Mac and Music News

Digidesign VENUEPack 2.0 is is now available. It's an updated version of the software bundle that is included with every VENUE live sound environment, and contains : Digidesign Impact, Reverb One, ReVibe, Smack!, Digidesign/Bomb Factory BF-3A, Pultec Bundle, Slightly Rude Compressor, Classic Compressors Bundle, Moogerfooger Bundle, Focusrite d2, Focusrite d3 and Troodon Technologies TrooTrace Audio Analysis Bundle. VENUEPack Pro 2.0 offers five additional plug-ins with the purchase of a D-Show Mix Engine DSP card : Digidesign/Bomb Factory JOEMEEK Bundle, Fairchild Bundle, Voce Bundle, Line 6 Amp Farm 3 and Line 6 Echo Farm.

From April 18, VENUEPack 2.0 will be included with all VENUE systems and with the D-Show 2.0 paid upgrade. VENUEPack Pro 2.0 will be included with each D-Show Mix Engine DSP Card purchased on or after April 18.

MsPinky's BinkyToy Application allows DJs to play digital audio files (.WAV, .AIFF, and .MP3) using the MsPinky vinyl records and standard DJ turntables. The physical location stamps on the vinyl are used by BinkyToy to cue up your file and play it just as if it were a track recorded on vinyl. BinkyToy has two waveform displays for each file in a session. The smaller of the waveform displays shows a condensed view of the whole file. The larger waveform display shows a zoomed-in view of the track which scrolls automatically as the track plays.

The current version of the BinkyToy is for Mac OS9 and OSX

For a limited time, Digidesign is offering a free Native Instruments AC BOX guitar combo plug-in—an $80 value—when you buy a Digi 002 Factory system. As an additional bonus, Native Instruments will let you upgrade to the full Guitar Rig 2 product for the special price of $399—more than 30% off the regular price.

This promotion is valid for customers who bought their Digi 002 Factory system on or after February 15, 2006, and will run through September 15, 2006.

M-Audio, announces the release of the Sputnik large-diaphragm studio tube condenser microphone. The Sputnik's frequency response is 20Hz – 20kHz ±1.5dB; the sensitivity is 30mV/Pa (-30.5dBV) and the max. SPL at 0.5% THD is 132dB (or 142dB with the 10dB pad). It also features a low-frequency roll-off and multiple pick-up patterns (cardioid, omni, figure-8). Sputnik includes a professional shockmount, dedicated power supply, 7-pin mic cable, grounded IEC power supply and a custom flight case.

Sputnik is now shipping and carries an MSRP of $699.95.

Digidesign announces that D-Show 2.0 software for VENUE is now available. it adds several key features plus support for upcoming hardware options, significantly increasing the efficiency, depth of control, and flexibility of the VENUE live sound environment. New features include support for Digital Stage Input (DSI) Card and Digital Stage Output (DSO) Card, because Digidesign currently anticipates that the VENUE DSI and DSO hardware options will be available in the second quarter of 2006.

Customers who purchased a console on or after January 1, 2006, are entitled to a free D-Show 2.0 update. For other customers, D-Show 2.0 software is a paid upgrade.

Didn't have the opportunity to take advantage of the ExchangePack plug-in promotion before it ended in March? Now you've got one last chance. Digidesign is extending the ExchangePack plug-in offer, but only until May 22. Exchange your Digidesign Pro Tools|24 MIX system or another legacy Pro Tools system up to a Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel or Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel system before May 22, and along with the lowest exchange prices, you'll still be able to select additional ExchangePack plug-ins valued at up to $14,600—for free.

For more information or to participate in the exchange, visit the Digidesign web site.

Tascam announces the immediate availability of Universal Binary drivers for the US-122, US-224, US-428, FW-1884, FW-1082 and FW-1804, making these interfaces compatible with the latest Apple computers with Intel processors. Among the new Intel-compatible drivers is one for the FW-1082, which has new documentation for integrating with Apple's Final Cut Studio.

The new Universal Binary drivers are available for free download.

Steinberg announces updates to version 3.2.1 for both HALion and HALion Player. This version features : improved speed of loading lots of Samples, Programs and Banks with better memory management (less memory move/less reallocation, change double volume to float volume) and several bugfixes. HALion is avirtual sampler that loads 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. That offers easiest handling thanks to drag & drop, pristine sound quality with 32 Bit/96 kHz.

Quantum FX has been updated to version 2.0.3, in order to fix a VST/AU memory leak. Quantum FX is a software modular effects system that enables musicians and sound engineers to design, build and modify plug-in effects and audio tools. The system is supplied with over 50 professional quality ready-to-use effects and audio tools, with more available from the Quantum FX online effects library.

Speakerphone is a speaker simulator plug-in, powered by Altiverb. A bad GSM connection on a busy sidewalk, a bullhorn with feedback and a helicopter overhead, or a 1952 rockabilly guitar amp in a recording studio live room: Speakerphone gives you authentic speakers of any size together with their natural environments. Speakerphone combines a wealth of effects including a convolution engine that uses actual samples of hundreds of original speakers, a radio receiver tuning dial, record player scratch and static generator, GSM cell phone data compression, distortion, tremolo, delay, a variety of EQ and dynamics and more...

Speakerphone be soon available for Mac OS X in VST, AU, RTAS, MAS and AudioSuite formats.

The new AES Paris Website is live! You can now access the full AES Convention Calendar, registration area, and full program of technical sessions and exhibits which will take place for the first time in the Paris Expo which is the leading French exhibition center and the fourth biggest complex in Europe.

120 AES Convention will take place from May 20 to May 23 in Paris.

SoundToys announced that the SoundToys Native Effects bundle for Mac OS X is now shipping. This bundle contains six plug-ins together into a single package :

- EchoBoy : with 30 echo/delay emulations;
- FilterFreak : analog sounding single or dual resonant filter;
- PhaseMistress : emulations of classic and modern phase shifters;
- Tremolator : classic tremolo emulations, dynamic control and Rhythm ;
- Crystallizer : retro pitch-shifting, reverse granular echo;
- SPEED (AudioSuite only) : high quality tempo/time control and pitch-shifting.

This bundle for Pro Tools LE OS X ships at $495 (Audio Units version to follow).

IDrum is now available as version 1.5. Since version 1.1, iDrum works for both new MacIntel and PowerPC Macs. iDrum is now manufactured by Izotope. IDrum is a drum machine that turns any Macintosh computer into a slamming beatbox ready to lay down your grooves, your way. From ambient downtempo to bangin' hip hop to frenetic drum and bass, iDrum has got your back (beat).

iDrum is a shareware available in the MacMusic software section.