After months of preparation, Twisted Tools is proudly announcing the birth of their sound mangling devices for electronic music production and sound design. Instead of handing out cigars, they are serving up 6 free Reaktor ensembles along with their first commercial product, Vortex.

Vortex is a six track polyphonic sampler and sequencer for Native Instruments Reaktor 5. It comes pre-configured for Kore 2 and Maschine and features an original 200+ MB sample map with samples by artists such as c2, Richard Devine, Josh Hinden, Noklip, GlitchMachines.com, Mike Huckaby, Sonictwist, Tipper and Vinja.

Each sampler track has 4 modulation sequencer tracks labeled Gate, Roll, ModA and ModB. The modulation sequencers are color-coded and can be easily assigned to modulate any sampler parameter(s). There are also two cross-modulating LFOs which are also color-coded and assignable. Extensive cut/copy/paste/select/randomize functionality is available using an innovative Graphic Layer system.

Features:

• Six Track Sequencer, 4 Sequencers Per Track
• Six-Voice Polyphonic Granular Sampler
• Color-Coded Modulation System
• Two Cross Modulating LFOs
• Extensive Randomization Features
• MIDI Learn System with Controller Feedback
• Alternate View Option
• Multi-Out Support
• Extensive Cut/Copy/Paste/Select/Randomize Functionality
• Advanced ‘Graphic Layer’ Editing
• Scene Sequencing (create arrangements within each preset)
• Templates for Kore 2 and Maschine
• Comes with all of the Twisted Tools ‘freebie’ plugins as part of the download

Vortex requires Native Instruments Reaktor 5.15 for Mac or PC. Native Instruments Kore 2 or Maschine are also required if using their respective included templates.

You can purchase Vortex via direct download from Twisted Tools for $29. The 6 free Reaktor ensembles can be downloaded separately from Vortex after registering on their web site.

Twisted Tools is the brainchild of Igor Shilov (Reaktor designer SonicTwist) and Josh Hinden (Director of MIDI, Expression.edu). They aim to bring electronic musicians innovative and user friendly tools, with an emphasis on unique design and high quality sound. While their current emphasis is on developing instruments for the Native Instruments Reaktor platform, future development of Audio Unit and VST devices is planned.

twistedtools.com/shop/samplers/vortex

Discuss Vortex in our Instruments forum.

GForce Software, recently recognized for the greatest software synthesizer of all time, has previewed significant upgrades to another beast in the stable at this year’s NAMM show. impOSCar 2 delivers a slew of new features, many of which have been borrowed from the venerable Oberheim OB8.

impOSCar 2 has no shipping date yet. There will be an upgrade path from, and it is backwards compatible with, the original impOSCar. Perhaps we will learn more at Musikmesse 2010 in late March. Until then we’ll have to be satisfied with some demo videos and this feature list.

• PWM on both oscillators.
• Aux Mod Section with comprehensive routing (destinations include: OSc2 pitch, PW1, PW2, PW1&2, Filter Separation, Filter Q, Osc Mix, Noise Mix).
• Additional LFO.
• Improved LFO sync options.
• New Modulation & Controller Routing options.
• Pink noise.
• Vastly Improved Arpeggiator.
• Chord Hold & Retrigger from a single key.
• Controller Section Featuring Channel & Poly Aftertouch.
• Mod Wheel Controls now switchable between Aftertouch, Expression and Mod Wheel.
• Pan Spread Modes (left to right, Random etc) and Spread Amount Control.
• Mono & Poly Unison Modes (up to 8 voice poly unison).
• Unison Voice Spread
• Portamento Spread on Unison glides.
• New Chorus Modes.
• Ring Modulation.
• External Audio Input with the new FX version.
• Release Velocity Response.
• Small, Medium & Large GUI sizes.

The original impOSCar is available in AU, VST and RTAS formats for both Intel and PowerPC Macs running OS X 10.4 or later. impOSCar has won numerous awards including the Future Music Platinum Award, Electronic Musician’s Best Software Emulation & Editor’s Choice Award, Computer Music Editor’s Choice & Performance Award, Music Tech Magazine’s Recommended Award and Keyboard Magazine’s Key Buy Award.

www.gforcesoftware.com/imp2.php

Discuss impOSCar 2 in our Instruments forum.

Universal Audio, manufacturer of the award-winning UAD Powered Plug-ins for Mac and PC, today announced partnerships with many well known pro-audio hardware companies to develop new software. Manley Labs, Lexicon, dbx, Ampex, MXR, Studer and more will lend their expertise to the UAD-2 platform beginning as soon as the first quarter of 2010.

Universal Audio Partners With Manley Labs to Unleash Massive Passive EQ Plug-Ins For UAD-2 in Q1 2010

Working with Manley Labs, Universal Audio’s Massive Passive EQ plug-ins represent the most ambitious EQ modeling project to date, bringing UAD-2 users both the standard and mastering versions of this world-renowned hardware EQ. Specifically, the two-channel, four-band Manley Massive Passive EQ utilizes design strengths from choice console, graphic, parametric and Pultec EQs — delivering a fundamentally different type of EQ that’s beyond compare. The Massive Passive’s natural treatment of a signal lends itself to both radical tonal shaping as well as delicate vocal shading or subtle mastering enhancement.

“The Massive Passive is truly the ultimate in mastering grade EQs. It sounds warm without ever being dull; it stays precise while remaining highly musical,” offered UAD Powered Plug-Ins Product Manager, Will Shanks.

“The Massive Passive EQ is one of our best-known products. We didn’t even want to entertain doing a plug-in unless it was really going to be done right,” commented EveAnna Manley, Owner, Manley Laboratories, Inc. “Our expectations were high for the plug-in emulation to be spot-on. Working with Universal Audio, we believe they’ve totally nailed it.”

“Manley Labs represents quality, sonic excellence and unequivocal analog design expertise,” enthused Matt Ward, President of Universal Audio. “To say Universal Audio has admiration for Manley’s designs and reputation as a company would be a huge understatement. There has always been a special affinity between our companies, and we are elated to have EveAnna Manley joining us a plug-in partner for the UAD-2 platform.”

The Manley Massive Passive EQ plug-ins will be available for download directly from Universal Audio’s online store.

Universal Audio Announces Partnership With Ampex Corporation to Develop Tape Machine Emulations

Ampex is famous in the professional audio world as innovators of magnetic tape and tape recorder technology — widely praised for its rich, almost magical sound quality. For the first time ever, Universal Audio’s renowned team of DSP engineers will exhaustively and faithfully model these complex devices and media, bringing accurate emulations of Ampex magnetic recording tape to the UAD-2 Powered Plug-Ins platform.

“Ampex is not only the most recognizable maker of US-made tape machines; they really pioneered the concepts that gave way to modern multi-tracking and overdubbing,” commented Universal Audio President Matt Ward. “But it’s really the sound of these amazing machines, along with their well-guarded tape formulas, that birthed the golden-era of record production. The fact that these designs are still in use today is a testament to the Ampex brand’s iconic status in the world of professional recording.”

“Ampex is quite pleased to be returning to the professional audio market after many years away; and in such a unique fashion,” stated Gordon Strickland, President and CEO of Ampex Corp. “It took a company like Universal Audio, who understood that the Ampex name could be made ‘new’ again for multiple generations of audio customers through the latest advancements in DSP technology. We are well aware of the value of the Ampex brand, and we protect it accordingly. Our discussions with UA convinced us that they would be a good partner and would create products that we could all be proud of.”

“We’ve long known that Tape machines would be considered the ‘holy grail’ of audio plug-ins. This is something that our customers have been demanding for quite some time,” confirmed UAD Plug-In Product Manager Will Shanks. “So we’re taking great pains to ensure that our efforts will satisfy our most discriminating customers’ expectations, not to mention our own. We’re very excited to have both the Ampex Corporation and former Ampex engineers closely involved on the emulations of the classic devices and media we’re targeting.”

Universal Audio Announces Partnership With Dunlop

Dunlop is a leading manufacturer of guitar stompboxes and studio-oriented effects under the Dunlop and MXR brands. Under this partnership, Universal Audio will deliver a range of unique and classic effects to the ever-growing family of plug-ins available on the UAD-2 platform.

“Dunlop and MXR have innovated and defined classic effects sounds for decades,” said Matt Ward, President of Universal Audio. “We hope to extend this reputation by painstakingly modeling authentic Dunlop and MXR effects for the UAD-2 platform. Guitarists and producers have embraced these effects for decades, so we’re very happy about this partnership.”

“Universal Audio and Dunlop Manufacturing both have a commitment to maintaining a tradition of true analog gear for musicians,” commented Jimmy Dunlop, Vice President of Dunlop. “When it came time to create plug-ins of our classic electronics, we knew there was only one company to turn to. We know our customers will be pleased with the level of quality and performance that UA will be offering.”

Universal Audio Partners With Harman Pro Group to Deliver Range of Classic Audio Equipment Plug-Ins

Each company in the Harman Pro Group has a near-mythic status in the professional audio world — ranging from reverb (Lexicon), to compression and other processing (dbx), tape machines (Studer), and spring reverb (AKG). Under the terms of this agreement, Universal Audio will develop, market and sell plug-in emulations of select Lexicon, Studer, dbx, and AKG equipment for the UAD-2 Powered Plug-In Platform.

“We are delighted to be working with Universal Audio to bring these virtual legacy products to market,” commented Michael MacDonald, Harman International, EVP of Marketing and Sales. “Our brands are like gold to us, and when it comes to faithfully reproducing the sound and character of these vintage devices, we knew that we needed to partner with the best — and that is UA. We have the utmost confidence in Universal Audio to not only deliver on the promise of these brands, but to provide customers with the ‘best in class’ support they expect.”

“The Harman Pro Group is the parent company behind and array of legendary premium audio brands, and we are truly honored by this partnership,” said Universal Audio President Matt Ward. “This is a great tribute to the care and detail that our DSP and user interface teams put into each and every UAD Powered Plug-In. We look forward to working with the talented folks at the Harman Pro Group to ensure every emulation detail is as faithful and accurate as possible to the original classic equipment.”

www.uaudio.com

Discuss Universal Audio UAD-2 in our Hardware forum.

SoundCloud, the online music service, has launched the first in a series of product integrations with professional music software makers which will enable producers to upload their tracks to the web direct from their favourite audio applications. The first partnerships, announced today at NAMM, are with Studio One from PreSonus and Audiofile Engineering’s Wave Editor, with Ableton Live to follow.

Following on from SoundCloud’s recent partnership with Abbey Road’s online mastering service, today’s announcement marks another step for the service towards its goal of enabling a fully integrated digital music ecosystem.

Studio One and Wave Editor users will be able to upload their tracks direct to their SoundCloud accounts from within the application, bypassing the need to bounce tracks to the desktop and then upload. These integrations were built using the SoundCloud API, which enables any developer to create a huge range of audio applications and services based on core SoundCloud functionality, like the streaming, uploading and downloading of music.

Matthew Foust, Co-Founder and Operations Manager, Audiofile Engineering, said: “Integration of the SoundCloud API in our iPhone and desktop apps not only fits our strategic vision, but is very simple and straightforward.”

Alexander Ljung, SoundCloud CEO, said: “We’re very excited to be launching the first of our music software integrations with PreSonus and Audiofile Engineering. With these upcoming partnerships it’s possible to imagine a production workflow in which you produce a track, upload it to SoundCloud, and send it direct to Abbey Road for mastering without any files hitting your desktop. We’re imagining a future where music professionals can seamlessly use the web together with their desktop tools in a fully integrated and extremely powerful combination. The SoundCloud platform and our open API, in combination with progressive companies like PreSonus and Audiofile Engineering, are making it possible for this future to arrive in 2010.”

PreSonus Studio One Product Manager Jonathan Hillman said: “With Studio One and SoundCloud, musicians can produce their music and share it with millions of listeners in a matter of minutes. We’re very happy to be the first DAW application to introduce the world to 21st-century music production and distribution. We believe this type of integration is critical as the digital-media distribution landscape evolves. And from a development viewpoint, integrating a SoundCloud client into our application took very little time. ”

SoundCloud partnerships with other key music software companies, including Ableton, are already scheduled and set to be released later in 2010.

soundcloud.com

Discuss SoundCloud in our Promotion forum, Wave Editor in our Audiofile Engineering forum, and Studio One in our Studio One forum.

Redmatica presents the 64-bit version of its next generation creative sampling suite, Compendium Pro Bundle 2.1 at the Winter NAMM show, booth 6328 Hall A. The new set of applications includes Keymap Pro 2.1, AutoSampler 2.1 and ProManager 3.1.

Keymap Pro 2.1 is the direct 64-bit evolution of the acclaimed Keymap 1.5 sampled instruments editor, and extends its file support to all the major instrument formats on the market, including Apple EXS24, Native Instrument Kontakt, Digidesign Structure and Propellerheads Reason NNXT. Keymap Pro 2.1 incorporates a massive amount of innovative and never seen before features, including multiple playback personalities to match each corresponding instrument format, integrated direct multichannel recording (sampling) also from networked computers with autostart/stop/cut/map/loop, new DSP tools for looping the unloopable, new resynthesis algorithms for non-harmonic samples and loops, integrated AutoSampling features with AutoSampling Live mode for effortless interactive recording from sound sources, SoundDesign layers for using AudioUnit plugins as synthesis blocks in the playback chain, massively multimode envelopes, dimensional panning, continuous background rendering, and a stunning Core Animation based visual interface. Version 2.1 adds virtually unlimited 64-bit memory space support, support for 64-bit AudioUnit plugins, faster overall performance, and new remapping features, including the ability to build conversion maps and perform drum remapping from one layout to another with a single click.

AutoSampler 2.1 takes the original tool for automatically sampling hardware and software synths to 64-bit by presenting a new user interface and extending instrument creation format support to Redmatica Keymap, Apple EXS24, Native Instrument Kontakt, Digidesign Structure and Propellerheads Reason NNXT. It also offers a built-in mapping editor to build custom templates, a simplified view mode, autolooping algorithms taken directly from Keymap Pro 2.1, multichannel autosampling of up to 8 channels from local audio devices or networked computers, Key Switch autosampling, Round Robin autosampling, and much faster operations.

ProManager 3.1 is the completely redesigned next generation 64-bit version of the popular ExsManager 2 sampled library manager application. It now handles Redmatica Keymap, Apple EXS24, Native Instrument Kontakt, Digidesign Structure and Propellerheads Reason NNXT instrument formats simultaneously. The intuitive goal-based interface makes it easy to relink instruments to samples for quick loading, manage duplicate and unused files, or to completely reorganize the sample libraries. ProManager also offers browsing capabilities for both instruments and samples, an integrated streaming sample viewer, metadata tagging, and search and synchronization over the network. The new 64-bit support allows management of sample libraries of virtually unlimited size.

“Revolutionary Evolution was the concept behind the entire development of the Compendium Pro Bundle 2.1,” said Andrea Gozzi, Founder and Technical Director of Redmatica. “We didn’t just want to introduce a killer set of new features, but also offer new ways to use already existing technologies and make full use of the hardware available in modern computers. We are tremendously excited about going to 64-bit, as it allows our applications to make full use of modern computer hardware, and brings what was already a world class set of creative sampling applications to another level.”

The Compendium Pro Bundle 2.1 will be available in February 2010 with price set to $489.95 / €379.95, and as a free update for current Compendium Pro Bundle 2.0 users.

www.redmatica.com

Discuss Redmatica software in our Redmatica forum.

Just in time for a new decade, Renoise gets an upgrade from executive suite to penthouse with a panoramic view. The Renoise Pattern Matrix, both a bird’s eye view and a song editor, is the missing link that pushes Renoise’s unique approach to music composition to the next level. It’s the perfect companion to the “eyes on the details” appearance and capabilities of the Pattern Editor.

Renoise is a complete music production environment for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. It features full ReWire support, FX and instrument VST/AU plug-in support, automatic plug-in delay compensation, multi-core load balancing, MIDI I/O, audio recording, flexible audio output, graphical & numerical parameter automation, modular parameter routing, and much more.

In Renoise 2.5 meta-devices (FX units that receive and transform parameters and other non-audio data) are now interconnectable across tracks. This opens the door to more modular approaches, like linking LFOs or key/audio signals all throughout your mix. Two new meta-devices round-up this “do anything” experience, giving the sound artist the freedom to connect and modulate all parameters with all others.

That’s just the beginning. Vastly improved MIDI mapping, automated rendering of plugin instruments to samples, a native guitar & bass amp simulator FX, performance optimizations, GUI improvements and much more…

Renoise 2.5 Sneak Preview (click to zoom)

Beta versions are exclusive to registered users. The first public 2.5 versions will be Release Candidates. The final version is expected to be released at the beginning of next year.

The price of Renoise will change from €49 to €59 when the final version is released – This price is for a multi-platform license. That means that a single license is valid for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. To ease the transition, everyone that buys Renoise 2.5 before the final version will get Renoise for the old price of €49. This covers upgrades up until and including version 3.5.

www.renoise.com/about/what-s-new-2-5

Discuss Renoise in our Applications forum.

Sinevibes is happy to announce the new version of its popular Gateboy rhythmic modulation AudioUnit plug-in, which now gives even more possibilities to musicians seeking a very easy-to-use, yet highly flexible tool for slicing beats, creating complex riffs and trancegate effects, adding gentle motion or swing, and much more.

The new version brings the following new features and enhancements:

• New triplets timing allows to work with an even wider range of rhythms and time signatures.
• Improved host synchronization algorithm gives more stability, especially in live performance software, while also reducing processor load of the plug-in.
• As per feedback from existing users, more useful preset patterns have been added, bringing the total to 70.
• The user interface graphics have also been polished for better usability.

Gateboy 1.3.0 is immediately available as an AU plugin for Mac OS X 10.3 Panther or later, instantly downloadable for $29. It is compatible with most AudioUnit host applications such as Logic Pro, Logic Express, GarageBand, Soundtrack Pro, Wave Editor, Rax, Bidule, AU Lab, DJay and others. The update is free for owners of the previous versions of Gateboy.

www.sinevibes.com/experimental-audiounits

Discuss Gateboy in our Effects forum.

Celemony Software has announced that Melodyne editor is now available in their online shop. Melodyne editor is the first Celemony product to feature the company’s pioneering DNA Direct Note Access technology allowing access to individual notes in polyphonic audio material. Celemony are also presenting their new product line today: Melodyne studio bundle, Melodyne editor, Melodyne assistant and Melodyne essential RTAS.

Melodyne editor caused tremendous excitement all over the world when it was first presented, as its DNA technology made possible something that had always been considered impossible: The editing of individual notes in polyphonic audio material. Now that all registered Melodyne users have had a chance to put the eagerly awaited product through its paces in the course of a public beta test phase, Melodyne editor is ready for its worldwide sales launch.

As with the already-familiar editions of Melodyne, Melodyne editor offers a variety of different tools that make it possible to edit audio material in a highly intuitive and musical way — now, thanks to DNA, even if the source is a polyphonic instrument. With their totally new technical infrastructure, both the plug-in and stand-alone implementations of Melodyne editor boast numerous improvements over previous editions of Melodyne, including a very short loading time, a resizable plug-in window, still further improvements in the note detection process and sound quality, and much more.

“The feedback from the public beta testing was exceptionally positive. Many thanks to all who participated! Having subjected Melodyne editor now to an exhaustive series of quality controls, we are greatly looking forward to being able to release the application worldwide. At the same time, we are eager to see how users will take to the totally novel possibilities for audio editing the new technology affords,” says Anselm Rößler, Celemony’s Managing Director.

Melodyne editor runs stand-alone or as a VST, AU or RTAS plug-in with compatible DAWs under Mac OS X 10.4 or later and requires a dual PowerPC G5 or Intel dual core processor with 2 GB RAM.

The list price of Melodyne editor is $349 / €349. With the launch of Melodyne editor, Celemony are also restructuring their entire product line. This now includes Melodyne assistant (equivalent to Melodyne editor but without DNA: $249 / €199), Melodyne studio bundle (contains Melodyne studio 3 as well as Melodyne editor: $699/ €699) and Melodyne essential RTAS (the new version of Melodyne essential, which is only available in the Digidesign bundle).

www.celemony.com/cms/index.php?id=products_editor

Discuss Melodyne editor in our Applications forum.

Another roundup of recent freeware releases and discoveries, four new ones today  :

bx-cleansweep (AU/VST/RTAS) is a new Hi-Pass filter and Lo-Pass filter plug-in from Brainworx, introducing the new “Anti Crush Technology”.  Analog style filter curves without the typical Nyquist problems, in a new great sounding filter design. Ffirst order filters (6dB) guarantee an extremely musically sounding filter set, and unique joystick control gives you fast and intuitive control. Clever shortcuts (alt/shift/ctrl) allow for detailed control over the X-axis and Y-axis of the joystick, and the EQ knobs can be set to precision mode by shift-click as well.

bx-Solo (AU/VST/RTAS) is an M/S tool with stereo width enhancement.

* This was already in the freeware list as VST and RTAS, but at some stage they’ve also added an audio unit version.

“The “heart” of our M/S tools are our unique SOLO BUTTONS that allow you to actually LISTEN to all components of a stereo mix / stereo signal individually. L(left channel), R(ight channel), M(ono sum) & S(tereo difference signal) – and all this PHASE CORRECTED (when needed) and mono-ed out on BOTH SPEAKERS of your system. bx_solo also contains a STEPPED M/S STEREO WIDTH CONTROL.  ”

* NOTE : Those are their CAPITALS, not MINE, ok  ?

TT Dynamic Range meter (AU / VST / RTAS)  is a meter showing RMS, peak levels etc. This comes from Brainworx, who also make the above two plug-ins. No mention of this one on their website, not even a screenshot, but it’s there on their freeware download page … so grab it from the link if it’s useful to you.

TAL-Filter (AU / VST) is a multi-mode filter device, including a High Pass, Band Pass and Low Pass filter. The filter has a clean analogue sound and is able to go into self-oscillation.

* High Pass, Band Pass, Low Pass filter modes.
* 4 Pole, 2 x oversampled non linear filter.
* Lfo sync mode (full sync to host).
* Lfo waveforms: Sinus, Triangle, Saw, Square, S&H, Noise
* Envelope follower.
* Input drive.
* 10 Presets.

That’s all for today. Remember, don’t spend too much money on plug-ins, you’ll hate yourself in the morning.

TASCAM has upgraded their best-selling US-122mkII and US-144mkII USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interfaces, unveiled the US-2000, a new 16-input audio interface condensed into only one rack space, and announced the US-100, a new USB 2.0 Audio Interface positioned at a breakthrough price.

TASCAM US-122mkII and US-144mkII

The US-122mkII features improved audio performance along with a new, eye-catching compact design. The US-144mkII shares the design improvements, adding S/PDIF digital audio I/O for four channels of 96kHz/24-bit audio to and from a computer. Both interfaces use USB 2.0 technology for hiccup-free low-latency performance to Mac or Windows computers.

The TASCAM US-122mkII and US-144mkII feature a pair of XLR microphone inputs with phantom power for recording condenser mics into a computer. Balanced line inputs and a guitar level in are also provided. MIDI in and out jacks allow for synthesizer and control messages to be passed to the computer, and the unbalanced line outputs connect to studio monitors. The US-144mkII has the addition of digital in and out, for a total of four channels, and a dedicated headphone level control means you don’t need to switch off your monitors when recording on phones. A copy of Steinberg’s 48-track Cubase LE4 is included to begin recording right away.

TASCAM’s US-122mkII and US-144mkII will be available from TASCAM retailers in October. Estimated street price for the US-122mkII is $129, the US-144mkII is expected to sell for $149.

Features:

• Bus-powered USB 2.0 audio interface
• (2) XLR microphone inputs with phantom power
• (2) 1/4″ balanced line inputs
• Switchable guitar level input
• 1/4″ stereo headphone output
• MIDI input and output
• S/PDIF stereo coaxial input and output (US-144mkII only)
• Individual Line and Headphone out level controls (US-144mkII only)
• Up to 96kHz/24-bit audio resolution
• Zero-latency hardware monitoring
• Mac and Windows drivers included
• Steinberg Cubase LE4 48-track recording software included
• Aluminum case construction

TASCAM US-2000

Eight studio-grade microphone preamps welcome condenser microphones, and two of the mic inputs are on the front panel for easy access. An additional six balanced 1/4″ line inputs are provided, as well as four balanced line outs and stereo digital I/O. The front panel features a 100-LED meter bridge for setting input and output levels. The US-2000 connects to a computer through high-speed USB 2.0, and is priced about the same as less-capable 8-channel FireWire interfaces.

Included with the TASCAM US-2000 is Cubase LE4, a 48-track workstation for Mac or Windows computers. It includes flexible hardware controls for zero-latency monitoring during recording. The TASCAM’s US-2000 will be available from TASCAM retailers in October at a projected street price under $500.

Features:

• 16-in / 4-out USB 2.0 audio interface
• 96kHz / 24-bit audio resolution
• (8) XLR microphone inputs with phantom power
• (6) 1/4″ balanced line inputs
• (4) 1/4″ balanced line outputs
• (2) 1/4″ instrument inputs (chan. 7 & 8 on front panel “combi “jacks)
• Stereo S/PDIF digital in and out
• 100-LED meter bridge (5 segments for each input and output)
• Zero-latency direct monitoring with mono/stereo switch for each pair of inputs
• 1/4″ balanced stereo monitor output with its own volume control
• 1/4″ stereo high-powered headphone output
• Mac and Windows compatible
• Steinberg Cubase LE4 48-track recording software included
• High-tech, attractive aluminum case design

TASCAM US-100

This entry level interface features a microphone input as well as instrument level input for direct recording guitar or bass. Stereo line inputs are provided, and can be switched to phono-level to connect a favorite turntable to digitize a vinyl collection. All of this is housed in a solid aluminum chassis to withstand any abuse from the road to the dorm room.

The US-100 is a 48k/16-bit stereo audio interface that connects to a Mac or Windows computer using USB 2.0. A free copy of Audacity software is included to start recording right away. Additional features like a 1/8″ stereo headphone output and zero-latency monitoring make the US-100 perfect for songwriters and musicians getting started with recording.

TASCAM’s US-100 will be available from TASCAM retailers in September at a street price under $100.

Features:

• Bus-powered USB 2.0 audio interface
• XLR or 1/4″ microphone input
• 1/4″ guitar-level direct input
• RCA line inputs, switchable to RIAA photo inputs with ground lug
• 1/8″ stereo headphone output
• 48kHz/16-bit audio resolution
• Zero-latency hardware monitoring
• Mac and Windows compatible
• Audacity recording software included
• Solid aluminum case construction

TASCAM has also created the Track Pack X1 and Track Pack X2 bundles for musicians looking for an inexpensive way to start recording in their computers. The Track Pack X1 contains the new US-100 USB interface, dynamic microphone and set of closed-ear headphones for under $150. The Track Pack X2 features the new US-122mkII audio interface, TM-78 large-diaphragm condenser microphone and Cubase LE4 48-track recording software for under $200. The new US-100 and US-122mkII interfaces are compatible with Mac and Windows computers, including Apple’s new Snow Leopard operating system. TASCAM Track Packs will be shipping in time for holiday sales.

www.tascam.com/

Discuss TASCAM audio interfaces in our Hardware forum.

WaveMachine Labs is excited to announce the next major Drumagog release, Drumagog 5, representing more than two years of design and development.

One significant change is the completely new GUI, designed to show more critical information when you need it and to be easier to manipulate. Additional elements of the Drumagog toolbox have been sharpened, including the triggering engine, sample editing and management, and the sounds themselves.

WaveMachine Labs have also added brand new features, including one for Drumagog Platinum that will greatly simplify and improve how Drumagog works with virtual instruments; no more fiddling with MIDI conversions and routing.

• Auto-Align 2.0 – A collaboration between WaveMachine Labs and Fraunhofer (inventors of the MP3 format) has resulted in a revolutionary new alignment algorithm. Simply the best triggering. Anywhere.
• Direct Plugin Hosting – Play any virtual instrument from within Drumagog. Plugins like BFD2, Kontakt, and Superior Drummer are inserted directly into Drumagog to allow a virtually unlimited sample palette. (Platinum version only)
• Redesigned graphic interface – Streamlined control and easier sample editing.
• Support for multiple room samples – The Gog format now allows for different room sounds and mics. Simply dial in the amount of room desired.
• Auto Hi-Hat Tracking – automatically detects the hi-hat pedal position (open/closed) in real time.

Drumagog 5 will be available in the first quarter of 2010. Pricing and final specifications were not yet announced.

www.drumagog.com/drumagog5.htm

Drumagog 4 is compatible with both G4/G5 macs, both PowerPC and Intel based, and supports all VST, AU and RTAS audio programs, including: Pro Tools (v6.3 and above), Cubase, Live, Nuendo, Digital Performer, Logic, Tracktion, and GarageBand.

Discuss Drumagog in our Instruments forum.

No exciting GUIs – I had to snapshot these! – but some good stuff nonetheless, including the return of some classics …

Added to AU FX :

Bitsmacker
bitsize & sample rate reducer

Features

* Sample rate reduction from 50 to 44100 hz
* Bit depth range from 0.01 to 32 bit
* Parametric EQ on Input
* Parametric EQ on Output
* Drive adjustment for boost
* Zero-latency
* All values continuously variable, no large steps between values
* A swift kick in the trousers

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Added to AU/VST FX :

ValhallaFreqEcho
Bode-style frequency shifter + analog echo emulation

Bode-style frequency shifter + analog echo emulation = skull melting chaos.

Sonic results range from subtle chorusing and double tracking, to barberpole phasing and flanging, to runaway echos spinning through your skull, to endless glissandos. Perfect for those Dr. Who sounds, dub, and all of your psychedelic needs.

GUI sometime in the future, with more controls, finer tuning abilities.

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Added to VST FX :

mda-fx  – various
30 different FX! click the link …

I’m not quite sure when this happened, but recently someone ported all 30 of the classic mda fx to VST universal binary.

Previously, 15 of them had been ported to AU – these were already on the freeware list, and there are still just 15 – but now all 30 are available for VST. They’re all open source now, so if anyone wants to move the other 15 to AU, go ahead!

Here’s the VST  list :

Bandisto  – Multi-band distortion
BeatBox – Drum replacer
Combo – Amp & speaker simulator
De-ess – High frequency dynamics processor
Degrade – Sample quality reduction
Delay – Simple stereo delay with feedback tone control
Detune – Simple up/down pitch shifting thickener
Dither – Range of dither types including noise shaping
DubDelay – Delay with feedback saturation and time/pitch modulation
Dynamics – Compressor / Limiter / Gate
Envelope – Envelope follower / VCA
Image – Stereo image adjustment and M-S matrix
Leslie – Rotary speaker simulator
Limiter – Opto-electronic style limiter
Loudness – Equal loudness contours for bass EQ and mix correction
Multiband – Multi-band compressor with M-S processing modes
Overdrive – Soft distortion
Re-Psycho! – Drum loop pitch changer
RezFilter – Resonant filter with LFO and envelope follower
Round Panner – 3D panner
Shepard – Continuously rising/falling tone generator
Splitter – Frequency / level crossover for setting up dynamic processing
Stereo Simulator – Haas delay and comb filtering
Sub-Bass Synthesizer – Several low frequency enhancement methods
Talkbox – High resolution vocoder
TestTone – Signal generator with pink and white noise, impulses and sweeps
Thru-Zero Flanger – Classic tape-flanging simulation
Tracker – Pitch tracking oscillator, or pitch tracking EQ
Vocoder – Switchable 8 or 16 band vocoder
VocInput – Pitch tracking oscillator for generating vocoder carrier input

… and here’s the Audio Unit list, just for reference …

Combo  – Amp & speaker simulator
Degrade – Sample quality reduction
Detune – Simple up/down pitch shifting thickener
DubDelay – Delay with feedback saturation and time/pitch modulation
Dynamics – Compressor / Limiter / Gate
Leslie – Rotary speaker simulator
Re-Psycho! – Drum loop pitch changer
RingMod – Simple ring modulator
RoundPan – 3D panner
Shepard – Continuously rising/falling tone generator
Stereo – Haas delay and comb filtering
SubSynth – Several low frequency enhancement methods
Talkbox – High resolution vocoder
TestTone – Signal generator with pink and white noise, 1/3 octaves and sweeps
Tracker – Pitch tracking oscillator, or pitch tracking EQ