Mac and Music News

Flux audio is releasing their serie of audio plugins in a demo mode without ilok but with some limitations like no saving of users settings, limited number of channels etc....

The demo is available in VST, RTAS and UB formats. There's also another demo fully functional available but with a specific iLok.

Freeverse has released Sound Studio v3.5, a major update to the sound recording and editing tool for Mac OS X.

Most important features :

- New ID3 tag / iTunes metadata editor.
- Apple Lossless, ADTS AAC, NeXT/Sun Audio, and Ogg Vorbis file formats added.
- Chapters in AAC and Apple Lossless formats supported.
- Playback scrolling preferences added.
- MP3 bit rates now support 8, 16, and 24 kbps.
- Loop option for filter previews.
- AppleScript support added for referencing individual tracks in a document, and for changing the pan (left-center-right) and volume of each track.
- BPM grid and a "Tap for BPM" button that lets you determine the tempo by clicking in rhythm with the beat.

Sound Studio v3.5 is available now for $79.95. Note that registered users will get this update for free.

Waves has just posted a news on their website to inform Mac users that OS 10.4.9 is not supported and causes Waves plug-ins to malfunction...

So if you are in this case, do not install Mac OS 10.4.9 until further notice.

KResearch has released version 1.1 of KR-Space which also sees the release of the Mac OS X version of the modular multi-effect plug-in.
This plug-in can produce a multitude of different types of effects, from traditional echoes and reverbs, to very complex soundscapes, modulation and filtering effects, resonating echoes and reflections, saturation effects and other types of unusual effects. To achieve this wide range of effect creation KR-Space uses a proprietary design and a flexible modular architecture where the different available modules can be switched on and off or routed in various combinations allowing more flexibility in effect design. The modular architecture also allows more efficient CPU utilization since only the modules that are switched on contribute to the CPU overhead.

KR-Space is available now for Mac OS X (UB) in VST and Audio Units formats and costs $89. Demo versions are available.

MacMusic's pages "Around the Web" has just been completely renewed in partnership with Zicos.com.

The news are now displayed with an icon showing which site it comes from and a summary of its content which can also be hidden. News are still updated every 20 minutes.

Shuriken has released a new free VST instrument called KerrStinn. Basically it is "just" a slicer, glitcher and loop dissector. KerrStinn changes your loops randomly by moving slices of it around and/or applying effects to the slices according to rules that Shuriken call "generators".

Features :

- Loads WAV files.
- "Random" knob to control what initial value the randomizing has.
- "Slices" knob to control how many slices you want to cut the loop in to.
- "Bisyness" parameter to control the weight of random to be applied; low values equals a small chance of change and larger values more.
- "Bars" parameter to set how many bars the loop originally is (up to 8).
- "Generator" parameter - these are rules on how to dissect your loops. Take "Freaky 4" for example, its rule is simply "if a slice is the 4th in a series perhaps play it backwards and/or apply the fftish effect on the slice".
- On/off switch.

KerrStinn is available now for free so enjoy !

FXpansion has released GURU v1.1.259 for Mac OS X Universal Binary.

Changes :

- Drop-out-free audio engine.
- Improved drag & drop MIDI export (all Graphs are now exported to MIDI).
- Improved loop slicing, score extraction and loop playback.
- More comprehensive MIDI implementation with extensive remote support
- Support for the latest OS versions and plugin technologies:- Pro Tools 7.3, VST 2.4, OS X 10.4.8, etc.
- Volume control for auto-preview.
- Export pad audio files via drag and drop.
- Tighter sync in various hosts.

SoundField has announced the compact and lightweight SoundField SPS200 A-Format microphone for stereo and 5.1 surround recording.
This is the first SoundField microphone to not require an accompanying outboard control unit, the SPS200 A-Format microphone relies on software for all format conversion, decoding and manipulation. The SoundField Conversion Lounge plug-in handles A to B-Format conversion and the SoundField Surround Zone plug-in looks after all aspects associated with stereo and surround sound decoding and manipulation. With its four low-noise, studio grade condenser capsules and weighs-in at less than 8 ounces (220 grams), the SPS200 provides the ability to capture 5.1, 6.1, 7.1-channel audio and simultaneous stereo with variable width and to continuously vary the effective polar pickup pattern and orientation without moving the microphone.

For more information, please visit their web site.

Digidesign looks for beta testers for it's new sampler, Structure.
You need ProTools 7.0 or newer and an iLok and internet acces for the authorisation.

the number of beta-testers is limited.