Mac and Music News

Muse Research announces the Version 1.2 software upgrade for Receptor, the hardware VST plug-in player. This software update for Receptor allows you to route each Receptor channel to a specific output - route any of Receptor's 19 channels (16 instrument channels, 2 effects busses, and the master output) to any Receptor output (Analog, S/PDIF, or ADAT pairs). Also new in version 1.2 is Z-Load which dramatically reduces the amount of time required to load a plug-in, as well as new MIDI mapping features with full support for keyboard zones and layers, improving Receptor's functionality as a synth, sampler, and sound module.

Receptor software 1.2 is available as a VST beta version.

Wizoo will soon be releasing Wizooverb W2, a new reverb plug-in, available in VST, AU, RTAS and Standalone versions. Wizzo will also announce Wizooverb W5, another new reverb plugin, which features 5.1 Surround.

Wizzo will unveil these two plugins at Musikmesse in Frankfurt next week.

We were expecting it for ages, the cauldron was on the fire for a long time, it'll be alive and kicking at the Frankfurt Musikmesse next week: Macbeth Systems unveils the final, production stage of the M5. The M5 is a massive (steel chassis, ooch!) analogue modular, 3 VCO, 2 LFO, 2 VCF, 2 ADSR, 4 VCA, a ring modulator, a noise generator, a spring reverb, VC panning, not one but two S&H, 2 lag processors, glide, audio mixer, CV mixer. It's big, it's heavy, it's modular, it's analogue, it's 1995£ excluding VAT and we know for a year now that it's MEAN.

And I forgot, it's packed with 70 mm/2,75" slider pots!
It'll be a limited run, so enjoy the introductory price before it's too late.

M-Audio has announced its first two virtual instruments. Key Rig is a virtual keyboard rack with stage piano, MS-2 polyphonic synthesizer, MB-3 electromagnetic organ, and a GM-4 General MIDI Module. Drum & Bass Rig is a virtual bass and drums rack which contains real drums, electric bass, LC-5 loop creator, and BL 6 bass synthesizer and step sequencer.

Key Rig and Drum & Bass Rig are available as stand-alone, VST, Audio Units and RTAS version for $129,95 each.

Cycling'74 announces an update to version 3.5.1 for Pluggo (Audio Units, VST, RTAS) which adds a new "latency" message to plugconfig, and fixes several bugs. Plugins bundle Mode grows to version 1.2.1 (Audio Units, VST, RTAS) in order to change the preset format of mode.poly (saved presets in songs may be affected).

MusikMesse 2005 will take place at Frankfurt am Main (Germany) from 6 to 9 april 2005. The International Musikmesse Frankfurt offers with the presentation of the complete spectrum of musical instruments, computer software & hardware, sheet music and accessories a high-grade platform for experts from the international music industry. We note that Apple will be present at MusikMesse in Hall 5, booth 71, and that contemporary music composer György Ligeti will receive the Frankfurt Music Prize 2005 for his lifetime achievements.

DiskDriver mini has just been updated to version 3.3, which now features : auto start shuffle mode, help dialogue, new interface design and unlimited songs and albums for registered users. DiskDriver mini is a light and free version of DiskDriver, and allows you to stream mp3 files from your website or your computer.

Smartelectronix announces the availability of NyquistEq in VST version for Mac OS X. NyquistEq is a parametric graphic equalizer with excellent response all the way up to Nyquist (the Nyquist frequency is the highest representable frequency for a given sample rate).

This freeware is available in the MacMusic softwares section.

MacMusic is 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 second chapter of this article (that includes three in total) : "The Practice of Mastering : Means, Functions and Underlying Logic".

Enjoy your reading

GT Player is a stand-alone multi-effects processor application for chaining any VST 2 compatible VST instruments and plug-ins, which allows control of all chained VST instruments and plug-in parameters from any MIDI controller. GT Player 2.5 features : ReWire support, track recording, VST plug-in functionality, keyboard transpose and 80 new presets made by Djordje Eric.

GT Player is available in the MacMusic softwares section.