PC and Music News

Our friends at SonicState have just started a new video serie called the Top Five Greatest Sampler Ever : A journey into the world of digital sampling and its bygone age. Looking back, few electronic instruments have influenced the direction of music more than digital samplers. Enabling the creation of whole new genres of music through technology and basically theft, the digital sampler is responsible (via the art of sampling) for many musical twists and turns. These videos features interviews with: Adrian Utely (Portishead), Will Gregory (Goldfrapp), Plaid, Nick Batt (DNA), Richard Termini (Cyndi Lauper Band), James Asher and more..

NuGen Audio in conjunction with MusicTech Magazine has announced the release of Visualizer MusicTech Edition. This is a specially compiled free edition available on the covermount DVD or download.

Visualizer MusicTech Edition is a flexible FFT audio analyser designed to allow access to a range of audio analysis views via a single interface, using a unique intelligent window system to manage the controls and screen layout.

Features include:

- Multiple level meters (Peak/RMS.)
- FFT Spectrum Analysis
- Stereo Spectrum Analysis
- Correlation Meter
- Stats and Parameters module
- Intelligent window optimisation
- Frequency zoom and scroll
- dB Zoom and scroll
- Peak hold control
- Colour selection
- FFT window selection
- Optimized resource use
- OS: Windows
- Format: VST Effect
- Cost: Free
- Availability: Now

MHC has just released Extreme, a hybrid synthesizer which plays an extensive set of extreme waveforms/samples, for example distorted, big, punchy, noisy and wicked waveforms, processing these using a filter, envelopes, an LFO, an ensemble, delays and an effect section which features 133 different effect modes, including crossfading effects and layered effects.

Features :

- 1024 presets (if all soundpacks are installed). A soundpack is an expansion which adds new extreme waveforms and presets.
- Crossfading and layered effects which feature distortion, filter banks, a resonator, flanger, sub oscillation, amp modulation, pitch shift etc.
- All knobs can be mapped to MIDI controllers with a simple "learn" function.
- Ensemble with adjustable amount and mix. Stereo delays.
- Full polyphony. Only your CPU sets the limit or you may set a fixed voice limit.

Extreme is available in VST and AU formats for Windows and Mac OS X at a retail price of $139.

Image Line has also released Edison which is a fully host-integrated audio editing and recording tool that loads into any VST compatible effects location and will then record or play audio from that position. You may load as many instances of edison as you desire, in any number of mixer tracks or effects locations.

Key features :

- Optimized for sampler use (sampler region, seamless looping)
- Drumloop slicing (auto-slicing, slice manipulation)
- Quick drag&drop support (between instances or to your sequencer/other plugins)
- Various recording modes (start/stop with host, on audio input, can also work as transparent audio logger)
- Time manipulation (time stretching/pitch shifting, scratching)
- Effects: convolution reverb, blur, linear-phase equalization,
- High-quality resampling
- The smoothest spectral analysis display
- Click-free editing
- Full undo history
- Intuitive editing with key feature tool-buttons
- (Pascal) scripted manipulation of waveforms
- Control surface support (FL Studio 8 version)

Edison will not be available as a seperate plugin but is part of the 'JUICE-pack' which costs $99.

Image Line Software released its latest audio weapon - the Multiband Maximizer Maximus. It combines high quality Maximizer, Compressor, Limiter, Noise Gate, Expander, Ducker and De-esser.

Key features :

- 3 independent user-definable High Mid Low (HML) frequency bands
- Custom look-ahead for the HML bands and Master compression envelopes
- 4 limiter/compressors: One per HML band plus a Master wide band limiter/compressor
- Each compressor has a multipoint compression curve. Create any shaped knee or special effects (limiting, compression, gating or expansion)
- Fully configurable. Any of the HML or Master compressors can be bypassed to configure Maximus to suit any limiting, compression or maximization task
- Two saturation types per HML & Master bands, with independent gain
- Phase-free mixing between the frequency dependent compressors and the master, perfect for parallel & NY-style compression
- 4 Independent stereo separation controls, one per band, for independent bass through to high-end separation shaping

Maximus is available now for Windows at an introductory price of $119 instead of the retail price of $189.

M-Audio is proud to announce the KeyRig 25 keyboard controller and software bundle, which closely follows the release of the previously announced KeyRig 49 package. The KeyRig 25 features an ultra-slim, 25-note keyboard with half-depth action, along with eight MIDI-assignable knobs and buttons while the KeyRig 49 features a 49-note, synth-action keyboard designed for users who want a more traditional approach to keyboard playing. Both keyboards also include professional features like pitch bend and modulation controls, an assignable volume slider, octave +/- buttons and sustain pedal input. The units are powered from the computer via a single USB cable and work right out of the box with Windows XP and Mac OS X systems—no driver installation needed.

Both configurations feature M-Audio's Key Rig software (valued at $129)—a single virtual rack that covers all of the basic needs of today's keyboardist. Compatible with most PC environments, Key Rig delivers four modules for stand-alone or plug-in use: SP-1 Stage Piano, MS-2 Polyphonic Synthesizer, MB-3 Tone Wheel Organ and GM-4 General MIDI Module. The master section allows users to route, split, layer and mix these four modules in whatever way best suits their performance and recording needs. A master effects section also provides for adding a common effect in addition to the individual effect section included with each instrument.

Both keyboards are currently shipping. Each keyboard carries a US MSRP of $129.95.