PC and Music News

This holiday season Sweetwater is giving away a special gift every day between December 1 and December 24. That means you have 24 chances to win some of the coolest gear around! Prizes include gear from Digidesign, Native Instruments, Roland, Paul Reed Smith, AKAI, DigiTech, Epiphone, and many others.

Enter online at Sweetwater and you'll be eligible to win for all 24 days of giveaways (but only one gift per person). There's a new winner every day, so check the Sweetwater site daily to see if your name has been drawn.

SAE lecturer publishes Mixing Audio: Concepts, Practices and Tools written by Roey Izhaki, who has been mixing professionally for 15 years, and for the last four years has been passing on his extensive knowledge as a lecturer at London's SAE Institute.

Over the course of 584 pages, Roey Izhaki guides the reader on a logical journey that begins with the very basics of mixing right up to the tricks, tips and techniques used by mix professionals in a wide variety of mixing situations. Illustrated with almost 300 diagrams to better aid understanding, Mixing Audio also includes a DVD which contains over 2,000 audio examples, including four full audio mixes that are discussed and dissected at length within the book. These mixes cover a range of contemporary genres (Rock, Hip Hop, Techno, Drum & Bass), so offer a wealth of real-world experience – and not just on the principles of mixing, but also the practices, concepts and tools that are necessary for achieving success with your mixes.

Price: EUR 41.95 / USD 49.95 / GBP 28.99

FabFilter releases FabFilter Pro-C version 1.10. Just released in August 2007, the Pro-C is a compressor plug-in with flexible routing, side chain options and more. This new version introduces Undo/Redo and A/B comparison functionality.

This update is free for existing FabFilter Pro-C users. INote that i you have not bought FabFilter Pro-C yet, version 1.10 grants you a new evaluation period to be able to try the new features.

AMS-Neve unveils a new "toy" called 4081 which is a four independent Mic/Pre or Line input channels (from the famous 1081 unit) in a 3U high robust desktop mounting design with external PSU. 2 x 4081 units can be fastened together, to give 8-channels of Mic/Pre or Line inputs in a 19" wide unit.

Features :

- Gain control per channel (+20dBu to +70dBu in 5dBu steps)
- Signal Presence and Clip LED indication
- XLR Mic input can be switched between Mic and electronically balanced Line
- Line level up to 20dB gain in 5dB steps
- Phantom Power source for microphones
- 20dB pad, Phase and Low Z functions per channel
- Optional Digital output/Sync card (available Q2 2008), with selectable sample rate and Sync Source

Unit can be controlled from front panel or all functions controlled remotely by Mac or PC computers (Mac only initially), using a USB connection and the dedicated Neve Remote Control software – or remote control via midi from ProTools. Up to 16 boxes can be connected together off one daisy-chained control cable.

Justin Bua, famed urban artist, and audioMIDI.com enter into a reseller agreement for his art. Russ Jones founder of audioMIDI.com has long been a fan of Bua's art depicting musicians. "We decorated our Chatsworth office with framed Bua posters when we moved in, back in 2001. I've been a fan ever since" says Jones.

As part of this launch audioMIDI.com, Native Instruments, and Line 6 have agreed to offer a free Bua poster to customers purchasing online select products from these vendors. Further, audiomidi.com will be selling all Bua posters that have a music theme. This will include four posters that sell for $30.00 and five limited edition giclee's on canvas ranging in price from $500.00 to $750.00. "We felt this would be a great addition to the Studio Furnishings section on our site" says Jones. Bua's work adds a nice touch to your home studio or any studio for that matter...

G-Sonique Digital Instruments has released Alien303, a new VST instrument for Windows that is primarily aimed at creating "psytrance" basslines easily. Even though Alien 303 is based on the 303 concept it offers many more features. Its sound spectrum and possibilities are different from the other solutions. Alien 303 delivers sharp, digital and tough sounds.

Features :

- 10 digital and virtual analog oscillators (An.Saw, D.Saw, Saw HB, Saw DB, VNT Saw, An.Ramp, D.Ramp, D.Square, Square, Pulse).
- Vintage virtual analog filter with resonance, sharp and organic sound.
- Unison/chorus effect.
- Non-linear saturation unit.
- PingPong stereo delay.
- Amp/filter envelope.
- Portamento.

Alien303 costs €16 but is available for the introductory price of €9.90 for the first 100 customers. A demo version is available.