PC and Music News

MOTU Launches 3 new Thunderbolt Interfaces.

Based on a new, shared technology platform, the 1248, 8M and 16A differ only in their analog I/O configurations. As the most versatile of the three, the flagship 1248 offers 8 x 12 balanced TRS analog I/O, four mic inputs with digitally-controlled individual preamps, two front-panel hi-Z guitar inputs, two independent phone outs and stereo RCA S/PDIF digital I/O. The 8M provides eight balanced TRS analog outputs, plus eight mic/line/instrument "combo" style inputs individually equipped with digitally controlled preamps, 48V phantom power, pad and MOTU's hardware-based V-Limit overload protection. The 16A is packed with 32 balanced TRS analog connections (16 inputs and 16 outputs). All three units provide two banks of optical digital I/O, word clock I/O and computer connectivity through either audio class compliant USB 2.0 or Thunderbolt (1 and 2 compatible).

Equipped with the latest-generation ESS Sabre32 Ultra converters, analog performance has been engineered for even the most demanding listening situations. For example, the balanced TRS analog outputs provide a measured dynamic range of 123 dB (A-weighted, 20 Hz to 20 kHz). Analog I/O latency is very low, with round trip performance of only 32 samples (0.66 ms) at 48 kHz. Each unit provides comprehensive metering for all inputs and outputs on a large, backlit 324x24 pixel LCD.

- 1248: 32x34 I/O with 4 mic in, 8x12 TRS
48-ch mixing, and AVB networking

- 8M: 24x26 I/O with 8 mic/line/instr,
48-ch mixing, and AVB networking

- 16A: 32x32 I/O with 16x16 TRS analog,
48-ch mixing, and AVB networking.

What's up Doc?

The question is: When iOS and OSX will merge?

With over 4,000 new APIs and bold new technologies, iOS 8 lets you create custom app extensions, utilize exciting capabilities like HealthKit, HomeKit, and CloudKit, take advantage of advances in gaming like Metal, SceneKit, and SpriteKit, and more. Download the SDK to explore these new features as well as Swift, the innovative new programming language for Cocoa and Cocoa Touch.

OS X Yosemite gives you the power to extend the OS X experience with app extensions, enabling access to app features and services from almost anywhere. And with the innovative new Swift programming language and advances in game technologies, Safari, iCloud, and more, your best apps are yet to come.

Five years ago, MASCHINE changed beat production forever. Now, with its strongest lineup ever, MASCHINE's giving you one more reason to take your grooves a giant leap forward. Celebrate this month with special pricing on the whole MASCHINE family.

Get
- MASCHINE STUDIO for 799,00 €
- MASCHINE for 499,00 €
- MASCHINE MIKRO for 299,00 €.
Join the beat revolution. Offer ends May 31!

Creative Junk is a 1.03GB, 2050 sample, experimental and tuned percussion collection for Kontakt. It features 100 multi-sampled objects with up to 7 velocity layers recorded in 3 mic positions: 'Close' (mono), 'Overhead' (stereo) and 'Room' (ambient stereo).

The Instrument was recorded in the revered Studio 2 live room of Paper Stone Studios, Nottingham, England, using purely audiophile quality signal paths. Our most ambitious, comprehensive and versatile offering to date, Creative Junk is a goldmine of unique hits, quirky sounds, and inspirational tones, all multi-sampled in our converted cinema auditorium live room.RRP £49.99 intro price through MAY 2014 £34.99

With SPARK 2, Arturia has taken the opportunity to update the look and feel of SPARK to allow for faster workflow, while creating a layout that allows it to grow well into the future and secure its longevity — no easy feat in today’s here today, gone tomorrow’s world of rapidly disposable developments. New tabbed pages provide a cleaner look, more screen space, and faster access to the most needed features — features like an all-new MIXER window (with level, pan, and insert effects and sends — to 14 unique professional-grade effects, no less), expanded PATTERN edit screen, and enhanced LIBRARY page for better data management.

SPARK 2 also adds 50 new kits — including no fewer than 800 new instruments — that span many more musical genres than ever before, including trap, hip-hop, tech house, and nu disco, to name but a few modern electronic music styles, as well as acoustic drum kits capably spanning modern rock, funk, R ’n’ B, pop, vintage rock, and latin percussion. Vintage drum machine enthusiasts are also well catered for with ear-opening emulations of the likes of Roland’s TR-808, TR-909, TR-707, TR-606, and CR-78; LinnDrum, Linn 9000; Oberheim DMX; E-mu Drumulator; Sequential Circuits Drumtraks; Yamaha RX5; and Simmons SDS-V — analogue and digital classics all. And all kits come complete with 32 patterns that can be used by themselves or form the basis of user-programmed beats.

Bringing up the rear, SPARK 2 sees SONG mode updated, too. Song segments can now be configured and then replayed at the touch of a button. Users can create song sections that will play from one pattern to another and then recall these sections via the step buttons on the SPARK Creative Drum Machine and SparkLE Creative Drum Machine controllers — perfect performance enhancements!

AudioThing has released ChromaKey for Mac OS X and Windows in AudioUnit, VST plug-in and Kontakt formats.

AudioThing is also celebrating its third birthday with a 25% discount on all products, coupon code: 3YRS

ChromaKey is a collection of sounds ported to Kontakt and VST/AU plugin from AudioThing's soundset for AAS Chromaphone. It features 60 patches divided in 6 categories: Keys, Pads, Plucked Strings, Sequences, Soundscapes, and Various.
Chromaphone physical modelling synthesis combines acoustic resonators to produce dynamic and expressive sounds. Despite the Chromaphone tagline "creative percussion synthesizer", ChromaKey focuses entirely on hybrid and organic melodic sounds.

Details:
60 Instruments.
6 Categories.
616 Samples (44.1kHz / 24-bit).
Format: Kontakt 4/5, VST, AU.
Platforms: OS X, Windows.
Size: Kontakt 465 MB, VST/AU: MAC 430 MB / PC 285 MB.

Price: €12. ChromaKey is available for the introductory price of €9 using coupon code 3YRS until April 28th, 2014.