PC and Music News

Rycote has announced a new product at the 2010 NAMM show in Anaheim, California — the InVision USM, a universal mic suspension for large-diaphragm recording microphones. According to Rycote, this mic mount offers substantially more isolation (up to 12dB) from unwanted vibrations than that afforded by traditional elasticated 'cat's cradle' mic suspensions.

The InVision Universal Studio Mount (or USM) has been designed to provide an alternative to elasticated suspensions, the basic form of which has remained essentially unchanged for several decades. Based around the 'u'-shaped Lyre suspension mount used in Rycote's existing InVision suspension range for smaller-barrelled microphones, the InVision USM will fit any microphone from 18 to 55mm in diameter, including large-diaphragm models and those with flat-sided and tapered barrels.

In addition to the InVision USM, Rycote has also announced the InVision TLM mount, a version of the new mount designed specifically for Neumann TLM-series mics.

In the "Toontrack TV" section of Toontrack's website you can find a very interesting video called "A Couple of Days in the Life of Toontrack"...

Shot in November 2009, this video provides several hints which suggest that Toontrack might be working on a virtual bass instrument, and maybe a virtual piano !

2010 promises to be exciting at Toontrack !!

Blue Cat Audio has released a new version of Blue Cat's Freeware Pack, its free audio plug-ins bundle. This new release makes these free plug-ins available for virtually any digital audioworkstation: it includes official RTAS plug-in format support for Pro Tools users. It also brings 64-bit support for DirectX and VST versions under Windows x64, and 64-bit Audio Units support under Snow Leopard (for Logic 9.1 users running in 64-bit mode).

The plug-ins are available for download for free as a single bundle or separately on the editor's website.

What's new :

• RTAS plug-in format support for Pro Tools (Mac and Windows)
• 64-bit applications support for Windows DX and VST under Windows x64
• Mac AU 64-bit format support (compatible with 64-bit Logic 9.1 on Snow Leopard)
• Mac: fixed user interface crashes in some hosts under Snow Leopard
• Fixed MIDI learn issues

CFA-Sound has released CableDance, a new soundset for u-he's ACE (Any Cable Everywhere).

According to the editor, this soundset shows how analog and fat ACE can sound. It includes a mass of phat basses and stirring synthsounds, integrated with rough sequences, weird fx-sounds and analog drumsounds.

Features :

• 64 sounds for electro, house & minimal
• economic cpu-usage
• sorted in categories
• ACE 1.0 required

CableDance costs €17.50.

112dB announces that Redline Preamp, a vintage preamp emulation, is now available in native RTAS/AS/VST/AU format for Windows and Mac OS X at the introductory price of €88/$99.

Redline Preamp livens up any digital or "too clean" signal. At its heart lies a fexible algorithm that is capable of emulating most kinds of harmonic distortion typical for analogue, tape, and tube equipment. While it has not been modeled after any particular piece of gear it can do a wide range of convincing analogue emulations. A showcase selection of carefully constructed presets ranging from the warm American Vintage to the full-blown Beyond Repair is included.

Detailed control over even and odd harmonics, frequency-dependent saturation, and soft clipping allows you to turn Redline Preamp into a vinta ...

Burl Audio's B2 Bomber DAC features custom class-A discrete output amplifiers, ideal for monitoring. Couple these with state of the art conversion technology and the B2 Bomber DAC delivers sonic purity and dynamics thus far unheard of.

Both the B2 ADC and B2 DAC feature identical incredibly low jitter clocking, precision metering and stepped attenuators. Couple the B2 ADC with the B2 DAC and you have the B2 Bomber master signal chain.

Features :

• 44.1k Hz to 192k Hz, 24 bit, 2 channel ADC
• Proprietary custom design BOPA1, all discrete op-amps
• Zero capacitor signal path
• Audiophile quality 6 position attenuator with standard headroom settings
• High definition metering with simultaneous RMS and peak indication
• Two AES and one SPDIF input wi ...