PC and Music News

Toontrack Music offers for free their Solo and SoundMover apps to all the registered users of EZ Drummer and Superior samplers. Solo is ToonTrack host application, providing standalone, multi-instance operation for ToonTrack samplers. SoundMover is a small utility for EZdrummer users on Mac OS who want to move their libraries on another hard drive.

Solo specifications:
• Stand alone operation of Toontrack samplers
• Optimized for real-time, low latency operation
• Full ASIO/Core Audio/Core MIDI support
• Routable mixer with support for up to 16 physical OUT
• Each instance can be assigned a discrete MIDI channel
• Support for specialist MIDI controllers

Solo System Requirements:
• Windows XP SP2, PIII/Athlon 1,8GHz with 512 Mb of Ram
& ...

To celebrate its 20th anniversary in a proper manner, Ueberschall releases 5 units of a so-called Retrofit Series. each includes 3 sampling CD. the 15 CDs are all part of their most popular sample sets. The Units are:
- Essentials of the Order (Techno Trance Essentials, House Essentials, Loop Essentials)
- ComfortZone(Brazil Electro, Easy Listening, Rhodes Attacks)
- AntiGravity Maneuvers (DnB Resonance, DnB Flashtrackz, 2 Step Garage)
- Astral Electro Flux (Electro Shock I, Electro Shock II, Techno Identity)
- Sensory Disruption (F.A.S.T. Animation, Special Sound Effects, Jingle FX)

All the CDs are in the Elastik player format, for Mac And Windows, in AU, VST and RTAS. Price TBA

McDSP is offering this November only its ML4000 Native mastering limiter, an RTAS and AS plug-in for $295 on their webshop.

McDSP is also conducting a user survey with a free Emerald Pack Native for a lucky winner. The survey ends up the 12/15/07 and you must have an ilok account to enter the sweepstake.

VirSyn Reflect is an algorithmic reverberation plug-in which combines the flexibility of vintage algorithmic reverbs with the sonic quality of convolution based reverbs. The forthcoming 1.2 release comes with a completely revised modulation algorithm to simulate the air movement in natural rooms to greatly enhance the liveliness of the reverb tail.

What's new:
- New modulation algorithm simulating the air movement in a room for smoother reverb tails.
- Mouse wheel support for program browser and knobs.
- A few new reverb programs.

Bugfixes:
- Ableton Live/VST: crackles while tweaking EQ removed.
- Apple Logic: multiple instances GUI problem fixed.
- Dry/Wet balance improved.
- IR Import: more than one file dialog could be opened at once.
- Mac: crash with RAX host fixed.

Virsyn reflect is a VST, RTAS or AU plug-in for OS X and Windows. A fully functional/time limited demo version is available, requires a Syncrosoft key/dongle.

Digidesign will soon offer Eleven, a virtual guitar amp for Pro Tools. The guitar amps, the speakers, the microphones are all modeled after the originals, the likes of Vox, Fender, Marshall, Mesa/Boogie, Soldano, plus Digidesign re-creations of others… including the distortion of the amp, the distortion induced by the fall of power in the amp, speaker resonance, ghost notes… The way microphones are disposed and their type. Eleven will be available as Eleven and Eleven LE. Eleven will be in TDM, RTAS and AudioSuite, for the Pro Tools|HD, ICON and VENUE systems. Eleven LE, in RTAS and AudioSuite, will be for Pro Tools LE, Pro Tools M-Powered and Pro Tools Academic systems.

Pre-version compatibility:
For now, Eleven can be tried for 30 days in pre-version directly on Digidesign web ...

Digidesign just unveiled the easiest way to edit sessions on the move: the Mbox 2 Micro. It is of USB key size and provides in an aluminium enclosure, Pro Tools LE and a headphone out only.

Interface:
• Connector: One 1/8" stereo jack (for headphone or speaker monitoring) with volume control
• Maximum Output: +3 dBV into 600 Ohms
• Frequency Response: -2/+0 dB, 20 Hz – 20 kHz
• Dynamic Range: 103 dB A-weighted (THD+N: 0.002%)
• Supported Sample Rates: 44.1, 48 kHz
• Maximum Word Length: 24 bit
• Host Connection: one USB 1.1 type A connector (extension cable included)
• USB powered

Pro tools LE:
• Digidesign-qualified Windows XP- or Mac OS X 10.4-based computer
• 768 MB of RAM (1 GB highly recommended)
• DVD-ROM (or equivalent) drive for software installation
• Available USB port (USB hubs not supported)
• Minimum 1024 x 768 screen resolution

• $ 279, available in the first half of November