The Ray Gun line of noise filter plugins from Arboretum systems now includes an Audio Units version for Mac OS X. Aside from the cool name, the plugins have a number of noise removal features. These are the features of the Pro version (from the website) — reduced versions are also available. (more…)
The TranzPort wireless DAW from Frontier Design Group allows you to control your music software from anywhere in the room. (Or in another room, but that would be silly.) It’s a nifty-looking piece of plastic with a jog wheel, transport controls and a whole bunch of buttons, and it’s completely wireless. (more…)
Computer Music magazine (August issue) reviews Guru, the whiz-bang drum machine program from FXpansion. They call it a “state-of-the-art drum machine” — it’s really a hybrid program. First, it’s a normal sequencing drum machine. But more importantly, it’s a loop-slicing program that lets you import drum patterns as audio and then slice and dice them to form your own kits and patterns. The review is positively glowing. (more…)
Modern handheld game consoles are powerful, portable and have pretty good sound capabilities — perfect for making music on the move. There are several ways to make music on these devices– you can work on that killer drum loop on a bus, in a pet shop or while skydiving. Here are a few programs that can help you make music on your portable game console. (more…)
Cakewalk Pyro 5 is out now. This is the latest version of Cakewalk’s CD mastering package, though it does quite a bit more than just burn CDs. Essentially, it deals with music recorded on any medium — apart from the obvious CD mastering and burning functions, you can also rip CDs or copy music from cassettes, vinyl, the Internet and so on. You can also put your audio down onto DVD (including dual layer DVD), data CDs, MP3 players or mobile phones. And I don’t mean MP3-capable mobiles. I mean ringtones. (more…)
Zero-G are about to release Nostalgia, a virtual instrument containing a huge collection of vintage synth sounds. How huge? Here’s the list of gear they used to create this goldmine: Ace Tone ‘Rhythm Ace’, Akai XE8, Akai XR10, Alesis HR16, Alesis HR16b, Alesis SR16, Alpha Juno 2, ARP 2600, ARP Odyssey, ARP Pro-Soloist, ARP String Ensemble, Boss DR220, Boss DR55, Casio CZ101, Casio PT-30, Casio RZ1, Casio VL-Tone, Chamberlin, Chapman Stick, Clavinet D6, CR78, Crumar Performer, D50, Delicia Medlodica , Dubreq Stylophone, Elektronika EM-25, Elka Synthex, Eminent 310, Emu Drumulator, Emulator 2, Ensoniq SQ80, Ensoniq SQ-R, Fairlight CMI IIx, Farfisa organ, Farfisa Soundmaker, Fender Rhodes, Fricke MFB512, Gem DEX20, Gem S2, Hammond B/C3, Hammond M102, Hohner Pianet, Jen bass Pedals, Jupiter 6, Kawai K5000, Kawai R5/R50E, Keytek MDP40, Korg DDD1, Korg DDM110/DDM220, Korg M1, Korg ‘Mini Pops’, Korg MS20, Korg Polysix, Korg Prophecy, Korg Trident, Korg Wavestation, Korg X5DR, Linn 9000, Linn Drum Mk2, Linn LM-1, Mattel Synsonics, Mellotron, MemoryMoog, MiniMoog, MKS50, Modulus Monowave, Moog Opus, Moog Taurus Mk1, Moog Voyager, (more…)
This is neat — it’s a microphone that connects directly to your computer’s USB port. Samson Audio’s C01U is probably not the high-end professional choice, but it sounds pretty convenient, especially for those impromptu laptop gigs. It’s a good alternative to either a poor-quality 3.5mm microphone jack or a separate audio interface. (more…)
CNET review Sound Forge Audio Studio 8. For creating and manipulating digital audio, they say Sound Forge Audio Studio is “perhaps the most complete and easy-to-use application for Windows PCs.” (more…)
Steinberg are due now to release HALion String Edition 2, the new version of their orchestral strings library. As the name implies, it’s based on their HALion sampling engine. The new version features more effects and, well, basically more of everything. (more…)
Future Music magazine have reviewed Steinberg’s HALion Player sampler. They review it largely from the point of view of a HALion 3 user, so they notice the cut-down (”minimalist”) interface and the lack of flexibility. However, they also point out that it is cheaper than HALion 3, and it is meant to be used by people who want the specific sounds in the package, rather than those who are looking for a full-on “power sampler”. (more…)
