Mac and Music News

Announced at NAMM, HALion Player is now available. Tailored to newcomers to virtual sampling, HALion Player works with VST, AU and any Rewire environment. It provides a way of playing any of the hundreds of commercially available HALion libraries as well as Wav / Aif / Rex / Rex2 / Zgr and LM4 instrument files. HALion Player includes the full HALion 3 sound library.

Please note that due to the acquisition of Steinberg by Yamaha Corporation, the Steinberg on-line store for products and upgrades is currently closed.

TC Electronic announces the immediate availability of the DB-4 Broadcast Audio Processor. DB-4 is designed for use within TV and radio stations and their regional centers, serves analog and digital transmission, OB and Linking with Realtime Loudness Control, Format Conversion, Five-Band Processing and advanced Limiting.

DB-4 is now shipping at 8500 euros (ex.VAT).

Yamaha announces SSD (SMAF Sound Decorator). SSD is a tool for converting SMF(.mid) to SMAF/MA-2, 3, 5 files(.mmf). Unlike ordinary converters, SSD allows users to switch voices easily and enhance songs to their liking. You can also download WSD (Wave Sound Decorator, a tool for converting Wave files(.wav/.aif) to SMAF/MA-2, 3, 5 files(.mmf).

Native Instruments announces details on the library of the upcoming Kontakt 2 software sampler. The Kontakt 2 library will include:

- a special version of the Vienna Symphonic Library (VSL). This special VSL orchestra includes 30 instruments and takes advantage of the KSP engine for sophisticated performance effects including "Monophonic Legato" and "Repetition".

- a multi-sampled Steinway D Grand Piano.

- an August Foerster Concert Piano.

- the "Elektrik Guitar", an extensively sampled electric guitar.

- the "Akkord Guitar", an instrument that draws on a library of
more than 3.500 acoustic guitar chord samples.

- a selection of church organs, including a massive cathedral organ sampled
in full 5.1 surround.

- a selection of electric pianos, including the Rhodes MK II.

Apple will be present at next month's National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Conference. Think Secret says "Almost certain at this point is that Apple will deliver new versions of DVD Studio Pro and Shake alongside the new version of Final Cut Pro, along with very likely an upgrade to Motion. Sources continue to point to at least one completely new pro video application, and rumblings have increased recently that a totally new pro audio application will debut as well".

A "HD Keynote adress" will take place (only by registration) on Sunday, April 17 at Las Vegas.

Buffer Synth 2 is a freeze plugin and a wave-table synthesizer. This new 1.0.3 release features : fixed a bug on OS X where some hosts would freeze when you try and open the editor, GUI code improvement, and fixed file dialog bug on Live.

Audio Damage has just released Ronin, a multi-effects VST plugin. Ronin features two delays, two multi-mode filters, two tube saturation stages, and two LFOs. Ronin is capable of tape-style delays, true analog chorus effects, and flanging in to the stratosphere, for everything from basic subtle synced delays to complete audio destruction.

Ronin multi-fx is available at $69, and manual and demo versions are available for download.

Mathematicians would talk of logarithmic curve, economists of exponential growth, as for us at MacMusic, we prefer telling you that you are absolutely exceptional. At present you are already over 50,196 members, the 50,000 mark has been exceeded for a few hours now. That's a perfect opportunity to remind you that this site - one of a kind - is yours above all, and if you want MacMusic to be true to your wildest wishes, then we invite you, as we always do, to post news, to submit articles, or to give a hand to the people in charge of the different sections in MacMusic...

M-Audio unveils Trigger Finger, its new USB controller designed for drum programming. Trigger Finger features 16 velocity-sensitive pads, as well as eight knobs and four sliders. The pads and other controls can be freely assigned to any MIDI parameter and Trigger Finger also features pre-programmed control schemes for Live, Propellerhead Reason, M Audio iDrum and standard GM and XG drum kits.

Trigger Finger will be available in March at $249.95.

Renoise has been updated to version 1.5. this release features a new interface, a new internal code structure, a right-click context-menu, a metronome, and much more. Renoise is the next generation of music tracker software, combining studio quality sound and virtually infinite expandability.

Renoise is available at a new price 50 euros and a demo version is also available.

Available today, Ableton is offering a free update to Live Lite 4 Digidesign Edition. Ableton Live Lite 4 Digidesign Edition features some of the latest enhancements included in Ableton Live 4 software. Compared to the previously bundled Ableton Live Digidesign Edition, Live Lite 4 Digidesign Edition features new MIDI functionality, more precise control of volume, pitch and timing for audio, and offers a variety of audio and MIDI effects as well.

This update is available for all Live 2 Digidesign edition registered users.

Elemental Audio Systems today announced a name change for its new peak limiter and the availability of updates for all of its commercial audio plug-ins. Formerly known as Finalis, Elemental Audio Systems' limiting plug-in and newest product has been renamed Finis. The plug-in updates, released for Firium, Eqium, Neodynium, and Finis, address several issues and offer improved user experience and audio quality. All supported plug-in formats, including Digidesign RTAS, Steinberg VST, and Apple Audio Unit (AU), are affected by the updates.

The new versions are free to all current, registered customers.

Avid Technology will aquire Pinnacle in a cash and stock transaction deal valued at $462 million or a 30% premium over Pinnacle's closing stock price of $4.97. Avid said that Pinnacle's professional products will enhance its end-to-end broadcast production pipeline and that the company's consumer video business will form the basis for a new consumer video division. "We see this acquisition as the next logical step in our long-term strategy. Just as our acquisition of M-Audio in 2004 brought us into the consumer audio business, by acquiring Pinnacle's consumer video business, Avid will be able to tap into the next generation of video editors while they are still learning their craft."

Audio Ease has updated Altiverb to v4.2.7. Altiverb is a sampled acoustics processor that offers realistic one, two and four channel sampled acoustics of real halls, cathedrals, bathrooms — and virtually any acoustic environment. This new releases features : fixed problem with loading Altiverb 3 settings in all hosts, HTDM version fixes a problem with plug-in shuffling, bypass is automatable in HTDM and RTAS version, and HTDM and RTAS improvements according to latest Digidesign specifications.

Natives instruments has updated Vokator to version 1.1.1. Vokator defines a new standard for vocoding transparency, detail, and smoothness. In addition to an exceptional vocoder, it boasts a sophisticated synthesizer and a granular sampler. This new 1.1.1 release feature : supports MIDI FX, now works as an effect in DP 4.5 and Logic Pro 7 (in AU version), MIDI node fix in RTAS version and enhancements for all platforms.