Garritan has announced Garritan Orchestral Strings 2. This new string library will be powered by the Garritan ARIA sample engine.

This library includes the complete string sections of the orchestra as well as an extended complement of solo strings. The stringed instruments recorded in this collection include Stradivarius, Guarneri, Gagliano, Montagnana, Testore, and many other rare instruments, and were recorded in 24-bit at the world-renowned Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
The library includes a rare solo Stradivari violin, a solo Pallotta viola, a solo Gofriller cello, a solo Amati double-Bass, 1st violin section, 2nd violin section, viola section, cello section, double-Bass section, and a full string orchestra.

Each string section and solo instrument allows performance o ...

Audio-Technica introduces the new ATH-M35 Dynamic Stereo Monitor Headphones. Employing the company's latest transducer technology, the ATH-M35's offer the highest level of sonic accuracy in a design engineered to provide maximum comfort for hours of listening. Key features include a foldable design for easy storage and a rugged storage pouch, enhancing the headphones' durability and lifespan. They are an ideal choice for a wide range of applications, from professional studio and home recording use to more portable situations such as live sound, broadcast audio-for-video and field recording.

The ATHM35's employ a low-profile, closed-back design, providing exceptional clarity and superior isolation in high-volume listening situations. Extremely accurate, the headphones feature a neodymium magnet structure and have a frequency response of 20-20,000 Hz.

The ATH-M35's also have a lightweight and adjustable cushioned headband to provide maximum listening comfort. In addition, they feature a gold-plated stereo 1/8" (3.5 mm) connector with strain relief and professional screw-on 1/4" (6.3 mm) adapter, and a sturdy, ultra-flexible 11' (3.4 m) cable with single-side exit.

The ATH-M35 Dynamic Stereo Monitor Headphones will be available February 2009 with a U.S. MSRP of $139.00.

Steinberg has announced that all European customers who have bought Cubase 4 or Cubase studio 4 between December 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009, (GB/DE version) or April 30, 2009, (FR/IT/ES version) are eligible to obtain a Grace Period Update to Cubase 5 at a special price.

You are eligible for the Grace Period Update if you have purchased one of the following products within the eligibility period above :

- Cubase 4
- Cubase 4 Updates (all variations)
- Cubase 4 Upgrades (all variations)
- Cubase 4 Competitive Crossgrade
- Plus Education Versions of these products

- Cubase Studio 4
- Cubase Studio 4 Updates (all variations)
- Cubase Studio 4 Upgrades (all variations)
- Cubase Studio 4 Competitive Crossgrade
- Plus Education Versions of these products

Not eligible are Cub ...

JoeCo presents the Blackbox Recorder, a high performance multi-track capturing device designed for the 21st century.

Aimed primarily at the live music market, it records 24 channels of hi-res audio directly to a USB2 drive. It can be plugged directly into the insert points on any console and can also provide Virtual Sound Checking facilities. Recording to standard external USB2 disks formatted with FAT32 in Broadcast WAV file format (BWAV), any material can be instantly used in a studio Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) without any need for time-consuming file conversions or transfers.

Features :

- 24 track audio recorder
- Virtual Sound Check Facility
- 24bit/96kHz conversion
- Simple User interface
- Keyboard input for naming tracks and songs
- Data entry wheel for navigating menus and making adjustments
- Scrub function for finding loop points
- AES / SPDIF word clock
- Linear time code (LTC) & MIDI time code
- SONY PII (9-pin) control
- Records to standard USB2 drive in BWF format - Instant import into DAW
- Multiple Blackbox Recorder units can be chained for really large multi-track recordings
- Applications as standalone multichannel recorder for use in studios, conferences, conventions, logging and monitoring

The Blackbox Recorder will be available from April 09.

It's not official for now but it seems that after the little MPK 25, Akai will soon unveil its big brother : the MPK 88.

As we can see on the picture the MPK 88 will be a fully weighted 88 note keyboard with all the features of the MPK49 plus the full quota of 16 MPC pads, as opposed to the 12 on the MPK 49 & 25.

Roland is pleased to present the VP-770 Vocal & Ensemble Keyboard, featuring newly-developed Vocal Designer effects and high-quality ensemble sounds powered by Roland's exclusive SuperNATURAL technology.

With a solid wood construction and metal chassis, the VP-770 features a newly enhanced interface, plus expressive onboard sounds applicable across a vast array of musical genres. A high-quality headset microphone comes standard and provides the best signal path possible in combination with the VP-770's pristine onboard microphone preamp.

Performers will especially love how inviting and inspiring the VP-770 is to use onstage. It's ideal for musicians who perform alone or in small groups, and for those who need an interactive, real-time backing chorus. Film and TV music composers who are challenged with time and budget can use the VP-770 to generate high-impact choral, string, and brass arrangements on the spot. Churches in need of a choir (or choir enhancer) will love the VP-770 as well.

The VP-770 is also equipped with high-resolution vocoder modeling, which can be used to generate signature vocal effects for the dance music, pop, R&B, and hip-hop genres without the hassle and expense of a separate vocoder or processor.