Eventide today announced that its popular Anthology II plug-in bundle will be available as a Universal Binary and is optimized for the new Intel-powered Mac computers. This new Mactel upgrade will allow users to take full advantage of Apple’s newest computers, including the Mac Pro with quad-core architecture, for faster processing speeds when operating Eventide’s powerful and comprehensive set of digital plug-ins.

Available in October of 2006, the Mactel upgrade will be free to current Anthology II customers and will be available via Eventide’s website, through authorized Eventide dealers, and outside North America through authorized Pro Tools dealers.

Anthology II adds six new plug-ins to the Anthology bundle: two 48-bit double precision vintage equalizers; EQ65 Filter Set and EQ45 Parametric Equalizer, both 48-bit double precision; two new configurable channel strips, Ultra-Channel, featuring Eventide’s signature micropitch shifting effect for thickening, and E-Channel, optimized for maximum instances; Precision Time Align, provides the ability to bring individual tracks into phase; and Quadravox, a four-voice diatonic pitch shifter with delays.

Anthology II also includes the latest versions of the nine plug-ins that comprised the original best-selling Anthology bundle: H910, H949, Instant Phaser, Instant Flanger, Omnipressor®, Eventide Reverb, Octavox, H3000 Band Delays, and H3000 Factory. Like Anthology, Anthology II is fully compliant with ICON, D-Control, D-Command, Venue, Pro Tools 7.2, and is Mac and PC compatible.

For more information, visit their web site at www.eventide.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Plug-Ins

AraldFX and Dash Signature has released the Mac version (AU, VST and AU Universal Binary) of Grand Electrix Virtual Piano, an emulation of the famous CP70 electroacoustic piano.

To celebrate the Mac release the price is reduced to only 50 USD for two weeks, until 10th of September 2006 (then it will get back to full price $79 US). The license at $50 US includes both Mac OS X and PC Windows versions.

“Grand Electrix” is a sample based virtual instrument featuring a new stream from disk custom technology (”direct from disk”), for very low memory and CPU usage. Samples are streamed in real time from the computer disk, so there is no need for large amounts of RAM.

Features:

• 180 MB multisample full decay, no loops, crossfading layers
• Stream from disk custom technology for very low memory and CPU usage
• Complete control on Velocity response, curve, min max, sensivity
• 3 Band EQ
• Tremolo
• Chorus
• Temperament Menu (microtuning)
• Stretch tuning adjustable

Samples are derived from the acclaimed Hollow Sun library “Definitive CP 70″. A demo of Grand Electrix Virtual Piano is available here.

For more information, visit their web site at www.araldfx.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Computer, Piano, Recording, Software, Technology

Audio Ease releases Mac Intel compatible version of Nautilus Bundle and Rocket Science Bundle (Mac OS X plug-ins).

The Rocket Science Bundle (flight path simulator, talk box and autowah) and the multiple award winning Nautilus Bundle (Phase correct scope-EQ, granular soundscape synthesizer and end-all Phaser) have today been released as Mac Intel compatible Universal Binaries.

The new versions are free upgrades for Rocket Science version 3 and Nautilus version 2 users, and can be picked up from www.audioease.com/support.

The Nautilus Bundle (for Mac OS X: MAS VST RTAS HTDM AU Audio Suite) consists of the following three plug-ins:

RiverRun
River Run is a Granular Soundscape Synthesizer capable of oozing immense sonic oceans of tiny particals taken from your original audio. It can build rhythmic textures, wide harmonic soundscapes, and it can zoom in on your fragment by stretching it by a factor of up to 200.

PeriScope
Look at the audio spectrum via the real-time animating spectroscope, or graphic analyzer, and grab faders where you see the audio happening. Phase Correct EQ, with surgical precision, and unprecedented low frequency resolution. Edit modes range from fluent to massively steep.

Deep Phase Nine
Deep Phase Nine is a true phaser that offers unparalleled control and visual feedback. Up to 24 notches per channel, beat locked sample and hold, one-shots, a true phaser (not a flanger!) done the Audio Ease way.

The Rocket Science (for Mac OS X: MAS VST RTAS HTDM AU Audio Suite) consists of the following three plug-ins:

Roger - You can apply human vowel filters to your audio with Roger. Use the vowel bar at the bottom to click through the vowels and click the portrait to select one of the Roger family members. Features include portamento, automation, Midi-controll and rythmic talk-nonsense mode.

Follo - Dynamically adjusts the peak of a resonating bandpass filter according to the level of the incoming audio. Applications of Follo include an autowah on a guitar, and a thumping resonating bass generator.

Orbit - Orbit lets you control the virtual position of your sound source. It accurately calculates the sound source’s reflections of the walls of a virtual ‘outer room’, using the exact amount of delay and attenuation for the direct sound and all reflections alike. Useit a s a physicallly correct panner, select from preset source trajectories, or create them yourself via live MIDI controller or parameter automation.

For more information, visit their web site at www.audioease.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Plug-Ins, Technology, VST

Music Unfolding announces the release of ModVibe, the sixth of the Twister Series, a new line of Audio Unit effects.

ModVibe is a delay vibrato with a couple of features to mix things up. There are two delay units. The first is a forward delay and the second is a feedback delay. In between these two is a modulation unit to scramble, shake, sift and swirl the contents. The vibrato oscillators are independently set and can be shaped using frequency modulation.

The vibrato units are fairly straight forward, except that the delay can range from a few milliseconds to 4500.0 ms. Between the two, that’s a bit of delay. In addition, the vibrato can be up to 500.0 ms in depth. These two combined provide effects ranging from phasor/flanger and chorus to wild, extreme doppler shifts. The sweeps can be tailored to a high degree giving a lot of flexibility.

Please note that the interface has been changed from previous Twister Audio Units to give users more control over the interface. The parameter display and label colors can now be set by the user. We have also added new options for setting the parameter values. Users can still set the parameters with the big knob, but they may also set the parameters by clicking and dragging over the parameter readout or hovering and using their mouse scroll wheels. Vertical scrolling or dragging moves the parameter values faster in bigger increments and horizontal dragging or scrolling moves the parameter values slower in finer increments. All of the other Audio Units previously released in the Twister Series have been updated with these changes.

ModVibe is $19.99 and is available for OS X as a Universal Binary. A demo is available here.

For more information, visit their web site at www.MusicUnfolding.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Audio, Computer, Effects, Plug-Ins, Recording, Software, Technology

Cycling ‘74, a San Francisco-based music software company, today released Max/MSP v. 4.6 and Jitter v. 1.6 which add Universal Binary support for Intel-based Macs.

Max, a graphical programming environment for music and media applications, allows its users to schedule events with millisecond accuracy, create complex mappings for incoming data, and run a large number of operations in parallel. In essence, it is a graphic tool to create programs by wiring together objects. MSP extends Max’s capabilities by incorporating audio objects that are connected to create audio patches where signals flow from one object to the next-not unlike the fundamental concept of the modular synthesizer.

Jitter is a collection of video, matrix, and 3D graphics objects for Max.

Max/MSP v. 4.6 and Jitter v. 1.6 are free updates available for download at www.cycling74.com/downloads.

For more information, visit their web site at www.cycling74.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Computer, Recording, Software, Technology

Virtuasonic releases Synesthesia in the more Mac-friendly AIFF format. This particular collection was previously available only in WAV format and contains over 1,000 experimental impulse responses designed to turn any convolution engine into a powerful multi-FX processor.

Synesthesia is particularly suitable for sound design and electronic music, but it can become a secret weapon for every musician and sound designer looking for new ways to improve his creativity flow. Every music work, from film scoring to rhythmic electronic and ambient music, could gain benefit from the use of this unusual set of impulse responses that can transform sound in many ways:

Reshape spectral balance
Add new nuances
Melt sounds into new sonic textures
Create alter-egos of traditional acoustic and electro-acoustic musical instruments
Reverse and pitch-bend audio in interesting ways
Generate unusual delays and supernatural acoustics

Synesthesia is priced US$34.95 and is available as CD-ROM and as a downloadable product, in WAV or AIFF format.

For more information, visit their web site at www.virtuasonic.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Audio, Computer, Recording, Technology

Digidesign is pleased to announce that ICON, Pro Tools|HD®, Pro Tools LE™ and Pro Tools M-Powered™ systems will soon be compatible with the new Mac Pro computer introduced yesterday at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

Digidesign is expecting to release an Intel-based Mac-compatible update to its acclaimed Pro Tools HD 7.2 software in September 2006. This free update for all owners of Pro Tools HD 7.2 software will allow ICON and Pro Tools|HD users to build their Digidesign system around the new Mac Pro. Within a similar timeframe, the company expects to release compatible versions of its range of Digidesign and Digidesign-distributed TDM plug-ins, while working very closely with third-party manufacturers to help them port their plug-ins and compatible applications to the Intel Mac platform.

Based on preliminary testing, Digidesign is also expecting that the current version 7.1.1 of Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered software (already compatible with Apple’s existing range of Intel-based computers such as MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and iMac) will function on the new Mac Pro without problems. Full qualification is expected late Q4 2006. Please note that 7.1.1 is a free update for all Pro Tools LE 7 and Pro Tools M-Powered software owners.

“The release of professional Intel-based desktop Macs is great news for our customers,” said Dave Lebolt, Digidesign’s general manager. “Pro Tools users in all areas of audio production - professionals and enthusiasts alike - will be able to enjoy maximum performance and audio quality when using their Digidesign system in combination with the cutting-edge technology and robust power of the new Mac Pro. Strong cooperative ties and ongoing technical collaboration with Apple have made it possible for us to deliver Pro Tools versions that are compatible with these new machines quickly, keeping our customers in sync with the fast-paced Mac innovations.”

As Digidesign’s development on the Intel Mac platform moves forward, the company plans to maintain backwards compatibility with PowerPC-based Mac systems for its Pro Tools product line. Pro Tools software - in all its incarnations - will continue to be a cross-platform application, working on either Mac OS X or Windows XP configurations.

For the most current system requirements, compatibility information, and online support, please visit www.digidesign.com/compato.

For more information, visit their web site at www.digidesign.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Computer, Recording, Technology

Cycling ‘74, a San Francisco-based music software company, today released Soundflower v.1.2, which adds Universal Binary support for Intel-based Macs. Soundflower is a free system extension that allows users to route audio between OS X Core Audio applications. It also lets you monitor any connection with the free Soundflowerbed application.

Cycling ‘74 originally developed Soundflower as a way to allow applications developed with its Max/MSP audio environment to process audio originating from other programs. However, it can be used for more general audio routing tasks patching either 2- or 16-channel data at 32-bit sample depth between any applications that support standard Core Audio driver selection. Soundflower can be selected as a “default device” in the Audio/MIDI Setup utility for programs (such as iTunes) that do not allow the selection of a specific output device. As a result, Soundflower has found widespread use in the advanced podcasting community.

For more information, visit their web site at http://www.cycling74.com/.

Posted in Apple Mac, Audio, Computer, Recording, Software, Technology

Apogee Electronics Corporation announced today a new high performance PCI-Express driver for their ‘Symphony’ 32-channel PCI-Express card. This Universal Binary driver is designed to take special advantage of the power and technology in Apple’s new Intel-based Mac Pro to achieve performance levels previously unattainable in native audio.

“We are very excited about the power and capability of the Mac Pro,” says Betty Bennett, Co-Founder and CEO of Apogee. “The combination of the Mac Pro and our Symphony PCI-Express card delivers on the promise of high performance native audio for professionals.”

“The newly designed Mac Pro delivers quad-Xeon performance, greater expansion, high-end workstation graphics and unprecedented customization to fit the wish lists of the most demanding user,” said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations. “We’re delighted Apogee has taken advantage of the innovative architecture and blazing speed of the Intel-based Mac Pro to deliver powerful professional audio performance with Symphony.”

Apogee’s new Universal PCI-Express driver, in combination with the powerful Intel processors in the Mac Pro, lowers the latency of the Symphony PCI-Express card by over 50% into the 2ms range. This achievement is a significant increase in performance beyond other native solutions on the market and compares favorably to the latency on other hardware-based systems.

The Mac Pro architecture in combination with the Symphony PCI-E card’s high channel count and low latency surpasses all competitors in performance and value. With up to 4 internal SATA drives, the Mac Pro can be setup as a striped RAID, making recording and playback at high channel counts with high sample rates a breeze. The power of the two Dual-Core Intel Xeon chips gives you more plug-ins, and more soft synths, with even lower buffer settings than ever before. Symphony PCI-E and the Mac Pro deliver twice the power and performance of other systems, at half the price. Symphony PCI-Express Card at a glance:

• 32 channel PCI-Express card, capable of 24-bit 192k Digital I/O
• Single 32 channel PC-32 bi-directional connector from converter to computer
• Direct connectivity to Apogee’s Rosetta 800, Rosetta 200 and AD-16X and DA-16X converters via the option card
• Universal binary driver compatible with Apple’s new Mac Pro hardware
• Apogee’s Maestro Software for advanced control and routing
• Compatibility with all CoreAudio software applications

For more information, visit their web site at www.apogeedigital.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Audio, Computer, Hardware, Recording, Technology

macProVideo.com announces the release of Ableton Live 101: Mastering Live. This program is designed and shot by UK technical author and Ableton educator Martin Delaney (author of Laptop Music and Ableton Live 5 Tips & Tricks, by PC Publishing). In over 6 hours, and 159 separate tutorial videos, these real-time screen-captures let you see and hear how songs are constructed using Live.

This program covers Live 5, but new purchases are eligible for a free upgrade to Ableton Live 101:Mastering Live 6, currently in production. Ableton Live 101: Mastering Live is available for direct download ($35.55 USD) or on DVD ($39.50 USD).

Additionally, macProVideo.com has released 55 minutes of free Logic Pro tutorials and 45 minutes of free Final Cut tutorials. These free tutorials are available exclusively to macProVideo.com members, and new free tutorials will be added on a regular basis. To start an account and begin downloading free tutorials, register here.

For more information, visit their web site at www.macprovideo.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Audio, Computer, Education, Recording, Software, Technology