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.

They note that Guru uses eight audio engines for playback: “you get eight very capable drum machinesin one interface, all of them fully synced and working in perfect harmony wioth each other.” They also praise the user interface, which they call “attractive and well designed”.

They really like Guru’s loop-processing features. Its SmartSlice technology analyzes audio drum loops and automatically slices them up into individual beats. It also categorizes them according to whether they are a kcik, snare, hi-hat or other percussion hit, and assigns them to one of its four drum pads. It can even convert the loop to MIDI.

Overall, Guru gets the maximum rating — ten out of ten — and the conclusion speaks for itself: “FXpansion have done it again. Guru looks great and is easy to use, yet can create very complex beats. … Thoughtful design features, highly configurable sample pads and extensive sequencing abilities make Guru a truly phenomenal groovebox.”

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.

The Sony Playstation Portable has PSPKick and PSP Rhythm Composer. PSPKick is a simple drum machine that lets you set up a sequence and play the result or save it to a WAV file. The PSP Rhythm Composer is also just a drum machine, but its interface is based on the Roland TR series drum machines for all you retro freaks out there.

The Game Boy Advance has Nanoloop. “Nanoloop is a synthesizer / sequencer for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. Stored on a normal game cartridge, it allows to produce nice electronic music without further hardware, using either headphones or an external amplifier (home stereo, active speakers, etc) as sound output.” The interface is minimal, but this is probably appropriate for such a small device. Nanoloop has an 8-voice synth — voices can be a rectangular wave, FM synth or noise. There are filters, envelopes and LFO available. It’s all programmed using an 8-track step sequencer. You can even synchronise up to 4 GBAs together for a group jam session.

Even the plain old Game Boy isn’t left out in the cold — there’s Little Sound Dj: “The basic idea is to transform a plain Game Boy/Game Boy Color into a full-fledged music workstation.” There’s a subtractive synth with resonant filters — you can draw your own waveform! — and an arpeggiator. There are also samples available for drum programming and speech synthesis.

For the Nintendo DS, there’s Nanoloop, which works on this as well as the GBA. There’s also the weird and wonderful Electroplankton. Happy musical plankton bounce around the sea, making harmonious sounds as they move. You can set up their environment to help shape and channel the music they make. There are several different types of plankton, each with different movement and sound characteristics. This is more an interactive fishtank than a music-making tool, but the sounds are lovely and the graphics (as you can see) are simple but beautiful.

So the PSP doesn’t have too much going for it yet — Nintendo users have the better option so far. I’m sure more will be in the works. I could see Sony creating a version of Acid for the PSP — now that would be nice.

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.

Yes, this is the killer new feature of Pyro 5. You can take any audio, and it will transmogrify it into a ringtone and upload it to your mobile phone. Finally you can become a Ringtone Composer and make your fortune! The website promises unlimited ringtone creation from MP3 or CD: “Cakewalk Pyro incorporates ToneThis technology for the ultimate ringtone generator, with no complicated PC to phone connections.

1. Start with any CD track, MP3, or record your own audio
2. Use simple mouse-clicks to set the start and end time of the ringtone
3. Hit “Upload to Phone” to send an unlimited number of custom ringtones across the internet directly to your phone”

OK, it does lots more, but the ringtone thing is definitely the most amusing. Here’s the full list of Pyro 5’s capabilities:

• Create ringtones from any music source, that are easily sent to your phone
• Advanced burning capabilities including: DVD data disc burning and copying; dual-layer DVD burning and copying; disc image (.ISO) burning, copying, and writing/saving
• CD-extra burning (create audio and data hybrid discs)
• Redesigned, easy-to-use interface with new tabs and transport control to help you get started using Pyro 5 quickly—even if you are new to digital music and media software
• Listen to music using Pyro’s dockable Mini Player
• Improved CD ripping with updated CD-look up engine
• Print and copy track lists and disc content
• Create, save, and open playlists (.M3U and .PLS) with easy transfer to portable players
• Improved audio editing
• Rip CDs, make MP3s, and manage your digital music collection
• Make DJ-style megamixes with crossfades for CDs or your portable player
• Record audio from any source: LP, Cassette, Internet broadcast, microphone
• Digitize and clean LPs and cassettes, and transform them into CDs or MP3s
• Record Internet broadcasts, then put them on CD or your portable player
• Cakewalk-quality editing of audio files
• Locate and organize all the music files on your PC
• Instantly download song, album, and artist names
• Burn and share mix CDs of your favorite music
• Archive important data files to CD, DVD, or Dual Layer DVD
• Create backup copies of your favorite CDs and data DVDs
• NEATO CD-labeling graphics package

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…)

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.”

They say the interface is a bit boring but as a result quite intuitive. As for features, there are no real surprises, but they say “what makes Sound Forge Audio Studio so powerful is the depth of its tools, such as delay and chorus effects or vinyl restoration, and the ease with which these are applied. Plus, everything is done in real time and in a nondestructive manner.”

Sound Forge Audio Studio has another unusual feature aimed more at relative beginners. “Perhaps the most empowering feature for novice users is the publishing option, which uploads musical creations to ACIDplanet.com, a vibrant online community of music makers spanning all genres. Here, members can publish their songs, bios, and commentary, as well as listen to and rate others’ compositions. Users can also download more free samples, view homemade videos, join discussion forums, and enter contests.” I like the concept of an audio application that “empowers” its users.

They rate the program highly for its compatibility with many audio and video formats; its customizable interface; excellent real-time effects; export options; and its top performance. The downside is that it is a single-track editor only, and doesn’t support third-party plug-ins or plug-in chaining. The overall rating is 8 out of ten — excellent — and the bottom line: “You can’t find a more reliable and feature-filled audio program for less than $70.”

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.

Here’s more information from their press release and website: HALion String Edition 2 includes 9 GB of sounds performed by one of Europe’s leading orchestras, which was recorded in 24-bit and using top grade recording equipment. Included are solo and ensemble strings in a large variety of articulations including, crescendo, trills, up and down bowing, portamento and many more. HALion String Edition 2 also features RealAmbience, a new technique that offers a full, 3D concert hall sound with no artificial reverb.

During the recording and production phases, particular attention was paid to achieving a warm and emotive yet detailed and precise sound that sits just as well in an RnB mix as in a classical arrangement. Features such as the sound browser window also make the full breadth of sounds contained in HALion String Edition 2 readily accessible, and the unique Q-Controls allow easy control of the most important sound-shaping parameters.

HALion String Edition 2 offers several technologies to maximise efficiency in its use of the computer’s CPU and RAM resources. First seen in Steinberg’s award-winning HALion sampler, RAMSave unloads unused samples from RAM, freeing up memory for other instruments and applications. The supplied ECO versions of sounds allow high levels of polyphony even on older computers, while the advanced disk-streaming mode makes HALion String Edition 2 highly efficient in its memory use.

HALion String Edition 2 supports all major plug-in formats such as VST, DXi, and AU. ReWire support offers easy integration into Pro Tools, while the standalone version allows HALion String Edition 2 to be used without a host application.

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”.

There are a number of effects availalbe, but the reviewer laments that fact that these are essentially hard-wired. Each patch has a particular set of effects available for it, and these cannot be changed. Even worse, if you use HALion Player to import sounds to create your own samples, you can’t use the built-in effects at all.

Despite these limitations, they like HALion Player in its own right as a simple sampler with excellent built-in patches — the lack of control and flexibility actually leads to more of a “fun factor” than more complex packages. They give it a ten out of ten rating for ease of use, and at least seven for their other criteria. Their overall verdict: “HALion Player is nowhere near as powerful as SampleTank, Kompakt or Intakt. However, it’s incredibly easy to use and cheap too, delivering the goods sonically.”

Cycling ’74 have released Pluggo 3.5. In their own words: Pluggo 3.5 is an extraordinary collection of more than one hundred audio plug-ins that work with sequencers and audio applications that support Audio Units, Steinberg’s VST plug-in format, and Digidesign’s RTAS plug-in format. Version 3.5 is available for Windows XP and Mac OS X.

Pluggo is built on Cycling ’74’s Max/MSP platform, an unusual graphical music and multimedia development platform. i remember reading a review of Mode, another Cycling ’74 plugin bundle, in Grooves magazine a while ago. Mode is a smaller collection of more full-featured plugins than Pluggo, but even so I was intrigued by the review’s conclusion: “As always, Cycling ’74 has come through with a value-packed bundle at an impossible price. And, as always, the focus is on the strange and unusual. In other words, the sort of things that can quickly find a home in the plug-in folder of any musician who likes to dabble in the more experimental side of things.”

Pluggo looks to be in a similar vein — a few of the usual arpeggiators, LFOs, reverbs and so on, but also lots of wacky experimental things that you won’t find anywhere else. Here’s some information from their website:

There has never been anything close to the selection of plug-ins assembled in pluggo. With its range of sound design possibilities, pluggo 3.5 is more than just a few effects-it’s a real-time interactive audio processing, modulation, and synthesis environment that works right inside your favorite audio application. Effects categories include delays, filters, pitch effects, distortion, granulation, spectral effects, modulators, multi-channel effects, synthesizers, audio routing, reverb and dynamics, and visual display. It’s easy to see why pluggo has been winning rave reviews from critics and users since its release.

Originally just 74 eccentric plug-ins such as the legendary Feedback Network, Tapped Delay, and Swish, Version 3 added over 19 Essential Instruments–tasty and nourishing instrument plug-ins in a variety of flavors for your Audio Units, VST, or RTAS host application. These elegant and immediately effective instruments were created by eowave, the developers of the iSynth, and make full use of award-winning Max4/MSP2 audio programming environment for OS X. While space only allows us to tempt you with a few descriptions, you’ll find something for every palate, from the characteristically midwestern self-effacement of the Pretty Good Synth, to additive synths, analog-modeling drum and percussion synths, sampling, granular synthesis, FM synthesis, and some lovely waveshaping for that little sonic something extra. And you can seamlessly combine these exciting new instruments with pluggo effects plug-ins and modulator plug-ins for a world of sonic possibilities you’ll never exhaust.

We started developing pluggo with a breathtakingly simple yet radical concept: lots of interesting plug-ins for a modest price. We wanted people who would never consider paying hundreds of dollars for a single plug-in to find the pluggo deal impossible to resist. Since Max/MSP allows you to make so much cool audio stuff so quickly, we could prototype an effect in minutes and then ask, “Would we pay a buck or two for this?” The result is that ideas that would been rejected by other plug-in developers have become the stars of the parade. Raindrops? Sine Bank? Phone Filter? Then there’s the stuff that is simply unlike anything you’ve ever plugged in, like Spectral Filter, Feedback Network, Granular-to-Go, and Noyzckippr.

pluggo includes MIDI support when used with Audio Units, VST, and RTAS host applications. pluggo plug-ins can send and receive MIDI information, and Max/MSP developers can now develop their own MIDI processor plug-ins and virtual MIDI instruments.

Pluggo 3.5 includes support for host synchronization for Audio Units, VST, and RTAS host applications. pluggo plug-ins support beat-synchronized parameter changes, sample-accurate tempo sync for a plug-in’s modulating LFOs, and tempo-relative settings for plug-in parameters such as delay time.

AudioWarrior have released Banghis Khan, a “Premium Natural-Akoustik Reason Drum Kit Module”. This is almost irresistable because of the name alone. The sound samples of the kit do sound nice, though they seem to concentrate on cymbals and hand drums. Here’s their information on this kit — it sounds like just the thing if you really want to have a realistic ashiko sound in Reason.

They write: Treat yourself to a punchy, highly-detailed half-gig Genuine-Vintage early 70’s Ludwig Vistalite ready to rock in Reason’s NN-XT advanced sampler as a flexible self contained Combinator module and tons of flexibility. Sampled @ 24/44.1, you’ll have in your arsenal many of the reminiscent tones made historically famous by legendary Led Zeppelin Drummer John Henry Bonham including new ones with all the nuances you’d expect from a real drum set.

Banghis Khan will be the most powerful sample based drum set you’ve ever played. AudioWarrior brings it to your desktop mapped for the easiest playability that makes the most sense whether you’re left handed-right handed, new to computer music or a seasoned pro. AudioWarrior’s Banghis Khan features a completely programmed 14+ channel personal dedicated drum mixer with separate channel strips per drum for the following:

From within Reason, users can add Reason Rack effects like Studio Quality Reverb, Compressor, Distortion, Chorus, Flanger, EQ, Delay, and adjust the individual level of each separate drum and cymbal, including outboard routing options and exportable Audio/MIDI performances @16 or 24 bit. Using any of 38 Rewire Hosts, Banghis Khan audio can be sent into your favorite multi-track mixing software including Cubase, Nuendo, Sonar, Traktion2, Sony Acid, Pro Tools, and Ableton Live.

Last but not least, play 2 Hand-Built Ashikos exactly like you would play a hand drum except now it’s mapped perfectly on 15 keys, from the center of the drum, and multi-sampled outwards to rim shots with up to 12 velocity layers.

ModernBeats has released a suite of VST plugins aimed at hip hop music production. And now’s the time to start dropping those phat beats — Undercover magazine recently reported that rapper Nas paid superstar producers The Neptunes 2 million dollars for a single music track. If that isn’t inspiration to make music, I don’t know what is.

The five plugins go like this:
WaterVerb – A liquid reverb plugin.
SubAtomik -A subbass enhancer, low band compressor, & woofer buster(!) all in one.
BlazeBox -A wah-wah, phaser, tremelo, and auto-pan effect all rolled into one.
TimeMachine – Make your pristine digital track sound as if it’s being played off a beat-up old vinyl record : “Instantly add years of damage, dirt, and grit to any & all of your samples.”
Transistor – A CB Radio Walkie-Talkie emulator.

Some of these don’t really seem to have much to do with hip hop. But hey, if you can get $2,000,000 for a water reverb-soaked walkie-talkie sound then good luck to you.