Mac and Music News

Novation has released a new MIDI controller, the ReMOTE SL COMPACT. Combined with Automap Universal, it provides an affordable route to automatic, instant and intelligent control of all major sequencers and all automatable plug-ins.

Features :

- 2 models : 25 or 49 semi-weighted keys with aftertouch
- 7 Velocity Curves individually assignable for each Template
- Pitch and Mod wheel
- 144-character screen displaying up to eight assigned parameters at once
- Data Ports: 1 x USB MIDI (Win XP/Mac OSX class-compliant)
- MIDI: 1 x MIDI Out, 1 x MIDI In
- Sustain Pedal: 1 x 1/4" Jack Input
- Expression pedal: 1 x 1/4" Jack Input
- 8 infinite rotary encoders (x4 with Group Select switches A-D)
- 8 buttons (x4 with Group Select switches B1-4)
- 8 trigger pads
- Transport Controls: ...

Electrix has released Virtual Repeater Pro, a plug-in for live loop recording, sampling and overdubbing using your PC or Mac based upon its hardware big brother Repeater. Sync your loops to audio or MIDI and control them with your hands or feet. Record a loop and then speed it up or slow it down - without affecting the pitch. Other Effects and features include Time Stretching, Undo, Reverse, Slip, Overdub and Resample which allows you to bounce multiple tracks down to one.

Features :

- Easy to use intuitive GUI
- Classic Repeater and Modern control interface
- Pitch shift; +12/-24 semitones
- Time stretch; 1bpm to 150% of recorded rate
- Individual track transport; play, stop, reverse
- Up to 12 tracks per loop
- Seamless loop cue and engage
- Advanced real-time beat detection ...

Previously available for Pro Tools|HD only, Softube Studios has just announced that Vintage Amp Room is now available as VST/AU plug-ins for native platforms and PowerCore. Straightforward and simple, Vintage Amp Room emulates three carefully selected guitar amps in a complete studio set-up with speaker cabinets and fully flexible microphone positioning.

Main features :

- Three great-sounding vintage amp models that handle like real amps.
- Raw & authentic sound.
- Flexible & continuous click-and-drag mic positioning.
- Fully automatable parameters.
- 3-D rendered photo-realistic user interface.
- Compatible with all effects that work with real amps.

Vintage Amp Room is available in both Native and PowerCore VST and AU formats for Windows and Mac OS X (plus the existing TDM version) priced at :

- Native VST/AU: €349 / $429
- PowerCore VST/AU: €399 / $489

Note that a fully functional 10-day demo version is also available (iLok required).

Apogee has released updates to their Symphony PCI-E card driver and Maestro application. This dual update includes many new features, such as support for Apple's 8-Core Mac Pro and long sought after Maestro improvements, including the ability to assign software and hardware inputs and outputs to multiple hardware outputs.

The new installer, which updates the Symphony driver and Maestro application, is now available on :

FabFilter has just released Pro-C, a new compressor plug-in offering three compressor styles (Clean, Classic and Opto), flexible routing and side-chain options, and various program dependent compression styles with an innovative user interface and animated level display making compression easy to grasp for everyone.

Features :

- Three different compressor styles
- Program dependent attack and release curves
- Super-fast attack times
- Soft- and hard knee option
- Zero latency, click-free 64-bit internal processing
- Auto Gain option
- Auto Release option
- Large input, output, and gain change meters with different scale settings
- Animated compression level display with customizable curves
- Active transfer function display
- External side chain
- 48 dB/oct HP and LP side ...

Apple anounces the update of the SMC Firmware for Mac Pro running under Mac OS X 10.4.10. This update will install 1.7f10 version except for the 8 cores models where the 1.5f3 version will be installed. Before the update it is highly recommended to quit all running applications.

Mac Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.1

Zplane.development has announced the impending release of vielklang v1.1, its audio harmonization virtual instrument for easy generation of vocal or instrumental harmonies with up to four voices. It will be available in September for RTAS (Mac OS X, Windows), VST (Mac OS X, Windows) and Audio Units (Mac OS X) at a MSRP of $249.00/€179.00.

Apart from support for the RTAS interface, version 1.1 will include the following new features :

- Two-voice harmonization mode, generating only a second voice in a typical backing vocal style.
- Availability of 7th chords.
- Timing humanization control.
- Single note splitting and muting.
- Export to audio and MIDI for all plugin interfaces.

PreSonus is pleased to announce the release of its first plug-in, EyeQ, which is a VST plug-in featuring seven-band parametric EQ with real-time spectral analysis. Five fully parametric bands are available as well as low cut and high cut shelf bands. Pre and Post buttons allow you to view the spectral analysis of the EQ'd or bypassed signal on the large color-coded EQ display. Input and output volume controls are also available for fine tune adjustment of the overall levels.

EyeQ will be featured in a new PreSonus product to be announced soon.

Focusrite has unveiled its new ISA 828, an eight channel microphone pre-amplifier. It features eight original ISA transformer based pre amps (same as the original ISA110 module) in a single robust 2U chassis.

The pre-amps are complemented by eight line inputs, four instrument inputs and an optional eight channel 192kHz ADC. Thanks to its convenient 25 pin D-Type connectors, the ISA 828 also integrates quickly and seamlessly with ProTools HD, as well as other popular hard disk recorders and mixing desks. The microphone input stage includes a variable impedance circuit, allowing the user to switch between four carefully selected input impedance settings. The four front panel instrument inputs also feature high and low impedance options to provide a comprehensive and accessible DI solution ...

Waves has taken action against facilities that use their software illegally. Employing undercover agents, the company has obtained video evidence and is now threatening court action to back up its claims for payments plus damages.

For more on this story please visit the ProSoundNews Europe website, which has the exclusive on this story.

TwistedWave is an audio editor that supports many formats. Among other things, it provides:

- Background processing to allow you to continue working while a long computation is going on.
- Unlimited and instant Undo/Redo.
- Import/export to many formats.
- A clip list that allows you to select chunks of audio you are interested in, and copy them to the clip list, making it very easy to reorder and paste them in a new document.

TwistedWave is available for Mac OS X (UB) at a retail price of €38.35. Note that a fully functional 30 day demo is available.