Alesis has introduced the Performance Pad tabletop and kit mountable drum pads with a built-in drum machine. It features eight velocity-sensitive drum pads, a built-in electronic drum machine, inputs for a bass drum pedal, hi-hat pedal, and a Line-level input to connect a CD Player, iPod®, computer, or other audio device so that percussionists can play along with nearly any recorded mix. Built-in rhythm patterns are also included to compliment playing.

Features :

- 8 natural feeling, velocity-sensitive drum pads with Dynamic Articulation
- Built-in professional drum machine so you can record and play back your own beats
- 50 Preset / 50 User drum kits with 233 sounds assignable to any pad
- Built-in rhythm patterns to complement your playing
- Large LCD display with easy-to-navi ...

RME has announced the new HDSPe MADI card to be shipping. RME further expands the "e"-line of Hammerfall DSP recording solutions for the PCI Express bus found in current Apple OS and Windows based desktop computers. With higher data rates the PCI Express bus enables high channel counts associated with lowest latency options.

The HDSPe MADI card offers a 128 I/O-channel computer connection, all 64 input and 64 playback channels can be routed and mixed independently to 64 physical outputs. For even higher channel counts several MADI cards can be combined. Compared to the standard PCI HDSP MADI card, the new PCI Express version offers several advantages :

- support for higher sample rates up to 192 kHz
- Lowest latency – down to 1 ms!
- Sync to Time Code with RME's Time Code Option Mo ...

SONiVOX has announced the release of their new line of "DVI Products" (Downloadable Virtual Instruments). Designed for users' instant gratification and ease of use SONiVOX DVI's are made in collaboration with the TASCAM Giga development team melding SONiVOX's instrument content with TASCAM's GVI sample playback technology. As a result of this partnership each DVI product is downloadable and instantly playable as a plug-in or as a standalone instrument. The initial rollout of DVI products include, Steel String and Nylon String Acoustic Guitars, multiple Drumkits, Basses, Electric Guitars, Harpsichord, Electric Pianos, Vintage Synths, Harp, Bagpipes, String Ensembles, Brass Ensembles, and more, all priced from $11.95 to $79.95.

SONiVOX DVI's are available now directly from SONiVOX's webshop for Windows in VSTi, RTAS and stand-alone formats with Mac OS X compatibility following later this year.

Humanoid Sound Systems has released Scanned Synth Pro, a virtual instrument designed to create rich complex digital tones and fantastic sound effects, while using simplifed controls and traditional synths techniques such as filters, lfo's and effects. Scanned Synth Pro is the successor to the popular Scanned Synth VST and adds many exciting new features, including :

- The Psycho! Button: antisocial behaviour in a button. This feature was requested by Trilby Temperley of The Resonance and should not be used by sensible people.
- A Polyphonic Filter with cutoff frequency modulation and pitch-tracking allowing the sound to be shaped naturally and untuitively as well as expanding the range of possible sounds even further
- An Echo effect
- Improved sound quality including making the dist ...

Expert Sleepers has released Windows versions of several free VST effect plug-ins : Phaser, Ping-pong Delay and Multitap Delay. Phaser is a fairly straightforward phaser effect while Ping Pong Delay is a simple stereo ping pong delay plugin, last but not least Multitap Delay is a 4 tap delay with filter and saturation.

Tone2 has released FilterBank3, which is a complete plug-in Synthesizer as well as a flexible Multi-effect Unit.

Features :

- 58 high-end stereo filters.
- Semi-modular architecture.
- Flexible routing.
- 2 anti-aliased OSCs/LFOs with BPM Sync and 11 wave shapes.
- Alias free FM and AM.
- 12 oversampled types of distortion.
- 20 types of surround delay, reverb.
- 200+ presets.
- Can be loaded as synthesizer as well as effect.
- Vocal filtering, equalizing, phasing, flanging, compression.
- Feedback.
- Step sequencer.
- MIDI learn.
- Autosync to BPM.
- Realtime frequency display.
- Envelope follower.
- Tool tips and help functions.
- VST 2.4 / AU, stereo, 64 Bit accuracy.

FilterBank3 costs €59 / $79 and is available for Windows in VST instrument and effect formats. Mac OS X VST/AU instrument and effect versions are expected to be released this week. A demo version of the Windows version is available.