PC and Music News

Toontrack Music proudly announces that its all-new sound-replacing tool is now shipping in all territories.

Drumtracker is a stand-alone, host independent, multi-track audio to MIDI converter. Specifically designed to convert drum session audio recordings to MIDI files for drum replacement purposes, Drumtracker will grant your drums a new lease of life.

Drumtracker is available now for both Mac and PC and is priced at $149 / €99. Note that a demo version is also available.

By the way, this year Toontrack Music is bringing the entire development crew to the NAMM show in Anaheim, CA from the 15th to the 18th of January (booth 1200 in Hall E). Take this unique opportunity to talk directly to the people behind products like EZdrummer, Superior Drummer 2.0, etc...

Antares Audio Technologies has announced that Auto-Tune EFX - Real-Time Auto-Tune Vocal Effect and Pitch Correction Plug-in will now be available at authorized Antares dealers around the world.

Initially introduced in a limited rollout in November 2008, Auto-Tune EFX is an affordable and easy-to-use tool for real-time pitch correction and for creating the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect (i.e., the T-Pain/ Cher-style effect). Powered by the same Evo Voice Processing Technology as Antares' Auto-Tune Evo, Auto-Tune EFX makes Antares-quality pitch processing accessible to anyone engaged in computer-based audio recording.

Auto-Tune EFX is available for RTAS (Mac OS X and PC), VST (Mac OS X and PC) and Audio Units (Mac OS X) at a U.S. MSRP of $129.00. All Macintosh versions are universal binaries.

Waves has just released a new plug-in called Center.

Ideal for final mixes and mastering, Waves Center is an innovative new processor that separates phantom Center content from Side (L/R) content. With Center, you can zero in on the phantom center and bring out or bring down the vocals without affecting everything else. Perfect for post-production engineers and DJs as well, Center lets you reposition, isolate, and even eliminate elements of your mix.

Using a unique dynamic engine which considers the amplitude, frequency, and time envelope of stereo sources, Center gives you the power to radically re-balance your spatial imagery. Adjustable punch, high frequency, and low frequency controls let you enhance detail with maximum impact.

Controls :

- High controls balance of high frequency content between the Center and Sides. 0 - 100 (0=Center)
- Low controls balance of low frequency content between the Center and Sides. 0 - 100 (0=Center)
- Punch controls the spread of transient content between the Center and Sides. 0 - 100 (0=Center)
- Center controls the Center gain. +6dB to Off
- Sides controls the Sides gain +6dB to Off
- Master Gain controls the overall stereo gain. +6dB to -24dB
- Output Meters displays the stereo output after processing. 0 dBFS to -36 dBFS
- Center Detection Meter Displays the Center content of the stereo source

Waves Center is available now for both Mac and PC in VST, AU and RTAS formats for a fee of $400 and in TDM formats for $800.

Jeroen Breebaart has released Red Phatt Pro, a new VST plug-in for Windows which provides flexible and powerful dynamics processing. Whether you need smooth and transparent dynamic range reduction, gating, expansion, New York-style compression, or simply squeeze a drum track to phatten the sound, Red Phatt Pro will perform the job for you.

Features :

- Zero latency processing optimized for both live and studio use
- Mono and stereo operation modes
- Support for all sampling frequencies supported by the plugin host
- Support for 64-bits (double-precision) audio data for high-end use
- Mono or stereo sidechain input for broadcast or advanced music production purposes
- Higher-order level detector with controllable filter and hysteresis for maximum control of the detected signal envelopes
- Variable attack, hold and release characteristics
- Ultra fast attack rates down to 0.0001 seconds and release times down to 0.001 seconds
- Different release curves for more sonic variety
- Dual-ratio compression / expansion curves for maximum dynamics flexibility supporting both upward and downward compression
- Support for parallel (New-York style) compression
- Integrated zero-latency peak limiter
- Clear user interface and display with dry input/output curve, effective input/output curve, current input level, compressor and limiter gains for visual inspection of plugin operation
- Variety of categorized presets to quickly set all 19 parameters depending on the desired use case

Red Phatt Pro is available now for a fee of $10.

TC Electronic and Blue Microphones have announced that TC Electronic is appointed as the exclusive European distributor for all products and accessories of Blue Microphones. Here's the official Press Release :

Since its inception in 1995, Blue has grown to become a top brand in the industry through its unmatched sonic quality, application specific designs and unparalleled aesthetic. TC Electronic is a leader in digital signal processing and a major player in other aspects of the digital audio technology world, such as digital amplification and networking.

Here's a great review about Mu Voice, an inline vocal effects processor focused on harmonization, tuning, and effects.

"For those of us who have ever spent time in a studio situation attempting to give a vocalist a crash course in harmonies, or having a loop that we wished had a three part harmony, or the performer that wants backing vocals but does not have the resources or funds to support such a group, Mu Voice just might be the plug-in for you."