Leading virtual instrument developer Spectrasonics have announced a brand new free update for the multi-award winning Omnisphere and Trilian at this year’s Frankfurt Musikmesse. Version 1.3 offers new performance features including real-time performance sync capabilities allowing all three Spectrasonics instruments to be used together in some unique ways, Groove Lock Envelopes, new sounds, videos and more.
The KeyControl 25 XT and KeyControl 49 XT have an exceptionally stylish aluminum cabinet and white solid glossy plastic side panels. They provide four fully programmable endless encoders, function buttons as well as a pitch bend and modulation slider.
CME Pro introduced new midicontroller keyboard series. The existing UF series will be replaced by the UF Classic series. Next to that CME introduced the new Z-Key series.
Icon was present at the Messe with, amongst others, some new controllers and a new midi/audio controller. This control surface called QCON will be priced for approx. 500 euro and available in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Modartt have expanded their collection of high class pianos in the latest version 3.6 of Pianoteq by the addition of the magnificent K1 Grand Piano. This new instrument, produced in the Modartt virtual piano factory, combines stunning dynamics, sharp attacks and powerful fortissimos with a very nice woody percussive quality.
In mid-January at the 2010 NAMM show, Hercules offered a sneak preview of its latest DJ controller. Today, at the Musikmesse European trade fair in Frankfurt, the manufacturer is pleased to announce the release date and retail price of its new Hercules DJ Console Mk4. This 2-deck portable DJ controller, featuring built-in audio, will be available in June 2010, at a suggested retail price of $199.99.
AVID (formerly known as DigiDesign) announced this collection of five new virtual instruments for Pro Tools at Winter NAMM in January, including the Structure™ professional sampler workstation, Strike™ virtual drummer, Velvet™ vintage electric pianos, Transfuser™ groove creator and Hybrid™ high-definition synthesizer. This pack is now shipping!
MATRIX 2.0 – The Voice Coder goes classic. Inspired by the legendary VSM 201 Vocoder from Sennheiser Virsyn have spent MATRIX an additional Filter module modelling the analog Sound of the VSM. But to make it even better they´ve extended the filter range by adding two additional filters for the high end and MATRIX got two Filterbanks for stereo operation. MATRIX 2 also comes with a redesigned user interface, some additional presets and they´ve spent an internal noise generator for whisper effects.
Lexicon has again rocked the foundations of the audio industry with the introduction of the LXP Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle. This powerful reverb bundle is a collection of Lexicon’s four most popular reverbs that are now available as efficient, multi-platform native software plug-ins. The LXP Bundle was specifically developed for project and professional recording engineers, as well as artists that want to envelope their mix with that magical “Lexicon sound” that delivers the clarity, depth and fullness that can only be created when recording in a major studio.
Cakewalk, the world’s leading developer of powerful and easy to use products for music creation and recording, announces the V-Studio 20 recording solution for guitar players and singer songwriters who want an easy way to get start making music with incredible tones.
Steinberg is proud to present a new VST instrument product created to offer the ideal all-round composition and production workstation. HALion Sonic combines a world-class 12GB sample library produced by Steinberg and Yamaha with a fully featured synthesis engine to offer synths, hybrid and acoustic instruments for composers, producers, musicians and sound designers in almost any conceivable production setting. The much-anticipated successor to Steinberg’s Hypersonic, HALion Sonic retains its ease-of-use while offering vastly expanded sound generation possibilities. HALion Sonic will be available in Q3 2010 for PC and Mac, and will cost €249/£212*.
Steinberg is pleased to announce an upcoming free update to its award-winning Cubase 5 and Cubase Studio 5 Music Production Systems. The free update to version 5.5 adds new features and capabilities as well as a range of enhancements to existing instruments, functionality and workflow. The update will be available in Q2 2010 for all registered customers of Cubase 5 and Cubase Studio 5 at www.steinberg.net.
Arturia announces that its freshly renovated synthesizer anthology line is now available in a new reference pack: the V Collection 2.0. This ultimate bundle offers all the emulations of the most legendary and sought after synthesizers: the Moog Modular, the Minimoog, the CS-80, the Prophet 5, the Prophet VS, the ARP 2600 and the Jupiter-8. Seven legendary machines that complement each other to provide the highest quality synthesizer sounds to the most discerning musicians.
BOSS continues its top-selling tradition of portable, affordable multi-trackers with the new BR-800 — a battery-powered studio to go. The sleek new design is made possible by touch-sensor switches and SD-card recording media. Up to four tracks can be recorded simultaneously with eight tracks of simultaneous playback plus an additional stereo track dedicated to the built-in rhythm generator.
Steinberg is proud to announce a forthcoming major update to its industry-standard Audio Editing and Mastering Suite. WaveLab 7 represents a new benchmark for audio editing and mastering for Mac, while adding new capabilities to its previous Windows incarnation. Among the new features is a unique GUI concept that allows fast and fluid handling of audio material across multiple windows, montages and podcasts with an intelligent docking and scaling system as well as new VST3 plug-ins and restoration tools, a new CD and DVD-A burning engine and much more. WaveLab 7 will be available in the second half of 2010 from authorized Steinberg resellers, and will cost €599/£510*.