PC and Music News

AKAI PRO annonces MPK mini (25 keys), USB software controller with keyboard and drum pads. MPK mini has been unveiled at the 2010 BPM EXPO in Birmingham, England.

High portability and comprehensive software control by melding together the immediate control and grab-and-go convenience of the elders : LPK25 and LPD8.

The MPK mini keyboard is pretty good for quickly entering notes and phrases into a computer and is also velocity-sensitive. Dedicated Octave Up and Down buttons instantly access different pitch ranges and a Sustain button provides further performance options. The MPK mini also has a built-in arpeggiator to create sparkling, staccato leads and driving bass lines in a variety of time signatures and patterns. And Tap tempo !

MPK mini is plug-and-play with Mac or PC and requires no software driver installation or wall power for operation.

MPK Mini

M-Audio has announced that its new USB MIDI Keyboard/Controller, the Oxygen 88, is now shipping.

Top Features :

• 88-note graded hammer-action keybed
• DirectLink mode for instant controller mapping to common DAW functions—no setup required
• Compatible with Pro Tools, GarageBand, Logic, Live, Cubase, and more
• Dedicated transport and track select buttons
• 32 assignable knobs, faders, and buttons

Oxygen 88 is available worldwide for £540/€640.

ESI has announced that the MIDI keyboard KeyControl 25 XT is now available.

Features :

• 25-note MIDI keyboard
• velocity-sensitive keys
• pitch-bend wheel and modulation slider
• four endless rotary encoders that can be programmed to send your choice of CC numbers
• octave buttons
• input for a sustain pedal
• USB powered
• Cubase LE 5 and Toontrack's EZ Drummer Lite included

Pricing : £79

BIAS is shipping SoundSaver - a new software solution for Mac and Windows computing platforms that greatly streamlines the process of converting and restoring LPs and tapes. Simply connect, record, clean, and export — directly to iTunes, as MP3, or uncompressed WAV files for CD/DVD burning.

Easily Record and Define Tracks:
• Records from tape decks, turntables, mobile devices, etc - with included free cable (boxed version only)
• Record at HD quality (up to 32-bit/96kHz)
• Record timer sets recording duration
• Set input level automatically or manually with precision meters
• Define tracks manually or automatically
• Retrieves artist, track, and album info from the Internet

Intuitively restore & enhance:
• Remove pops, clicks & crackle ...

The Deep House library is another new Ueberschall release which includes 24 Construction Kits providing 3.2 GB of full-range Deep House sounds and songs, taking its inspiration from sounds straight from the clubs around the world.

Features :

• 24 Construction Kits including a main part, variation, intro/outro and some Vocal addons
• tempo range of 119 bpm to 127 bpm
• more than 1100 loops and samples
• drum loops, synth patterns, voices, bass lines, chord progressions, atmospheres, percussion and fx sounds
• Elastik Soundbank for Mac/PC/AU/VST/RTAS/StandAlone
• Elastik Player included — no sampler required!

Available now for €99.

Apogee Electronics officially announces today the end of production for its X-Series and Rosetta 800 converters.

While production will continue on Rosetta 200 and all X-cards, the torch will be passed to Apogee's new flagship interface, Symphony I/O, as the historic X-series and Rosetta 800 converters step down from their notable place in Apogee's 25-year history. Full customer support service for the X-Series and Rosetta 800 converters will continue as usual.

Current owners of these legacy product converters can feel free to contact technical support at support@apogeedigital.com, or contact sales for information on upgrading to Symphony I/O at askapogee@apogeedigital.com.