Livid Instruments is proud to announce Ohm, their latest hardware instrument. Ohm is a real-time MIDI control surface designed to give digital audio and video performers an innovative interface for performance and presentation.

Features :

- 36 buttons centrally located
- a DJ style cross fader
- 8 faders with button triggers
- 10 rotary knobs
- 12 function buttons
- BPM tap button
- all of the controls are fully LED backlight for performance
- USB and MIDI connectivity

Ohm includes a free, fully functional copy of the all-new Livid Union 2.5 VJ software, completely integrated to match the controls of the instrument. Ohm also comes with demo versions of audio software titles Ableton Live, and FLStudio.

Available in two models (handcrafted mahogany and rugged rack-mount metal) Ohm can be purchased directly from Livid web site for an introductory price of $790.

Every Flux plug-in now features an Automation button managing the A/B Morphing slider.

When engaged, only the Morphing slider is used to control the host automation in read and write modes. No other plug-in parameter is managed by the host automation. It also allows to map the Morphing slider on a control surface. This feature allows to dramatically simplify the host automation timeline.

When Automation is disabled all the plug-in parameters are managed by the host automation for both write and read modes. The Morphing slider can still control all the plug-in parameters, but its position is ignored by the host automation for both read and write modes.

The Automation feature permits to simplify the host Timeline when automating Flux plug-ins. It also permits to control the Morphing slider from a control surface.

On top of that Flux:: sound and picture development adopts the iLok USB security dongle. All Flux products can be purchased online by iLok dongle owners. Note that the original Flux dongle is still supported.

Ok the Winter NAMM edition is over, not so many great news but one great suprise at Euphonix and the highly expected Omnisphere from Spectrasonics.

Maybe the MusikMesse will bring out more striking news..Hope and pray :o)

After the announcement of DP6, MOTU unveils Electric Keys, a cross-platform virtual instrument that delivers "authentic sounds" of 50 classic, vintage electric keyboard instruments from the last 40 years.

With a massive 40GB sound library Electric Keys includes over 20,000 meticulously crafted 24-bit 96 kHz multi-samples of legendary electric pianos, electric organs, clavinets, Wurlitzers, tape samplers, string machines, keyboard basses and other rare and exotic electric keyboard instruments. Samples are streamed from disk, so even large presets load quickly and conserve computer memory. Sounds are organized in 12 banks, each with its own authentic look ("skin"), allowing users to install on their hard drive only the banks they wish to use. Electric Keys presets can be loaded into MachFive 2 for advanced sound design and layering.

The Electric Keys window offers a few simple controls, including volume, pan, tone and tremolo settings, along with two preset slots, which allow users to layer two sounds using the convenient multi-column preset browser. All parameters can be automated via convenient "MIDI learn". Users can click the FX button to open the FX-Rack, which is a separate window with eight effects that can be applied individually or in combination as a multi-effect to any preset. Effects include amp simulation, filter, chorus, flanger, phaser, UVinyl (to add "wear and tear"), delay and reverb. Users can load and save "combis" consisting of a snapshot of the entire plug-in, including effects.

Electric Keys supports all major plug-in formats on Mac OS X and Windows (XP and Vista), including VST, DXi, MAS, Audio Units and RTAS. It also runs as a stand-alone application. Electric Keys will ship in February, 2008 for a list price of $295.

VirSyn has released version 1.1 of VTAPE which includes a new Tape Flanger plugin simulating the playback of two tape machines running at slightly different speed.

VTAPE 1.1 :

- Tape Flanger :

* Manual tape flanging simulation.
* Authentic "through zero" Flanging.
* Unique stereo flanging mode.

- RTAS/AudioUnit Mono versions of Saturator.

- Bug fixes:

* Mac/Digital Performer: Settings lost on render to file.
* Latency compensation now working.
* "Kill" Parameter now automatable.
* Sync button state was not saved.
* Save button - Enter key no longer required.
* AudioUnit: GUI problem with more than 16 instances.
* RTAS: Automation with SATURATOR working now.

Here is a video of the two main news of the Winter NAMM show 2008, enjoy !