PC and Music News

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.

Ueberschall releases Dancehall Madness Vol. II, their latest Elastik Soundbank which features 34 Construction Kits, including vocals by three different singers (two male and one female). This library comes up with 628 smashing Dancehall loops and samples. Jam packed with club oriented drums, basses, percussions, synth sounds, vocals, chords and a massive effect section.

Dancehall Madness Vol. II has an MSRP of $119 / €99 / £69. The included Elastik Players is available for Mac OS X and Windows in AU, VST and RTAS plug-in formats.

Applied Acoustics Systems (AAS) announces the upcoming release of Strum Electric GS-1, an electric guitar software synthesizer plug-in.

Based on the latest AAS physical modeling technology, Strum Electric provides simulation of the guitar itself, with modeling of different pickup types, the strings, and the pick, of the amplifier and speaker cabinet, and several popular guitar effects. It also includes and elaborate voicing module which automatically voices chords played on the keyboard as a guitar player would on the fretboard. Strumming, palm-muting, picking action, and different guitar techniques are reproduced by special strumming keys or MIDI loops.

Strum Electric GS-1 will be available at the end of the first quarter of 2009 at a retail price of $229. Strum Electric GS-1 runs on both Mac OS X and Windows, as a standalone application as well as in host sequencers supporting the VST, Audio Units, and RTAS plug-in formats.

In cooperation with the famous pianist Paul Badura-Skoda, Modartt has constructed a Walter pianoforte add-on for Pianoteq. This particular instrument was made around 1790 and has a powerful sound strengthened by its Viennese pianoforte action. Walter's instruments were frequently used by Mozart and were also praised by Beethoven.

The add-on can be downloaded freely by all customers at the following URL :

Eventide upgrades the OS of its Eclipse. What's on the menu? The Timefactor and Modfactor presets are added while using Eclipse presets. The update will be in beta starting before the end of january.

Line 6, Inc. is proud to announce the release of Pocket POD Pack.

This pack includes Pocket POD (32 fully adjustable classic and modern amp models, 16 cabinet models and 16 essential effects), a 1/4-inch guitar cable for connecting a guitar to Pocket POD, a 1/8-inch auxiliary cable for connecting an MP3 player to Pocket POD, earbuds for silent practice, a DC-2 power adapter, a USB cable, and a CD-ROM that's loaded with jam tracks and Pocket POD tone-editing software.

The Pocket POD Pack has an MSRP of $209.99.