Mac and Music News

Apple Expo will take place from 12 to 16 September 2006 at Paris-Expo Porte de Versailles. You can ask online for visitor badges now on the Apple-Expo registration form. You will then be sent an ebadge by email which needs to be presented onsite to receive your entrance pass.

Applied Acoustics Systems has updated Ultra Analog VA-1 to version 1.0.2 in order to fix several bugs. Ultra Analog VA-1 is a virtual analog synthesizer. It offers 32 voices of polyphony and its highly adaptable signal path is driven by two super rich, alias free oscillators featuring standard waveforms, sub oscillators, hard sync, and integrated pitch envelopes. Two audacious multimode filters with distortion are then applied to shape its sonic character.

List of bugs fixed and donwload in the MacMusic software section.

TC Electronic announces version 2.0 of PowerCore for Mac OS X. This version brings 20 hours trial time (try out fully working optional plug-ins), new control panel with overview over the PowerCore(s) in your system, all-in-one installer for easy setup of all plug-ins and a mini view with "always on top" feature: keep an eye with your CPU ressources.

Cakewalk announces that a demo version of Rapture, its new wavetable synthesizer designed to produce pop, dance and electronic sounds, is now available. Rapture combines an advanced modulation system with an non-aliasing wavetable resampling engine. It features 40 Envelope Generators, LFOs, and Step Generators per patch, and comes with more than 500 programs including Basses, Leads, Pads, Arpeggios, Textures, Electronic Percussion and Sequences.

This demo version has some limitations (mute, ...) and is avalable on the Cakewalk web site.

Steinberg has updated its Nuendo to version 3.2.1. This release features : new option "process all" in the Detect Silence dialog allows processing of all selected events in a project in one go with the detect silence functionality, and on the Yamaha 02R96, the User Defined Functions (UDF) are now implemented. Nuendo is a recording, editing and automated mixing tool for film score, post production, creating a musical masterpiece or surround sound design for a new video game, television show, or even a radio play.

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.