PC and Music News

Steinberg has just updated Cubase 5 to version 5.0.1. Here are just a few of the feature enhancements Cubase 5.0.1 has to offer.

Plug-in scanning at program start-up has been optimized. In the Plug-in Information window, a button "Update Plug-in Information" has been added which enables scans through all installed plug-ins and adds additional information about plug-in properties to the list.

In the Setup window of VST Expression, it is now possible to define up to two individual MIDI Control Change messages for a Sound Slot in the Output Mapping area. Each sound slot can be associated with a color. When working in the MIDI editors, such as the Key Editor, you can use the Color Scheme Selector in the Toolbar to colorize note events by Sound Slots.

In LoopMash, saving or deleting a scene can be aborted by clicking the empty space next to the Scene Pads. An "Empty" preset has been added to easily clear an entire LoopMash instance. LoopMash now also supports the AI Knob of the Steinberg CC121 controller.

Supports for the AI Knob of the Steinberg CC121 controller has also been added to Groove Agent ONE. The pads C1 – B4 also include additional automation parameters. The central display on the Play page now displays a polyphony counter.

The ASIO load of REVerence has been drastically decreased and the plug-in latency has been reduced from 2,048 to 256 samples. Please note that CPU performance depends on the length of the impulse response and the number of channels used, which should be considered when setting the ASIO buffer size.

AKG unveils the Rhythm Pack, a new Live/Tour Sound Package of microphones for drums. The Rhythm Pack contains 1x D 112, 2x C 430 for overheads and 3x D 40 for toms and snare, all in a protective aluminium carrying case.

Pricing and availability TBA.

Shure today announced the acquisition of Crowley and Tripp Ribbon Microphones from Soundwave Research Laboratories of Ashland, Massachusetts. Under a definitive agreement, Shure now owns all intellectual property, microphone process equipment, product designs, and other important assets related to the Crowley and Tripp line. Shure will manufacture ribbon microphones in its Wheeling, Illinois, facility using the revolutionary, patented Roswellite shape-memory acoustic ribbon material developed by Soundwave Research.

"Ribbon microphones have always been prized for their warm sound quality, but older designs are delicate, which has limited their applications," said Scott Sullivan, Shure's Senior Director of Global Product Management. "With the acquisition of the Crowley and Tripp product l ...

RNDigital Labs has just released Uniquel-izer 2. The new version of this EQ plug-in features a completely redesigned GUI and two new integrated audio spectrum analyzers : a FFT Spectrum Analyzer and a Spectrogram, borrowed from RNDigital Labs Inspector XL analysis plug-in.

Uniquel-izer 2 is available now for Mac OS X and Windows in VST, Audio Unit and RTAS plug-in formats for $249 and in TDM format for $299. Current owners of Uniquel-izer will be able to download Uniquel-izer 2 at no additional charge.

First, Waves took everything they learned when they modeled classic hardware for their SSL 4000 Collection, V-Series, and The API Collection. Then, they imagined a series of plug-ins that would blend the best of yesterday's sound with today's technology. Finally, they brought these elements together, and created the plug-ins that would realize their vision. The result is the new Waves Hybrid Line.

H-Delay
From real old school PCM42-style effects like filtering, flanging, and phasing, to slap-back echo, ping-pong delay, and tempo-sync with modulation, H-Delay delivers the goods, controlled by a super intuitive interface that lets you get right down to business.

Featuring :

- Up to 3500 ms delay time.
- Variable pitch delay time behavior.
- Analog character modes.
- Infinite feedback support.
- LFO-controlled pitch modulation.
- LoFi mode.
- Tap + BPM sync.
- Full MIDI support.

H-Comp
H-Comp is a brand new dynamics processor that combines the modeled behavior of transformers, tubes, and transistors, together with the power and precision that only a plug-in can provide.

EastWest has signed an agreement with Ohm Force to include three of the company's effects plug-ins Ohmicide:Melohman, QuadFrohmage and OhmBoyz in select PLAY products. With the addition of these effects, users will have even more control over the resulting sound of their productions.

"At EastWest we look to give our users the best sounding instruments available as well as a means to adjust the sounds to fit their particular project; the addition of Ohmforce effects is just an extension of that," says Doug Rogers, founder and producer of EastWest. "With our high-quality convolution reverb and effects, including those we just added to PLAY PRO, plus inclusion of user programming and scripting with the included Python programming language, we not only have the most powerful 64-bit/32-bit Sampler in the market, but the highest quality effects, reverb, and user programming tools available."

Ohmicide:Melohman offers users a variety of distortions such as