Mac and Music News

Steinberg has announced that its virtual drummer plug-in Groove Agent 2 is now shipping. Groove Agent 2 comes with 50% more musical styles and drum kits. The 27 new styles offer an array of the latest grooves in diverse flavors currently in demand. Other feature refinements include added output busses, with up to 8 stereo outputs now available within the virtual mixer of the host application. The GUI has also been overhauled, with added scales and easier access to vital controls.

Groove Agent 2 (standalone, AU, VST) is now available worldwide for US$249.99. Registered users of Groove Agent can update to the new Groove Agent 2 version for US$79.99.

MindPrint announces that its Trio audio interface is now shipping. This desktop interface features 1 Mic XLR In Class A with phantom power, 1 instrument in and 2 Line In on jacks, 2 aux In and 2 DAW analog In in RCA, 1 Insert send and one Insert return in jack. Out: 2 direct Out and 2 DAW analog Out in RCA, 2 Headphones out in stereo jack, 3 pairs of speakers out (3 pairs: 2 Jack, 4 RCA), S/PDIF optical In/Out (2 TOSlink) at 44, 48, 88 and 96 kHz in 24 bit linear.

MindPrint audio interface costs $499.

Eventide announces shipment of its Anthology plug-ins bundle for Pro Tools TDM systems. Anthology is Eventide's complete catalog of nine TDM plug-ins. Now included in the Anthology bundle are H3000 Band Delays and just released H3000 Factory plug-ins. Anthology also includes five plug-ins from Clockworks Legacy (H910, H949, Omnipressor, Instant Phaser, Instant Flanger) and two plug-ins from Eventide's Orville processor (Eventide Reverb and Ortovox)

The new Anthology bundle costs $1,195. Owners of two or more Eventide software plug-in products will be able to purchase the Anthology upgrade for $599 through June 30, 2005.

Native Instruments has updated its DJ Mixing software Traktor DJ Studio to version 2.6, which now features : compatibility to FinalScratch 2, WMA and AAC Compatibility, internet broadcasting, input Recording, record the Mix and more.

Aggro by Trillium Lane is a versatile compressor plug-in for Pro Tools. At moderate settings it is smooth and transparent, perfect for vocals and acoustic instruments. Crank it up for an aggressiveness similar to a vintage FET compressor, and add intensity and character to mediocre drum tracks. Aggro uses a feedback topology with a program dependent release time which yields more natural compression characteristics.

Aggro is available in both TDM and RTAS versions.

Digidesign announces an update to v1.0.2cs1 for both TDM and LE RTAS versions of its compressor and limiter plugin Smack, which fixes several bugs. Smack features three compression modes, unique compression ratios, and harmonic distortion ideally suited for achieving a wide range of sonic variations and colorations. Additionally, the plug-in supports side-chain processing, multi-channel track types, and the full range of ProTools sample rates and plug-in formats.

Info and download of these new versions available in the MacMusic softwares section.

Digidesign announced that the Digidesign Venue live sound environment is now shipping. Venue consists of the D-Show mixing console, FOH mix engine, a Stage Rack I/O unit with recallable, remote-controlled preamps and a multi-channel digital snake. The system is highly expandable, allowing up to 96 mic inputs to be mixed to 27 busses. The powerful mix engine provides EQ and Dynamics processing on every input channel, along with 24 assignable graphic EQs and full support for Pro Tools plug-ins. VENUE also features an integrated recording and playback option for industry-standard Digidesign Pro Tools systems.

Venue starts shipping at US $55,000.

Sagan announces that Metro is now available in 6.2.5 version, for both normal, LE and SX versions. METRO is a fast-operating, easy-to-learn high-powered sequencer for the design of professional audio projects. It stands alone as a complete and integrated MIDI, audio and video production system.

More info and download of these 6.2.5 releases available in the MM softwares section.

Apple unveiled the second generation iPod(R) mini line with a new 4GB model priced at just $199 and a new 6GB model with 50 percent more storage priced at $249. Both iPod mini models feature increased battery life of up to 18 hours, USB charging and an ultra-portable, lightweight design available in four colors.

Clavia announces that a public beta version 1.30 of its Nord Modular G2 editing software is now available, and features : separate Patc mode and performance mode, and improved Patch browser.

Minimonsta by GMedia Music offers all the familiar features you would associate with the legendary Minimoog. Three oscillators with Triangle, Saw-Triangle, Sawtooth, Square, Wide Pulse and Narrow Pulse (Oscillator 3 replaces for Osc 1 & 2's triangle wave with a Reverse triangle waveform). Two attack, decay and release envelopes for filter and amplitude envelopes, as well as the famous Mini decay switch for longer release times.

The demo version of Minimonsta is available in VST, RTAS and AU versions in MM softwares section.