Nano studio, soon in your pocket (iPhone that is)
Blip Interactive announces a new music making application called NanoStudio for iPhone and iPod Touch which is expected to be available in the App Store from mid July. NanoStudio combines sampling, synthesis, sequencing and mastering in a single application and aims to be a complete solution for those who want to make electronic music on the move.
The app gives musicians five instruments to play with. The TRG-16 instrument has a set of 16 assignable touch pads for triggering samples and sits alongside four synths, each with an eight voice polyphony. Synth voices have two oscillators configurable in mix, ring or sync modulation modes, a resonant filter, four LFOs and three envelopes. Expressive control is possible with two XY control pads, a pitch bend wheel, a dual keyboard and accelerometer control. Each synth has a virtual patchbay, two dedicated insert effects (waveshaping and chorus/delay) and is also capable of playing samples.
NanoStudio has an advanced sequencer with features aimed at practical music making such as draw events, quantize, multi-level undo/redo and velocity/controller editing. Editing operations can be performed in real-time as the song plays.
Samples are recorded using the iPhone’s built-in microphone or uploaded from a PC or Mac over WiFi. A resampling function increases the potential for adding far more depth to compositions than five instruments would otherwise allow. There is a built-in sample editor with multiple levels of undo/redo.
A seven input stereo mixer brings everything together and adds two send effects (reverb and chorus/delay). NanoStudio will render the final mix to a wav file and transfer it to a PC or Mac via WiFi.
Blip Interactive will be giving away a free full version of NanoStudio for users to try out on a PC or Mac as soon as the iPhone version has passed submission to the App Store.
Cubase 5.5 is soon here – preview
Cubase 5.5 and Cubase Studio 5.5 are value updates including many smaller and bigger enhancements to the application as well as introducing several great new features that come absolutely free for all registered Cubase 5 and Cubase Studio 5 users.
Optimized performance
The Cubase audio engine has been tweaked for an even better low-latency performance on systems with four or more CPU cores. Updated versions of LoopMash* and REVerence* reduce CPU demand for these plug-ins. The native x64 version of Cubase 5.5 now features an improved VST Bridge that boasts higher performance and dramatically enhanced compatibility with the majority of bridged 32-bit VST2.4 plug-ins.
More mixing and video
The automation panel has been given a smart facelift, and now sports additional automation functionality such as the new Fill modes. For even more convenient access to all required track, mixing and plug-in parameters, the Quick Control system has been expanded to Group, FX, Input and Output channels, while the setup of VST Connections has been simplified. A new Open GL accelerated video engine with full HD support*, scalable performance and the ability to play out videos via FireWire on Windows round out this much
Bigger beats
The Cubase Sample Editor has witnessed significant refinements when it comes to reworking with beat-laden loops, including a new sensitive hitpoint-detection algorithm and the introduction of a local timeline for the AudioWarp definition mode. Groove Agent ONE boasts extended Export/Import functionality, visual adjusting of sample start- and end point and 19 brand-new and exclusive drum kits made up of over 800 finest vintage drum machine samples. LoopMash* has been updated with track-dedicated level meters and volume controls plus a new global similarity threshold slider for controlling the overall density of a loop construct.
Workflow consolidation
The MediaBay interface has been redesigned to provide improved usability besides simply looking pretty neat. It now also comes with an integrated virtual keyboard and memo recorder to quickly record preview phrases. The Channel Batch Export provides user-definable file naming options and includes a non-modal audio export window which remains open for adjusting settings whenever required. Both the Infoline and the toolbars have been cleaned up and consolidated for improved legibility and faster access. The scrubbing function features a much smoother and acoustically accurate feedback for precision editing.
Augmented reality DJ
How to set up your midi with the ardj system and ableton live, or any other DAW like logic, garageband, etc…
download for free at http://www.lipert.net/ardj Mac only.
Arracis Gold VSTi Synthesizer – free download version
Arracis Gold VSTi Synthesizer’s most significant feature is the 4 x 8 osc step sequencer with adjustable gatelength + modulation on gatelength. With this step sequencer you can have a quite rhythmical output incl short blips (stepping among the oscillators in selectable sequence) plus mixing to the normal (steady) output signal for vivid Pad or Athmos. Thus it is easy to get really fascinating sounds even at the oscillator section only. In addition the 2 inbuilt filters provide further means for tweaking. Finally at the output section there is Spook fx and two delays in series incl. pan modulation for delay and direct out for stunning spatial movement in stereo. You might be amazed about the sophisticated sounds being possible with this easy to access synthesizer.
Arracis Gold features
- 4 PCM wave oscillators with 384 waves in 3 banks with mixable output in groups of 2.
- (User wave & SF2 files can be loaded too into each osc slot).
- 4 x 8 osc step sequencer with various settings incl. gatelength, hard/soft knob etc.
- Mixable output of stepped and normal (steady) osc signals incl modulation.
- 1 24 dB resonant LP filter with ADSR EG and Modulation.
- 1 12 dB resonant HP filter with ADSR EG and Modulation.
- Filter bypass + modulation.
- 1 Bass Enhance.
- 1 Spook Fx.
- 2 Delays in series.
- 3 Pan (direct, delay 1 and delay 2) incl. modulation.
- 6 LFO + 1 S&H as mod sources.
- 6 Lazy Buttons (use ‘All’ for limitless patch switching ;-).
- 10 voices.
- Key Velocity on Amp, LP & HP Cut, and Filter bypass.
Arracis Gold Pro is available as a VST instrument plug-in for Windows PC for 29 EUR.
A free version is available for download. It differs from the Pro version in that it has only 128 waves per oscillator, three voices, sf2 and wave load for osc 1 & 2.
More info on the new Powercore 6000
By combining TC Electronic’s System 6000 algorithms with its PowerCore platform users now get the ultimate studio tool for their DAWs. PowerCore 6000 will be available at the end of October 2008 for $3495 MSRP.
PowerCore 6000 features eight FreeScale DSP engines, the same DSPs used in System 6000, and it has an SRAM memory design that supports high performance reverbs and delays. This enables users to run famous and heralded reverbs and delay-algorithms from System 6000 with popular DAWs like Logic Pro, as well as with any other VST- and Audio Units-compatible host.
With the inclusion of the System 6000 plug-ins, PowerCore 6000 is one of the most powerful mixing and mastering solutions for DAWs available today. PowerCore 6000 includes 7 pristine plug-in algorithms, which are ported 1:1 from System 6000: VSS3 Stereo Source Reverb, Nonlin2, DVR 2 Digital Vintage Reverb MD3 Stereo Mastering, Brickwall Limiter, UnWrap stereo to 5.1 conversion and TapFactory.
Powercore 6000 includes three of TC Electronic’s best reverbs. Starting off with the VSS3 Stereo Source Reverb, a genuine and original reverb directly ported from the System 6000. NonLin2, an effects reverb which differs from the traditional natural sounding TC reverbs. NonLin2 is capable of generating compact vocal ambience; percussive and dramatic drum sounds, reverse reverbs and completely new “twisted” effects. Completing the reverb section of PowerCore 6000 is DVR 2 Digital Vintage Reverb. Careful attention was put into preserving the qualities of the original EMT250 processor, including sweet modulation, spectral balance, spaciousness and saturation. Not only is DVR2 the most precise EMT250 emulation up to now, it also emulates its predecessor in the way parameters interact for different settings.
Sonar 8 Released – some highlights
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTIf4lNGQ5Q]
Cakewalk has revealed that Sonar 8 will be available for pre-order from September 22 2008. At the moment, this is all the company is saying about the software – spec details are being kept under wraps for now.
Seasoned music software observers won’t be surprised to learn that a new version of Sonar is on the way. It’s almost become a tradition that Cakewalk announces a major update at this time of the year.
DATAMASKIN
