PC and Music News

From May 14-17, McDSP offers 50% off ML4000 Native and HD. ML4000 Native is available for just $115 and ML4000 HD is available for just $215.

The ML4000 is two plug-ins: the ML1 mastering limiter, and the ML4 - a multi-band Gate, Expander, and Compressor fed into the same limiter algorithm found in the ML1.

Blue Cat Audio has released an update for five of its most recent plug-ins: Blue Cat's DP Meter Pro (audio levels meter), FreqAnalyst Multi (multiple tracks spectrum analyzer), Oscilloscope Multi (multiple tracks waveform visualizer), StereoScope Multi (multiple tracks stereo field analyzer) and Blue Cat's Protector (zero latency brickwall limiter).

These updates mainly address an issue with the AAX version and Pro Tools 10.3.5 on Windows, and bring additional fixes and enhancements for each plug-in on both Mac and PC.

The update is free for existing customers and is available for download from the same locations as the previous versions of the plug-ins.

The Vintage Classics VST Sound Instrument Set comprises 400 presets for leads, bass, pads and effects. Created by Dave Polich, sound designer and programmer for many high-profile artists and major manufacturers, Vintage Classics provides a beautiful blend of synthesizer sounds highly revered and sought-after by musicians for electronic music productions.

Vintage Classics is an expansion pack for Retrologue. Retrologue is available as standalone VST instrument for VST 3, VST 2 and AU hosts. Retrologue is also included in Cubase 7, Cubase Artist 7, Cubase 6.5, Cubase Artist 6.5, the Nuendo 6 Expansion Kit and the Absolute VST Instrument Collection.

Which is exactly where Rocket Control comes into play.

This free iOS assistant app for iPad acts as a synth editor for the Rocket and allows users to edit and/or save their patches (when connected via a Camera Connection Kit, WiFi MIDI, or a CoreMIDI-compatible device). Edits can be viewed onscreen or edited directly on the iPad itself. Users can even play the Rocket using the Rocket Control keyboard — plus Pitch and Mod wheels!

FingerWorks is a free, educational tool to learn the notes on a fretboard of a guitar.

FingerWorks is best used with a guitar teacher or a coach but can, of course, be used alone.

FingerWorks gives you a note to locate starting on the 6th string of your guitar. Based on your settings you will have to find the next note on the next string, which is shown on the screen.
For beginners it is recommended to only use the software with the 6th string alone since this exercise can become mind-bending very quickly for a novice. From there, add one string at a time until you become fluent with all of the notes on the guitar neck!
A left-handed mode is available so you can see the guitar neck the way you play!

The idea of FingerWorks came from a real exercise practiced every day with a guitar teacher, but now you have access to your own virtual guitar teacher on your Mac!

Native Instruments today launched a special 'Cloud 9' offer on their MASCHINE Expansion series.

Nine of the hugely popular sound packs for use with MASCHINE and MASCHINE MIKRO are being offered for $ 99 / 99 EUR – but only for a limited period of 99 hours. The offer runs until 3 pm CET on Friday, May 17 and is available only at the NI Online Shop.