Schwa has announced the release of CMX Stereo Microshifter, a new plug-in which thickens and enhances monophonic audio by doubling the signal and applying small amounts of pitch shift and/or time delay to each side.

This technique is often applied to vocals or lead lines. With a light hand, CMX can add just enough fullness to give a part extra presence in a mix. With a heavier hand, CMX can create a rich and polished "expensive production" sound. The added presence is especially effective in musical styles that make minimal use of reverb.

CMX uses a new, unique pitch identification and shifting algorithm from Schwa that is designed and optimized for small, precise pitch shifts, from one cent to a quarter-tone, with perfect phase coherence and maximum smoothness. You can use CMX on exposed, high-quality vocal tracks with complete confidence.

CMX is available for Windows, Windows x64 and Mac OS X in VST and AU plug-in formats. Two license options are available :

• All hosts, commercial use license: $50.00.
• Reaper-only, personal use license: $30.00.

Air by 9 Soundware is an instrument in EXS24 format. The concept behind the sound set was to use sounds generated by air to create a transparent-sounding percussive instrument. Functionally similar to a hi-hat, the instrument was designed to add rhythmic movement to arrangements, but in a subtler manner.

The samples are of quick blasts of air created with a gas duster, a flyswatter, and a clothesline. The wind sounds, which are delicate and difficult to control, were painstakingly recorded, edited, and programmed into an EXS24 instrument with a high level of sonic detail. While minimalist in approach, the sound set features a wide range of timbres, with many variations on simple bursts to complex sounds that capture the motion of the objects.

Air includes 84 sounds (sampled at 2-21 velocities for a total of 402 samples) that are mapped across a 7 octave range in an EXS24 instrument.

The 28 MB download includes 1 .EXS file and 402 WAV files (24-bit/44.1 kHz).

Air is available now for $29.99 at :

Akai Professional announces that the APC40 Ableton Performance Controller is now available for purchase worldwide. For the record, the APC40 is a control surface developed specifically for Ableton Live software.

The ACP40 has a retail price of $599 and an estimated street price of $399.

Voxengo has updated its phase alignment plug-in PHA-979 to version 2.1.

Version 2.1 update implements a very useful feature - multi-band correlation meter that greatly simplifies phase- and time-aligning process. You may routinely use the correlation meter to configure delay and phase parameters with a highest level of precision possible. Correlometer also supports an external side-chain input.

Other changes :

• Crash problem fixed with non-center panning setting.
• Delay and phase dimming problem fixed.
• Latency change reporting fixed in AudioUnits.

The introductory price offer of US$69.95 is still effective. The offer ends on the 9th of June 2009 (less than two weeks left).

MakeMusic has released Finale 2010, the new version of their famous music notation software. Vast areas of Finale have been updated for 2010. From Percussion Notation and Chord Entry to Rehearsal Marks and Measure Numbering, common tasks have been automated and simplified to save you time and to easily make your music perfect.

Finale 2010 costs $600 for new customers and from $99.95 for existing customers (limited time pre-order pricing).

Beginning June 1, 2009 McDSP will announce two never before seen specials that you won't want to miss !

20% Off Emerald Pack and Classic Pack

For the month of June, purchase or upgrade to Emerald Pack HD or Native or Classic Pack HD or Native for 20% Off retail value. Emerald Pack includes Analog Channel, Channel G, Channel G Compact, Chrome Tone, CompressorBank, DE555, FilterBank, FutzBox, MC2000, ML4000, NF575, Revolver and Synthesizer One. Classic Pack includes Analog Channel, CompressorBank, FilterBank and MC2000.

The McDSP HD product line supports TDM, RTAS and AudioSuite formats, and operates on Pro Tools HD, LE and M-Powered. The McDSP Native product line supports RTAS and Audiosuite formats, and operate on Pro Tools HD, LE and M-Powered. Special available only via electronic delivery.

Individual LE Plug-ins Only $79 !

On a budget? No problem, for the month of June, all customers may purchase individual LE plug-ins for only $79 each. Individual LE plug-ins include Analog Channel LE, Chrome Tone LE, CompressorBank LE, FilterBank LE, ML4000 LE, Revolver LE and Synthesizer One LE.

The McDSP LE product line support RTAS and AudioSuite formats, and operate on Pro Tools HD, LE and M-Powered. Special available only via electronic delivery.

On popular demand, Toontrack has decided to release another Monster MIDI Pack, aptly named Monster MIDI Pack 2.

This time the package features Odd Meters and contains over 470 Progressive Rock MIDI files, individually played by drummer extraordinaire Peter Fredlander.

The Monster MIDI Pack 2 is available now for $19/€15 from the Toontrack webshop.

AudioMIDI.com has partnered with Modena, Italy-based music software developer Overloud in the release of the Breverb audioMIDI Edition reverb plug-in at just $4.99 US. Breverb has received numerous accolades from press and professional recording engineers as one of the finest reverb plug-ins out the market.

"Once users hear Breverb's incredible fidelity, we're confident they will take advantage of audioMIDI's affordable upgrade paths to the full version of Breverb", said audioMIDI.com's Russ Jones.

Compatible with both Mac (AU/VST) and PC( VST), Breverb aM Edition includes fully-functioning versions of two (Room and Plate) of Breverb's four reverberation algorithms, and is available for purchase via electronic serial number now from :

ESI introduces Midimate II, a convenient USB 2.0 MIDI interface cable with up to 32 input or 32 output channels for PC and Macintosh systems.

With Midimate II you can obtain perfect MIDI timing and performance at an extremly affordable price. The interface cable is compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista as well as Mac OS X and instantly works after you plug it in - no driver installation is required. There is more, Midimate II even automatically detects the incoming and outgoing MIDI signals, which means that both connectors work as input or output. You can use as 1 simultaneous input and 1 simultaneous output (with 16 channels each), 2 input (32 channels) or 2 output (32 channel) device.

Features :

• USB MIDI interface with 2 MIDI connectors, each can work as independent input or output
• high-speed connection to USB 2.0 or 1.1 equipped PC or Macintosh system
bus powered, requires no external power supply
• no driver needed for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Mac OS X

Midimate II costs $34 / €27 / £24.

The originators of multi sampled drums and Drumkit From Hell, Toontrack Music presents an all-new SDX expansion pack for Superior Drummer 2.0 - The Metal Foundry SDX.

The Metal Foundry SDX is an all-new recording with Meshuggah drummer Tomas Haake, featuring seven massive drum kits, spanning 300,000 sound files of raw, single hit drum recordings in the vein of Drumkit From Hell and dfh Superior, covering Hard Rock to Metal, from the early Blues tinged sound of the late 60s to the fragmentation of todays music, from Power through Thrash, Death and Progressive Metal.

The Metal Foundry SDX celebrates the Toontrack Music Hard Rock and Heavy Metal legacy of the first Drumkit From Hell, on which the company has built its following. This in turn has spawned such groundbreaking products as d ...

SoundLib today announces the availability of G-Player version 1.1

G-Player is a GigaStudio file player for Mac OS X available as a stand-alone application, VST and AudioUnit Plugin (RTAS should be available soon). No conversion required, the audio engine of G-Player was created from scratch to fully support the Giga format. Complex features such as dimensions, key switch and multi-layered instruments with individual cross-fades are natively supported. G-Player runs on PowerPC and Intel Mac with low CPU and RAM usage.

G-Player 1.1 includes the following improvements :

• New user interface
• MIDI LED indicators
• User configurable Pitch Bend
• User configurable Filter
• The filter can now be manually activated
• Support of the 3 GigaStudio velocity curves
• Built in Giga file browser
• G-Solo has its own keyboard
• Increased stability and streaming capacity

G-Player (including G-Solo) price is currently $139. Last but not least, G-Player can also be purchased at DontCrac[k] via instant download delivery for only $129 !!! Up to 20% extra discount can be obtained by adding other products to the shopping cart (-5% per product added). That is DontCrack's permanent "Make your own Bundle" offer which is quite a good deal if you look at it closely.

In this 3rd installment of the Guitar Rack series, Puremagnetik has cranked it up a notch! This Micropak includes a collection of highly expressive guitar instruments as recorded from a classic 1963 Guild Starfire hollow body. Slides, hammer-ons, staccato and jazz articulations are all available at your fingertips with Guitar Rack 3.

Guitar Rack Volume 3 includes 5 expertly programmed multisample instruments complete with easy edit controls. Menus like "WalkingChord" and "OctaveLead" put the classic sound of the hollow body directly in your hands. Over 70 looped clips for are ready for immediate playing in your session. Each Live Clip comes with a preloaded amp effect while the Logic version contains a library of Apple Loops ready for rocking!

Additionally, the Ableton Live version includes an add-on amplifier effect pack for Live 8. Making use of the latest features in Live 8, PM's resident guitar gurus have programmed a healthy dosage of raw rock effects!

Guitar Rack Volume 3 Includes :

• Over 700 24-bit multisamples
• 5 sophisticated hollow body instruments
• Over 70 Live Clips and Apple Loops
• Add-on Amp Effect Pack for Live 8
• Custom Kontakt KSP GUI and native Kontakt effects

Pricing : Basic Monthly Subscription: $5.75/Month Basic Yearly Subscription: $60/Year All Access Pass - $198/Year.