PC and Music News

After several years in the making, the Vienna Symphonic Library announces a much-anticipated addition to their broad family of DVD Collections. Vienna Choir provides an impressive 25 GB vocal collection, offering the full range of the human voice with soprano, alto, tenor and bass ensembles. All voices were cast and assembled exclusively for the recording sessions at Vienna's Silent Stage, with each singer hand-selected from Austria's leading choirs.

Like all Vienna Instruments collections, Vienna Choir is a sample-based virtual instrument that supports native 32-bit and 64-bit processing on both Macs and PCs. It ships in the formats VST, RTAS (OS X, Windows XP/Vista/7) and AU (OS X) and also works stand-alone. Registered users are eligible to download the free mixing and host software Vienna Ensemble.

Magix has released Vandal, a virtual guitar and bass amplifier plug-in for Windows and Mac OS X that avoids working with simple impulse responses. Every individual step - each tube, every amplifier stage, even the speaker coils - is virtualized.

Vandal also offers detailed effects and stomp boxes (several overdrive and distortion effects, different compressor effects, EQ, chorus, phaser, wah-wah, delay, reverb, lo-fi and many more) and advanced microphone settings in an easy-to-use interface that lets you forget that you are using a software amplification.

Vandal costs €169.99 / $199.99 / £169.99 and is available for Windows (XP, Vista & 7) and Mac OS X (10.5+ / Intel-only) in VST and AU effect plug-in formats.

Inspired by the legendary VSM 201 Vocoder from Sennheiser Virsyn have spent Matrix an additional Filter module modelling the analog Sound of the VSM. But to make it even better they've extended the filter range by adding two additional filters for the high end and MATRIX got two Filterbanks for stereo operation. Matrix 2 also comes with a redesigned user interface, some additional presets and they've spent an internal noise generator for whisper effects.

Additional Features in Matrix 2.0:

• New Filter type added inspired by the legendary VSM 201 Vocoder from Sennheiser
• Internal Noise generator added.
• Redesigned graphical user interface.
• New factory presets added.

From now till April 30th, 2010 you can get Matrix 2 for €129 instead of €199.

Arturia announces that its freshly renovated synthesizer anthology line is now available in a new reference pack: the V Collection 2.0. This bundle offers all the emulations of the most legendary and sought after synthesizers: the Moog Modular, the Minimoog, the CS-80, the Prophet 5, the Prophet VS, the ARP 2600 and the Jupiter-8.

The V Collection 2.0 includes:

• Upgraded version of the Moog Modular V, the Minimoog-V, the CS-80V, the ProphetV, the ARP2600 V and the Jupiter-8V
• More than 400 high quality and innovative sounding presets
• TAE® technology: Arturia's proprietary technology for emulating analog circuits
• Set to Control with your external MIDI keyboard in just a few clicks
• Full compatibility with major formats and hosts on Mac OS X and Windows XP or Vista (VST, AU, RTAS)
• Unique installation DVD with 1 syncrosoft USB key and 1 registration card

Pricing: $699/€549

Thermionic Culture has unveiled the Earlybird 4, a 4 channel all valve preamp using a Class A bias valves in a push-pull circuit. Company founder and chief designer Vic Keary believes that "this is one of the finest pre-amplifiers available today".

Specially designed Sowter transformers the Earlybird 4 boasts well under .01% distortion, as Vic explains that "it's like connecting a pair of wires with gain to your mic, it's so clean!" It has a very high output level of +32dB and if desired, 2nd order harmonics can be introduced by increasing mic gain and reducing output gain. The unit has switched gain controls with a maximum of 62dB of mic gain and a variable output along with pads, phase, 300 & 1200 ohm impedance and stepped filter. A pair of meters can be switched between 1 & 2 and 3 & 4.

Pricing and availability TBA.

Korg has announced that their popular Electribe·R has been reborn as a dedicated iPad app – the Korg iElectribe virtual analog beatbox.

Main Features:

• Faithful recreation of the Electribe·R's entire sound engine and sequencer
• 64 Preset patterns ready for immediate use
• 8 Supercharged effects
• Advanced Motion Sequencing takes the iElectribe to new frontiers


Available now at Apple's App Store (inside iTunes Store) for a special introductory price of $9.99. Promotional pricing expires June 30, 2010 (regular price is $19.99).