PC and Music News

Twisted Lemon has released the fourth version of SideKick, its VST compressor with build-in side-chain.

Creating a side-chaining effect in most VST sequencers can be quite a hassle. The purpose of SideKick is to make this process a lot easier. You will be able to make a side-chaining setup just by loading two instances of the VST plug-in and linking them together by selecting one of the thirty-two built-in virtual buses.

Main changes since version 3 :

- 32 stereo virtual buses for side-chain routing.
- The virtual channels are upgraded to virtual buses, making it easier to create side-chain mixes. And thereby supports (virtually) unlimited instances of SideKick4.
- Ratio & gain control, Lifting the effect up from a gate effect to full compressor.
- Optional stereo-linking, by turning stereo-linking off you can create expressive stereo ducking & keying effects.
- Multiple audio input and output meters creating better transparency in the interface for side-chain routing.
- All parameters, including the side-chain routing can be automated and saved by the VST host. This ensures the side-chain routing will stay intact after saving and closing your project.

SideKick4 is available as a VST plug-in for Windows at a price of $18.99 / €14.99 / £12.99.

Rycote unveils the Mini Windjammers which are handheld audio recorder wind-protection. A MiniWindjammer is a lined fur cover designed to fit directly over the microphone or its foam gag, and will provide effective protection against wind noise.

Rycote currently manufacture custom-designed Miniwindjammers for the following recorders : Edirol R09, Marantz PMD620, Nagra Ares M, Zoom H4, Olympus LS10/20/30, Sony PCM D50, Tascam DR1 and Zoom H2.

Those funny little things are custom-designed and some are more complex than others so prices range from £14 to £29 including VAT.

Avlex Corporation, the name audio professionals turn to for world-class wireless technology and microphones, proudly introduces the new Superlux HD681 Semi-Open Professional Headphones.

With excellent frequency response and crystal clear detail, the Superlux HD681 dynamic headphones employ a semi-open design that enables one to monitor the audio source with breathtaking realism without being acoustically isolated. Key to the HD681's exceptional performance attributes are the large, 50mm dome type, neodymium diaphragms. Featuring a 10 Hz / 30 kHz frequency range and total harmonic distortion of less than 0.25%, the highly efficient HD681 headphones deliver wide dynamic range and enable one to listen for extended periods without experiencing ear fatigue.

Designed as classic "cans", the HD681's large, circumaural, padded vinyl earpieces envelope the listener for a remarkably comfortable experience. Further, the self-adjusting headband provides the listener with a great fit and these durable headphones can even be twisted for use in single ear monitoring. At just 8.3 ounces, the Superlux HD681 headphones are lightweight and can easily be worn for extended periods.

Shipped with a protective storage pouch, the Superlux HD681 carries an MSRP of $49.95.

PSP Audioware has just announced the release of PSP sQuad, a new bundle of four equalizer plug-ins inspired by the best features and characteristics of classic analog hardware-musicality and simplicity.

The four processors of PSP sQuad are PSP ClassicQ, a Neve-style EQ ; PSP ConsoleQ, an Amek-style EQ ; PSP preQursor and PSP RetroQ. These EQs are CPU efficient enough to be used at every stage of the creative process, from composition to tracking to final production/mixing/mastering.

The Processors in PSP sQuad have a number of features in common with each other, and with other PSP Audioware plug-ins :

- FAT double sampling. In the PSP sQuad bundle, unlike other PSP Audioware plug-ins, FAT is automatically switched on for low (below 50kHz) sample rates, and off for higher sample rates. This ensures the most accurate processing independent of the sample rate.
- 64-bit double precision floating point computations for ultra low accumulative errors in the filters.
- An optional second generation SAT(uration) option in the output of each plug-in. This both protects against digital clipping in software or hardware following the plug-in, and adds a smooth, overdriven sound to hard-driven signals. The SATuration algorithm is located after output level control in a plug-in's internal chain and its ceiling reference level is setup a fraction of dB below 0dBFS.
- All actual parameters like gain, frequency or Q may differ from displayed values which is a typical feature of analog equalizers.

PSP sQuad is available now in VST and RTAS formats for Windows ; AudioUnit, RTAS and VST for Mac OSX (UB). The introdutory price is $199 until February 14th. Note that a fully operational 14 days demo which doesn't require any hardware dongle is also available.

H. G. Fortune has just released Atonoise, a VSTi synthesizer and in Pro version VST effect for fairly spooky, SciFi and others alike sounds. It's got no filter by design and you won't hardly ever hear the basic waveforms. It's working atonal i.e. with no real defined pitch therefore it is not what you might expect - instead this one is esp. for various kinds of noisy sounds.

Atonoise is basically not meant for full polyphonic play, rather than mono- or duophonic though 5 voices are supported simply to have some reserve at longer release settings of the ADSR. There are two oscillators each with a level adjust and both followed by one amp ADSR EG. The different waveforms simply provide different flavours to the modifiers.

There are four modifiers: Inferno and Spook 1 to Spook 3. Inferno adds via Inferno Mix some upper harmonics generated from the input very similar to the timbre feature of my Swamp VSTi. Spook 1 and Spook 2 modifiers can be used as single, in parallel 1|2 or in series 1-2. The spook amount is determined by the two spook knobs while the XY-Pad ads more or less density i.e. a fairly metallic sound in lower left corner or less density at upper right corner. This can be modulated by selectable and even invertible LFOs. Moving the 'Ghost' image like a joystick ball manually is another option to modulate density. Spook 3 adds even some kind of reverbish flavour when slider is moved to the right.

For usage as VST Effect (Pro version only) one can run an external audio signal through the modifiers instead of or in addition to the internal soundsources. There is an External Input Level adjust knob to control the amount of input signal while the Dry/Wet knob serves to balance between the Dry incoming and the Wet processed signal.

A synth-only version is available for free. Pro version, with additional external input for fx processing, can be purchased for €9. All are for Windows in VST formats.

Toontrack Music starts shipping the newly announced Jazz EZX for EZdrummer this week.

The Jazz EZX features samples performed by the legendary Drum Virtuoso/Pioneer Roy "Futureman" Wooten. Roy's ground breaking percussion technique takes playing drums way beyond just simple time keeping. His approach to his craft is a much more all-encompassing and universal one. He views himself as a storyteller playing music to reach beyond the limits of common musical understanding. His recordings for the Jazz EZX, captured at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, set a bench mark for how sampling percussive instruments specifically and any musical instrument in general will be done in the future.

The Jazz EZX is available now at a price of $89/€59.