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Tell Presonus Just What You Think Of Them

PreSonus forms customer satisfaction group


"In this business," the old saying goes, "it's all about relationships." To that end, PreSonus has announced a new concept in customer relations with the formation of its Customer Satisfaction Group.

As PreSonus CEO Jim Mack explains, the idea behind the Customer Satisfaction Group is to move the concept of customer support to another level. "The old model of simply reacting to people's concerns or problems - no matter how well you do it - is no longer enough," Mack observes. "It's a connected world, and communication is instantaneous. We're reaching out to establish an ongoing, two-way conversation with our customers to find out about their entire user experience - about what they're doing with their gear and about what works for them and what doesn't."

The new Customer Satisfaction Group initiative will be led by Global Service Manager Jon Ross and will combine aspects of the company's Technical Support, Global Service, and Quality Assurance departments. As Ross points out, combining these aspects will empower the group to focus on the entire PreSonus user experience. "From testing and verifying the functionality of new products, reviewing the documentation and packaging, and providing both pre- and post-sales support, the Customer Satisfaction Group will be in an ideal position to truly understand, influence, and enhance the entire end-user experience for our customers."

PreSonus already has a strong presence in the online world, and CEO Mack predicts that will become even larger. "Our people aren't just sitting there and answering the phone when users call," he says. "We're out there on the forums and user groups, in the stores, and at the clubs. We're part of the conversation."

The new Customer Satisfaction Group is part of a global outreach that involves working with users and distributors worldwide, says Mack. "We've got a fantastic network of distributors, and many times they're so good at addressing customer issues that we never hear anything. But for us, it's important to hear from everyone."

The initiative also focuses on streamlining the way users interact with the company. "PreSonus offers an ecosystem of hardware, software, and services like Nimbit," observes Mack. "We're working toward creating a unified user experience where each user can have one account for everything."

"Our best advocates are our customers," Mack concludes. "We have a passionate group of users, and we learn so much from them. A lot of times they're doing things with our gear that we've never even thought of. We're musicians, too, and we get excited just like they do."

More information:
Presonus

MIDI Reggae Grooves

Platinum Samples releases Real Reggae Multi-Format MIDI Groove Library


Platinum Samples and John Emrich have announced the release of their Real Reggae Multi-Format MIDI Groove Library. Real Reggae includes over 1,190 grooves & fills in a wide variety of Reggae styles in a variety of tempos all formatted for BFD2®, BFD Eco®, EZDrummer®, EZPlayer®, Superior Drummer 2.0®, Addictive Drums®, SSD4, Cakewalk® Session DrummerTM as well as General MIDI which can be used with any GM compatible drum software or hardware.

Performed live on an electronic drum kit and Optimized for 1 Kick, 1 Snare, 3 Toms, 1 Hihat, 2 Crash cymbals, 1 Ride cymbal, 1 Cowbell, 1 Woodblock and a Low & High Timbale - Real Reggae is composed of raw reggae performances ready for your Reggae, Dub or Ska tracks formatted as both Songs & Grooves.

Included are Timbale, Woodblock & Cowbell one-shot samples as WAV files as well as a stereo 16 velocity BFD2/BFD Eco Timbale instrument. Also included is a Simmons SDSV kit formatted for BFD2 and BFD Eco.

Real Reggae was produced and performed by John Emrich on a Yamaha DTX900 electronic drum set.

Pricing and Availability:
Real Reggae is available now as a download from Platinum Samples' website and includes all formats for $35.00

More information:
www.platinumsamples.com

More Swen Weber Club Sounds

Resonance Sounds releases Swen Weber - Electromatic 2


Resonance Sounds has released Swen Weber - Electromatic 2. Here's what a Resonance sound spokesperson told Sonic State,

"Swen Weber is back on track with his latest club weapon "Electromatic 2"! After the huge success of the predecessor, we do hope you`re ready for another handcrafted selection of finest bass, drum, synth loops and more. Easy to use, perfectly sitting in the mix and inspiring all the way - Swen Weber took great care to make you create the next club smasher in no time. A total of 203 loops is waiting for you to either just use it straight ahead in your production or to throw all your plugins at it to get something completely new - choice is up to you!

For those who are still in doubt - check out the guy`s infamous releases on reknowned labels all over the world. Tracks on Blu Fin, Norman `Fatboy Slim` Cook`s Southern Fried Rec. and his own label Swentraxx are shaking up the Beatport charts on more than just a regular basis - and this sample pack is no different. Pure quality. Merciless groove. All you need."

Features:

  • 50 bass loops
  • 30 kick loops
  • 48 lead loops
  • 25 mix loops
  • 40 top loops
  • 10 vox loops
  • All tonal loops are key-labelled
  • Formats: 357 MB (203 files) content, 24-bit Wavs, Kontakt Patches.

Listen Here

Pricing and Availability:
20.97 Euro + VAT

More information:
Swen Weber - Electromatic 2

Plug In For That Beatles Sound

Waves Audio teams with Abbey Road Studios to unveil REDD Console plug-ins


Waves Audio has again teamed with London's legendary Abbey Road Studios to introduce the new REDD Console plugins. Abbey Road Studios were at the epicenter of a seismic shift that rocked the world of music during the 1960s, and changed the course of popular culture forever. The Beatles, The Hollies, Pink Floyd and countless other luminaries made musical history at Abbey Road Studios, trailblazing a revolution that resonates to this day. And at the heart of it all were REDD consoles, custom-designed, built by and named after Abbey Road Studios' in-house Record Engineering Development Department (REDD). Renowned for their silky smooth EQ curves, extraordinary warmth and lush stereo imagery, there's something magical about the REDDs that simply sounds like no other console. Waves tell us that they have meticulously recreated the unique color, character and tonal complexity of the original desks: the REDD.17 still belonging to Abbey Road Studios, and the REDD.37 console now owned by Lenny Kravitz. The result is REDD which Waves describes as an impressive pair of plugins that truly deliver the enhanced dimension, richness and depth of these coveted console classics.

Mirek Stiles - Head of Audio Products, Abbey Road Studios, told Sonic State, "Ever since I first heard the word REDD at Abbey Road Studios almost 13 years ago, to me these consoles have had a legendary almost mythical aura around them. Most of the original REDD consoles have been lost over time but by using the few examples left over and studying the original schematics and design notes from the archives I believe Waves and Abbey Road have revived an important part of musical history that will enable producers of all generations to discover and fall in love with the lost sound of REDD."

Gilad Keren, CEO and Co-Founder of Waves Audio, added, "Waves is proud to be working together with Abbey Road Studios to preserve the legacy of the legendary REDD consoles. The REDD consoles were used to help create so much timeless music in the past, and by making their sound available via plugins, we hope to contribute to the creation of timeless music that will be made in the future."

Controls:

  • Amp Type determines the type of amplifier (REDD.37-.51 only).
  • Channel Select determines the channel configuration.
  • Bass Lift controls the 9 dB low shelf that compensates for low frequency loss caused by using condenser microphones in a Figure 8 configuration.
  • EQ Select toggles between Classic and Pop EQ types. The Classic treble EQ features a shelf boost or cut at 10 kHz; Pop EQ is a peak boost centered around 5kHz, with a shelf cut centered at 10 kHz. Both Pop and Classic settings feature a continuous 10 dB of boost or cut at 100 Hz. (REDD.37-.51 only).
  • Tone High controls high shelf equalization.
  • Tone Low controls low shelf equalization.
  • Monitor controls the source of the monitor output.
  • Spread selects stereo processing mode (Stereo component only).
  • Drive controls the amount of drive added to the signal. Lower values result in a cleaner sound; higher values result in a more distorted sound.
  • Analog controls the level of modeled noise and hum.
  • Output controls the output level of the signal.
  • VU Meters display output VU readings.

REDD Consoles – The Sound That Changed the Course of Music History:
Since its opening in 1931, Abbey Road Studios has been widely regarded as a bastion of recording excellence and innovation. EMI's Recording Engineer Development Department was established in 1955 by Abbey Road Studios technical engineer Lenn Page to address the needs of the then-burgeoning stereophonic format. Within a year, the team's efforts had led to the production of the REDD.1 console, Abbey Road's first dedicated stereo mixing system, which consisted of a REDD.8 mixer and a rack that housed its amplifiers and other components. In 1957, its successor was created: The REDD.17, designed by Peter Burkowitz of EMI's German affiliate, was one of the first desks to conform to the design the industry has come to expect from mixing consoles, with EQ on each of its eight channels. Like the REDD.1 before it, the REDD.17 was a mono/stereo board. Later the following year, in response to the growing popularity of the four-track recording format, the third in the series, the REDD.37, was unveiled. Both the REDD.17 and REDD.37 were powered exclusively by legendary Siemens V72 valve amplifiers and, in the case of the REDD.37, at least 31 of them! The REDD.37 was followed by the REDD.51, which used newer REDD.47 amps, and offered lower distortion and more headroom than the V72s. Originally created in 1959, it was not until 1963 that the .51 found its way to Abbey Road. Four of the .51 desks were ultimately built; by 1968, they were slowly phased out by EMI's next generation of solid-state eight and sixteen track consoles, the TG series.

Pricing and Availability:
Both REDD.17 and REDD.37-.51 are Native- and SoundGrid-compatible and are available at a U.S. MSRP of $349.00, with a special introductory price of $199.00.

More information:
www.waves.com

Construction Kits With An Asian Flavour

Soundtrack Loops releases Tokyo Downtempo royalty free loops in multiple Formats


Soundtrack Loops tells us that Tokyo Downtempo is a set of construction kits with an Asian flavour. There are 6 construction kits with isolated drums and instruments in each. Tempos range from 70 to 105.

A spokesperson told Sonic State, "Each kit is packed with pianos, synths, basses, drums, atmosphere, and more. This is one serious set of sonic ear candy. Each loop is labeled with key and tempo information as well as the proper metadata. 96 loops and 54 drum-shot samples."

Formats (24 bit 44.1kHz stereo)

  • Acidized .wav
  • Apple-looped .aiff
  • Live Pack .alp
  • Recycle .rx2

Additional formats for Drum-shots:

  • EXS24
  • NI Battery
  • NI Kontakt
  • NanoStudio TRG-16

Pricing and Availability:
Pro Pack includes every format for $35
Single format is $19.95

More information:
www.soundtrackloops.com

New Hip Hop Construction Kits In Long-Running Series

FatLoud releases Hip Hop King 6


FatLoud has released Hip Hop King 6 which they says carries all the experience their team has gained since year 2008, when the first Hip Hop Construction King pack was released. They say that Hip Hop music is changing constantly so they are proud to present their lastest pack in up-to-date style.

A spokesperson told Sonic State, "FatLoud Hip Hop King 6 featuring 5 modern hip hop construction kits plus 5 drum kits so you can easily lay down your own drum & percussion tracks. 121 loops including: leads, bass, brass, synths, individual drum tracks, drum mixes and more plus 40 drums including: kick samples, snare samples, clap samples, hihat samples, percussion samples and ride cymbal samples. All loops are, of course, tempo and root-note labelled for ease of use in your productions."

Features

  • 100% royalty free material to use within your commercial compositions.
  • tempos (80 to 85 BPM) and key labelled samples & loops.
  • 121 drum & instrument loops.
  • 40 one-shot drum samples.
  • 5 formats: 16 bit WAV (Acidized), 24 bit WAV (Acidized), 24 bit AIFF (Apple Loops), REX, Record / Reason ReFill.
  • 100% compatibility with all modern software & hardware samplers & sequencers.

Pricing and Availability:
EUR 19.90

More information:
Hip Hop King 6