PC and Music News

CME has announced latest version 2.0 firmware for their UF series MIDI keyboards. The major changes of the firmware are :

- Adds Pro Tools modes in U-CTRL function,
- Adjusts the MIDI Route.
- Optimises the keyboard's velocity sensitivity.
- Optimises the keyboard's operating and display manner
- Rectifies the bank number errorwhen sending the tone data
- Stabilises the pitch bend transferring data.
- Fixes known bugs and errors

The full update is free. Users can download it from CME website and select the relevant model to upgrade.

Audjoo has released Helix, a Wave-Table-Shaping, Phase modulation, Virtual Analog, Physical Modelling Hybrid Synthesizer with high sound quality, massive modulation, creative audio-routing and many built-in effects.

Features :

- CPU-friendly.
- 800+ Presets from BigTone and others.
- up to 64x Unison per voice.
- Wave-table-shaping oscillators.
- 17 filter types.
- 10 distortion types.
- All stereo signal path.
- Deep Modulation.
- Arpeggiator.
- Built in effects.

Priced at $149, Helix is now available as a VST instrument for Windows and Mac OS X Universal Binary.

Applied Acoustics Systems has released Strum Acoustic Session.

Based on the physical modeling synthesis engine of the Strum Acoustic GS-1, Strum Acoustic Session is a simple and straightforward instrument reproducing nylon and steel acoustic guitars. It includes an elaborate voicing module which automatically voices chords played on the keyboard as a guitar player would on the fretboard. Strumming and picking actions are reproduced by an auto-strum function, special strumming keys or MIDI loops. An EQ and a reverb module complete the package.

Strum Acoustic Session is available now in VST, AU and RTAS formats for Mac OS X and Windows for a fee of $99.

Also, in celebration of their 10th anniversary, AAS is offering some very special offers :

- Strum Acoustic Session FREE : All of registered users of AAS products will receive Strum Acoustic Session free of charge. If you are a registered user, you should have received a message containing download links for the Strum Acoustic Session installers as well as a serial number. Didn't receive the email? Check your junk mail folder first, else contact AAS support.

- The Modeling Collection at $349 : For the price of Tassman 4 alone, you get five instruments. The Modeling Collection comprising Tassman 4, Lounge Lizard EP-3, Ultra Analog VA-1, String Studio VS-1, and Strum Acoustic GS-1 is $349 until January 5th, 2009.

- 30% Off the Modeling Collection upgrades : Owners of Professional and Session Series instruments can now upgrade and own the whole Professional Series for a low price.

Overloud has just released TH1, their Custom Guitar Effects Suite.

Features :

- 4th generation analog emulation technology
- 3D, gapless positioning of microphones
- SLR technology allows morphing between two amplifiers
- Advanced cabinet emulations with ReSPiRe technology
- Realistic and easy-to-get rendition of the signal path
- Easy to build or modify your own signal path
- 8 Amplifiers with 15 total Channels and 21 operating Modes
- 21 Cabinets
- 18 Microphones: choice of Dynamic, Ribbon and Condenser
- Two microphones for each Cabinet
- Studio Ambience reverb optionally added proportionally to the distance of the microphone from the speakers
- 50 stomp boxes, pedals and rack effects
- Per-parameter BPM sync switch
- Revolutionary GUI, host or MIDI real-time control via Smart Controls
- RTAS, AU, VST, Standalone for Mac (Universal) and RTAS, VST and Standalone for PC

Overloud TH1 is available now at an introductory price of €209 + VAT (this offer
will expire on November 30th, 2008). Note that demo versions as well as audio examples are also available.

Vienna Symphonic Library (VSL) has announced the release its new effects bundle - Vienna Suite.

The Vienna Suite includes :

- Equalizer for smooth highs and deep and powerful lows – includes an integrated 120 band spectrum analyzer. Extremely low CPU usage.
- Master Equalizer provides 3 filter types on 5 bands and additional high and low shelf filters with 2 filter types. The use of 4x oversampling makes internal calculations even more precise. Ideal for delicate sonic mastering tasks.
- Limiter with real-time input/output waveform display and auto-mode for transparent maximization.
- Compressor – featuring modern and vintage algorithms and a real-time input/output waveform display.
- Multiband Limiter – offering 4 bands with transparent crossover filters and an additional full-range brickwall limiter at the final output stage.
- PowerPan for powerful stage positioning of instruments, featuring real-time audio angular analysis.
- Exciter – offering 4x oversampling, tone-color sliders for mixing odd and even harmonics, and a high frequency FFT spectrum analyzer.
- Analyzer – featuring a 120 band analog modeled spectrum analyzer, fast and accurate display of bass frequencies, auto mode for automatic range management, and loudest frequency note display.

Priced at €395, the Vienna Suite is available now for Windows XP/Vista 32 and 64 bit versions and Mac OS X 10.4 or higher in VST (OS X, Win), AU (OS X) and RTAS (OS X) plug-in formats. Note that if you buy Vienna Suite through January 15th, 2009 you can download the limited-edition Vienna Instrument Jazz Drums for free.

SonicCouture has released GuZheng, a new sample library for Kontakt, EXS24 and Live.

The Guzheng is a traditional Chinese instrument dating from the Qin dynasty (c. 200 BC to the rest of us). It is the ancestor of the Japanese Koto as well as several other zither-like instruments found across east Asia. Generally the notes are plucked with the right hand, on which the player wears tortoise-shell finger-picks. The left hand is usually bare, but sometimes used to pluck accompanying notes as well as providing pitch bend and vibrato effects behind the bridge. Sometimes virtuoso performers will use finger picks on both hands. Other playing techniques include tremolo (very fast repeated notes), harmonics, and sweeping glissandos.

The SonicCouture Guzheng has been extensively recorded in 24 bit 44.1khz stereo. Three articulations were sampled : right hand (finger picks), left hand (flesh), and harmonics (finger picks). Up to ten velocity levels, three round robin alternations for the right hand, and two round robin alternations for the left hand. This ensures natural attack transients with no 'machine-gun' repetition. Across all 21 strings this amounts to 1027 samples totaling just over 2 gigabytes. We provide a method to play the Guzheng in it's original tuning, or in chromatic tuning, for each format. The Kontakt version of Guzheng contains extra tools for recreating the natural response of the instrument (KSP Scripts).

Features :

- 2.25 GB Sampled Instrument.
- 24 bit Stereo 44.1 Recording.
- KSP 'Last Note Standing' PitchBend Processor.
- KSP Glissando and Tremolo Processors.
- Right (Picked) and Left Hand (Finger) + Harmonics Sampling.
- 3 Round Robin Layers + Up to 10 Velocity layers per note.
- Kontakt 2 / 3, Logic EXS24 or Ableton Live 7 required.

Guzheng is available now and is priced at $99 (download) / $104 (DVD).