PC and Music News

Novation has annonced that the Launchpad is now shipping worldwide.

Launchpad is a compact controller designed to give electronic music makers of today the most interactive experience possible in Ableton Live. It communicates bi-directionally with the software to give users real-time session feedback: now you really can Play Live.

Launchpad has been jointly designed by Novation and Ableton, to bring the features of Live to the fingertips of the modern musician. The 8x8 grid of backlit buttons addresses a multitude of functions, with the help of mode selectors that transport the user around the Live interface.

Flip from launching clips to tweaking mixer settings in a stroke. Launch your song into a heavy build-up, then switch to a synth or a drum machine for an impromptu solo at the touch of a button.

The device itself is bus-powered from a single USB connection, and has a ten-inch square desktop footprint. Rubber feet ensure Launchpad stays secure on the surface on which it's placed, and an optional padded neoprene travel sleeve is available. It ships with a USB cable, plus a DVD ROM with Mac and PC installers for a special 'Launchpad Version' of Ableton Live 8, as well as 1GB of sample content from Loopmasters and Mike The Drummer. It also comes Automap enabled.

Available now at a price of $199.

First debuted in London in the Winter of 2007, Yamaha Tenori-On has captured and fuelled the imagination of some of the world's most influential and creative experimental live and studio musicians, producers, and DJ's including Bjork, Ono Yoko Plastic band and new artists such as Little Boots.

Now the Tenori-On evolution continues as Yamaha unveil the eagerly awaited and more 'wallet friendly' addition to the Tenori-On family - The Tenori-On TNR-O 'Orange' .

The new Tenori-On 'Orange' offers the same levels of creative power as the original but has been made significantly more affordable. For example Yamaha have replaced the very cool but expensive magnesium casing of the original with a heavy duty and durable plastic casing. They also have removed the battery option and the back panel LED's.

To coincide with the unveiling of the new model Yamaha have also confirmed a free forthcoming firmware update for current Tenori-On customers. Following a range of user comments Yamaha are currently in the process of creating a new operating system which is expected to be available from January 2010.The update will address a number of areas including the syncing of Tenori-On to external DAW applications and offer an improved MIDI sync implementation.

Tenori-On 'Orange' will be shipping from December 2009 and the final European pricing will be announced during November.

Good news for those eagerly awaiting Max for Live - Ableton has announced that it will be released on November 23, 2009. Beta testing has started, details are available on the Ableton website.

Max for Live will be available at the Ableton web shop. Pricing will be around USD 299/EUR 249 for Ableton Live 8 users, additional discounts will be available for users who also own Max/MSP 5.

Vienna Ensemble PRO and Vienna Suite are the new "dynamic duo" for producing, mixing and mastering.

Now, the Vienna Symphonic Library team is pleased to announce a special offer for users who purchase and register both of these software products between October 13 and November 30, 2009. These customers will receive any free Single Instrument Download they choose from Vienna's list of more than 50 downloadable solo instruments and ensembles.

For more details, please visit :

Ableton is pleased to announce Able10 - a season of special offers and giveaways to celebrate 10 years of Ableton.

To mark the occasion, and as a special thank you, Ableton has put together a package of special offers, new products and birthday handouts. There's something for everyone, so join the party :

• Free Live Packs

For Live 8 and Suite 8 users: Ableton is giving away 10 free Live Packs from Ableton artists - songs and sounds from 10 truly innovative artists including Múm, Apparat, Thavius Beck, Swayzak and Junie Morrison (formerly of the Ohio Players). These Live Packs are a rare opportunity to delve inside real songs by real artists and see how these guys work their Live mojo.

• 20% off Live 8 and Suite 8, including upgrades

During Able10, Ableton Live 8 ...

Live INTRO is the starter-version of Ableton Live and the succeeder of Live 7 LE - but still an extremely powerful product with all the essential features of Ableton Live at an unbelievable low price with more features and loads of content!

The new Live INTRO has all the essential basic features as Ableton Live at a lower price and comes including a huge Library of Sounds from Hip Hop, Rock, Soul, Techno - Including 7 GB of Sampled Instruments, Drum Loops, Beats and Breaks, 200 Audio and MIDI Racks and Effects and 500 Instruments and Drum Kits from the Ableton Live SUITE library! Also included a Getting Started Manual, Integrated Step By Step Tutorials and Practical Song Templates.

Key-Features :

● Studio Quality Recording up to 32 bit / 192 kHz
● Full REWIRE Support ...