After announcing its inception at this year’s Winter NAMM tradeshow in Anaheim, California, Cortex (now a part of GCI Technologies) will begin shipping its patent-pending USB host-controller based digital music manipulation platform to musical instrument retailers on September 15th.

“With the rise of portable media players and mass storage devices being a source for storing and playing music Cortex developed the HDC-1000 to utilize this technology and bring it to the DJ realm,” explains CEO Artie Cabasso. “The HDC-1000 will be the first unit in the world to manipulate music files from an external USB device and will make the DJ think differently about how they will transport their music collection.”

Using USB compatibility to give DJs the power to cue up, play, pitch, manipulate, scratch and search digital music files like never before, HDC-1000 users can access their music collections utilizing a wide array of storage devices including the iPod®, external USB hard-drives and flash drives, CD-ROM, and even DVD-ROM drives. DJ’s can even connect and access multiple storage devices with the HDC’s device selection option.

Providing DJ’s with a higher platform of performance, the HDC-1000 offers an ‘intelligent music database management’ system where databases of tracks are built and stored on each compatible storage device to allow the user to find any track lightning fast, regardless of the number of tracks on the device, and displaying all the essentials on its bright LCD playback screen including artist, track title, time elapsed, and time remaining.

Its unique cataloging system gives you a number of browsing options when searching a database, including Search by Artist, Song Title and Genre. With the String Search function, users can even search by a certain word or phrase to find tracks, even if they’re not completely sure of the name. You can also get information on any track in the database showing everything from artist and track title to the file format, genre, or length of the track.

In addition, the unit is equipped with ultra-precise pitch resolution (up to +/-24), front and rear USB ports with device selection menu and multifunction navigation keys.

For more information, visit their web site at www.cortex-pro.com.

Posted in Computer, Digital, Recording, Software, Technology

Perimeter Sound Arts and Contralogic Productions have released the Feldspar Special Edition Multi-FX VST plug-in.

This Special Edition of the Feldspar Multi FX VST is a slightly altered version of the original with a few notable changes: It has one envelope and settings instead of 2, and 4 modulation routings in the matrix instead of 6. A reverb effect has been added, the cpu usage has gone down by about 1/3, and the number of patches has doubled.

Main features:

• A 3 mode sequenced envelope, with rate control, as well as ADSR and amp controls
• A 4X modulation routing matrix, with the usual source & destination settings as well as mix level. Modulation sources include S&H, as well as LFO + and -, and Envelope + and -, and can be sent to filter, ring, and reverb controls for even more varied modulations
• Delay/Echo with LP/HP filtering, and L-R, R-L, and Straight settings for the echos
• 2 assignable LFO’s for various tempo-synched modulation possibilities, with 16 different wave types to choose from, rate control, and FM and AM controls for frequency and level modulation control
• A ring modulator with level and pitch controls
• Unique dual filters, with bleed control, and 4 filter types to choose from
• A reverb effect with dampening control
• Width control in the master out section, for enhanced stereo sound
• Low to moderate cpu usage, and 31 presets included

Feldspar Special Edition is available now to all loop sample customers at www.perimetersound.com at no charge, it is a gift included with loop sample purchases.

It should be noted that Apple and Garageband customers are welcome to receive this plug in, in case they run a new dual boot Mac and want to use it that way, or if they have a PC-using, music-making friend they want to give it to. It is not available in Mac format, but Perimeter Sound Arts would certainly not wish to exclude anyone on the basis of what kind of computer they have.

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

Posted in Computer, Plug-Ins, Recording, Software, Technology

Audio Damage, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of Reverence, a digital plate reverb simulator, as a plugin effect for VST and AudioUnits hosts. Reverence is heavily inspired by vintage digital hardware, and faithfully recreates the thick sonic character and easy-to-use interface of those early units, while providing the low noise floor and big headroom inherent in modern software-based reverb.

Perfect for synths, vocals, and guitar, Reverence is also capable of creating the unusual effects that are typical of vintage hardware units. Featuring a sophisticated and well-tuned reverb algorithm, Reverence has a much lower CPU load than convolution reverbs, and can be used as either a send or insert effect.

Features:

• Simple-to-use reverb settings, with pre-delay, time, and size, plus an extensive filtering section to shape the reverb tail
• Fluid and logical vintage-style user interface
• Optimized reverb algorithm for low CPU load
• MIDI Learn feature for full hardware control of all parameters (VST only; handled by host in AudioUnits version)

Reverence is available as a VST effect for Windows, and as an AudioUnit / VST effect bundle for OSX Universal Binary, and is US$39.00 for instant download from the Audio Damage store.

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

Posted in Computer, Digital, Effects, Plug-Ins, Recording, Software, Technology

Native Instruments is excited to announce AUDIO KONTROL 1, a compact high-performance USB 2.0 audio interface that addresses the typical needs of many musicians, producers and DJs in a highly portable and affordable package. Combining professional sound quality with high versatility, and equipped with a comprehensive software package, AUDIO KONTROL 1 was designed to meet a specific “sweet spot” in terms of performance, functionality and price.

AUDIO KONTROL 1 is equipped with studio-grade 24-bit/192 kHz Cirrus Logic converters that guarantee pristine audio quality, while Native Instruments’ third-generation USB 2.0 audio driver technology ensures low-latency operation down to 4 milliseconds both on Windows and Macintosh systems. With its 2-in/4-out configuration, and equipped with microphone preamp, “Hi-Z” instrument input and headphone amp, AUDIO KONTROL 1 is suitable for a wide range of studio, live and DJ applications. Four freely assignable control elements on the top side of the unit also make it possible to adjust any software parameter directly from the interface, enabling AUDIO KONTROL 1 to double as a basic controller device.

With its small footprint and solid aluminium enclosure, the completely bus-powered audio interface provides a robust and highly portable solution for many typical recording and performance situations. AUDIO KONTROL 1 also comes with an additional creativity booster in the form of a comprehensive software bundle. Included are XPRESS KEYBOARDS, three software synthesizers based on the acclaimed PRO-53, B4 and FM7, as well as GUITAR COMBOS, three professional amp emulations taken from Native Instruments’ award-winning GUITAR RIG.

AUDIO KONTROL 1 also comes with TRAKTOR 3 LE, a new DJ software based on Native Instruments’ groundbreaking TRAKTOR DJ Studio. Offering two decks with high-quality time-stretching, an integrated mixer, performance effects, loop and cueing functions, a powerful track database and seamless Beatport shop integration, TRAKTOR 3 LE is a serious creative tool, and an ideal way to enter the world of digital DJing.

AUDIO KONTROL 1 will be available in October 2006 for a suggested retail price of $299 / 279 Euro from authorized dealers and in the NI Online Shop.

For more information, visit their web site at www.native-instruments.com/afharmony01.info.

Posted in Audio, Computer, Digital, Recording, Software, Technology

Rain Recording is pleased to announce the release of the Event digital media workstation. Featuring Intel Core Duo architecture, Event brings an all-in-one, portable media center concept to reality. Record, playback, edit, burn, and transport seamlessly with Event’s intuitive interface. Event is also equally at home as a media center, storing music, movies and photos.

Event was designed to become the center of your digital media experience. Simply add a USB or Firewire sound card and Event will enable you to produce professional-quality audio projects. For home entertainment applications, this palm-sized powerhouse will store thousands of songs, record and play back live TV and movies, surf the internet wirelessly, listen to music in digital stereo, watch videos in high definition and surround sound, as well as download and organize your digital photos and movies. Event also features a host of connection options including; DVI, Component Video, Composite Video, S-Video, Line in/out, mic in, USB x2, FireWire, SPDIF stereo out, and Ethernet.

“Event is the first product of its size and price point to offer reliable, stable performance,” says Rain President Bill Paschick. “Event utilizes Intel’s’ MoDT technology which provides unprecedented reliability in a portable digital media workstation, through lower power consumption and component miniaturization. This translates into silent and cooler operation. We’ve worked closely with leading audio software and hardware manufacturers to provide the best experience possible for those using digital audio on the Windows XP platform.”

Bridging the gap between Pro and Prosumer recording markets, Event also provides digital workstation technology for DJ and home entertainment applications. Featuring a 100GB internal SATA hard drive, the storage capacity will be expandable up to 1TB with the addition of Rain’s newly announced StormDrive Tera line of external hard drives available later this year. With its small size and versatility, Event is a truly robust AV media center.

Hardware

Intel® Core™ Duo 1.83GHz processor
T2400 2MB L2 1.83GHz 667MHz FSB
DVI 128MB 945GM On-Board Graphics Processor (DVI-to-VGA adapter)
TV Out: Multi-TV x1 (Composite + S-Video + Component)
100GB 5400 Ultra 150 SATA Hard Drive with 8MB buffer
1GB DDR-2 SO-DIMM 667 RAM
AC ‘97 and High Definition Audio 5.1
SPDIF Optical Stereo Out
Line-In (Surround-Out L/R)
Line-Out(Front-Out L/R)
Mic-In(Central/Subwoofer out)
CD-RW+Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive
Wireless LAN M-PCI INTEL PRO 2915ABG
Other Ports:
2 USB 2.0 Ports
1 FireWire® Port
10/100/1000 On-Board Network Adaptor
Silent 65-watt power supply
Dimensions: 6.49(W) x 1.96(H) x 6.49(D), Weight: 3 lbs.

Support

RainCare ™ Basic Phone and Email Support
One Year Limited Warranty

Software

Event has been optimized to support the following software programs; Windows XP Professional, Cakewalk SONAR LE, PCDJ Be The DJ, Nero CD/DVD Creator, and Acronis True Image Recovery Software.

$1595.95 MSRP

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

Posted in Audio, Digital, Recording, Technology

Janus is a virtual bass amp for VST-compatible hosts. Using separate Contour- knobs for left and right channels, the user can create their own “mixdown” of the material or retain two separate channels to achieve unique, stereophonic bass-sounds. Janus works best on dry, stereo bass-tracks.

Main features:

• Dual Contour-controls for radical tone-shaping
• Master volume and treble settings
• “Deep” knob to boost ultra-low frequency content
• Soft- and Hard-preamp voicing options
• Reverb and cabinet resonance controls
• Includes 16 presets

A free demo version with limited functionality is available for download.

The full version of Janus costs $14 US.

For more information, visit their web site at www.zensoundcheck.com/audio.

Posted in Amplification, Bass, Computer, Microsoft PC, Software, Technology

E-MU® Systems has started shipping its new Xboard™ 61 USB/MIDI Controller for PC and Mac operating systems, featuring 61 premium full-size keys with aftertouch, 16 programmable real-time control knobs, 16 new patch select/program change buttons, Xboard Control editing software, and a full version of E-MU’s Proteus X Version 1.5 Desktop Sound Module with over 3GB of sounds, including a new custom bank of E-MU’s finest performance keyboard sounds.

The Xboard Control software provides an intuitive desktop interface that lets you effortlessly create custom templates for all of your favorite hardware and software instruments. The Xboard 61 also allows you to set discrete MIDI channels for each knob and offer unrivalled real-time control and performance features, including Snap Shot that lets you send multiple program changes and controller values by pressing a single button, and Latch Mode that enables you to define a section of the keyboard as on/off triggers - perfect for drum loops.

The Xboard 61 is priced at $249.99 and now available at authorized E-MU Dealers.

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

Posted in Computer, MIDI, Recording, Technology

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

Available immediately, Grooveboxmusic.com has released the first group of training videos in their new “Studio Series” collection. The Studio Series takes a completely different approach than their acclaimed software training videos and utilizes real video footage of actual engineers, producers and artists using the tools found in today’s recording studios.

The first group of videos focuses on Mic’ing and Recording Drums, and feature engineer Andy Sharp who has worked with groups such as Blue October and Sheryl Crow.

Currently the videos are only viewable online with the “G-Pass” which gives instant access to hundreds of video tutorials for one low price. Groovebox is currently working on many more titles for this exciting new series as well.

“We have decided to present the other side of recording as we have the software training aspect covered. Now it’s time to bring real life footage and content on common studio technologies and practices,” says Groovebox Corp. President Asa Doyle.

Titles and descriptions in the current Studio Series “Mic and Record Drums” category are:

• Intro and Setup - Get the lowdown on the basic setup for working with drums in the studio, and some things to remember before you start.
• Kick Drum - Learn about mic selection, placement and setting levels for the kick drum and getting the right sound for your style of music.
• Snare Drum - Discover several popular mic techniques for the snare drum and the different sounds they create. This tutorial guides you through placement, audio examples and much more.
• Hi Hat - The hi-hat can be hard to capture or very easy. This tutorial covers the basics that make the job easy and the results versatile. Mic selection, placement and audio examples are all explained.
• Toms - Get the studio engineer perspective of setting up and recording toms. Tons of great insight for capturing the tom tone you want and need.
• Overheads - The secrets of overhead mics are revealed. Learn to choose the right mics, about popular placements, phase cancellation and more.
• Room Mic - The all important “room” mic can really help capture the natural sound of the drums and create a lot of space, character and feel. This tutorial shows you how to set it up and get it.

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

Posted in Education, Microphones, Mixers, Recording, Studio, Technology

New Elite MaxPrint gives studios, schools, churches, and businesses the optimal on-disc printing device to complement high volume DVD/CD duplication.

Disc Makers sets a new standard of efficiency and functionality by introducing the Elite MaxPrint color inkjet printer to its robust line of duplication and printing hardware. The Elite MaxPrint is a fully automated on-disc inkjet printer that combines rugged robotics with high throughput efficiency. The Elite MaxPrint prints over 25 discs per hour at a crisp resolution of 4880 dpi.

“The Elite MaxPrint is ideal for any high-volume customer or business that do their own DVD or CD duplication,” says Tony van Veen, Disc Makers Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing. “Plus, it’s extremely easy to use. The automated robotics and easy-to-use label design software makes operation a breeze.”

The new automated Elite MaxPrint is priced at $1,990. In high-production environments such as music studios, video production houses, marketing agencies, educational institutions, churches, and other businesses, the machine provides an affordable and efficient solution for a complete inkjet printing operation.

For even higher throughput, the Elite MaxPrint can be upgraded to include a PowerPrint monochromatic thermal printer, which dries instantly and prints 100 discs an hour. This option is available for only $2,000 more.

The new Elite Max Print features:

• Large Disc Capacity - the input bin holds up to 280 discs
• Easy-to-use label design software
• Two-year warranty on robotics, one-year on printer
• Easily connects to your PC (must be running Windows® XP)
• Perfect fit guarantee - only from Disc Makers. If you discover within thirty days that this product does not work for your needs, Disc Makers will give you full credit towards one that does.

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

Posted in Computer, Software, Technology