PC and Music News

Ableton has just released the Orchestral Instruments, four sampled instrument collections representing the four sections of an orchestra.

The instrument collections are available individually or as an attractively priced bundle and bring rich, authentic, symphonic sound to Ableton Live. Strings, Brass, Woodwinds and Percussion have been painstakingly recorded in a number of velocities and articulations, employing the expertise of world-class musicians, engineers and producers. The Orchestral Instruments are seamlessly integrated into the Ableton Live environment and use a technology called SmartPriming to manage system resources efficiently, providing big symphonic sound with a minimum of CPU action.

Produced in partnership with SONiVOX, the instruments include violin, viola, cello, double bass, French horn, trombone, trumpet, tuba, flute, clarinet, bassoon, oboe, English horn, vibraphone, marimba, xylophone, crotales, glockenspiel, tubular bells, cymbals and timpani. Many instruments are provided in solo and ensemble variants and multiple articulations. Each instrument is available in a high-fidelity version for studio production and a lower-fidelity configuration for decreased overhead and instant performance.

The Orchestral Instruments are available now and priced as following :

- Orchestral Instruments Collection : €499/$599
- Orchestral Strings : €159/$189
- Orchestral Brass : €159/$189
- Orchestral Woodwinds : €159/$189
- Orchestral Percussion : €129/$159

CharterOak Acoustic Devices once again expands its product offerings, with the release of the SCL-1 all discreet stereo compressor/limiter. The SCL-1 will be shown for the first time at the Amsterdam AES Show this month.

The SCL-1 Solid State Compressor/Limiter employs all discreet electronics and is capable of providing a constant output level regardless of input level or frequency, without the familiar pumping inherent in most compressor/limiters. The unit delivers extremely fast attack times without overcompensation, and a release characteristic, which is a function of dynamic range and average program level. Designed to fit any standard 19" rack, the SCL-1 may be used as a stereo unit, or as two independent limiters in the dual mode.

The SCL-1 will begin shipping in June of 2008.

Our partner Sweetwater has declared May "Portable Recorder Month," and to properly observe the occasion, they're holding a 12-day Recorder Giveaway.

Starting May 19, Sweetwater will give away one portable recorder each day for 12 days. Manufacturers include Boss, Edirol, HHB, Korg, Marantz, M-Audio, Roland, Sony, Sound Devices, TASCAM, Yamaha, and Zoom. One entry makes you eligible for all 12 prizes.

In response to user feedback EastWest announces RTAS support for Mac and PC versions of all PLAY products. The software updates (PLAY v1.0.056) are available for both Mac and PC platforms in both standalone and plug-in versions, with PC updates being offered for both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.

Current PLAY-powered collections can be upgraded to include RTAS support through a free update posted on the company's website at :

Lexicon finally started shipping their new PCM96 Stereo Reverb/Effects Processor. Featuring a wide array of rich, complex reverb algorithms with related delays and effects, the single rack-space PCM96 integrates seamlessly into the modern studio as a control-only DAW insert or FireWire streaming hardware plug-in.

Features :

• 28 legendary Lexicon® reverbs, modulation, and delay effects
• New mono reverbs and effects including Chamber, Hall, Plate
• "Hardware Plug-In" feature with Mac VST® and Audio Units software
• DAW automation through plug-in format
• FireWire streaming through plug-in format
• Two channels XLR balanced 24-bit I/O
• Two channels AES/EBU digital I/O
• Dual Ethernet and Firewire Connections
• MIDI IN, OU ...

California microphone manufacturer Josephson Engineering has announced a special anniversary model in their Series Seven studio microphone line, the C720. To mark our 20th year the C720 is being made in a limited edition of only 20 units.

The C720 features a variant of the dual-diaphragm capsule used in the C700 series of microphones. Each side of the capsule has its own dedicated audio channel. The front and back signals are brought out to individual 3-pin XLR connectors. The two signals can be mixed in different ratios to produce any desired directional pattern from omni through wide cardioid to cardioid, hypercardioid and figure-8.

A unique and patent-pending feature of the C720 is that the grille surrounding the capsule is made not of the usual perforated metal sheet or woven wi ...