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

16-Band Graphic EQ Plug-In

Sound Magic releases Neo GraphicEQ VST for Windows


Sound Magic tells us that Neo GraphicEQ is a new type of Graphic EQ which enables its users to adjust the specific frequencies they want to modify. Unlike traditional Graphic EQs, Neo GraphicEQ does not use band pass filters to do the job. Instead, it uses a new kind of Linkwitz-Riley Splitter to separate the frequency bands and then process them. This gives you adjustable bands - you pick the frequencies you want to adjust. Sound Magic says that, because the Linkwitz-Riley Crossover filter tends to have the lowest phase distortion of all filters, Neo GraphicEQ will have a better sound quality than traditional graphic EQs.

A spokesperson told Sonic State, "Neo GraphicEQ is a 16 Bands Graphic EQ and all 15 frequency split points are adjustable. This gives you more sound variety than is possible with traditional EQ. For example, you could assign all 16 bands to only process low frequencies. Or high frequnecies. Whatever your music calls for! If you need more control over the entire sound of your tracks, your song, your band, then adjustable bands of our Neo GraphicEQ are the way to go.

Neo GraphicEQ also gives you control over the filter slope of the Linkwitz-Riley Splitter, which directly influences the distortion rate and the sound style. This gives you more variety and more ability to shape the sound to your needs.

If you are looking for a traditional graphic EQ or need something for special EQ needs, Neo GraphicEQ has got you covered. You must not miss this one!"

Features

  • Internal 64-bit floating point precision
  • Innovative Linkwitz-Riley Splitter Design
  • 16 Adjustable Bands
  • Support up to 32Bit/384KHz resolution.

Pricing and Availability:
€49

More information:
www.supremepiano.com/product/graphic.html

Capture The Cool Side Of D&B

Ueberschall releases Drum & Bass Lounge sample collection


Ueberschall believes that, with the broad Drum & Bass genre ranging from underground to jazzy, there is lots of space for different sub styles. Consequently Drum & Bass Lounge focuses on melodic and organic D&B grooves fusing, says Ueberschall, danceable beats and chilly vibes in a unique arc of suspense. A spokesperson told Sonic State, "Punchy sounds, round basses, floating rhythms, relaxed backings and catchy instrument-licks result in sparkling tracks with a cool atmosphere, completely skipping the hectic pace and aggressiveness often found in Drum & Bass."

Here's the rest of the details in Uebershall's own words...

Drum & Bass Lounge offers ten perfectly prepared construction kits with a total of 522 loops. Beside a complete mix of the respective grooves, you also receive professionally mixed backing- and drum-mixes for a possible use within your DJ- setup. Finally, single loops of all instruments and drum tracks enable the production of individual tracks. Exchange loops freely across construction kits, add phrases of other libraries and create your individual mixdown.
Each construction kit offers one to four subfolders that offer a main theme and additional groove variations. The drums contain kicks, snares, hi-hats, claps, cymbals and percussions. The diversified instrument-licks make use of various synthesizers, synth-basses, organ-riffs, pads, electric pianos, strings and rhythmic effect sounds.

Drum & Bass Lounge is not only dedicated to be used for Drum & Bass tracks but equally suited to be combined with Breakbeat, NuJazz, Club-Pop and other styles. In addition, the library's kits can easily be used for trendy jingles, dubbing of television spots and dance-games.

Elastik-Feature
Elastik player is the ideal plug-in for loop libraries. All loops of Ueberschall Drum & Bass Lounge can easily and seamlessly be combined with loops of other Elastik libraries. Tempo and pitch can be perfectly matched using highest quality the time stretch- and pitch change algorithms by zplane. The Elastik browser allows searching for beats, basslines, synth-loops across all installed libraries using attributes such as category, base pitch and original tempo. As a result, all instrumental phrases and drum loops of a construction kits can be transposed, tempo matched and integrated into any other kit effortlessly - ideally suited for crossover projects where loops of different styles need to be combined.
Further sound design for loops and single sounds is possible through functions such as formant, resample, reverse, modulated by an internal step-sequencer as well as a multimode filter with up to 72dB slope.

Credits
Responsible for Drum & Bass Lounge are Marc Steinmeier and Ron Paul. Both have worked for companies such as Universal Music, EMI Electrola and Sony/BMG. They also collaborated for tracks and remixes of well-known artists like LL Cool J, Alicia Keys, George Clinton and Eminem, who thank their final polishing in composition and sound design to them.

  • 1.2 GB, 10 Construction Kits, 522 Loops
  • Genre: Drum & Bass
  • Elastik soundbank for Mac/PC/AU/VST/RTAS/standalone
  • Elastik Player included- no sampler required

Pricing and Availability:
See website.

More information:
Drum & Bass Lounge

DX7 Recreated For Reason

Propellerhead expands the sonic universe of the Reason rack with PX7 FM synth


Propellerhead has announced the immediate availability of PX7 FM Synthesizer, a new six operator FM synth for Propellerhead's Rack Extension format. As a recreation of the popular DX series keyboards, PX7 provides a wealth of new sounds to the Reason rack, ranging from classic 80's bass and brass to modern textures, leads and growls.

Propellerhead has improved on the original too, with macro controls for easy tweaking of sounds and stereo panning as notable new introductions. PX7 is fully integrated with the Reason rack, allowing users to create layered sounds, combining it with effects, and even control operator levels through CV.

Included with the Rack Extension is a set of new patches for PX7 and Reason's Combinator, from "talking" bass sounds to evolving pads. Additionally, the PX7 FM Synthesizer is patch-compatible with the Yamaha DX7, and includes hundreds of patches originally created for the DX7. Propellerhead also provides an online patch converter that takes patches in Yamaha DX7 format and converts them to PX7 patches, giving users immediate access to tens of thousands of presets for PX7 covering all styles of music.

Features:

  • Six operator classic FM synthesis for the Reason rack
  • 32 selectable algorithms
  • Advanced envelope generator
  • Includes tons of classic and vintage presets, ranging from 80's bass to keys and brass
  • Comes with a set of new, exclusive patches for modern music productions
  • PX7 does not require a full understanding of FM synthesis--the macro controls make tweaking sounds fast, easy and fun
  • Propellerhead's online patch converter lets you convert any Yamaha DX7 patch to PX7 format
  • CV control of operator levels lets you apply modulation from any device in the Reason rack
  • Combine two PX7 synths with the Combinator to easily create layered sounds that never was possible with the hardware it's based on

Pricing and Availability:
PX7 FM Synthesizer is available for immediate purchase in the Propellerhead Shop, at a price of USD $99/EUR €79. Reason and Reason Essentials users can download a free, fully functional trial version for 30 days to try PX7 FM Synthesizer in their music.

More information:
shop.propellerheads.se/product/px7-fm-synthesizer

Rob Papen Shares His Synth Secrets

4 Element synth book ships


As well as being the maker of some very well thought of virtual instruments Predator, Punch and Blade.
Rob has quite a history of working in electronic music, with a couple of number one albums in the bands Peru and Nova. Between them have a total of 8 album releases. Put simply, he knows his sh*t.

As well as work as a sound designer, he also has worked a lot on synthesizer training. Which lead him to develop the 4 Element Synth method as a means to coach visitors to his well stocked synth studio.

Rob has been working to create a hardback book version of his approach which is now available in a 200+ page hardback, with four accompanying DVDs with over 10 hours of video.
It is now available to order.

robpapen.com

Improved Audio Storage Solutions

G-Technology G-SPEED RAID storage now ships with 4TB Enterprise-Class hard drives


With what they say is a continued focus on delivering the industry's most trusted, high-performance and reliable solutions for content creators, G-Technology has announced that its G-SPEED[1] RAID external storage solutions now come equipped with the industry's highest capacity and most reliable enterprise-class hard disk drives (HDDs), the 4TB HGST Ultrastar drives. They say that, with 7,200 RPM performance, 64MB cache, the highest 2.0 million hour mean-time-between-failure[2] (MTBF) HDD specification, and unique enterprise-class features, the G-Technology G-SPEED family continues to deliver uncompromised performance, quality and reliability for the escalating demands of today's post-production workflows. Here's the details in their own words:

Capacity and Performance Requirements Explode
With video resolutions and frame rates increasing, and 3D projects multiplying, high-capacity high-performance storage requirements are exploding. For example, a short film or commercial shot in 2K resolution requires up to 20TB+ of storage capacity and up to 1,000MB per second (MBps) sustained data rates for editing and post production to ensure data integrity, no dropped frames and a quick workflow. However, to keep up with capacity demands, scaling storage requirements can be challenging especially with limited or shrinking budgets, tempting some to buy cheaper RAID solutions with desktop-class hard drives. But the pros know, when your digital content is your livelihood, it is important to properly balance system requirements with RAID storage features that match the rigors of the post-production environment.

Just like data centers that use enterprise-class solutions, creative studios and post production houses are constantly churning and streaming business critical data in RAID environments, and demand 24/7 reliability and performance. By combining high capacity, high performance and enterprise-class features, G-Technology's G-SPEED solutions set a new bar in meeting the rigorous demands of professional content creation applications, spanning all levels of audio, video, image and post-production.

Why Enterprise-class HDDs Matter
The 4TB HGST enterprise-class drives are the only SATA HDDs rated at 2.0 million hours mean time between failure (MTBF), and receive additional manufacturing and testing at extended temperature ranges to ensure a target of less than one non-recoverable bit error per 1015 bits read (i.e. no dropped frames). They also utilize enterprise-specific firmware to minimize the performance impact of rotational vibration interference (RVI) found in rack-mounted servers and multi-drive storage arrays, and feature special error recovery and detection features that help maximize performance and improve data integrity. All these attributes make them the workhorse inside G-Technology's high-quality, high-performance G-SPEED solutions.

Integrating enterprise-class HDDs since 2011, G-Technology is the only external storage vendor in the world with a complete line of enterprise-class 7,200 RPM drive-based, RAID external storage solutions specifically designed for the A/V market. All G-SPEED solutions feature an all-aluminium enclosure with four hot-swappable drives, and a "smart" cooling fan that ensures a quiet, reliable operation. The G-SPEED family includes:

  • G-SPEED Q – An affordable, high-performance RAID storage solution for creative professionals. It comes equipped with 3Gbit eSATA, FireWire® 800, FireWire 400 (via cable) and USB 2.0 interfaces for maximum flexibility. With capacities up to 16TB and speeds reaching in excess of 200MBps using eSATA, the G-SPEED Q solution easily supports SD and HD Final Cut Pro® and Adobe Premiere® compressed workflows. With its built-in RAID controller, the G-SPEED Q solution is not tied to a single workstation and can be easily transported and used on a laptop or desktop in the edit bay or on the road. Formatted for Macs, the compact and quiet G-SPEED Q solution can be configured in RAID 0 or 5. Now available, the G-SPEED Q comes in 8TB (£974.99 MSRP), 12TB (£1,349.99) and 16TB (£1,719.99).
  • G-SPEED eS – A compact four-bay eSATA solution that gives professional content creators outstanding performance, high storage capacity and fail-safe operation at an unprecedented low cost per gigabyte. When used with the G-Technology PCIe x4 RAID controller (sold separately), a single G-SPEED eS supports up to four simultaneous streams of ProRes422 HQ or one stream of uncompressed 1080/60i. As many as four G-SPEED eS enclosures can be attached to a single workstation, providing up to 64TB of high-performance RAID protected storage. The G-Technology PCIe x4 RAID controller supports RAID 0, 1, 5 and JBOD, and is configured and monitored using a full-featured web interface. The G-SPEED eS external storage solutions are now available and come in 8TB (£1,049.99 MSRP), 12TB (£1,424.99) and 16TB (£1,799.99).
  • G-SPEED eS PRO – A blazing-fast solution for uncompressed HD and 2K workflows with mini Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) connectivity that provides Fibre Channel-like performance at a fraction of the cost. When used with an ATTO® R680 PCIe RAID controller (sold separately), a single G-SPEED eS PRO enclosure supports real-time playback of 10-bit uncompressed 1080/60i with more than 400MBps sustained performance. When two G-SPEED eS PROs are connected to an ATTO R680 card in RAID 5 it delivers speeds close to 1,000MBps, easily supporting two simultaneous streams of uncompressed 10-bit HD or a single 2K DPX sequence. The G-SPEED eS PRO with the ATTO eight-lane PCIe RAID controller supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5 and 6, and can scale up to 32TB, making it the most cost-effective desktop RAID storage solution designed specifically for high-end post. The G-SPEED eS PRO solution is now available in 8TB (£1,424.99 MSRP), 12TB (£1,799.99) and 16TB (£2,169.99).

"We are in a high def revolution, and professionals in performance-intensive environments cannot afford dropped frames, latency issues or compromised reliability as their livelihood depends on the content they create," said Mike Williams, vice president and general manager of HGST's Branded Business. "Because of their stringent requirements and our commitment to their profession, G-Technology continues to optimize its G-SPEED family to offer the best RAID solutions in terms of quality, value and performance for the professional content creation market."

All G-SPEED products with enterprise-class drives feature a three-year standard factory warranty. Please visit for more information.

Pricing and Availability:
See main text

More information:
G-Technology

Leap Motion AirHarp

The touchscreen instrument you don't touch


We've been keeping an eye on the Leap Motion - a high resolution positional device which tracks your finger(s) and translates the movement in 3d space into multi-touch input on the computer. Up until now, the demos have been mostly showing art or image manipulation, pinch, twist etc.

This one, the AirHarp - is more musical - the result of "a weekend hacking session with a Leap Motion dev board" by Adam Somers who has interfaced the Leap Motion with his own C++ based audio processing kit -MusKit.

Adam has made the source code available here http://github.com/adamsomers.

One thing is clear, though while the Leap Motion does make for a responsive interface, it looks about as hard to play in this form as a polyphonic Theremin. Personally, I suspect that as soon as the Leap Motion becomes available, we'll see a lot more musical applications.

The Leap Motion can be pre-ordered now, with projected shipping of early 2013.

For more information visit:
http://adamsomers.com/airharp
http://leapmotion.com

Rock And Metal Virtual Guitar

Impact Soundworks Shreddage 2: Absolute Electric Guitar features 7-string shredding

Impact Soundworks has released their next-generation virtual guitar instrument Shreddage 2: Absolute Electric Guitar. Featuring a seven-string guitar sampled in extreme depth with a custom scripted interface, this rock & metal-focused sample library, powered by Native Instruments Kontakt Player, is the sequel to Impact Soundworks' critically-Shreddage: Electric Rhythm Guitar collection.

Impact Soundworks tells us that Shreddage 2 is designed for maximum realism and playability, incorporating a huge range of guitar techniques: sustains, powerchords, staccatos, palm mutes, portamento slides, hammer-on/pull-offs, multiple vibrato types, and neck slides, to name just a few. They say that, combined with an intelligent scripting engine and advanced customization options, the library allows users to create virtually any rhythm or lead guitar part with ease.

Impact Soundworks, a joint venture between award-winning composers Andrew Aversa and Wilbert Roget, II, was founded in 2007 with the goal of creating innovative, affordable and unique sample libraries that are "designed with composers in mind."

Aversa, lead developer of the library, told Sonic State, "Shreddage 2 is, without a doubt, our most advanced and powerful instrument yet. We listened to all of our users and incorporated as much of their feedback as possible. But just as exciting is the fact that it's compatible with Native Instruments Kontakt Player. You don't need any other samplers or plugins to use Shreddage 2 - it's all in the box, so to speak!"

Along with support for Kontakt Player, Shreddage 2 also includes a free Peavey ReValver HPse virtual amp simulator. Impact Soundworks says that this cross-platform plugin comes bundled with custom presets that make it incredibly easy to dial in anything from shimmering clean tones to thick hi-gain sounds. Customers can then upgrade to more fully-featured versions of ReValver at an exclusive low rate.

Pricing and Availability:
Shreddage 2: Absolute Electric Guitar is available for a limited-time price of $119 through the end of December. Owners of the original Shreddage library can purchase at a discounted price of $99.

More information:
Shreddage 2: Absolute Electric Guitar

Maschine Goes Complextro

Native Instruments introduces Electric Vice featuring electro house styles


Native Instruments has introduced ELECTRIC VICE, a new MASCHINE Expansion that they tell us highlights the intricate sound of latest electro house styles, also known as complextro. They say that along with a full set of sounds tailored to the genre, this MASCHINE Expansion features a choke group workflow, designed for performance. ELECTRIC VICE also includes custom presets from NI's MASSIVE synthesizer now bundled free with MASCHINE software. Here's the details in NI's own words...

The kits and patterns in ELECTRIC VICE contain an array of gritty drums, powerful one-shots, and intricate patterns. A choice selection of loops created at the genre's most common tempos provides users with pre-configured sounds to enrich any production. The kits in ELECTRIC VICE include pre-produced tonal loops configured as a choke group. When users play MASCHINE's pads, these samples are cut off by the next sound triggered, effectively playing each sample smoothly in sequence. This 'choke group workflow' offers producers a simple and fun way to generate new and interesting musical ideas, allowing users to quickly create dynamic live performances.

A new set of included MASSIVE presets add another unique element to this expansion. These dynamic presets have been created by top producers to cover the full spectrum of penetrating basses, distorted leads, loops and sound effects found in hard electro house styles – all controllable directly from the hardware, using MASCHINE's top row Macro knobs.

A compact version of ELECTRIC VICE is also available for iMASCHINE – the groove sketchpad for iPhone / iPod touch.

Pricing and Availability:
ELECTRIC VICE is available at the NI Online Shop for $59 / 49 EUR.
The iMASCHINE version is available at the in-app store for $0.99 / 0,79 EUR.

More information:
www.native-instruments.com/electricvice