PC and Music News

Kurzweil should make its (big ?) come-back at Winter Namm 2008, with the PC3x, their newest performance controller, offering a huge collection of over 800 sounds combined with comprehensive real-time controller functions.
Among other things, their Classic Keys ROM, a large vintage keyboard rig, is included, as well as the VA1 analog synth architecture (for free til Feb 15th 2008), coming from their never issued analog modeling supermonster synth (remember Winter Namm 2004 ?), or the famous Kurzweil Triple Strike Piano.
And Dynamic V.A.S.T. is said to "pick up where the K series left off. Having up to 32 layers per program means that emulations of real instruments can be extremely detailed and accurate, while the synthesized sounds can be extraordinarily large and complex."
A few ...

U-he releases version 2.0 of its excellent More Feedback Machine (Win, Mac UB, VST & AU).

More Feedback Machine offers ultra flexible delay effects ranging from bread & butter stuff to weird rhythmic deconstructions.
The idea behind MFM is to give the musician as much control over 4 separate delay lines as possible (each with panning, filter, output level and lots of feedback options), and having them interact, as well as having means to modulate delay parameters in realtime.

MFM2 costs $79. The update from MFM1 to MFM2 is free for registered users. A demo is available.

Phaedra is a Kontakt Player 2 dedicated to analog synths, featuring over 4 GB of sounds, 20,000 samples and 720 patches (VST 2.0, DXi, ASIO, AU, RTAS, Mac & PC).

Producer Sam Spacey has constructed Phaedra with the same attention to detail as a huge orchestral sample library. Each of the 20,000 samples has been edited and looped by hand, with loops being very long.
Nearly every single preset has each separate note sampled so as to eliminate aliasing within the instrument's range.

Categories include : Synth 1, Synth 2, Bass, Leads, Pads, Sequences, FX, DnB, Synth Builder & Multis

Some synths used for Phaedra : Mini Moog D, Welsh Moog, Yamaha CS5, CS-15 & CS-30, Korg Monopoly & MS-20, Studio Electronics SE-1, Roland SH-101, Crumar Multiman, Akai AX-73, etc.

Recommended Retail Price:
$199.95 (169 euros/114.95 pounds sterling)

Primacoustic has announced Maxtrap, a corner bass trap which is combination broadband absorber and bass trap that employs three sound absorbing principles at once to control the acoustics in a room. These help eliminate secondary reflections and flutter echo, absorb standing waves, and control bass down to 75Hz.

Placed in a corner, the MaxTrap features an elegantly finished front panel that is housed in a high-density wood composite frame. The panel is made from 3" thick high-density fiberglass that is fully encapsulated in micromesh with resin hardened edges to absorb mid and high frequencies. To help tame standing waves and increase low-frequency absorption, a deep air cavity behind the face panel extends back 17" to the corner, creating the bass trap. This is augmented with a heavy s ...

AudioWarrior has just released Bass Rig For KONTAKT. This library for Kontakt contains high quality samples based on the legendary Fender Electric Jazz Bass( J-Bass), Schecter Scorpion [Low B] Electric Slap Bass, and an all wood large Acoustic Upright Bass with w-i-d-e organic resonance and the best sounds of classic analogue Bass Synths. Note that Bass Rig includes fret/finger noise and string buzz.

Bass Rig For KONTAKT is available now for Mac OS X and Windows XP | Vista, it costs $49. Kontakt 2 or higher is required.

Wahnsyn has announced the release of Authentic-Strings v1.0, a VSTi that provides 8 different string instruments that can be played individually or as a complete orchestra. All instruments are sampled at multiple velocity-levels so the full dynamic amplitude of an orchestra can produced.

A violin, viola, cello and a double bass are integrated as solo instruments. In addition, 4 combinations are available: Combi, pizzicato, staccato and the ensemble modes. At the same time, all 4 solo instruments are spread sensibly across the complete claviature.

On top of that multi-functions can be added to the Mod-Wheel or the Foot-Controller, to create a live concert feeling.

Authentic-Strings v1.0 is available now as a VSTi for Windows at a retail price of €49.