PC and Music News

Metric Halo is happy to announce a special celebration of the 13th anniversary of its ChannelStrip plug-in by offering a 50% discount on new purchases of the GarageBand, Native, and TDM versions of the plug-in until June 20, 2011.

ChannelStrip was the first console-style channel strip plug-in launched on the market, combining gate, compressor and EQ modules in one efficient package. It was also the first to offer double-precision operation for the highest quality audio. With over one hundred presets, ChannelStrip allows the user to quickly hone in on the sound they're looking for. For thirteen years, top engineers have been using ChannelStrip to quickly and easily deliver the results their clients demand. Regardless of the
genre, they all feel the same way about ChannelStrip.

Petri is a sample player that generates its own sequences and selects up to eight random samples from a folder of your choosing. It was designed to create glitchy, IDM-inspired drum patterns very quickly. More than simply creating randomized sequences, Petri uses a series of probability algorithms that respond to however sparse or dense you would like the patterns to be, simply by dragging a slider.

If you prefer, all randomization can be turned off, and Petri can instead be used as a traditional sample player with sequences input by hand using a familiar 8x8 matrix editor.

Petri is $30 and there is a free demo available to try out the app.

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS and e-instruments present SESSION STRINGS PRO — the sequel to the popular SESSION STRINGS. 20 times bigger than the original, SESSION STRINGS PRO provides a much wider sonic range, and far greater control. An 11-piece ensemble, recorded in four different settings for impeccable, flexible sound — ideal for modern pop, RnB or commercial use. Most importantly, its fluid, uniquely musical workflow makes SESSION STRINGS PRO a truly playable instrument, and much more than just a string library.

SESSION STRINGS PRO will be available at your local dealer and the NI Online Shop from June 1, 2011.

Propellerhead has released ReBirth 1.1 for the Apple iPad. Version 1.1 supports AudioCopy, which enables pasting of ReBirth tracks as audio directly into other compatible third-party iPad apps. The update is currently available from the iTunes AppStore.

Users of ReBirth 1.1 for iPad now can select AudioCopy then paste their ReBirth song, loop or section as audio into any AudioPaste application.
Audio data captured includes tempo info, file format info, the name of the app copied from, duration and more. AudioCopy/Paste apps include StudioTrack by Sonoma Wire Works, Synth by Retronyms, MorphWiz by Wizdom Music, Looptastic by Sound Trends, to name but a few of over 70 applications from 31 companies.

Whether you are searching for free high quality sounds, looking to test drive our sound banks titles, or a new source of inspiration, these are all good reasons to download Swatches now!

We intend to update Swatches as we release more sound banks, so with your Newsletter subscription you'll be sure to get the news and your dose of free sounds first!

Swatches is played via our free AAS Player plug-in, which is included with the Swatches download.

Scratch DJ Academy MIX! helps users create incredible mixes quickly, saving the many hours spent searching for the right tracks. It analyzes users' music libraries and identifies the tempo in beats per minute (BPM) and musical phrasing (bars) allowing these tracks to be perfectly aligned for mixing.

The Software also detects the musical key of each song, which is the secret to "harmonic mixing." Based on both the tempo and key information, Scratch DJ Academy MIX! intelligently highlights all the music in your library which works best with your selected track. The mixes can be previewed and adjusted with the addition of a select number of scratch effects, created by the Scratch DJ Academy instructors.