PC and Music News

Keith McMillen Instruments has announced that they are accepting reservations for SoftStep, the first multi-touch USB Foot Controller. The First 100 SoftSteps will be available to select customers before the product hits the stores and they will receive a free Batt-O-Meter, a device which shows hours of life remaining without removing the battery from your instrument.

Features :

• Ten keys each with 5 degrees of freedom.
• Each sensor key controls up to 6 unique notes, CC's or Program Changes
• Four character alphanumeric LED displays and 10 dual color key LEDs give feedback even in bright stage lights
• Weighs in at just over a pound. (Other devices with power supplies can weigh 20 pounds.) Futuristic ...

ReKon audio has released VST-AU MKS-80 Editor, a real-time MIDI synth editor that allows full control of every parameter on the Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter hardware synthesizer.

You can manage, view, and edit all your patches on the computer without the hassle of manual dumps. All parameters are fully automatable and you can even use your favorite VST or AU host, or use it standalone, giving you the ability to visually program the MKS-80 to your music via the host sequencer. This ability to model your synth patches in real-time, inside your main music production environment is part of what makes the VST-AU MKS-80 Editor unique when compared to other hardware synth editors.

VST-AU MKS-80 Editor costs $69.95 and is available for Windows and Mac OS X in stand-alone and VST and AU instrument plug-in formats.

Avid has also announced the release of the HEAT software.

Developed in collaboration with Dave Hill of Crane Song, HEAT (Harmonically Enhanced Algorithm Technology) introduces "the realism of vintage analog sound" globally to a project via the Pro Tools mixer interface - eliminating the time consuming and complex task of managing plug-in changes across multiple tracks and allowing customers to remain focused on the craft of mixing.

HEAT software is available today, in the box or as a download from Avid, for an MSRP of $495.

IKey Audio, a division of GCI Technologies, unveils a new portable digital recorder, the HDR7.

This recorder fits in the palm of your hand and can go anywhere you go. It creates high-quality recordings on the spot of live performances, band rehearsals, interviews, podcasts, meetings, class lectures, seminars, sound effects, field recordings, or anything else you can think of. It fits in your pocket, and is super-easy to use. Plus, it's packed with many features not found in units that cost a lot more.

Features :

• Full color LCD screen
• Built in X – Y microphones for instant field recording
• Records from any MONO or STEREO line source
• Records MP3 & AAC files up to 320 kbps and WAV (BWF) & AIFF files up to 24-bit/96KHz
• Built in Limiter, Compresso ...

Sample Logic presents a powerful collection of morphed guitar instruments harnessed in a remarkably adaptable "core effects sequencer" engine powered by the Native Instruments Kontakt Player.

Derived entirely from true electric and acoustic guitar recordings by guitar guru Steve Ouimette (known for his work on the Guitar Hero franchise) this library is not a traditional guitar sample library, rather, it is an extensive collection of atmospheres, instrumentals, and percussives unlike any ever heard before. Taking it one step further, Cinematic Guitars gives users the power to create and manipulate custom instruments using the first ever "core effects sequencer" designed by Sample Logic and built into the Kontakt engine.

This library is all encompassing, exploring infinite timbres and ...

Avid today introduced a series of newly-designed hardware solutions designed to enhance the quality and performance of Pro Tools|HD.

The new HD Series interfaces HD I/O, HD OMNI and HD MADI, offer customers flexible configurations to support a variety of analog and open digital formats for audio recording, mixing and playback.

The new I/O options include :