PC and Music News

MPC-Samples.com has released the drum sample pack 'Vintage Cymbals', a single instrument collection containing 96 full stereo cymbal samples, cut to vinyl and re-sampled through valve processors to give a warm, vintage feel. Suitable for all models of Akai MPC including the latest MPC5000 and MPC500 models, this pack features 16 bit, stereo WAV and SND files laid out into MPC programs for quick loading.

Vintage Cymbals is available for download at a retail price of $29.99.

Puremagnetik has recently released TeeBee, a collection of instruments and loops for Ableton Live, Kontakt and Logic sampled from the famous Roland TB-303 synthesizer.

Programmed to flawlessly emulate the original synthesizer, Puremagnetik has employed many of the new features in Live 7, Kontakt 3 and Logic 8. Instead of using the DAW's built-in effects to emulate sounds, Puremagnetik has actually sampled the unique filter and envelope stages of the original TB-303. The TeeBee download includes 24-bit 96khz sample content and over 50 looped phrases styled after classic TB-303 articulations. For Ableton Live users, Puremagnetik has developed a version for Live 7 and a "light" version for Live 6.

Puremagnetik subscriptions start at $5.75 per month.

Keyfax has released a new video called "Using Cubase 4 Recording The Band". Shot live in Santa Cruz and featuring rock band "the Liminal," this DVD lifts the lid on what it takes to record a band in the 21st century armed with Cubase as your recording medium.

The DVD shows how to hook up a hardware interface, how to deal with mic-ed amps and drums, monitoring, recording procedures and techniques, and how to prepare the best mix for mastering. Everything in the program is geared towards the practicality of a multi-musician, band type of recording experience.

"Using Cubase 4 Recording The Band" includes the raw audio files on the DVD (Cubase 4 Project file, plus the final mix) and is available from all good music stores or direct from the Steinberg web site for $44.95.

Soniccouture has released a new sample library for Native Instruments Kontakt called Balinese Gamelan. A gamelan is a kind of musical ensemble of Indonesia typically featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums, and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings.

Features :

- 24GB Library — 24 Bit 96Khz Stereo Sampling
- 25 Individual Gamelan Instruments
- Up to 20 Velocity Layers
- Over 4000 Samples
- Multiple Round Robin Layers Kontakt 2 + 3 Format

This library is available now at a retail price of $499. To hear sound samples of Balinese Gamelan please visit :

De la Mancha has just released Bent, a circuit-bent resynthesis effect. It will recreate the incoming audio into an approximation of itself using a waveform-morphing audio oscillator. Depending on the volume and pitch of the audio, it will gate, stutter and morph the output in sync with your host tempo.

Bent is available now as a VST plug-in for Windows and it is free.

Moppel has recently released a new free virtual synth called Sonitarium. It employs a variant of DSF synthesis with aliasing-free oscillators that generate a quadrature stereo signal. Providing up to 100 oscillators per voice, Sonitarium is most suitable for smooth pads, layered leads, and some oddities.

Features :

- Aliasing-free DSF oscillators, each generating a quadrature stereo signal.
- Up to 100 oscillators per voice. Unison controls to alter the pitches and phases of the oscillators.
- Freely selectable polyphony with up to 16 voices.
- Text field input for all controls.
- Envelope and key tracking controlled volume. Adjustable pitch bend range.
- Freely adjustable Attack, Decay, and Release slopes.
- MIDI control of all parameters (CC).
- 60 presets.

Sonitarium is available now as a VSTi for Windows and it's free.