PC and Music News

RojectSAM has announced the full details, pricing and availability of its new Kontakt Player 2-based orchestral sample library, Symphobia.

Key features :

- Live recordings of orchestral full-ensemble multi-samples captured in a beautiful concert hall environment.
- Vast library of orchestral clusters, rips and other instantly inspiring cinematic effects.
- Lots of additional cinematic content including Dystopia II and ethnic flute phrases.
- Two mic sets available: Concert Stage and Close mic.
- Orchestral sections recorded as full-range ensembles, pre-seated on the stage.
- Custom Kontakt scripting and interface offering repetition, simulated legato, octaver and more.
- Approx. 18 GB library pool in 44.1 kHz 24-bit.
- NI Kontakt Player 2 included.
- Mapping/programming unlocked, audio/scripting locked

Symphobia is expected to begin shipping in August 2008. It will have an MSRP of €999 / $1499 but it is currently available for the introductory pre-order price of €899 / $1349. For more information and a new set of music demos, please visit their web site.

MOTU unveils the UltraLite-mk3, the third version of MOTU's most compact and portable FireWire audio interface, featuring convenient bus powered operation and on-board mixing and effects.

Housed in a rugged, compact enclosure you can take anywhere, the UltraLite-mk3 is equally well-suited for studio and stage, with or without a computer. It provides flexible and mobile bus-powered operation, professional audio quality at samples rates up to 192 kHz and plenty of I/O, including two mic/instrument inputs, six line-level analog inputs, ten channels of analog output, stereo S/PDIF and a discrete stereo headphone output.

Features :

- 10 inputs / 14 outputs FireWire audio interface
- Two combo jacks provide hi-Z 1/4" guitar input or low-Z XLR mic input with phantom power, pad and gain
- Eight 24-bit 192kHz analog inputs and outputs on balanced/unbalanced 1/4" TRS jacks
- Precision Digital Trim - Digitally controlled analog trim on all analog inputs
- Stereo 24-bit 96kHz S/PDIF in/out
- CueMix FX - flexible 10 input/14 bus mixer with on-board DSP effects, including reverb with sends/returns, plus EQ and compression on every input and output
- Front panel headphone jack with volume control
- Bus-powered
- Stand-alone operation
- Includes drivers for Mac & PC, including ASIO, WDM, Wave, GSIF, Core Audio, and Core MIDI. Supports all popular Mac and Windows audio software

Pricing and availability to be announced.

Ueberschall announces the availability of Crunkzilla, a new "mammoth release" powered by their famous Elastik Player.

Produced by Tuny Chris and Marc Steinmeier (Kanye West, Eminem, Christina Aguilera, etc...), Crunkzilla provides 2 GB of Crunk-based grooves and shots with 40 construction kits ranging in tempo from 67 to 145 BPM.

Crunkzilla is available now for Mac OS X and Windows in VST, AU and RTAS formats at a retail price of $119/€99/£69.

DSK Music has just released DSK Indian DreamZ - a free Indian sound module VST instrument plug-in for Windows which includes Sitar, Sarod, Veena, Tar, Tampura, and Tabla.

Features :

- Velocity response.
- Amp. envelope and micro-detuner.
- HP/LP Filter.
- MIDI automation.

The d16 Group unveils Fazortan, the next release in their "Silver Line" of effects plug-ins.

Basically Fazortan is a controllable space phaser based on a retro phaser from the 70s but it has been expanded to take advantage of the flexibility software can provide.

Features :

- True emulation of classic analog all-pass phase shifter.
- 2 full controllable LFOs.
- Unique sound different from the others digital phasers.
- Presets organised into groups.
- MIDI learn function.
- 64-bit internal processing.
- No harmonic distortions at output.

Fazortan will be available at the end of this month for both PC and Mac in VST and VST/AU formats respectively. It is currently available for pre-order priced at €29. Note that audio examples are available.

Digidesign has announced the immediate availability of specially-priced Massive Pack 7 and Massive Pack Pro 7 mixing and sound processing plug-in bundles, exclusively for Pro Tools|HD users.

Inspired by overwhelming response to earlier MassivePack bundles, the new MassivePack 7 and MassivePack Pro 7 bundles offer registered Pro Tools|HD owners an opportunity to get significant savings on eight of the most in-demand Digidesign Development Partners plug-ins from Eventide, TC Electronic, Abbey Road, Brainworx, and more, as well as a choice of eight more plug-ins from Digidesign's own collection, including Eleven, Digidesign's acclaimed new guitar amp emulation plug-in, ReVibe, Reel Tape Suite, and more.

In addition, the upgraded MassivePack Pro 7 includes an HD Accel card (in PCI or PCIe format) and two additional plug-ins from TC Electronic. Both bundles are Windows XP- and Mac- compatible; many of the plug-ins are also compatible with Digidesign VENUE live sound systems.

MassivePack 7 and Massive Pack Pro 7 are available through authorized Digidesign Pro Tools|HD dealers.

Pricing :
- MassivePack 7 MSRP (USD): $1,295
- MassivePack Pro 7 (PCI) MSRP (USD): $3,495
- MassivePack Pro 7 (PCIe) MSRP (USD): $3,495