Mac and Music News

QuikQuak has released the very first VST version of RaySpace for Mac OS X. This new acoustic simulator reverb plugin introduces the new DBT engine that creates fantastic surround-sound atmospheres. The characteristics of the room shape, height, positions and materials can all be adjusted in real-time. Combined with the 3D view and the parametric equaliser, the user is given the complete audio and visual feedback of room designs! With full automation, source and listener positions can be 'walked' though the rooms, ideal for patching dialogue in radio plays or films.

RaySpace costs $90 and a demo version is available. This very new Mac OS X version is available for free if you are a registered user of the Windows version...happy switchers !

Mackie's Tracktion sequencing software has been updated to version 2.1.0.6. This new release adds new features and improvements such as :

- Custom Control Surface Creation
- MP3 Import and MP3/OGG Export
- MIDI Loop Recording
- Support for the Frontier Design Group TranzPort
- Filter Icon "Quick Control" Parameter
- File Import Improvements, and more...

List of new features and download available in the MacMusic software section.

Diamond Guitar Pedal is making now the Memory Lane (mind: it's their address…). An analogue delay stompbox, in rugged aluminium (Hammond, it's tough), with NOS MN3005 chips in. So we're talking about real Bucket Brigade Delay here, the one that bites or can be smoooooth. It's 550 ms long at most and use a totally analogue audio path using top grades parts. There's a tap tempo footswitch and a pot if you want to when you're not in the mood for tap temping. An expression pedal helps you set the feedback in realtime (up to self oscillation). True bypass and many little interface details worth looking at.

Price $429

There was a stupid bug is the recent 1.2 version of our popular MacMusic widget, preventing users to click on each item title. Thanks to your fast feedback, this has been fixed in the 1.3 version. This new version also shows the item's date when you roll yovvr mouse over the title.

Crowley & Tripp are a new US company founded in 2004, interested into some unusual solutions for quality microphones, their latest soon to be released in february is the Naked Eye. It is a double voiced figure of eight ribbon mic, which can be hence be used with 2 different colors depending the way you turn it: rising response on one side like a vocal condenser without the typical harshness or, traditional warm ribbon response on the other side. It's a naked ribbon C&T design identical to the other high end models. It's the casing which makes the difference and it's blueish! Else it a low noise, high output, smooth bass and clean signal with a custom transformer design. Wood case, rotary mount (low difraction), 3 year warranty included.

Matched pairs can be purchased at no extra charges. Price $745

M-Audio will bring support for Apple's new Intel-based computers to several of its USB- and FireWire-compatible products. M-Audio posted beta drivers for the entire FireWire-compatible family of products, including FireWire 410, FireWire 1814 and the new ProjectMix I/O. Beta drivers for the Fast Track USB and Fast Track Pro have also been posted to M-Audio web site. The M-Audio engineering team is actively working on Intel-based Mac support for the remainder of the company's USB interfaces.

Looperlative LP1 is a 1U rack for loop addicts. It allows 8 stereo loop tracks simultaneously, each synchronised or not, with independent volume and feedback control. One stereo input, 3 stereo outputs (all: unbalanced TRS, maximum signal level +7 dBu, input impedance 20 kOhms, output impedance less than 100 Ohms, balanced i/o may be possible later thru a factory update).

A/D is done at a 6MHz sampling rate to end with a 24 bits/48 KHz signal (44.1 to 192 KHz may be possible later thru software update).