PC and Music News

Native Instruments just announced that KORE 2, the second generation of its advanced multi-functional host system, is now available in stores worldwide. They have also announced the release of KORESOUND PACKS, a new line of affordable high-quality sound packs for use in KORE 2.

KORE 2 is available for a suggested retail price of $ 559 / € 499. All KORESOUND PACKS are available for $ 59 / € 49 as downloads in the NI Online Shop. Every owner of KORE 2 is also eligible for a free download of one KORESOUND PACK of his choice.

Marek Design Creative Microphone Systems introduces the KS3, a hand built true pressure transducer with an all tube amplifier. It is a condenser microphone system with a warm, three-dimensional, transparent sound.

The exceedingly thin pure Aluminium diaphragm of the new designed capsule is 1" in diameter. The polar pattern of the KS3 is Omni with a slightly directiv effect. It has an evenly increase of treble over 2kHz and a strong and very flat frequency response down to lowest frequencies. With a very low self noise of 14 dB-A, more gain can be used without risk of adding noise to the final product. The dynamic range of the KS3 is 132 dB (extended dynamic range is 159 dB SPL), allowing reproduction of the full musical expression, without restraint. This microphone is able to accept s ...

M-Audio has added another product to their Fast Track audio interface series. The Fast Track Ultra is a high-speed 8x8 USB 2.0 interface with MX Core DSP technology.

Features :

- 24-bit/96kHz professional audio on all I/O simultaneously
- high-speed USB 2.0 interface
- MX Core DSP technology (digital effects processing with assignable parameters, flexible channel routing options, expands DSP mixing interface to 16 x 8)
- 4 preamps with M-Audio Octane technology
- 4 XLR microphone inputs—including 2 XLR/TRS combo jacks for mic or instrument level inputs
- 20dB pad on each preamp
- signal/peak LED indicator lights
- phantom power
- 6 balanced line inputs
- 6 balanced analog outputs
- 2 analog inserts
- S/PDIF digital I/O
- built-in 1 x 1 MIDI interface
- 2 independent headphone outputs with individual volume controls
- USB bus power*
- full ASIO 2.0, WDM, MME, and Core Audio support

*USB bus power enables analog channels 1 and 2, S/PDIF I/O, and headphone output 1; included power supply required for full 8 x 8 operation.

The Fast Track Ultra is available now at a retail price of $449.95 / €399.

Native Instruments and Beatport today unveiled Beatport SYNC, a free music playback software for Mac and Windows that provides a unique feature set for modern listening habits. Based on the groundbreaking TRAKTOR DJ software, Beatport SYNC combines powerful music management capabilities with basic DJ mixing functions and full integration of the Beatport online store in one easy-to-use application.

Equipped with two playback decks and a crossfader section, it allows everybody to easily mix and match individual tracks into one consistent flow of music. Aspects like beat detection, tempo synchronization and loudness optimization are all handled automatically and intelligently by the software. The comprehensive track management functions also make it an ideal tool to handle today's evergro ...

Following the development of its monumental sample libraries and the groundbreaking Vienna Instruments software and audio engine, the Vienna team now introduces a new software solution called Vienna Ensemble. The exclusive Vienna Instruments mixing and host software is available as a free download for all registered users of Vienna Instruments and works on Macs and PCs. And there is even more good news for Pro Tools users: All Vienna Instruments Collections as well as the new Vienna Ensemble are now RTAS compatible on the Mac OS X platform.

Features :

- Custom-made for hosting Vienna Instruments
- Stand-alone application, ideal for running Vienna Instruments on external Macs and PCs: 8 ports with 16 MIDI channels each
- Plug-in formats RTAS (Mac PPC & Intel), AU (Mac PPC & Intel) and VST (PC and Mac PPC & Intel) for use with a host sequencer: 16 MIDI channels per instance
- Instant instrument switching gives immediate access to all instruments within the Vienna Ensemble user interface. A click on the desired instrument channel brings up its user interface instantly, no more redundant screen clutter.
- Instrument naming—all Vienna Instruments instances inside Vienna Ensemble can be labeled for a complete, at-a-glance overview.
- Total recall—orchestra setups can be saved with one click
- Definable play ranges for multi-instrument set-ups for studio and live use
- Inserts for AU (Mac) and VST (PC) effect plug-ins
- Panning and Power Panning for precise positioning
- Flexible routing with freely assignable busses
- Separated server solution that utilizes additional free memory, leaving host sequencer memory or memory used by additional Vienna Instruments plug-ins unaddressed.
- PC version: Windows XP and Vista (both 32 and 64-bit)
- Mac version: 32-bit for Mac PPC and Intel, 64-bit version coming soon

M-Audio is proud to announce shipment of the KeyStudio 49i music production system, an USB keyboard controller which integrates a 2-in/2-out audio interface and on-board premium piano sound.

Users can play the on-board piano as a stand-alone instrument—no computer or software required. The expressive, stereo-sampled emulation of a Steinway grand piano was crafted by the acclaimed Digidesign® Advanced Instrument Research Group, and also features reverb for enhanced realism without a computer. Users can also connect the KeyStudio 49i keyboard to a PC or Mac via USB and play a total of 128 sounds with the included M-Audio GM Module software. The keyboard incorporates a 2-input/2-output audio interface, allowing musicians to record vocals and instruments as well as listen to sessions and mi ...