PC and Music News

Delivering flexible features in a compact, affordable package, the DUO-CAPTURE mk2 USB Audio Interface is ideal for mobile audio production with your laptop or iPad.

It's equipped with two audio inputs and two audio outputs, plus dual headphone outs that are perfect for side-by-side musician/engineer sessions with a Mac or a PC. Cakewalk SONAR X1 LE for Windows included.

Waves and DiGiCo introduce DiGiGrid: The perfect partnership of audio hardware and software.

From the studio to the stage and back again, today's digital productions are getting more and more complex, with higher track counts, CPU-hungrier plugins and increasingly demanding real-time requirements.

DiGiGrid lets users of Native DAWs, Pro Tools and MADI-enabled live and broadcast mixing consoles instant access to Waves SoundGrid® audio networking and real-time processing.

Based on the Avid Channel Strip plug-in, which emulates the coveted dynamics characteristics of the renowned Avid System 5 console, the Pro Compressor AAX plug-in goes even further, enabling you to optimize the compression for mono and multichannel material, quickly and easily.

Developed from the ground up, the Avid Pro Limiter enables you to maximize the loudness of your mix—in up to 7.1 surround—without distortion or harshness. Designed to be completely transparent sounding, the plug-in prevents audio from clipping and pushes the volume of your mix further, while preserving the sonic quality and underlying dynamics of the performances.

Audio-Technica (booth 6740) introduces its ATH-M50RD Professional Studio Monitor Headphones, a stylish red limited-edition version of A-T's flagship ATH-M50 headphones.

Based on input from end users looking for an alternative to the ATH-M50's existing color schemes, the ATH-M50RD headphones offer the exact same comfort and superior audio quality for professional monitoring and mixing as their standard counterparts.

Korg's MS-20 monophonic synthesizer, first introduced in 1978, is still a coveted instrument to this day, thanks to its thick, robust sound, its powerful, iconic analog filter, and its versatile patching options. Over 300,000 people have enjoyed the distinct MS-20 sounds from the original, from Korg's MS-20 plug-in synth, or the iMS-20 iPad app.

Today, the sounds of the MS-20 have been reborn in hardware, as the MS-20 Mini. The same engineers who developed the original MS-20 have perfectly reproduced its circuitry and fit into a body that's been shrunk to 86% of the original size, yet retains the distinctive look of the original.

SparkLE Creative Drum Machine joins its bigger brother to take this concept to the masses in an all-new, ultra-portable package at a takeaway price point that's tough to beat (€249.00 EURO/$299.00 USD).

Software-wise, SparkLE Creative Drum Machine makes use of the same full-featured Spark Engine software shipping with the original SPARK Creative Drum Machine. It includes an awesome library of over 1,500 instruments and 100 kits, providing top-notch, professional sounds covering a variety of dancefloor-friendly genres and stylings, ever-expandable with Arturia add-ons (like the Hip Hop Essentials and DubStep Essentials Expansion Packs).