PC and Music News

The Saffire PRO 24 is the latest in Focusrite's new generation of FireWire audio interfaces.

Features :

• Two High Quality Focusrite Pre-amps
• High Quality 24-bit/96kHz FireWire Interface - Features high quality A-D / D-A conversion and JetPLL jitter elimination technology
• Total I/O Count of 16 Inputs and 8 Outputs
• Unique Loop-Back facility for routing audio between software applications via Saffire Mix Control
• Saffire Mix Control Zero-latency DSP Mixer/Router
• Xcite+ Software Bundle
• Focusrite VST/AU Plug-in Suite
• Front panel 5-LED metering
• Dedicated front-panel headphone bus

Pricing and Availability TBA. However some Online webstores have the Saffire Pro 24 in pre-order for around €300.

Roland unveils the new JUNO-Di Mobile Synthesizer. This latest addition to the JUNO Series is specifically designed for the musician on the go, providing a vast array of professional sounds in a lightweight, portable design.

The user-friendly design of the JUNO-Di will deliver hassle-free live keyboard performances for both the seasoned musician and entry level user. Weighing just under 12 pounds, the battery-powered JUNO-Di can be played anywhere, anytime. Plug the JUNO-Di into a portable amplifier such as the Roland Cube Street or Mobile Cube for instant amplification, or plug in headphones for quiet practice. With eight Ni-MH AA-size rechargeable batteries, the JUNO-Di can go for up to five hours without being plugged in.

The 61-note synth-action JUNO-Di boasts over 1,000 diverse customisable sounds to fit any style of music, including grand and electric pianos, modern synth sounds, lush strings, beautiful guitars, powerful brass, percussion, and banks of exotic instruments. Simple navigation with dedicated category buttons and the large LCD display ensures players can recall and perform their favourite sounds on the fly. In addition to a world-class sound engine and extreme portability, the JUNO-Di offers an array of features for the live performer. Process vocals live through its microphone input, built-in vocoder, and dedicated reverb. And with its USB memory port and song player function, the JUNO-Di enables direct playback and control of MP3, .WAV, AIFF, and SMF sound files with dedicated transport controls on the front panel.

The JUNO-Di is expected to be available in September. Pricing TBA.

Yamaha has announced two new synths designed specifically for players : the S90 XS and S70 XS Music Synthesizer. Here is an excerpt from the official website :

"Designed specifically for players, particularly those who want the highest quality piano sounds and expression, the S90 XS/S70 XS is a performer's dream. Yet, casual players and hobby musicians will appreciate the exquisite sounds, advanced features and superb playability just as much as top professional artists.

Main features :

• Sounds That Satisfy
• Streamline Your Performance
• Ideal for Live Performers
• Recording Direct to USB / Internal Memory
• 76 & 88 Keyboard
• Software Integration"

Pricing & Availability TBA.

Toontrack Music updates EZplayer pro to version 1.0.4.

New Features in 1.0.4 :

• New wrappers for Steven Slate Drums and generic IMAP formats
• SDX kit pieces available for Superior content
• contextual filtering for kit piece selection
• internal logging of missing wrappers for QA purposes

Fixed in 1.0.4 :

• channel is no longer offset by 1 in the Browser
• graphical issues on PPC affecting clips in Arranger
• uninstalling/re-installing should resolve MIDI path issue arising from relocating EZdrummer
• clicking in the timeline while looping and playing should no longer crash EZplayer
• empty MIDI files (or files emptied by wrapper action) no longer crash the program
• further sync to host improvements in Apple Logic
• missing input wrapper for RDK is now included
• Drumcore wrappers are no longer placeholders but do more than looking nice
• minor other fixes in various wrappers

Novation announces the upcoming release of its Automap software for iPhone and iPod Touch, providing an instant and intelligent, wireless, palm-sized MIDI controller.

The Automap for iPhone / iPod touch app will be available to buy from the Apple app store mid July. Combined with Novation's free Automap 3 Standard software, or Automap 3 Pro, it provides two horizontal faders and eight buttons per page, displayed on a single iPhone / iPod touch screen. However, the number of pages – and thus the number of controls – is unlimited.

Automap lets you see at a glance how every control on your iPhone / iPod touch is assigned, both on the iPhone / iPod touch itself, and across your computer screen. Combining all this visual feedback with intelligent software browsing also helps you get to the right software fast. Control maps are automatically placed into categories depending on type (instrument, effects, mixer and so on) for quick and easy browsing and selection.

Although Automap automatically and intelligently maps to all major music making software, you will inevitably

Soundprovocation "Sweeps & Whooshes" is a collection of creatively recorded, generated, played and carefully selected sound effects. These pure sounds were ment to assist audio professionals : musicians, sound designers, radio and TV producers, DJs. Effects are dedicated to blow-up expressivity and power into your music and production.

Collection contains four categories of 179 royalty-free effects total :

• Noise sweeps (23)
• Short sweeps (77)
• Tone sweeps (29)
• Crunchy sweeps (25)
• Whooshes (25)

Format : Aiff, 24 bit, 44100 Hz / Package size : 280 MB.

Sweeps & Whooshes is available now as a downloadable product at an introductory price of €9.99 instead of €19.99 until the end of this month.