PC and Music News

Alesis announced the immediate availability of their SR-18 drum machine with integrated FX engine, battery operation and cutting-edge percussion sounds.

Features :

- Large, 32MB sound set with percussion bank and bass synth
- Built-in Effects - Reverb, EQ and Compression
- Battery Power for maximum portability
- Pattern Play Mode enables different patterns to be triggered from the pads directly
- Mute/Solo Function for parts - Drums, Bass and Percussion and per pad within a bank

The Alesis SR-18 is available now with an MSRP of $399.

Native Instruments has announced an upcoming KORE 2 workshop tour for US and Canada. On 11 dates in different cities, NI product specialists will demonstrate the unique musical workflow of KORE 2, and how to efficiently integrate its versatile functionality in different studio and stage setups.

Workshop topics include: Introduction to KORE 2, efficient usage of the KoreSound database, sound design and preset morphing, host automation and plugin management, as well as live use as a performance instrument. The workshop will be interactive, and specific interests from the audience will be incorporated.

Attendance is free of charge, no prior registration required.

KORE 2 workshop tour dates :

Clear Complex has released its first VST plug-in called Transistor.

Transistor is a slicer/sampler plug-in to create fills from drum parts or to recreate loops or entire mixes and apply various effects to modulate the sound. Transistor has 7 effects with 9 controllers each with 4 patterns and 4 sub-patterns. All in sync with the host and in real-time. You have total control over which MIDI-note to assign to trigger a sub-pattern. You can hold notes for returning later for each effect separately.

Features :

- 16-step sequencer for modulating effects.
- 7 effects with a total of 9 controls.
- Each control has 4 patterns with 4 sub-patterns with separate start positions and lengths.
- Each sub-pattern is triggered by a MIDI-note you choose.
- Automatable global controls for modulating the pattern.

Effects :

- Real-time slicer/sampler.
- Level.
- Pan.
- Distortion.
- Lowpass filter (separate control for cutoff and resonance).
- Highpass filter (separate control for cutoff and resonance).
- Reversing.

Transistor is available now as a VST plug-in for Windows at a price of €89 / $129 / £65. A demo version is available.

Beyerdynamic unveils the DT 880 PRO studio headphones which combines all strengths of open, transparent headphones with those of more powerful, closed headphones.

Features :

- Semi-open studio headphone
- Analytical qualities
- Soft ear pads and and adjustable, sliding earpieces for highest comfort
- Single sided cable

SONiVOX has released a new sample library for Kontakt users called Anatomy.

Anatomy is SONiVOX's re-imagination of the human form as an infinite template of sound, offering up over eight-hundred unique and uniquely playable instruments that transform the human body into one expansive collection of physiological melody and rhythm.

In fact it is pretty hard to describe the sound possibilities of this library, that's why SONiVOX is offering up some free fully-functioning Kontakt format instruments designed to give a taste of what can be found in Anatomy.

Anatomy is available now with an MSRP of $219. Note that it requires Native Instruments' Kontakt 2 or Kontakt 3.

Lawo announces the mc²56 production console, the newest member of the mc² series.

Based on the existing mc² technology, the mc²56 offers the Lawo HD core with up to 512 DSP channels, 144 summing buses, and a routing capacity of up to 8,192 crosspoints. The complete functionality of the mc² series is available — including the transfer of snapshots within the mc² family, as well as dynamic automation and networking with other Lawo products.

The innovative element of the mc²56 lies in the newly designed control surface which offers direct access to essential operating elements. Functions which are rarely used are handled via the touchscreen graphical user interface. This design facilitates easy operation and a short learning curve. In addition, the new construction reduces fader width to 30 mm, which enables efficient and economic working. Every 16-fader bay offers fully featured metering on a high resolution TFT.