PC and Music News

Empirical Labs has just announced that its brand new unit EL9 "Mike-E" is now shipping.

The Mike-E is a modern digitally-controlled Microphone Preamplifier chocked with unusual features to warm and soften the source, along with an excellent compressor/limiter. Mike-E offers an incredible performance transformer-coupled mic preamp, whose noise floor is far below any microphone's self noise. The one-of-a-kind 'CompSat' section is an uncompromising compressor and saturator circuit that offers versatile 'coloring', and classic knee compression.

Mike-E's Seven Circuits :

1. Mic Preamplifier with super low noise & stepped gain switching.
2. Built in 'Direct Box', called the 'Inst In', offers unparalleled distortion, noise, and frequency response when pre-amping instruments.
3. 'Colored' 80Hz High pass filter emulates the warm low frequency cut of our favorite vintage equalizers.
4. Phase Switch to invert the audio signal 180 degrees.
5. CompSat offers both a musical Compressor/Limiter and a unique tape-like saturation circuit.
6. Emphasis high-frequency emphasis system softens high frequency 'pile-ups' and further the creamy color of the Mike-E.
7. Mix Control allows the blending of the Compressed/Saturated signal with the clean unprocessed "Dry" signal.

Mike-E is available now at a price of £1585/€1629.

Camel Audio has updated the sample manipulation synthesizer Alchemy to v1.10 and released over 200 free sounds for registered users of Alchemy and the add-on soundbanks.

The factory content has been expanded with almost 150 purer and less experimental sounds, the Electronic bank now has an additional 35 dance sounds and the Atmospheric bank has 30 extra smooth pads and soundscapes. The presets were specially commissioned from sound designers Robert Rich, Luftrum, Lotuzia, bManic, Adam van Baker, Ugo, Ole Jeppesen, Martin Walker, Jim Hunter, Paul Nauert and Christian Kjeldsen.

Alchemy v1.10 has numerous enhancements and fixes including right-click context sensitive help, ability to analyse files up to 5 mins in length, an easier to use file import dialog including scroll wheel support ...

Best Service unveils Titan - 200 Synthesizers in One, which is described as "the biggest and most extensive Synthesizer Sound Collection of all time".

Titan offers 5,500 multi-samples of the best sounds from 200 classic Analog Synthesizers and Modular Systems, including the biggest and most famous Digital Synths and Workstations of the 80s and 90s, and from the newest virtual instruments and current synths, all in one massive plug-in. That means 40 years of synth history and sound variety. Best Service put great emphasis on preserving the unique sound character of each instrument - that's why many of the instruments were partially sampled with their original effects and filters, which can be hard to reproduce in the virtual domain. All instruments were sampled and looped perfectly and i ...

Waldorf has updated Largo to version 1.1.0. This update is not only a "bug fix", it also carries a bunch of new features e.g. the Mod Delay, a completely revised Reverb and an extended multi-part function plus several additional enhancements. The PDF manual has also been updated.

On top of that, anyone interested in the Largo software synthesizer can now get a 30-day evaluation license. Put the Largo synthesizer to the test ! Use and abuse it 30 days without any limitation.

Please note that you will need an internet connection to activate the demo version of Largo.

Loomer has updated its semi-modular virtual synthesizer Aspect to version 1.4.0.

Changes :

• Support for the sustain MIDI controller.
• Lag Generator component now only filters audio rate modulation sources when the Lag is set to above 0%.
• Lag Generator output can now be used as an audio source, as well as a modulation source.

This update is free for all registered users.

Here's a new Pro Tools Corner issue by our VIP Moderator Brian White from audioMIDI.com.

"Have you ever heard a mix that had elements so wide they sounded as if they were originating from beyond the speakers? Often, this is the result of a stereo width enhancer processing the audio in a way that tricks our brain into thinking the speakers are farther apart than they really are. This week, in the second installment of "Mixing with AIR," I will break down the new AIR Stereo Width plug-in and share with you some of the tricks and pitfalls of stereo enhancement processing while mixing."

If you have a Pro Tools related question that you would like Brian to take a shot at answering or have any feedback, please post-it in our Mac ProTools Forum or Pc ProTools Forum. Brian will do his best to select the questions that seem to stump the most people.