Allen & Heath has released a new firmware update for its GLD digital mixing system. V1.2 introduces several new features, including support for the new GLD-112 mixer, 4 new effects unique to the GLD system, as well as many additions in response to customer feedback, including compressor parallel path.

Sample Magic has announced the launch of a new five-day Production Academy with Sound on Sound’s Paul White. The Production Academy is the latest educational offering from Sample Magic, an immersive five-day music recording and production course based on the best-selling Producer’s Manual written by Paul White.

Personalize your Reloop controller! Thanks to the co-operation of Reloop and DJ-Skins.com it is now possible to design your own individual skin for your Reloop controller. 

Novation TV spent a day with Teddy, where he showed them around Future Recording Studios 2 and played a brand new version of Guy's 1988 hit 'Teddy's Jam' on the Novation MiniNova.

Steinberg today released Cubase Elements 7, the newest addition to the Cubase 7 line-up. Cubase Elements 7 is state-of-the art technology and quality provided in a moderately priced music production software that throws its doors wide open to the fascinating world of Cubase.

Vampire Weekend's joyful melding of indie rock and Afro pop has lifted the band to international A-level status. Their newest album, Modern Vampires of the City, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Producers Ariel Rechtshaid and Rostam Batmanglij recorded, produced, and mixed the album in Los Angeles studios and Brooklyn apartments, lounges and backyards — a mobile strategy made possible by mirrored recording systems, Universal Audio's Apollo audio interface, and Thunderbolt technology.

The EHX 8 Step Program plugs into the expression pedal or CV input of other effects pedals and synthesizers delivering rhythmic sequencer control. With eight independent sliders, each controlling a sequence step, it can turn an ordinary auto-wah into a step filter, a tremolo into a syncopated pulse effect and a pitch-shifter into an arpeggiator.

Allen & Heath has introduced the GLD-112, a larger version of the popular GLD-80 mixer, with an extra bank comprising 8 control strips, increasing the channel count to 28 fader strips in 4 layers. The GLD-112 is ideal for applications where visibility of more channels in a single layer is required and also offers a dedicated shelf to hold an iPad running the free GLD remote app which allows extended processing and custom views.

Below are some of the new releases we have encountered this week on the Loops and Samples front. Just like the quality of the audio software we use these days the quality of the content we use (loops and samples) equally matches the high standards of this software. Below is this weeks selection.

Science! We love science, especially when it is brought to us in a fun way. Below is a video by Brusspup in which he performs the Chladni plate experiment. For us it is just cool to see what sound can do, how it shapes certain forms at certain frequencies. Again, just cool!

Elektron Music Machines has released a new Sound pack for the Octatrack. The Nintari Flashback Sound pack is assembled by Puremagnetik and contains samples from the legendary Atari 2600 and NES consoles. The mixture of seriously raw waveforms, lo-fi squeaks and 8-bit drum sounds will beam the Octatrack straight back to the future. Press start to continue!

Native Instruments launched the Freedom of Sound sales special on REAKTOR and select REAKTOR-based instruments and effects. The special celebrates the unrestricted freedom to design completely new instruments and sound devices REAKTOR provides. During the offer period, REAKTOR is available at the NI Online Shop for $99 / 99 € / ¥ 9,800 – a saving of $300 / 300 € / ¥ 30,000 compared to Native Instruments' online shop price. 

Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH today released three new VST Sound Loop Sets, which perfectly complement existing content libraries in Sequel, Cubase and Nuendo.

The 4MIX is a compact USB DJ controller that provides direct access to 4-decks. The mixer area is a familiar 4-channel mixer with 3-band EQ, CUE, volume and a filter knob for each channel. The 12 rubber buttons on each deck provide direct access to Loop, Hot Cue, and Transport controls. The 4Mix has also been configured to use the volume knob and play buttons for direct access to Virtual DJs Sampler feature.

Waves Audio, a leading provider of audio DSP solutions for professional, broadcast and consumer electronics markets, and long-term collaborators, London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios, are proud to introduce the new RS56 Passive EQ plugin, based on the original RS56 Universal Tone Control, utilized on a multitude of classic recordings.

high-quality synthesizer developer Waldorf is proud to announce availability of Nave, its first synthesizer app for Apple’s all-conquering iPad. Jointly created by Stefan Stenzel (audio algorithms), Rolf Wöhrmann (iOS development), and Axel Hartmann (graphic design), Nave transforms any iPad into an advanced wavetable synthesizer fit for truly mobile 21st Century composition, performance, and sound design.

Radial Engineering is pleased to announce the PreMax channel strip, a combination preamp and 3-band equalizer module for the popular 500 series format.

At this weeks WWDC we still didn't hear anything on the 'future' of Logic. However Apple showed a sneak peek into the future of the pro desktop with a first look at the next generation Mac Pro®. Does this mean that Logic 'does' have a future then? As now a new Logic would have a solid foundation to run on? Designed around a revolutionary unified thermal core, the Mac Pro introduces a completely new pro desktop architecture and design that is optimized for performance inside and out. With next generation Xeon processors, dual workstation-class GPUs, Thunderbolt 2, PCIe-based flash storage, and ultra-fast ECC memory, the new 9.9-inch tall Mac Pro packs an amazing amount of power into an incredibly small package.

Native Instruments today announced TRAKTOR KONTROL Z1, the world's smallest professional mixer and audio interface, to natively connect to both the TRAKTOR DJ App for iPad and iPhone, and TRAKTOR PRO 2. When combined with the critically-acclaimed TRAKTOR DJ App, the Z1 adds headphone cue, and dedicated faders, filter and effects controls, and 3-band EQ for each channel. 

Apple yesterday unveiled iOS 7, the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone®, featuring a stunning new user interface. iOS 7 is completely redesigned with subtle motion, an elegant color palette and distinct, functional layers that make it feel more alive. The typography has been refined for a cleaner, simpler look, and the use of translucency and motion makes even simple tasks more engaging. iOS 7 has hundreds of great new features, including Control Center, Notification Center, improved Multitasking, AirDrop®, enhanced Photos, Safari®, Siri® and introduces iTunes Radio™, a free Internet radio service based on the music you listen to on iTunes®.

Zynaptiq announces the immediate availability of their recently introduced adaptive tonal contour linearization plug-in, UNFILTER. It is a real-time plug-in that removes filtering effects, such as comb filtering, resonance, or excessive equalization – effectively linearizing the frequency response of a signal automatically. UNFILTER can also apply a detected filter response to another signal, or export it to disk as an impulse response file (WAV), and can perform mastering grade adaptive, free-form, and graphic equalization.

With an invite by Focusrite, two Gearjunkies team members went on a roadtrip to the Belgian city of MOL, where one the best studios of Europe is located. At the Galaxy Studio they got a hands-on demonstration of the Focusrite Rednet audio system.

MetaBliss is a new ID3 tag editor for Mac OS X. It will help you clean up your meta-data. With MetaBliss, you can quickly edit Artist, Song Name, Comments and all other tags. It's an editor designed for speed, so you can fix multiple files at once. Your DJ software playlists will look completely flawless.

With one semi-professional and two avid amateur DJ's, DJ gear has always been a big part of our love for gear since we started back in 2003 with Gearjunkies. So if you'd ask us what piece of equipment, we think,  has made a big impact in the world of DJ'ing, the Vestax VCI-100 would definitely make that list! Vestax themselves honour the VCI-100 with a special write up on thier website: "The history of the VCI-100".

Below are some of the new releases we have encountered this week on the Loops and Samples front. Just like the quality of the audio software we use these days the quality of the content we use (loops and samples) equally matches the high standards of this software. Below is this weeks selection.

Universal Audio is proud to announce the shipment of the Apollo 16 Audio Interface and new UAD Software v.7.0, which provides multi-unit cascading, Virtual I/O, and other enhancements to both the Apollo 16 and Apollo audio interfaces.

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) saw the host broadcaster and production team create a spectacular and joyous festival of songs and unique performances to delight an audience of over 100 million viewers. From the Olympic-style flag-waving entry of the 26 finalists into the arena – via a bridge that was lowered over the auditorium – to the hilarious Stockholm tour given by spoof “Official EBU Host” Lynda Woodruff: the programme on 18 May was varied and captivating. A star turn was provided by actress and comedienne Petra Mede, who hosted the contest and also performed as a singer and dancer. Both she and the artists relied on Sennheiser Digital 9000 microphones and 2000 Series in-ear monitors for the show.

Solid State Logic, the world’s leading manufacturer of creative tools for audio professionals, is pleased to announce that Grammy-winning Nashville mix engineer and producer Rob Burrell has improved the tone and workflow in his personal workspace, emotionmix studios with an SSL X-Desk.

Softube has announced that they will deliver compatible 64-bit AAX (Avid Audio eXtension) DSP and AAX Native plug-ins in time for the forthcoming Avid Pro Tools 11 release.

Sonnox Plug-ins spent some time with Grammy-nominated DJ / Producer StoneBridge at his studio in Stockholm, where he talks about his long career in dance music and shows some invaluable tips and settings that he uses all the time with Sonnox plug-ins.

Barefoot Sound is proud to introduce the second generation MicroMain27 and MicroMain35. Now featuring our amazing Speaker Emulation technology, both speakers precisely model the essential response and translation characteristics of other classic studio monitors, simply with turn of a knob. If this weren't enough, the renowned MM27 adn MM35 are augmented with advanced new electronics and drivers giving it even greater dimension and transparency across the entire audio spectrum.

Sonnox has released the Oxford Limiter plug-in for Avid’s AAX format. Sonnox Sales & Marketing Manager, Nathan Eames reports, “The demand for AAX plug-ins has been growing exponentially, as the Pro Tools HDX user base expands. Our design group continues to work diligently on developing 64-bit AAX versions for the forthcoming Pro Tools 11. The work is time consuming, but absolute accuracy is paramount, to bring these much loved classics to the HDX platform.”

The TC Electronic TM7 is a very popular loudness meter for mobile trucks and small installations where space is always an issue. Broadcasters have wished for the same 3G SDI capability of the larger TouchMonitor TM9, and now a TM7 model with that exact I/O configuration is available.

Line 6, leading manufacturer of innovative solutions for musicians, today announced the new Sonic Port guitar system for iPod touch®, iPhone® and iPad®. Building on the success of the popular Line 6® Mobile In™ digital interface, the Sonic Port system delivers pristine audio quality, legendary Line 6 guitar tones and all the inputs and outputs needed to transform a mobile device into a studio-quality music creation system.

The result of years of experience in Ableton Live multitouch control, the long-awaited Live iPad controller from Liine and ST8 is finally here. Built on what they learned from making Mu, Griid, Kapture Pad and Lemur, LiveControl 2 gives you every single feature you need to jam, produce and perform with Ableton Live. All the best features for controlling Live from your iPad or iPad Mini have been regrouped, refined and streamlined, making LiveControl 2 the ultimate Ableton Live multitouch experience.

MixVibes announced a major update on iPhone and iPad with the Record & Share new functionalities. Cross DJ is the first app to record and share mixes on Soundcloud. Record, edit and share your mix on Soundcloud straight from your iPhone or iPad. No computer needed, it’s all built in the app.

Native Instruments launched a new 'Happy Hour' sales special for the TRAKTOR KONTROL Z2 – the 2+2 channel DJ control mixer. The Z2 will be available exclusively to TRAKTOR DJs for the special price of $599 / 599 € / 59800 ¥ until June 30, 2013. Usually retailing at $899 / 799 € / 83800 ¥, TRAKTOR KONTROL Z2 is available both at the NI Online Shop, and at participating retailers worldwide. DJs wishing to take advantage of this special offer at retailers need simply to provide a valid proof of purchase for a TRAKTOR product. 

High-end studio processor manufacturer elysia is proud to announce availability of the xfilter 500, a true stereo EQ in 500 series format.

Last year saw Wavesfactory making a brave move into the wonderful world of audio plug-ins with TrackSpacer, a keenly- priced debut developed in close collaboration with French virtual instrument and plug-in guru Xavier Oudin (of XILS-lab fame). As implied by name, TrackSpacer cleverly creates space in a music mix for any instrument, voice, or other audio source by performing automatic, multi-band equalisation on a per track basis. 

This is a first for us, if I remember correctly, but this post is intended to draw some attention to a free download of a complete album by Different Marks. This is a collaborative project between Martin Dawson (King Roc, Two Armadillo), Grzegorz Demiañczuk and Voitek Tarañczuk (Catz N' Dogz). On 12th November last year, Martin unexpectedly passed away. The album was completed shortly before his tragic death.

Thanks to its flexibility, Focusrite's RedNet audio I/O technology is being implemented in a diverse range of applications. From single-unit laptop recording setups to multi-room studio environments, RedNet is proving to be a popular audio interface system. One of the highest-profile implementations of RedNet to date is the front-of-house rig for The Killers' world tour, where a RedNet 1 eight channel A-D/D-A, and RedNet 4 eight-channel mic preamp perform a number of duties for Systems Engineer Philip Reynolds. He made the decision to use RedNet in order to maintain the audio within the digital domain — A-D conversion takes place side-stage as soon as the mics plug into the stagebox — for as long as possible before conversion to analogue. It's this, says Philip, that keeps the audio quality world-class.

Get the performance, sound quality, and features that countless live sound professionals have come to rely on in a system architecture that’s built for the future. The modular Avid S3L System is comprised of a high-performance HDX-powered processing engine running AAX plug-ins, scalable remote I/O that can live on stage or in a rack, and a head-turning, compact control surface that’s built for the road, but equally at home in the studio.

With the release of Propellerhead Reason 7 just recently, they have made a big step forward with this 'all in the box' DAW. Our friends from Sweden have released a microtutorial on the Audiomatic Retro Transformer rack extension that comes free with Reason 7.

Check out Martin, the fearless support team leader at Serato, showing off his skills on the Vestax VCI-380 and Serato DJ. It’s fair to say, the team spends their fair share of time with the gear. Great little demo, direct from the Serato office!

Only a few days ago Chris Randall from Audio Damage released Mangleverb, his latest FX plugin. Mangleverb can be used as a filter, reverb, transient shaper, rhythmic gate, LPF gate, tempo-synced VCA, and any combination thereof. It is, for all intents and purposes, a Swiss Army Knife, for both wild sonic destruction and more utilitarian production work.

Novation's latest MIDI controller is now available worldwide! Based around a 25, 49 or 61-note keyboard with 16 velocity-sensitive multi-colour launch pads, Launchkey features the Launchkey app (an iPad performance synth) as well as a Launchpad app that provides drag-and-drop loop playback from the pads and realtime effects including stutter and filter effects. InControl technology instantly maps the hardware giving you hands-on control of your mixer, transport and more in Ableton Live, FL Studio, Pro Tools, Reason, Logic and Cubase.

Elektron has released OS 1.25 for the Octatrack. It is an essential download for all Octatrack owners, as three brand new effects have been implemented. A stereo image shaping Spatializer, a gritty and twangy Spring Reverb and a lush, smooth and wide Dark Reverb. With these expressive effects the power of the Octatrack just got even more immense!

Audio Damage have released Mangleverb. A reverb plugin that does more than just ... reverb! What happens when you combine a thick reverb, a filter, an envelope follower, an LFO, and a VCA? We wanted to know. The results are surprisingly useful. Mangleverb can be used as a filter, reverb, transient shaper, rhythmic gate, LPF gate, tempo-synced VCA, and any combination thereof. It is, for all intents and purposes, a Swiss Army Knife, for both wild sonic destruction and more utilitarian production work. 

Native Instruments announced new pricing on MASCHINE CUSTOM KITS – sets of colored faceplates and matching knobs for customizing the MASCHINE MK2 hardware. 

The ComplexDroids soundset for Tone2's ElectraX contains 200 massive and wide sounds focusing on slamming basslines and hookleads. Inside you will find a large selection of club ready sounds, bass like robotic voices and heavy mechanical movement. 

Below are some of the new releases we have encountered this week on the Loops and Samples front. Just like the quality of the audio software we use these days the quality of the content we use (loops and samples) equally matches the high standards of this software. Below is this weeks selection.