demos on the NI website. Alongside the recently released INTAKT demo for Mac OS X, NI. has the following Mac OS X demo debuts on offer: The classic B4 organ, the PRO-53 virtual analog synth and the modern FM7 synthesizer. The demos can be played live as stand-alones or integrated, via VST, Audio Units or RTAS.

For more info and download, visit the N.I. web site.

Few days after the release of fLow, Karlheizn Essl has announced an update 3.0.1 for REplay PLAYer. This granular synthesis software de-constructs a given sound file and re-composes it by using realtime composition algorithms. REplay PLAYer can be used as a tool to generate an infinite and every-changing sonic stream from a single sound file for artistical, compositional or mere recreational purposes.

Info and download available on MacMusic softwares section.

It's update saison for Tom Erbe's softwares and today Spectral Shaper goes to version 1.05 for Mac OS X. Just remenber that Spectral Shaper is a group of four plugins (spectralcompand - morphfilter -binaural - spectralgate) based on the famous SoundHack program.

All info and dowload on the MacMusic softwares section.

MOTU's hybrid synthesis virtual instrument MX4, is now shipping for Digital Performer (MAS), Pro Tools (RTAS), Logic Pro and other Mac OS X audio hosts (Audio Units). The release includes several additional features not previously announced, such as built-in effects, more LFOs, external audio input, a unison multiplier and parameter randomization options for creative programming.

Info on Motu web site.

As usual, IRCAM's forum workshops take place twice a year. The october session will take place from 13th to 15th october '04 at Ircam Paris. The 3-day programme si :

- 13th October : presentation of Ircam softwares (Audiosculpt, Modalys, ...).
- 14th October : day about softwares companies, with a special evening about Melodyne software, with Peter Neubäcker, Celemony founder.
- 15 October : from studio to stage.

Inscription costs 150 euros (for non-member). You can reach IRCAM for inscription by phone (0-1 44 78 49 62), by mail (admin-forum@ircam.fr) or by Ircam forum web site.

SoundHack, the famous soundfile processing program which performs many utility and esoteric sound processing functions available nowhere else, is now growing to version 0.893. This update adds support for SDIF spectral files.

Prehaps a good day to read again our Tom Erbe interview in the MacMusic articles section....

The Mac OS 10.3.5 update is now available on download via "Softwares update" utility in the Mac system prefs menu. These are some of the enhancements included with the Mac OS X 10.3.5 Update :

- Bluetooth enhancements
- Networking, Internet enhancements
- Image Capture can now import MPEG-4 movies (.MP4) from compatible digital cameras.
- Resolves a potential data loss issue after renaming a Mail mailbox file.
- Mail and image transfert utility updates;
- Corrects an issue in which analog speakers connected to a PowerBook or iBook during sleep sometimes didn't produce sound after waking the computer.
- Resolves an issue with Mac OS X 10.3.4 in which the internal microphones of some iBook (Dual USB) computers would not be available to applications or Sound preferences.
- Includes recent Security Updates.

This update is also available on the Apple web site.

Rogue Amoeba has announced two small updates , with the release of Nicecast 1.6 and Audio Hijack 2.1.4. Both of these updates allow for full compatibilitiy with the forthcoming OS X 10.3.5, along with several other improvements. Nicecast 1.6 also features the new Instant Hijack method of grabbing audio first seen in Audio Hijack Pro, making the use of Unsanity's Application Enhancers (APE) optional. It also includes a new Recent Tracks Log preference and new Archiving formats for saving your broadcasts. The update to Audio Hijack includes several key bug fixes and bulletproof AIFF recording, which protects recordings against corruption caused by crashes.

These updates are available on free download.

Numerology is combining the hardware modular sequencers with all the power and the ease of a software. This soft is a real creativity tools for sequences and complex rythmn patterns. Version 1.4.1 adds the XY-ChordRhythms example to the numer-all download.

Take more on this impassioning soft in the MacMusic softwares section.

Alien Apparatus Company, Inc. announces reduced pricing on it Solo Performer Show Controller system.A version 1.1 of the software has been released to incorporate a demo mode so that the software may be installed and evaluated before purchasing the complete system. The software manages and plays lists of backing audio, lyrics displays, and light shows. The full package also includes a USB foot pedal controller that allows the software to be controlled in a hands-free manner and enables DMX512 lighting to be connected and controlled.

The system for controlling shows for solo musicians is now priced at $395.

FracturedSoftware is pleased to announce the first public release of Rondo v.80, a new Midi player for MacOS X. Rondo has been designed from the ground up to be simple, uncluttered and easy to use. Rondo has many innovative features including a vertical piano roll with live scrolling and a pull down playhead with a piano that will play along with the music.

Rondo is alpha software and requires MacOS X 10.3 (it may work on earlier versions).

FLOW is an audio computer program running on Apple Macintosh machines. It generates an ever-changing and never repeating soundscape in real time that fills space with flooding sounds that resemble - metaphorically - the timbres of water, fire, earth, and air. Feed your own sounds into the system and listen what the algorithms are composing. The system parameters can be accessed either with your mouse or with an attached MIDI controller. And finally, the result can be recorded as a sound file.

All info about fLOW (shareware) is available on MM softwares section.

Keith's tuner is a very sophisticated instrument tuner with some features which make it easy to use: autodetection of target note (as nearest true note to the detected frequency), scrolling graph of error, showing not only momentary pitch error but error over time, equal temperament, user-controllable frequency precision, mic gain, frequency value of middle 'A' and textual data on precise frequencies both of the target note and the detected note

All info on the new carbonized version is available on MacMusic Softwares section.

M-Audio has released a new Revolution 5.1 PCI based surround sound card. The Revolution 5.1 features low CPU usage, three 1/8-inch stereo jacks provide six discrete outputs--five for main speakers and one for a subwoofer--for channel-accurate surround reproduction. All six of the Revolution 5.1's outputs simultaneously deliver high-definition audio up to 192kHz at 24-bit resolution. Revolution 5.1 also features a S/PDIF digital output providing Dolby Digital and DTS pass-through to home theater systems.

The M-Audio Revolution 5.1 PCI is now shipping and costs $100.