It was a tour whose initial dates sold out in just ten minutes. A tour which nobody thought could ever happen. But March 2013 saw the impossible become reality… and Yamaha digital mixing consoles played their full part in reuniting the classic line up of Status Quo – otherwise known as the ‘Frantic Four’ – on stage for the first time in over 30 years.
Last year Arturia surprised us with the announcement and release of the MiniBrute, an analogue hardware synth. Arturia is mainly known for their software products, however they are not complete strangers to hardware gear as they released the Origin synth in 2009. Recently we got a MiniBrute to play with and one of the first things you’ll notice is that this synth isn’t light weighted, even though it looks mini, with just a 25-keys keyboard.
The Scarlett range of Focusrite USB audio interfaces gets extended with two new models, the 18i8 (18 in, 8 out) and the 6i6 (6-in, 6-out). Both are aimed at recording artists, producers and bands and differ primarily in their I/O configuration. Both feature award-winning Focusrite mic pres, designed specifically for Focusrite’s computer music interfaces, and Focusrite’s renowned precision 24bit/96KHz conversion for maximum transparency. In addition to Mac® or Windows® operation, both interfaces are compatible with iOS® devices like the iPad® (via an Apple iPad camera connection kit.
One of products, at the past MusikMesse in Frankfurt, that took a lot of interest with the public and press was Softube’s Console 1. Which is an integrated hardware/software music mixing solution which includes a rugged hardware controller and a modeled analog console channel with some unique additions.
Next to the SPL Twintube and Sonnox Oxford Inflator Plug-Ins Universal Audio is also pleased to announce the release of the groundbreaking Ocean Way Studios Plug-In for the UAD Powered Plug-Ins platform. Developed over a three-year period by UA and Allen Sides, Ocean Way Studios is an audio processing breakthrough — combining elements of room, microphone, and source modeling so tracks sound as if they were recorded in the legendary studios of Ocean Way Recording.
Universal Audio (UA), a leading manufacturer of professional audio recording hardware and software, is pleased to announce the release of UAD Software v7.0, featuring two new Direct Developer plug-ins — SPL TwinTube and Sonnox Oxford Inflator.
Mostly known for their DJ gear, Reloop is now venturing into the market of Pro Audio and Studio gear. First off is the SHP-1, an indispensible tool that enables you to cope with your everyday studio work with perfection.
It’s nt a real secret that Vince Clarke is one of our heroes. So the video below is a plaesure to watch as Arturia went to Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure, The Assembly) to talk to this synth legend at his studio in New-York, talking about MiniBrute, his relation to synths and his up-coming projects.
MOTU have announced that Digital Performer 8 is now available, for windows (and mac). Left brain, right brain. Digital Performer 8 is designed equally for both, with insiprational features devised to ignite your creative muse, combined with state-of-the-art studio production technologies engineered for the most demanding, world-class recording and production environments. Make no mistake: beneath Digital Performer’s inspired user interface lies a refined audio recording and mixing engine with uncompromising devotion to the absolute highest standards in audio quality, down to the very last sample.
The new Fostex PM0.4d has been launched. The compact new Fostex PM0.4d is a successor of the to the popular PM0.4n which has been one of the best selling Fostex monitor speakers since it was launched in 2006.
Steinberg is happy to announce the availability of WaveLab 8 and WaveLab Elements 8, the new generation of its popular audio editing and mastering solution.
Allen & Heath has released an interim firmware update for its iLive range of digital mixing systems, v1.91, containing a series of presets created by renowned sound engineer and regular iLive user, Ben Booker.
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.
This weekend we have a cool video of Valentin Prados using two Novation Launchpads with the recent new version of FL Studio (11). Under his artist namen Pra2 he performs his own track Argentina with these two controllers and FL Studio 11. With this latest version the software supports amongst others APC20/40, Lemur, Block, Maschine/Mikro, padKONTROL, Traktor Kontrol and of course the Novation Launchpad.
In today’s über-connected world, it’s easy to become inured by the nearly endless procession of cookie-cutter bands on the Web. But when a breath of fresh air like Alt-J comes along, it’s proof positive that great music stands out on its own merits. In almost no time at all, the Leeds, UK-based quartet has captured the ears of millions of music lovers, with each gig playing to ever-larger sold-out crowds.