PC and Music News

By the time the doors open at NAMM 2008, the optional eight-channel A-D converter card for Focusrite's new ISA828 eight channel pre will be available from all good pro audio stores across the globe.

The ISA828 eight channel 192kHz A-D converter is the first audio A-D converter to utilise Burr-Brown Pro Audio Amplifiers and PCM4220 A-D converter chips. With cutting-edge conversion technology seated within Focusrite custom analogue circuitry, the card delivers unparalleled performance; specifications include a dynamic range of 122dB and jitter less than 250 picoseconds.

The card can be retrofitted at any time and, thanks to its convenient 25 pin D-Type connector, integrates seamlessly with ProTools HD as well as other popular hard disk recorders and mixing desks. Digital formats include an eight-channel single/dual wire AES/EBU and SPDIF output, as well as an eight-channel ADAT lightpipe (SMUX/SMUX2) output. Wordclock i/o is provided via dedicated BNC connectors.

Nassen Software Development has just released Matryx v1.0, a modular rack-based VST-Host inspired by oldskool analogue sequencers that started life as an entry in the 2006 KVR Developer Challenge.

Matryx is about concentrating on patterns first. Varying them with different loop-points, adding pattern sequencers and polyrhythmic controllers. Different patterns and routings can be combined into mixer states for complex loop creation. You can live record phrases, VST tweaks and user interface actions, or you can dropdown events in a linear panel.

Matryx tries to fill the gap between pattern- and linear sequencing.

Features :

- HOST/Sequencer for VST instruments and effects.
- Step-, pattern- and linear sequencing.
- 16 channel mixer. Every rack can hold up to 8 inserts.
- Stand-alone with ASIO/MME drivers or as a Rewire slave.

Matryx costs €99 and is available for Windows. A demo version is available.

Voxengo has just updated Overtone GEQ to version 1.3. This newer version of their free 7-band equalizer plug-in offers a better look-and-feel of the plug-in, user interface rescaling and coloration options, and several other enhancements.

Features :

- 7-band graphic equalizing
- ± 12 dB gain range per band
- 2 graphic equalizer views
- Multi-channel processing
- Internal channel routing
- Channel grouping
- Mid/side processing
- Complex harmonic coloration
- 64-bit floating point processing
- Preset manager
- Undo/redo history
- A/B comparisons
- Contextual hint messages

Overtone GEQ 1.3 is available now for Windows, Windows 64 and Mac OS X platforms in VST and AU formats.

Use Audio Inc. is announcing the release of the Plugiator, an innovative table top synthesizer which utilizes the latest and fastest DSP technology to provide high-end plug-in technology within a most convenient portable form factor.

The Plugiator can store up to eight proprietary plug-ins featuring very different synthesis architectures and can load any one at a time at a push of a button. Each plug-in comes with 100 presets. When connected to your computer via USB, the Plug-In Manager software (for Windows and OSX) lets you tweak each plug-in via its GUI and manage your presets which you want stored in the Plugiator box. On top of that Use Audio also provides an online sound database – which allows you to listen to new user-uploaded presets with just one click of your mouse.

As for the operating panel it features 8 encoder knobs allowing you to tweak major sound parameters while playing, and the ten "quick pad" to store and recall your favorite plug-in/preset combinations. The Plugiator box also provides MIDI In and Thru connections, USB, a microphone input, stereo line outs and a headphone output.

The Plugiator comes loaded with four plug-ins :

- the Minimax, a Moog-kind emulation
- the Lightwave, a wavetable synth
- the B4000, an emulation of guess what ?
- the Vocodizer, a vocoder

The Plugiator will have its debut at NAMM in January (Hall E Booth 1204), and will be available with dealers from February 2008 at a retail price of 399 EUR incl VAT / 469 USD net.

Yamaha has announced that it has reached a basic agreement to purchase 100% of the shares of L. Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH, the premium piano manufacturer.

Yamaha made its decision to acquire 100% of Bösendorfer's shares based on its judgment that the acquisition will make it possible to draw fully on the strengths and special features of both Yamaha and Bösendorfer pianos to contribute to musical culture through continuing to offer top-quality pianos to the market and significantly enhancing Yamaha's presence in the premium piano market.

Is it a good news ?

Dave Smith and Roger Linn have announced at Winter NAMM 2007 the BoomChik, their new rhythm machine project.

Since, no news.

Till today :
the "BoomChik" name has been discarded. Instead, there will be two models : the digital LinnDrum II and the LinnDrum II Analog, which adds a 4-voice analog synth and 27 dual-function voicing knobs.
The LinnDrum II will be available from Roger Linn Design and the LinnDrum II Analog will be available from Dave Smith Instruments.

Both are supposed to be shipping by mid-2008.