PC and Music News

RME has announced that its new Fireface UC audio interface is now shipping.

Based on a newly developed RME Hammerfall core, the Fireface UC (USB Compact) uses the USB 2.0 high-speed bus and provides ultra-low latencies even with multiple channels. The smallest buffer offered under Windows Vista has 48 samples, under Mac OS X 14 samples.

Features :

- 18 inputs / 18 outputs
- 8 x analog I/O
- 1 x ADAT I/O or 1 x SPDIF I/O (optical)
- 1 x SPDIF I/O (coaxial)
- 2 x MIDI I/O
- Sample rates up to 192 kHz on all I/Os
- Two digitally controlled Mic Preamps in high-end quality
- Two balanced universal inputs for line and instrument signals
- SteadyClock for maximum jitter suppression and clock refresh
- Enhanced stand-alone operation with rotary encoder and front panel operation
- 54 Level Meter Peak/RMS, hardware-calculated
- TotalMix: 648-channel mixer with 42-bit internal resolution

Best Service releases "Titan-free".

Titan-free is more than a demo version for the full version of Titan as it includes an unlimited version of Best Service's Sample Player ENGINE along with free Titan demo content - based on 12 multi-samples from the full version. Plus Titan-free can import up to 24 of your own samples, per layer, into ENGINE.

The presets included in Titan-free :

• BASS - FILTER - Mix 7
• BRASS - 5th & 7th 3
• ORGAN - Dance 1
• PAD - ANALOG - Standard 64
• PAD - FX Experimental 8
• PAD - Low Freq 1
• PERCUSSION - Chimes 1
• SYNTH - Chord 12
• SYNTH - Chord 73
• SYNTH - Harp 4
• SYNTH - LEAD - Phasing 8
• VOICES - Vintage Strings Synth 1

Titan-free is available now for Windows and Mac OS X in VST, AU and RTAS plug-in formats. And of course, it is free !

The Miniak is the first synthesizer from Akai Professional developed in partnership with the Alesis synthesis team. The Miniak brings together Akai Professional's control feel with powerful DSP sound-generation technology.

The Miniak enables users to create programs with up to eight multi-timbral voices, each with three oscillators. The user can create interesting and unique sounds and take advantage of the synthesizer's more-than-600 preset sounds. Users can create complex and refined sounds using the Miniak's two multimode filters, three envelope generators, two LFOs, stereo effects and 40-band vocoder with gooseneck microphone. The Miniak also has a comprehensive sequencer with step and dynamic real time phrase sequencing, a drum machine/rhythm sequencer and an arpeggiator.

User ...

112dB has updated Redline Monitor, its high-quality near-field monitor simulation for headphones, to version 1.0.3.

New :

• Dim attenuation switchable from -3dB (as in previous versions) to -6dB to prevent clipping.
• Additional Easier Readability skin for visually impaired users.
• Option to disable popup tooltips.

Fixed :

• Pro Tools compare functionality didn't work.
• Plugin crash when deinserted on some setups.
• Fixed loading problem in Live 8 on Vista.
• Numerical value entry slowed down or hung some Vista systems.

SoundsDivine has released "New Retro", a bank of 128 presets for FXpansion's D-CAM:Synth Squad Strobe featuring vintage-style keyboard sounds, rhythmic pads, arpeggiated synths and organic textural sounds.

New Retro is available now at a price of $25.

JoeCo announces the release of its Blackbox Recorder, a high performance multi-track capturing device designed for the 21st century.

Aimed primarily at the live music market, it records 24 channels of hi-res audio directly to a USB2 drive. It can be plugged directly into the insert points on any console and can also provide Virtual Sound Checking facilities. Recording to standard external USB2 disks formatted with FAT32 in Broadcast WAV file format (BWAV), any material can be instantly used in a studio Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) without any need for time-consuming file conversions or transfers.

Features :

• 24 track audio recorder
• Virtual Sound Check Facility
• 24bit/96kHz conversion
• Simple User interface
• Keyboard input for naming tra ...