PC and Music News

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.

Nady Systems recently announced the introduction of their new condenser microphone, the USB-1C. Using the supplied USB cable, the mic connects directly to any computer with a USB 2.0 (or higher) input port for easy plug-and-play operation.

Features :

- large pressure-gradient condenser gold-sputtered diaphragm and FET preamplifiers
- full frequency response
- minimal self-noise, increased dynamic range, and maximum SPL capacity
- rugged compact construction with protective mesh grill and internal shock absorption
- basemount mic holder fits any standard mic stand
- 10' USB cable included

Nucleus SoundLab is proud to announce the release of DataBank Two. DataBank Two is the next installment in the popular line of Native Instruments Massive presets by Nucleus SoundLab.

Designed by Jeremy Janzen, DataBank Two was created over the course of 6 months—using the lessons and experience gained in the production of DataBank One. These presets take into account customer feedback to provide another unique, useable and flexible set of sounds. The resulting presets are unsurprisingly even better than the first product. Psychedelic leads, round sub-basses, future pads and of course mindbending multitrack sequences are all present and accounted for. Every one of the 100 included presets is fully Kore-ready with all 8 Macro Knobs mapped to appropriate, useful parameters. Often Knobs control multiple related parameters to trigger powerful morphs across many different sonic dimensions. Of course, the presets also fully conform to Kore categorization as well.

Not only that, but DataBank Two carries on its predecessor's utility as a sound design tutorial: DataBank Two is isn't just a patchset—but a Massive programming masterclass! Virtually all presets include valuable programming notes to help you better understand the presets and Massive itself.

DataBank Two is available now for electronic distribution at the low price of 29.95 EUR. A demo bank is available for free download.

AudioWarrior has released "The Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ" instrument collection for Kontakt. This 3 instrument collection includes the legendary Wurly Theatre Organ considered by some as the first live performance sampler instrument with built in sound effects like sleigh bells, drum roll, church chimes, and real traps [drums] inside the actual body along with tuned-pipe simulated violin, tuba, voices, oboe, cello, etc. "The Mighty Wurlitzer" theatre organ was designed, originally by Robert Hope-Jones, as a "one man orchestra" to accompany silent movies. In all, Wurlitzer built over 2,200 pipe organs.

The Music Hall instrument is actually a concert instrument, capable of playing classical as well as non-classical repertoire. It was the only Wurlitzer installation still in use that has dual identical, but independent consoles. Smaller instruments in the UK exist in their original installations, such as the Gaumont State Cinema, Kilburn and the Blackpool Tower Ballroom in the UK. These instruments are still being played several times a week. The B3 organ uses an AudioWarrior secret sampling/sweetening formula that "brings out the rich swirling harmonic resonance characteristics of this fantastic band instrument". The Church Organ uses the same formulas as above to bring out the huge cave-like reverb and pipe attack of a massive Notre Dame style Cathedral Pipe Organ.

Requires Kontakt 2 or higher. Mac OS X/Windows XP/Vista.
Price: $49