Mac and Music News

Cycling '74 announces that UpMix is now shipping worldwide. UpMix is a surround processing and mixing software package. UpMix has been developed and tested by a team of surround sound professionals and utilizes proprietary algorithms to convert stereo audio into an immersive 6-channel mix suitable for Film, DVD, HD Broadcast and Music surround formats. UpMix ships with five additional plug-ins designed to common surround mixing tasks : Rotator, ReRoute, ReBalance, FoldDown and LFE-6chan.

UpMix is available in VST, AU and RTAS for $495.

Apple will preview Mac OS X "Leopard" at WWDC 2006 in San Fransico. With more than 120 sessions planned across five technology tracks, WWDC 2006 will cover the full spectrum of Mac technologies. In each track you'll find highly practical sessions that show how to take advantage of current technologies in Tiger, and how to get ready for what's coming in Leopard : Application Technologies, Development Tools, Graphics and Media, Information Technologies and OS Foundations.

You can now registrer online for WWDC 2006 on the Apple web site.

Arturia announces that an update to version 1.1 for its Prophet V is now available. This release adds Universal Binary support and fixes some bugs. Prophet V is a perfect hybrid of two synthesizers that changed the face of music during the 70's and 80's. The warmth of the Prophet 5, one first programmable polyphonic analogue synthesizer, meets the digital features of the Prophet VS in a new unison called the Prophet V. This new virtual synth by Arturia is loaded with more than 400 presets, and can be used as stand-alone software or as virtual instrument.

Kjaerhus Audio announces its new MPL-1 Mastering Precision Limiter. This plugin is designed for mastering and other purposes where the highest accuracy and quality are demanded. The MPL-1 uses an over-sampled peak detecting algorithm to ensure that even high frequency peaks are accurately detected. This result in better high-frequency performance and it ensures that no overshoot or clipping occurs in the final D/A conversion.

A Mac (Universal Binary) version is coming soon (Standard version $69 and Pro version $99).

QuikQuak has updated its reverb and acoustic room simulator RaySpace to version 2.3. You can now export the current impulses to be used in convolution reverbs. Edit, listen, then quickly export impulses as full 32 bit, 5 channel reverb outputs. The high quality surround reverb can of course be enjoyed natively in RaySpace. With surrounding walls, source and listener positions updated while you listen. A stereo width controller has been added to further manipulate the reverb, allowing for tighter mono, or wide spacious stereo signals. Metering levels for quiet passages has also been enhanced, for a more accurate and useful feedback.

That's a good news : Apogee Electronics Corporation announces that its new Symphony card is now shipping worldwide. Symphony PCI Express card is a digital computer interface that is based on the PCI-Express architecture for Apple's Macintosh computers. Controlled by Apogee's Maestro software, Symphony features 32 channels of digital I/O on a single PCI-Express card format. With support for sample rates up to 192 kHz, Symphony can be used as a digital router or patch-bay when connected to external converters or other digital outboard equipment. Apple's G5, Symphony is the only connectivity solution that offers high end, professional users the capability to utilize up to 192 channels of audio simultaneously in a single computer, providing more than enough I/O for even the biggest scoring sessions.

Dear MacMusicians : Please note that the MacMusic staff will be present at Paris AES from May 20 to 23 on our huge 40 square meter stand. For those of you that plan to come to this major event, MacMusic is pleased to offer free invitations that give full access to the show and conferences that will take place in hall 5 at the "Paris Expo" convention center porte de Versailles. You may subscribe online entering your registration code at AES web site or simply presenting yourself at the show with a filled copy of the printed pdf file (registration code on the form).

For those of you that will not be present at Paris AES, be sure that we will fully cover the event minutes after minutes offering the hottest announcements. Any how, make sure you do visit our site during the show as big surprises may happen...

FabFilter has just released FabFilter Twin 1.11, Volcano 1.13 and One 3.04. These new versions contain bug fixes as well as improvements and new features. The OS X versions of the plug-ins are now Universal Binaries that can be used on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.

These new versions are available in the MacMusic software section.