PC and Music News

Toontrack has announced the release of a new pack of MIDI grooves called Songwriters Drumpack. Here's what they say about it :

"Wouldn't it be convenient having full verses, choruses, bridges, - complete song structures - in an array of styles, tempos and feels, categorized in separate songs with an individual hierarchy of increasing intensity? Pro-played drum MIDI that you could drag, drop and use to construct your full track in literally a few mouse-clicks?

Look no further - Songwriters Drumpack does just that. Played by Swedish in-demand session drummer Ricard "Huxflux" Nettermalm (Infinite Mass, Erik Gadd, Titiyo), this one-of-its-kind collection of drum MIDI comes in Ballad, Mid-tempo, Halftime, Up-tempo and Shuffle styles in full four to eight bar grooves and is sure to be a well of inspiration and your go-to tool for quick and easy songwriting.

With the Songwriters Drumpack you are virtually just a few moments away from a full, pro-played drum track to an entire song!"

Features :

• More than 450 individually played files
• Categorized in different songs
• Full Intro / Verse / Pre-Chorus / Chorus / Bridge / Fill sections & variations in each song
• 3/4, 4/4, 6/8 variations in Swing and/or Straight feel
• Works with EZdrummer®, Superior Drummer® (optimized for 1 kick, 1 snare, 2 toms, 1 floor-tom, 2 crash-cymbals, 1 ride-cymbal)

Available now at a price of €15.

The all-new Tannoy Reveal series represents the latest evolution of Tannoy's monitor technology. The new range features two new monitors: the 501a and 601a (601a also available as a 601p passive monitor – specifications below).

New Tannoy Reveal range – main features:

• Response optimised for quarter-space near-field operation
• Front firing reflex bass port to negate boundary-coupling
• Bass unit developed to minimise offsets and linearise the suspension components
• Wideband tweeter design extending the amplitude response beyond 20kHz audibility to 30kHz to improve the phase response from within the audible band
• Sculpted and rigid front baffle design to minimise diffraction
• + 1.5 / 0 / -1.5dB HF trim switch for custom room adjustment
• Balanced XLR and unbalanced jack connectors

DMG Audio has released EQuality, a new EQ plug-in designed by Dave Gamble (ex Sonalksis/Focusrite/Novation).

Most people have quite a collection of EQs - some are models of hardware, some are workhorse EQs for surgical correction, or for guiding a track into a mix, some are for mastering. EQuality is not a model of a specific piece of hardware - it's more ambitious than that. EQuality aims to be a great replacement for all your EQs. That's been the driving factor.

Features :

• Very low CPU usage for every track of your mix
• Linear/Analogue/Minimum phase modes for master and special channels
• Digital+ mode, to help turn awesome into perfect.
• Generates super-high-quality prototypes. Clear undistorted top.
• Big, clear, antialiased graph
• Hi-re ...

ADAM is about to unveil the AX series of studio monitors at the upcoming MusikMesse.

Following ADAM's A and SX-Series monitor systems, the AX Series includes four high performance systems, ranging from the ultra-compact and fully professional A3X, to the high performance A5X, A7X and A8X systems.

The changes made to the A5X and the A7X are not simply developments but a fundamental revision of the A-Series. ADAM Audio took all aspects of the performance of the original A-Series and overhauled and improved them.

One of the main improvements of the top line monitors SX-Series, the X-ART tweeter, now replaces the ART tweeter in the new AX versions. The X-ART tweeter features an even higher efficiency and maximum sound pressure level as well as a frequency response up to 50kHz. All woofers and amplifiers have also been reengineered from scratch, featuring larger voice-coils and amps with twice the power for higher linear excursions and more output. Last but not least, the cabinets have been redesigned, all models sport two bass reflex ports.

Finally, two completely new models complement the AX-Series. The A3X is now ADAMs smallest monitor ever, and the larger A8X opens the door to midfield monitoring and is the top of the AX line.

For more details, please visit :

Arturia announces "The One", a single-box containing every Arturia software instrument and a single license to activate one of them. This product comes from a simple observation: in stores, it may not always be possible to find the title you want. Dealers may have one instrument in stock, but not all products by the company. The idea with "The One" is to make sure all titles are in one box and the user decides which one he will authorize.

Buying "The One" means being able to try out all instruments for 15 days –with no function limitations- and being able to select one of them to keep after that trial period. Users can choose from the following list of software instruments: Moog Modular V, CS-80V, ARP2600 V, Minimoog-V, Prophet V, Jupiter-8V, Brass 2.0 and Analog Factory.

"The One" is available now and costs the price of an Arturia instrument (€229/$249).

Dave Smith Instruments has posted some details about the keyboard version of the Mopho :

"It's no secret that a keyboard version of Mopho is in the works—particularly since two working prototypes were shown at NAMM in January! But we haven't posted anything to the site because we knew the finished product would look different from the protos and because we're really busy trying to get it done. If all the various bits and pieces come in on time, we hope to ship mid-April, but we still don't have a "real" one to show you. The image above should be pretty close, though.

The voice architecture and general specs are the same as the Mopho desktop module. Enhancements include programmable feedback gain, additional arpeggiator modes, and the ability to set the slew rate separately for individual sequence steps. (Yes, the latter two features will eventually find their way into the other products in the Mopho/Tetra/Prophet family.) It features a semi-weighted keyboard action with velocity and aftertouch. And it has great feeling, two-shot, soft-touch knobs.

The eagle-eyed among you may find it odd that a monophonic synth has a unison on/off parameter. When paired with a Tetra, Mopho Keyboard makes a very compact, very powerful five-voice poly synth!

We'll have more information and full specs available here on the site as we get a little closer to production."