Mac and Music News

Sony offers two Oxford plugin promotions :

- the purchase of any Oxford TDM bundle will entitle customers to an Oxford Reverb plugin at no additional charge on the Sony Oxford web site;

- purchasers of the Sony Oxford RTAS plugin or bundle will also receive their choice of an Oxford Inflator or TransMod plug-in on the Oxford site for free.

These two promo offers will end on March 31, 2005.

Apogee Digital announces that AMBus HD Card is now shipping.The Apogee AMBus HD option Card allows for direct connectivity between Pro Tools HD systems and the Trak2 or the AD-8000, with no other hardware required (connect using standard DigiLink cables). Apogee also announces that AMBus 400 FireWire Card will be soon available (spring '05).This card gives you the convenience of a direct connection to any FireWire equipped computer.

Lucifer is a repeat and scratch effect VST plugin for Mac OS X. Divine Machine has updated it to version 1.5, which now features : added an Incarn graph and Incarn Record option, the Loop Offset notes have been replaced by Pitch Change notes, the Distortion graph has been renamed the FX graph, added a new VOL>XF graph, Filter Type setting is now individual to each graph set, added a new Dry Thru knob, addes a choice of two Crossfader actions, added a new End button ('all notes off'), the FX effect can be switched to be placed before or after the Filter, and much more !

Lucifer costs $66, and a demo version is available.

Digidesign has updated DigiDelivery Server Software to version 2.0. This update enables Server-to-Server Relay, adds the sender's username to the deliveries list, fixes a bug with workorder entries, and has other minor fixes and improvements. All DigiDelivery administrators should update to this version and download.

Please note that updating to this version of server software will force users of your system to update their client software to version 2.0 as well.

M-Audio announces a new driver for the FireWire 410 interface, which now features :improved MIDI Sys-Ex Handling , fix and issue where Logic preferences would become corrupt, resolved an issue with audio monitoring in control panel, improved ASIO support for Logic and Cubase, improved Performance with Bias Peak, improved OMS Support, and improved external SPDIF lock with 96 KHz devices.

All drivers are available in the MM softwares section !

Patterns by Ron Miller is now updated to version 1.7. This release features : ddded a save as MIDI file, mainly to import the file into Sibelius for archiving, or to be converted into an AIFF file for use with Garage Band, by-passed the QT instrument name database so all instruments are displayed and added more harmonization options.

Patterns is available in the MacMusic softwares section.

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced that Apple will become a member of the consortium's Board of Directors. Apple has been a leader in driving consumer adoption of DVD authoring since January 2001, with the introduction of its SuperDrive, the industry's first high-volume CD and DVD-burning drive. The BDA was created to broaden support for Blu-ray Disc, the next generation optical disc for storing High Definition movies, photos and other digital content.

Propellerhead Software today announced the availability of version 3.0 of their music software system, Reason, at music and computer stores worldwide. The brand new sound bank, the Combinator device, the new inspiration-boosting sound browser and the new Remote technology turn Reason into a powerful workstation for both music production and live performance. Reason 3.0 now features :

- combinator : a sophisticated device that allows you to build elaborate chains of Reason units - instruments, effects, pattern sequencers, you name it - and save as Combi patches.
- MClass Mastering Suite : four separate pro level mastering units designed to add power, presence and an overall professional feel to your Reason mixes.
- new sound library
- enhanced browser
- new Remote protocol
- Line Mixer 6:2 : 6-channel stereo line mixer.
- Record automation on multiple tracks.
- Copy automation between lanes and tracks in the sequencer.
- New and improved Mute and Solo features in sequencer.
- Faster loading of samples. Sample playing devices now load five times faster.
- Improved sample playback timing and quality.

Reason 3 is now available for 449€ or $499.

Steinberg announces that its virtual sampler HALion is updated to version 3.1. HALion can load up to 128 instruments at once, 16 of which are simultaneously playable. That lets you assign sounds to 4 stereo, 4 mono and 5.1 surround outputs, giving you a total of 18 outputs.

Details and download of this update available in the MacMusic softwares section.

MacMusic is very proud to present you, in its article section, Dominique Bassal's study on "The Practice of Mastering in Electroacoustic Music". Today we propose you the first chapter of this article, that includes three in total, and that traces a history of mastering, from the vinyle record to the dvd.

Enjoy your reading !

Source Elements has announced the release of Source-Connect, the first Pro Tools plug-in capable of streaming audio directly from one Pro Tools system to another. Source-Connect enables audio connections between Pro Tools systems anywhere in the world, allowing direct-to-timeline recording with real-time, broadcast-quality audio using only T1, Cable, or DSL internet connections.

Source-Connect is available for download and is priced at $1,495. A demo version is also available.

Ableton have just released a bug fix update for Live 4.1.1. Beside several bug fixes and improvements Live 4.1.1 allows you to hide the Operator instrument from the instrument browser list. This new release also features : improved performance when often switched between Live and any VST/AU plug window and workaround for missing certain information in MOTU Mach5 Audio Unit Version 1.2, so it should work now.

Info and donwload in the MM softwares section.