PC and Music News

M-Audio has announced the availability of Pro Tools M-Powered 7.4 software for Mac OS X and Windows. This version offers numerous new music features and workflow enhancements including a powerful, multifaceted new music composition and production tool called Elastic Time which allows users to easily change the tempo and timing of loops, music, dialog and other sound files in real time without cutting up audio tracks.

Pro Tools M-Powered 7.4 software is now available for Windows XP-, Windows Vista- and Mac OS X (Tiger)-based Pro Tools M-Powered systems. Expanded Windows Vista and OS X (Leopard) support will be announced later. The standard upgrade cost is $75; the cost of upgrading from Pro Tools M-Powered 7.3 is $49.

Note that Customers who have purchased a new Pro Tools M-Powered system or upgrade on or after October 1, 2007 will be eligible for a free software upgrade.

Sugar Bytes has just released WOW, a filter-box with 10 Filtertypes, including Vowel Mode, Overdrive and a modulation system. WOW offers a good collection of filter types : High, Band and Lowpass (each 12 or 24dB), Comb Filter, Band Reject, Band and LF Crusher.
The Vowel mode seems to come from their Unique synthesizer (which is worth a try) : 2 Vowels (U, UE, O, OE, A, A:, AE, E, I.) can be mixed via Cutoff, with all available filter types.
The modulators, Envelope Follower, LFO and Step Sequencer, can be mixed in the parameters right-click menus and can modulate each other.

WOW is available as VST and AU Plugin, for Mac and PC and cost 99 dollars (79 euros).
Note that there is a demo version.

Today Sims Audio unveils the INFRASONIC Quartet PCI recording interface, a 4X4 audio interface which uses an extremely stable PCI connection to connect with your computer and is capable of samples rates up to 192 kHz ADC with full 24-bit recording.

The Quartet features a high quality microphone preamp with +48v phantom power and a low pass filter. Additional input/output options include: line level I/O, digital I/O, MIDI I/O, and word clock I/O. Also included in the package is SIMS Audio's mixer software which allows the user to connect the Quartet to every part of your computer's I/O settings.

The Quartet has a MSRP of $199 USD and will be available in the 1st quarter of 2008.

Flying Haggis: a rare and much sought-after Scottish creature. Those lucky enough to spot this shy little animal are filled with a sense of pride and happiness. Not a coincidence if this legend became the inspiration for db audioware's latest and finest virtual guitar amp, which is said to produce similar feelings in those who play it.

The Flying Haggis will be landing imminently. From 3rd December, registered owners of any previous db audioware guitar amps (including Quantum FX) can download Flying Haggis beta version by logging into their personal support page. More info coming soon...

Sims Audio has announced the INFRA-SONIC Blow5d digital monitors. The BLOW5D studio monitors feature on-board D/A converters that are constructed with Burr Brown op amps. They support up to a 24-bit/192kHz sample format and have a dynamic range of 123dB and can accept a wide variety of inputs including: SPDIF, RCA, AES/EBU, XLR, TRS, or TS. They also feature room compensation controls and a bass response switch. The room compensation controls (accessible via a switch on the back of the unit) allow the user to alter the frequency response of the monitors to better suit any room. The bass reduction switch allows bass frequencies to be reduced to better accommodate the use of a subwoofer or a bass heavy mixing environment.

The BLOW5D monitors have an MSRP of $550 USD and will be available 1st quarter of 2008.

EXPANSE is a collection of multi-sampled 24bit waveforms that can be played as instruments, used as drones, or to create tonal beds. Some touching on the traditional, others exploring the surreal or etherial, but never too close to the mundane, and never too far away that they loose the listeners connection.

All patches are programmed with modulation wheel support. 1 gigabyte of 24bit multisamples make up the 128 Instrument Patches and 79 Multi Patches. All instrument patches are broken down into the categories: Fast Attack - Pads - String Hybrids - Vocal - Weird. Multi Patches are sorted as either Fast Attack, or Slow Attack.

Now available for the introductory price of $79 until January 1st 2008. Note that additional patches utilizing Kontakt 3 features and fixes (modulation sync) will be available, free of charge to registed users, 1st quarter 2008.