PC and Music News

This week, Greg Paxton and our partner audioMIDI present a full review of Steinberg's Sequel, entry-level DAW.
That "entry-level" statement could be put into perspective, as says the author : "Sequel offers a feature-rich program for anyone getting started - on both a PC and a Mac. The instrument library provides a versatile palette of sounds[...]. The loop library and editing capabilities are more than impressive. Other features [...] make Sequel anything but "entry level"."

Ueberschall has announced the release of 80s Punk & New Wave, a new state-of-the-art Punk & New Wave library, including 23 construction kits which contain over 1.6 GB of loops, phrases and samples. Ueberschall's newest Elastik Player product is inspired by the rudest guitar driven LA Punk, NY Punk, UK Punk, Ska, Hardcore, PostPunk and New Wave from the early and up to mid eighties. This library is packed with loads of "intoxicating" licks from guitars, bass, keys, drums and more. All loops are based on live performances from mic'd stacks, kits and analog favorites of the time. The user has the choice of Dry mix or 80ies infected over-bloated commercial saturation for all loops. Drumkit multi-tracks from kick, snare and overheads for each construction kit mix are also included.

The sound library comes complete with the "Elastik" loop player which includes features like :

- Highspeed timestretching and pitchshifting in best quality.
- Innovative "LoopEye" for fast loop variations.
- All parameters MIDI controllable.
- Multiple content management.
- Each product separately installable.
- Mapping tools (automatic slice- & chromatic-map).
- Save audio of original and modified loops.
- Creation of user presets.
- Filter with "kill function" (-72db).
- Adaptable to tempos from 10 to 480 BPM.
- Audio engine for quick adaptation.
- And more...
- Compatible with Mac OS X / Windows - AU / VST / RTAS.

Ueberschall's 80s Punk & New Wave is available for $119 / €99.

Sims Audio has announced the Primus A25 Midi/USB controller. Basically it's a 25 key MIDI/USB keyboard controller featuring both line and microphone level inputs so it can also function as a USB interface.

Features :

● 25-key MIDI keyboard controller with 16 channel MIDI I/O
● 24-bit / 96 kHz Audio interface
● 8 assignable MIDI controller knobs and encoders
● Function keypads and a data wheel with 3 digit 7-segment LED display
● 5 fully-editable internal user banks
● 4 presets optimized for bundled demo software and 1 useful preset
● Pitch bend and modulation wheels
● Sustain pedal jack
● 2 line inputs (1/4" TS), 1 MIC input (1/4" TRS) and 1 Hi-Z input (1/4" TS)
● 2 line outputs (1/4" TS) / Headphone output with level control
● Direct monitor switch for zero-latency monitoring
● USB 2.0 bus powered
● Additional 9V DC power socket
● Supports WDM, ASIO, DirectSound and Core Audio driver with low latency
● Native Instruments Pro53 DEMO, FM8 DEMO, B4II DEMO and Battery 3 DEMO software included

The Primus A25 has an MSRP of $270 USD, and will be available in the first quarter of 2008.

Focusrite launches the online 'Liquid Mix Challenge'. This challenge provides ten different excerpts; each features a dry sample, followed by two processed samples, A and B. One of these is processed through the original vintage or classic hardware, the other through a Liquid Mix emulation of the same unit. The question is, 'which is which?'

For each excerpt, the user must decide which sample has been processed through the Liquid Mix, as well as decide which sample they liked the most. Your score is displayed at the end of the short test, alongside an aggregate of the world's scores to date.

Fancy yourself as a bit of an audiophile? Think you can you hear the difference? Then take the online 'Liquid Mix Challenge' now and have a chance to win a new Liquid 4PRE.

Today Jazzmutant announces Dual Mode capability for their multi-touch controllers Lemur and Dexter.

Jazzmutant's hands-on, multi-touch controllers have revolutionized the way we interface with our computers, putting stylish, futuristic and – most importantly – ultimate functional control into creative environments everywhere.

But which controller is right for you? The Lemur, perhaps, that can be set up exactly to suit your needs, allowing for intuitive multi-touch control of instrument and effect parameters, mixer channels or anything else you need critical hands-on control of? Or perhaps Dexter is for you, hard-wir ...

Addictive Drums is updated to v1.1, thus allowing use of multiple outputs in Logic8, offering selectable backdrops, fixing minor bugs and above all adding support for ADpaks.
Users have been waiting for some sound extensions, and here is the first : Retro. It features three classic Ludwig kits from the 60s and 70s, with cymbals from Paiste and Sabian. It also includes cowbells, tambourines and hand claps.
1300 MIDI loops and 70 presets will "get you groovin' in Motown, banging your head to booming heavy Rock, and tunin' out to psychedelic Rock'n'Roll" as claimed by the editor.

Update already available, Retro will be from mid-december.