Digital Music Reviews

After The Trumpet and The Sax Brothers, Samplemodeling, namely Dr. Giorgio Tommasini and Peter Siedlaczek, has announced that The Trombone is now shipping. This Kontakt 4 Player-based instrument can be directly purchased and downloaded from the company website now for €149. The TromboneThe Trombone package includes several instruments belonging to the same family: Two Tenor trombones characterized by slightly different timbre, timing, vibrato & portamento behaviour, suitable for ensemble playing. One Valve trombone. One Bass trombone, based on completely independent samples. The playing range corresponds to that of a top professional player, which is E1 – F4 (Tenor & Valve), and Bb-1 – Bb3 (Bass), respectively. Each trombone may be played with several mutes, including Straight, Bucket, Cup, Harmon (with or without stem). A virtually moving plunger is also available for wah-wah effects. The Trombone family expands Samplemodeling technologies beyond the original limits. Multi-mic

Camel Audio has released two new Alchemy Soundbanks - Luftrum: Ambient and Cameleon: Remixed. Like all Alchemy Soundbanks, each bank is a standalone instrument in its own right, as it comes with a complementary copy of the new Alchemy Player, and costs $59 / €49 / £39. Luftrum: Ambient is "a journey between worlds, from summer afternoons to the icy depths of space". With dense washes of warm, shimmering pads and soundscapes, gentle guitar and piano arpeggios, music boxes, delicate, and ethereal sound effects that "totter between beauty and despair", this is a particularly inspiring collection for the ambient musician, film, TV or game soundtrack composer. Its darker elements include chilling machine sounds, disturbing alien atmospheres, the voices of haunted children, water droplets, plus a sprinkling of the avant-garde. This library contains 150 presets and incorporates a 127 MB sample library full of "fascinating details covering interior and exterior atmosph

Tekky Synths has announced the release of THriCe, a new 3-oscillator synthesizer VST instrument plug-in for Windows. The full version costs €30 but a free version is also available - the only restriction is the missing filter modulation by the 3 StepSeq LFOs. THriCeFeatures: 3 Oscillators: Waveforms: Saw, Sawx2, Square, Ramp, THriCe OSC. Waveforms: Sine, Saw, Triangle, Square, THriCe OSC. Waveforms: Saw, Sawx2, Square, Ramp, Detuned OSC. THriCe OSCillator is a dedicated FM OSC. Detuned is a Unison OSC. Each OSC has its own individual StepSeq LFO filter modulation. One multiband filter block per OSC plus a moog-like main filter. A main LFO to give more life to patches. Velocity gater with adjustable timing and random sequence creation. Internal sequencer with adjustable sequence length, speed, scale and random feature. Three more random options for patch creation. Filter, Filter Seq or Full synth. A main complete FX section with random features.

Line 6 has announced the release of the POD Farm 2 and POD Farm 2 Platinum software plug-ins. The pair of AU/RTAS/VST plug-ins build upon the foundations set by their predecessors to deliver "extensive model counts, a simple yet powerful workflow and world-renowned POD tone for any digital audio workstation". "The new plug-ins offer extensive updates and functionality that recording guitarists have been asking for," remarked Mike Murphy, Category Manager for POD and PC Products at Line 6. "Enhanced routing with flexible DSP, POD Farm Elements, and full MIDI support provide an experience that's both powerful and intuitive." The enhanced routing with flexible DSP (digital signal processing) inspires creativity and allows for a broad range of tones. Users can build Dual Tones, which are dual signal chains that can be played separately or simultaneously. Dual Tones can include up to twenty effect models of any type placed in any order within the signal ch

Korg has announced the microSTATION, described as a Micro Synthesizer with Sequencer. Designed to satisfy the beginning musician or the accomplished keyboardist, the microSTATION offers portability, the sound of Korg's EDS-i synth engine, effects, plus new and easy-to-use sequencing tools. Audition riffs make finding just the right sound a breeze. Features: Lightweight, compact, and equipped with 61 mini-keys, the microSTATION travels easily and fits into any home, stage, or studio workspace. EDS-i (Enhanced Definition Synthesis-integrated) sound engine delivers high-quality sound in the tradition of KORG's flagship synthesizers. Enjoy 480 ready-to-use sounds - including keyboard sounds, synth sounds, drums, leads, basses, etc. Tweak, edit, create and save up to 512 sound Programs. 256 dynamic Combinations place different sounds on different areas of the keyboard, or layer multiple sounds together for exciting performances - right out of the box. Find the right sound fast with

Summary of changes from v6.0.8 to v6.0.9: New nVocal plugin. Support (with ready made preset) for Behringer BCF2000 hardware control surface. Support for Waves v7 VST and VST3 plugins. Support for MMC transport commands in Settings/MIDI Control box. Improved disk write buffering during recording, enabled by default in Settings/Buffering box. Fixed part not updating when holding Shift and selecting. Many bug fixes.

Soniccouture has teamed up with Mikael Jorgensen of the band Wilco for the release of RMI Rocksichord, a full Kontakt-format rendering of the 1960s 'electric harpsichord'. Mikael started sampling his ancient Rocksichord keyboard, but hadn't the time to finish the looping and programming. Soniccouture asked him how he would feel if they finished the job and offered it as a free download from the Soniccouture site (he said yes, obviously). The Rocksichord is a big, blue, chunky sounding beast that has been used by a huge number of musicians over the years, including The Beach Boys (on Sunflower), Genesis, Dr. John, John Lennon, Stereolab (on Sound-Dust), Sun Ra, Terry Riley (on A Rainbow in Curved Air), Rick Wakeman (solo and with Yes), and Wilco (on A Ghost is Born). RMI Rocksichord is currently only available in Kontakt format (3 or 4), and is a free download from www.soniccouture.com

Blue Cat Audio has released new versions of Blue Cat's Freeware Pack and Blue Cat's Analysis Pack. These are maintenance releases that fix several issues and also improves the demo version of commercial plug-ins. What's new: Fixes random crashes with "Multi" series user interfaces. Demo versions improvement: demo popup window now only appears once per session, and only when opening the user interface. Mac: fixes a crash with demo versions in Ableton Live 8.1. Mac: fixes multiple screens issues with free plugins. Win x64: fixes issues with several hosts not recognizing plug-ins or not showing the settings window properly. Misc other bug fixes (more details available in the release logs for each plug-in). MORE INFO

algoriddim has announced the release of version 3.1 of djay. This update offers a range of new features, enhancements to existing tools and plug-and-play support for some of the most popular DJ controllers on the market. Users can apply a new set of features, including Auto-Saving cue points and automatically aligning cue points and precise beats with Quantized Cue Points. In addition, djay 3.1 includes keyboard shortcuts based on key position instead of letters, making djay's powerful shortcuts more accessible to international users. djay 3.1 also has the ability to integrate with some of the most popular available MIDI controllers. "We've dramatically expanded djay's capabilities by offering new features and integration with existing hardware," said Karim Morsy, CEO of algoriddim. "djay is already known for its precision and ease of use, but with this update we wanted to bring the quality of the user's musical experience to a new level. Fans that prefer

Semerika has announced the release of FlangerHand, a new free VST effect plug-in for Windows. FlangerHandThe FlangerHand plug-in is based on the idea of the early flanging effect realised on a setup of up to 4 tape machines (1 source, 3 recorders) in the '60s. The playback-head output from two recorders was mixed together onto a third recorder. The "flange" effect originated when an engineer would literally put a finger on the flange, or rim of one of the tape reels so that the machine was slowed down, slipping out of sync by tiny degrees. A listener would hear a "drainpipe" sweeping effect as shifting sum-and-difference harmonics were created. When the operator removed his finger the tape sped up again, making the effect sweep back in the other direction. MORE INFO

T he updates address issues reported when using inTone in Windows 7. Also, new features have been added, especially significantly extended MIDI control - now it is possible to control not only effect parameters and virtual instruments, but all the racks as well. The second important addition to the functionality of inTone is the chain management. Copying whole effect chains between programs and naming them makes organizing your banks and programs even simpler.

Digital 1 DJ has updated PCDJ DEX to v1.0. Build 7228. Changes: Fixed Possible Uniloc Reactivation. Fixed problem with year column not showing up. Initial support for Reloop Digital Jockey 2 controller (fx aren't mapped yet). Fixed audio CD playback which no longer worked in earlier betas.

Novation has announced the release of version 3.4 of its MIDI control application / plug-in, Automap. This new version brings dozens of new mappings for plug-ins and instruments, and also carries firmware updates for Novation keyboards and controllers. When developing Automap v3.4, Novation focused on expanding Automap's on-board library of mappings (collections of assignments that tie knobs, faders and buttons of Novation hardware to software parameters) for Logic, Reason and Pro Tools. To achieve this, the mappings system was fully rebuilt to allow thousands of new mappings across the Novation product range. Now, Logic, Reason and Pro Tools are fully mapped (although Logic's Sculpture and Ultrabeat have inherent limitations). This means all plug-ins and software instruments that ship with the applications now have bespoke Automap mappings, so you can get immediate, hands-on access to the most sensible parameters in your plug-ins and music software. Another big part of the v3.

Arturia has announced that Prophet V, its reproduction of the Prophet 5 and the Prophet VS hardware synths, has been updated to version 2.0. The main improvements are: Arturia's preset navigation system, called SoundMap. New Syncrosoft copy protection. MIDI RPN "pitch bend range" message is now recognized. Ability to use NRPN MIDI messages for automation. Fresh batch of presets made by a selection of top sound designers. Presets now respond to modulation wheel. Double click on joystick resets to center position. Lower CPU utilization on Mac OS X. Better Audio Unit compatibility (Digital Performer most notably). Better handling of control surfaces while changing preset. Better mouse response of Audio Unit version. Windows 7/Snow Leopard officially supported. Vista/Windows 7 compatibility no longer requires UAC deactivation. Numerous bug fixes. The upgrade is free for all registered users. MORE INFO

Antress has updated the free Modern Plugins bundle to v4.85, adding three new plug-ins: Modern Expander MK-IV, Modern Vacuumer and Modern Splitter. Modern Expander MK-IVModern Expander MK-IV: VU meter include. Threshold control (-96 dB to 0 dB). Ratio control (1:1 to 30:1). Knee control (0 to 20 dB). Range control (0 to 60 dB). Attack time control (0.1 to 3 ms). Release time control (150 to 3000 ms). Mix control (Full wet to dry). Output control (-20 to +20 dB). Modern VacuumerModern Vacuumer: Racing style Gain Reduction meter. Neon style level light. Easy/Over compression lights. Gain control (Semi-Auto, 0 to 30 dB). Threx control (Threshold, 0 to -60 dB). Atta control (Attack time, 1.2 to 12 ms). Releax control (Release time, 240 to 2400 ms). Hape control (Ratio, 3:1 to 30:1). Modern SplitterModern Splitter: Solo mode switch. Left channel solo. Right channel solo. Mid channel solo. Side channel solo. L/R Centered switch. Output level control (1% step, 0% to 200%). Changes in v4.85: M

Native Instruments has introduced Abbey Road 60s Drums, the first instrument created in its collaboration with the iconic British recording studios. Recorded using sophisticated engineering techniques and exclusive vintage gear, Abbey Road 60s Drums provides a versatile arsenal of classic drum sounds with "absolute tonal authenticity, supreme playability and immense sonic flexibility". For use in the free Kontakt Player and the Kontakt 4 sampler, it provides a unique resource for typical Sixties sound aesthetics as well as for modern pop, rock and urban music styles. Abbey Road 60s Drums Abbey Road 60s Drums Abbey Road 60s Drums Abbey Road 60s Drums Abbey Road 60s Drums features two quintessential drum kits of the Sixties era, a Gretsch and a Ludwig, which were recorded in "painstaking" detail utilizing Abbey Road's engineering expertise and arsenal of vintage equipment. Classic AKG, Neumann and STC microphones from the studios' famed microphone collection,

WaveMachine Labs has announced the pricing and release date for the next major Drumagog release, Drumagog 5. Available beginning April 7, 2010, Drumagog 5 represents more than two years of design and development. Pricing (MSRP): Drumagog Basic: $149 Drumagog Pro: $289 Drumagog Platinum: $379 Drumagog 4 Upgrade: $149 (Same tier, i.e. Pro to Pro, or Platinum to Platinum) WaveMachine Labs will also offer cross-tier upgrades for those interested in moving into the higher editions of Drumagog, like Drumagog 4 Pro to Drumagog 5 Platinum. Drumagog 5 Drumagog 5Among the most requested improvements to Drumagog is sample alignment. While Drumagog 4's auto align algorithm did a fair job, samples sometimes suffered from phase issues, especially when blended with the original track. Drumagog 5's new Auto Align 2.0 is the result of years of collaboration between WaveMachine Labs and Fraunhofer (inventors of the MP3 format). This work has resulted in a new sample alignment algorithm. Samples

Pro-Sounds has announced the release of Genusis, a new bank of 128 presets for reFX's Vanguard synthesizer. Genusis was designed by Frank Genus who, Pro-Sounds says, "plunged deep into Vanguard's virtual circuitry and pulled out some of our hardest hitting sounds to date". Genusis covers a broad range of sonic territory, from the obvious to the obscure. Users will find complex arps, esoteric pads, searing leads, otherworldly atmospheres, heavy-hitting basses, and more. Vanguard users off all stripes, from those producing Techno and D&B to those making audio for video, will find Genusis to be a valued addition to their toolbox, according to Pro-Sounds. Genusis is available now for $24.95. A free 30-preset demo bank is available. more info

Peavey has announced the next version of its ReValver amplifier modeling software, ReValver MK III.V, which debuts nine new amplifier and effects models. It will be available in Q2, 2010. MSRP TBA. ReValver MK III.VReValver MK III.V will feature the debut of the Peavey 3120, Peavey Masterpiece, Peavey Sensation, Budda SuperdriveII, and Budda Superdrive V Series amplifier models. New effects models in ReValver MK III.V are the classic Peavey VCL-2 tube compressor and the Budda Budwah expression pedal. All of the amp and effects models and deep editing popularized by ReValver MK III are also available in MK III.V. ReValver utilizes an exclusive algorithm that analyzes the interactions of the amps' components at the circuit level, based on the original schematics. By mapping these amplifier models from the component level, ReValver is able to model every nuance with amazing accuracy, allowing players to design their ultimate custom amps and speaker systems. As advanced as ReValver'

IK Multimedia has announced AmpliTube 3, a massive upgrade to the guitar and bass tone gear-modeling software, now featuring over 160 precisely modeled pieces of vintage and modern gear available in one package. AmpliTube 3 AmpliTube 3 AmpliTube 3 AmpliTube 3 AmpliTube 3 AmpliTube 3 AmpliTube 3 contains over 160 pieces of gear, more than double the amount of other packages, including models from the most sought-after vintage collections and modern-day workhorses. You'll get 51 individual stompboxes and effects, 31 amplifier, preamp & power sections, 46 speaker cabinet models, 15 high-end stage and studio mics, and 17 post-amp rack effects. Plus, with the new AmpliTube 3 open architecture, you can add more packages as you need them, like AmpliTube Fender and Ampeg SVX. More Feel - True Dynamic Response AmpliTube 3 gear models give you realistic playing feel - not just the tones - but the actual dynamic response of their hardware counterparts. Plus, with IK's proprietary VRM

Steinberg has announced the immediate availability of a fully functional trial version of its Cubase 5 Advanced Music Production System. All that's needed to use the full 30-day trial version is a USB eLicenser and a MySteinberg account at www.steinberg.net. The Cubase 5 software can be downloaded from the Steinberg website or obtained on DVD from any authorized Steinberg dealer. Users of other DAW products who do not yet own a USB eLicenser receive a full refund on the price of the USB eLicenser in the Steinberg online shop when buying the full Cubase 5 version. "The Cubase 5 Trial version is the ideal way for customers of older Cubase versions or any software that uses the USB eLicenser to try out Cubase 5 for 30 days," comments Helge Vogt, Steinberg's Product Marketing Manager for Cubase. "Importantly, this is not a functionally limited demo version but the full Cubase 5 installer with all features, sounds and instruments. We're sure that some musicians a

KarmaFX Synth Modular has been updated to v1.10. Changes: Added recording functionality to the sampler module. Added copy & paste buttons to the pattern module for easier pattern duplication. Added "New" item to input menus that adds a new default module and automatically patches it to the respective module or knob. The "New Bank" menu item has been removed from main pop-up and added to the bank selection menu instead. Re-enabled the non-resetting, analog-style envelope attack (was disabled in v1.07). An "Analog" option has been added to the ADSR envelope attack knob. This option is on by default. Added "Crossfade Sustain Loop" option to right click menu in Sampler. If sustain is enabled this will alter the sample to create a seamless sustain loop by crossfading the attack/sustain/release areas. The keyrange/velocity view in sampler has been extended to also show the ranges of any pressed keys. A sample selection region can now be resized by

Musical-instrument and sound-equipment innovator Peavey Electronics (NAMM exhibit #5740, Hall B) and software and hardware platform specialists Muse Research and Development (NAMM exhibit #6729, Hall A) have established a collaborative strategic alliance to introduce innovative new products to the global marketplace. This exclusive partnership brings together Peavey's 45 years of research, development and VST software innovations, as well as its extensive global distribution network and manufacturing capabilities, with Muse Research and Development's ground-breaking technology-based product designs. By utilizing each company's core competencies, the companies will bring to market innovative new products beginning with the new uniquely flexible MuseBox Musical Instrument and Effects Box . "We are very excited to establish this relationship with Muse Research and Development," said Hartley Peavey, founder and CEO of Peavey Electronics Corporation. "Peavey