Όλα τα τελευταία νέα για τη Μουσική Τεχνολογία και την Ακουστική, κατευθείαν από τις επίσημες ιστοσελίδες των εταιρειών, συγκεντρωμένα σε ένα blog!

Virtual Tube Preamp

Studio Devil releases a plug-in to add natural warmth and compression


Studio Devil tells us that their Virtual Tube Preamp faithfully emulates the analog circuitry of a discrete, class-A biased, vacuum tube preamplifier. They say that all of the associated analog circuitry, including the vacuum tube itself and the effects of biasing resistors and capacitors, are simulated in amazing detail. They believe that just about any audio source or track can benefit from the natural soft limiting and dynamic warmth that this virtual tube preamplifier provides.

Features:
  • Discrete Vacuum Tube Preamplifier Channel using the best vacuum tube modeling technology available to faithfully emulate the dynamic and expressive nature of real vacuum tube preamplifiers using Studio Devil's proprietary vacuum tube circuit modeling technologies.
  • Input Drive Control adjusts the strength of the signal feeding the input grid of the virtual tube preamplifier.
  • Output Level Control to adjust the output signal strength and to compensate for low drive settings.
  • Bass Contour Control to sweep the value of the cathode bypass capacitor which controls the low frequency and dynamic saturation responses of the preamp.
  • Treble Rolloff Control to tweak the value of intrinsic and parasitic capacitances in the simulated vacuum tube preamp, giving control over the natural warmth and softness associated with real vacuum tube preamps.
  • Bias Switch to select from two preset tube bias levels which vary the interaction of gain, asymmetrical drive, and dynamics of the preamplifier.
  • Invert Switch permits controlling the phase of the preamplifier and the polarity of the class-A asymmetry.
  • CPU Switch adjusts the modeling algorithm to balance the tradeoff between accuracy and CPU load allowing multiple instances to run on even slower workstations.
  • Overload LEDS assist in setting healthy levels by indicating when the input signal is overdriving the tube preamp and when the output level clips.

Pricing and Availability:
$99 until the end of the year, then $129.
$79 for existing Studio Devil users.

More information:
Virtual Tube Preamp

Store 12 Guitars In 3 Feet Of Space

GuitarStorage.com introduces the Carousel Deluxe Multi-Guitar Stand


GuitarStorage.com, a subsidiary of A&S Crafted Products has announced the release of its new Carousel Deluxe Multi-Guitar Stand. The Carousel™ Stand's solid construction and ergonomic design provide superior protection for guitars so they can be displayed and stored out of their cases in an attractive and organized way. The Carousel™ Stand features a rotating base which allows easy access to all the guitars while displaying them from all angles. It features nitrocellose-safe wool felt at all contact points and soft supports for the guitar bodies to provide ultimate cushioning and protection for a wide variety of guitars.

Founded in 2003, A&S Crafted Products manufactures high quality wood storage solutions for guitarists, guitar collectors, and music teachers who need to store stringed instruments. Karen Schwartz, the company's Product Development Manager, told Amped, "The Carousel Deluxe Multi-Guitar Stand was developed as the ideal solution for people who need to store many guitars in a very limited space, yet who want a sturdy, decorative, and furniture-quality rack on which to store them. Using our many years of experience and our intimate knowledge of our customers' needs, we developed a stand that stores six guitars in only three feet of floor space and rotates easily to give quick access and a clear view of any guitar in a collection. For more than six guitars, our customer can purchase the optional Expansion Tier which fits over the base unit, doubling the capacity to 12 guitars while requiring no additional floor space. Because it does not need to be placed against a wall like linear guitar racks, and the Carousel™ looks great and functions anywhere in a room, in a corner or even in the middle of an open area. With nothing like it available on the market, we are extremely proud of our new, innovative design."

The Carousel™ Deluxe Multi-Guitar Stand features ribbon-stripe sapele mahogany and herringbone wood inlay as well as solid maple support cradles with cushioned supports and soft wool felt at all contact points.

The bottom tier (base unit) of the Carousel™ Deluxe Multi-Guitar Stand is 36" wide X 36" deep X 31 1/2" high and holds up to six guitars. The optional Expansion Tier (which can hold six more guitars) is 36" wide X 36" deep and adds 46" to the total stand height. The Expansion Tier can be purchase along with the base unit, or it can be purchased at a later date as the customer's guitar collection expands.

Pricing and Availability:
The MSRP for the bottom tier (base unit) of the Carousel™ Deluxe Multi-Guitar Stand is $640.00, the Street Price is around $589.00 and is currently shipping. The MSRP for the Optional Expansion Tier (to double the capacity) is $569.00, the Street Price is around $529.00.

More information:
www.guitarstorage.com

Half-Price EastWest/Quantum Leap Virtual Instruments

50% Holiday Special at SoundsOnline.com


Soundsonline.com is ringing in the holidays with a spectacular offer: Through December 31, 2012, you can save 50% on EastWest/Quantum Leap virtual instruments.

This straightforward holiday special requires no minimum purchase.


Pricing and Availability:
See website

More information:
www.soundsonline.com
www.soundsonline-europe.com

2012 Roland V-Drums World Championship U.S. Finals

Texan Patrick Kennedy is Named U.S. Champion


Held on the eve of the annual Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), the U.S. finals for the2012 Roland V-Drums World Championship exposed exceptional drumming talent and the power and versatility of Roland drums and percussion. Each of the talented U.S. finalists played an original drum performance using the TD-30KV V-Pro Series V-Drums, OCTAPAD SPD-30 Percussion Pad, and SPD-SX Sampling Pad.

U.S. finalist Jeffrey Fajardo drove all the way from his home in Brooklyn, New York, to Austin, Texas, for the competition, a journey of nearly 2,000 miles, after his flight was cancelled due to Super Storm Sandy. Though Fajardo didn't win, his dedication reflects the passion inspired by the Roland V-Drums World Championship. The big winner of the evening was Patrick Kennedy from the Austin suburb of Manor, Texas, who performed a solo that combined electronica, real-time loops, and a display of groove and fills.

Previously a runner-up in the 2011 U.S. semifinals, Patrick Kennedy will be representing the United States at the V-Drums World Championship 2 in April 2013 during Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Germany. "It was an honor to participate in the V-Drums national competition," Patrick reflected on the experience afterwards. "I had an amazing time getting to hang out and talk with Thomas Lang and Johnny Rabb, as well as all of the other contestants." Kennedy won a TD-30KV V-Drums set with a set of REMO custom shell wraps, a complete set of DW hardware, dozens of Pat Kennedy signature sticks from Vic Firth, and a year's subscription to DRUM! magazine.

Runner-up Phillip "P.J." Hill of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, performed with a blend of technique and hip musical style. The other talented competitors included Brandon Currie from Marietta, Georgia; DeCarlos Davis from Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Jeffrey Fajardo from Brooklyn, New York; Tony "T.J." Fisher from Long Beach, California; Casey Glass from Loveland, Colorado; and Reed Hayes from Deltona, Florida.

Roland's Annual V-Drums World Championship gives drummers around the globe a unique opportunity to explore their musical passion, flexibility and the creative options of electronic percussion. The contestants performed in front of a lively onsite audience of over 250, while a large, worldwide audience watched the live event online as it was broadcast on the Roland U.S. website.

Co-sponsored by DRUM! magazine, Drum Workshop, Remo, and Vic Firth, the national finals was the culmination of more than four months of exciting drumming competitions in the U.S. Beginning with an 11-week online selection process that began in June, nearly 300 drummers submitted video performances that were carefully judged by Roland U.S. staff members. Of the hundreds of submissions, 48 contestants were selected to compete in eight semifinal events in front of live audiences nationwide. These events were held on two consecutive weekends in September, where judges chose the final eight drummers for the national finals.

"Having the contest at this year's PASIC event was awesome," said Roland Percussion Product Manager Tim Root, who once again served as the evening's emcee. "We were able to introduce Roland V-Drums to a whole new group of drummers and percussionists. We were very pleased at the turnout and our partnership with the Percussive Arts Society. By streaming the contest live, we were able to reach a global audience. Now, it's on to the V-Drums World Championship 2 finals in Europe--go USA!"

More information:
www.RolandUS.com/VDrumsContest

Plugin Alliance Contributes Plug-Ins To Avid's AAX Pack

Company tops Avid AAX Pack plug-in count and announces updates


Plugin Alliance has announced that it has contributed six multi-format (including AAX DSP/AAX Native) plug-ins to Avid's recently-released AAX Pack, making it the main contributor to this 18-plug-in-strong bundle. Here's what their PR person has to say:

The AAX (Avid Audio eXtension) plug-in format was launched last year alongside Pro Tools 10 to provide better workflows and sound parity when sharing sessions between DSP-accelerated and native-based Pro Tools systems; AAX Pack offers Pro Tools|HDX and Pro Tools|HD native owners running Pro Tools 10 software a must-have collection of superior-sounding, studio-essential AAX plug-ins from the world's leading plug-in providers, including six of the best from Plugin Alliance:

  • Brainworx bx_limiter is a great-sounding, simple, but effective low-latency limiter plug-in designed to help determine how many dB of dynamics to reserve for each and every signal -- go louder with more punch, less distortion!
  • Brainworx_XL V2 is based upon the M/S technology taken from Brainworx's bx_digital, a 'modern classic' high-end analogue M/S EQ developed in 2006/7 -- maximize your loudness with this powerful peak limiter!
  • elysia alpha compressor is a software recreation of elysia's acclaimed mastering compressor, emulating its sound and features to match the analogue hardware as closely as possible -- programmed by the coding experts from Brainworx!
  • Mäag Audio EQ4 successfully models Mäag Audio's renowned EQ4® (500 Series) equaliser -- retain original sound integrity and enhance 'airy' frequencies while shaping sounds to perfection with this studio-coveted six-band EQ!
  • Pro Audio DSP Spectrum Mapper V2 was developed by former Sony OXF R3 digital console development team members using groundbreaking adaptive techniques -- create great-sounding vocal tracks with this unique compressor/limiter/de-esser!
  • SPL TwinTube transfers the warm, transparent, and smooth sound of analogue tube and coil filtering to the digital domain -- add the warmth and presence of SPL's renowned RackPack modular system processor!

Plugin Alliance has also announced major updates for all its currently available plug-ins from global partners Brainworx (Germany), elysia (Germany), Mäag Audio (USA), Noveltech Audio (Finland), Pro Audio DSP (UK), SPL (Germany), and Vertigo Sound (Germany); all are now conveniently grouped in the same menu (named Plugin Alliance) and listed alphabetically -- no need to go searching anymore. Registered users can download them now for free from the Plugin Alliance website.

New users are also invited to open an online Plugin Alliance account, where four free plug-ins are awaiting them! Pro Tools|HDX and Pro Tools|HD native owners or otherwise.

Pricing and Availability:
AAX Pack is available to registered Pro Tools|HDX and Pro Tools|HD Native owners for $1,295.00 USD from all Avid pro audio resellers until December 14, 2012.

All six Plugin Alliance plug-in licenses sold as part of the AAX Pack are non-transferrable and must be registered on the Plugin Alliance website to activate them.

More information:
www.plugin-alliance.com

Free SSL Studio Workshop Event In London

At KMR Audio on 12 December


Solid State Logic and UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd have announced a free SSL studio workshop event at KMR Audio in London on 12th December 2012.

From 12 noon on 12/12/12, Solid State Logic's James Motley and mix engineer Gary Bromham will be on hand to demonstrate SSL's latest DAW control and audio processing range including: the X-Rack system and new 500 Series compatible E-Series modules, X-Desk, Nucleus, and new MADI-equipped Alpha Link MX converters.

At 7pm, James will be present a seminar discussing workflow and the factors that affect your studio environment. He will examine and discuss various studio setups to give you insight on how your workflow can be more productive, feel more creative and how you can make better music!

SSL Studio Workshops bring together like minded individuals to share expertise and offer you a unique opportunity to see and hear the improvements SSL 'big studio' technology can make in your project studio productions.

The event is free to attend but numbers are limited and registration is required.

For more information and to register please click here.

Pricing and Availability:
Free

More information:
SSL

A Creative Way To Make New Grooves

Steinberg's sonote beat re:edit plug-in is soon to be available


Steinberg has announced the upcoming release of sonote beat re:edit, the ideal beat instrument plug-in for Steinberg's recently announced Cubase 7 and Cubase Artist 7 music production systems. sonote beat re:edit will be available in the beginning of December.

Matthias Quellmann, product marketing manager at Steinberg, told Sonic State, "For all Cubase users who're into meddling with beats, sonote beat re:edit is a unique approach to making new grooves from your content."

Based on Yamaha's renowned sonote technology, sonote beat re:edit extracts beat slices within an audio loop and replaces them with similar sounds. Analyzing the transients of individual waveforms, sonote beat re:edit defines and categorizes fragments -- so-called sonotes -- in dedicated databases based on parameters, such as loudness, attack and frequency. This allows sonote quickly to exchange fragments with comparable audio material and generate new rhythmical content.

Exclusively compatible with Cubase 7 and Cubase Artist 7, sonote beat re:edit perfectly integrates into the Cubase environment, allowing for drag-and-drop of audio events from and to the Project window and MediaBay.

sonote beat re:edit includes a factory library with three databases of acoustic, electronic and standard beats and additional VST presets of rhythmical phrases.

Features at a glance

• Exchange the sounds of your beat with sounds of your own music

• Create your own sonote database out of your favorite sounds and tracks

• Seamless import and export of audio material from and to Cubase

• MIDI support to control virtually all parameters via external devices

• Out-of-the-box factory library

• Available as download for Windows and Mac OS X Intel


Pricing and Availability:
sonote beat re:edit is a product of Digital Musical Instruments Division, Yamaha Corporation, and is available in December exclusively as download through the Steinberg Online Shop. The retail price is 49.99 euros including German VAT.

More information:
Steinberg

AES Option For iLive

Allen & Heath has launched a new AES Out option module for the fixed format MixRacks

iDR-48 MixRack fitted with the new AES out option

A&H tells us that customers are now able to order an iDR-16, iDR-32, iDR-48 and iDR-64 fixed formatMixRack or the xDR-16 expander unit, fitted with an AES Digital Output Option, providing two AES3 digital 2-channel outputs in place of four of the analogue line outputs. Supported by the newly released firmware V1.9, the option is also available as a retro-fit kit for existing customers, allowing single or multiple AES Digital Output options to be fitted.

A&H product manager, Leon Phillips, told Sonic State, "A&H is really pleased to be able to offer the option for AES outputs on all of the fixed format MixRacks in the iLive family. The launch comes in response to engineers and installers who want to keep the connection to the PA in the digital domain. Previously only an option on the flagship modular iLive systems, the new AES options will place fixed format iLive systems in the running for new applications, such as cost-sensitive broadcast installations."

Pricing and Availability:
See website

More information:
www.allen-heath.com