PC and Music News

Apogee Electronics Corporation released an update to their X-HD option card to provide better integration with Pro Tools HD.

The X-HD v.2 option allows for direct connectivity between Pro Tools HD systems and Apogee's AD-16X, DA-16X, and Rosetta 800 and 200 series converters, providing superior quality conversion to Pro Tools HD users without the need for an additional interface.

The X-HD v.2 release changes Apogee hardware emulation in Pro Tools to better support I/O setup and auto delay compensation without compromising channel counts or converter configurations.

ReFX has just updated Nexus to version 1.3.6.

Features :

- RTAS compatability. Made a few minor modifications to help our wrapper. Note: The RTAS wrapper has to be downloaded separately but it has not been released yet. It will be available within 24 hours if everything goes as planned.
- The Chorus master-FX now has an additional parameter "width". For old presets and projects this parameter is set to '0' .

Fixes :

- The voice-stealing was broken and wouldn't work most of the time resulting in increased CPU-usage because of the extra voices playing.
- When using Cakewalk hosts (Sonar & Project 5) the arpeggiator wouldn't re-start once interrupted.
- Improved startup-performance when using a different GUI-skin than the default white one.

This update is free for registered users.

Ableton is proud to announce the release of Live 6 LE, a new member of the Ableton product line that makes Live's unique, inspiring workflow available to beginning and hobbyist musicians. Built on the same fundamental concepts as Live 6, the LE version gives musicians hassle-free access to tools that will help shape their musical ideas into creative works.

Features :

- Studio-quality recording up to 32-bit/192 kHz
- Sixty-four audio tracks and unlimited MIDI tracks per project
- More than twenty built-in audio effects, including a host of creative delays, filters, distortions, studio compressors and EQs*
- Two software instruments-Simpler for creative sample-based synthesis, and Impulse for dynamic, sampled drums*
- Support for VST and AU effects and instruments*
- Real-time tim ...

A great address to share audio and sound files Soundsnap.com is proposing lots of samples classified in 16 categories ranging from outside noises to musical instruments loops. Formats are Wav and mp3 even some Aiff. On the other hand Soundsnap is also offering a preview of each sample who facilitates the screening of their 30.000 sound files.

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PreSonus has announced MegaStudio Producer, a new hardware and software bundle that gives you everything you need to record your music, create your videos and distribute and sell your music worldwide. Apart form more than $2000 worth of music and video production software from other developers, MegaStudio Producer also includes the first VST plug-in from PreSonus - EyeQ.

MegaStudio Producer features the PreSonus FP10 (formerly FIREPOD) FireWire recording interface, more than $2,000 worth of music and video production software, 5 free uploads to iTunes from TuneCore, as well as free BroadJam.com membership and a complete "Go Pro" guide with tons of information on sharing, distributing and selling your mu ...

Blue Coconut Ltd unveiled the Echoverb, a new real tape echo unit designed by Terry MacDonald. Exclusively distributed by Unity Audio Ltd, the Echoverb boasts 6 replay heads with one record and erase head, offering 6 different delay times, which can be used in any combination along with a tape reverb mode too.

Being a totally new design rather than a copy, the aim was to eliminate all the problems associated with early tape echo machines, improving the performance, whilst retaining the unique analogue tape echo sound which has never been achieved through digital devices, be it hardware or software based plug-ins. Modern improvements for example include extremely low noise circuitry and the ability to select any combination of 6 available heads. Also, a precision custom made fly wheel en ...