December, 2004 archive

Precisionsound has released Monzter Guitars, a sample collection designed to provide an intuitive, playable “wall of guitar” sample-set.
The CD is produced by Thomas Johansson, a guitarist and producer with over 50 CD productions to his name.
The Monzter guitars SampleSet contains:

Two programs for each format, Gigastudio, HALion & Kontakt.
Fifths sampled both as long notes and staccatos.
The [...]

Valentine Records is offering a free MP3 download from Hypnotique’s upcoming debut album, The Hanging Garden.
Hypnotique calls her music soothing and uplifting music for the impending apocalypse. Look for The Hanging Garden to be released in late January 2005 as a limited edition CD with handmade artwork.
For the rest of the month of December, you [...]

Switched On: Early Electronic Oddities, a 90-minute live radio show featuring Hypnotique, the UK’s leading cabaret thereminist/talk-show hostess, is now available online as streaming audio.
The show features recordings of early electronic instruments from 1860 to 1975, including the Trautonium, the RCA synthesizer, the Italian futurists, the electro-theremin, and the Radiophonic Workshop. It also includes live [...]

Users of the Garritan Personal Orchestra application have collaborated to create a free Christmas CD that showcases state-of-the-art virtual orchestration.
The Garritan Personal Orchestra Christmas CD is a collaborative effort of the GPO community, and is available for download in MP3 format.
The CD features orchestral arrangements of traditional holiday themes, realized using the Garritan Personal Orchestra.
Tracks:

Joy [...]

Electronica artist BT has carried his success as a songwriter and performer into his film scoring ventures. He scored the Academy Award-winning Monster, as well as contributed music for The Fast and the Furious, Under Suspicion and Zoolander. He’s also currently writing music for an upcoming reality television chronicle he conceived about a rock star’s [...]

Steinberg Media Technologies has released a free update to the Cubase SX3 music production system that adds a new reverb virtual effect.
“We’re very pleased to offer this update to all Cubase SX3 customers,” says Arnd Kaiser, Steinberg’s Senior Product Manager for Music Technology. “Apart from many minor enhancements, Cubase SX3.0.1 includes the new RoomWorks reverb [...]

Spectrasonics has released a series of four new expansion libraries, called S.A.G.E. Xpanders, to enhance the variety of choices for their recently released Stylus RMX virtual groove instrument. The four Groove Control activated Xpanders are based on the company’s Backbeat, Retro Funk, Liquid Grooves, and Metamorphosis collections. A fifth library, Burning Grooves is due to [...]

Native Instruments has announced an updated version of Battery, version 2.1. The new version includes several new features and enhancements, making NI´s drum sampler even more flexible and convenient.
New features:

Direct-From-Disk streaming*
MIDI CC automation
In-Kit-Preview
Enhanced output configuration facilities
New import browser
Extended Rex import (loads slices into individual cells)
Improved host automation
Option to set a “default kit” that automatically loads [...]

The Vienna Symphonic Library and its North American distributor ILIO have announced the release of all 13 Horizon Series products in HALion on Kontakt formats. All libraries including Vienna’s Performance Tool can be used on the samplers EXS24 mk II, GigaStudio, HALion, and Kontakt, on both Mac OS and Windows platforms.
The Performance Tool for PC [...]

Applied Acoustics Systems has updated Tassman 4 and Lounge Lizard EP-2 to be compatible with the AU validation test of Logic 7. These service updates are free of charge for all Tassman 4 and Lounge Lizard EP-2 users and can be from the Applied Acoustics site:
Tassman 4 AU Plug-In Update

http://www.applied-acoustics.com/tassman.htm

Lounge Lizard EP-2 AU Plug-In Update

http://www.applied-acoustics.com/loungelizard.htm

iRiver has announced the iRiver PMC-100 series of media players. The PMC-100 series offers video, music and photos for a full entertainment experience on the go.
The PMC-100 series holds up to 160 hours of video, 1,200* hours of music or thousands of digital photos and weighs in under 10 ounces. Featuring a wide 3.5 inch [...]

Steinberg has announced that the latest version of Nuendo, its Media Production System, is now shipping worldwide. Nuendo 3 offers a range of new, next-generation features and technologies for post production, surround production and high-end recording, mixing and editing.
“We’re extremely proud of Nuendo 3,” states Steinberg’s General Manager Andreas Stelling . “This product is our [...]

Apple has announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded more than 200 million songs from the iTunes Music Store. The 200 millionth song was part of “The Complete U2″ and was purchased by Ryan Alekman from Belchertown, MA.
“iTunes has now sold over 200 million songs, making it the world’s number one online music store [...]

Goldster Audio has announced The Concertino, a combination of a tube based audio-amplifier and full range speakers designed and tuned exclusively for use with Apple’s iPod.
Concertino is “designed for iPod” in every respect. You can also adapt all kinds of traditional audio equipment like CD players etc. to your Concertino. AirPort Express even offers the [...]

Johnson has introduced a new guitar to its excellent collection of wood body resonators. Inspired by the craftsmanship of the earliest resonators, the Delta Blues Resonator (JR-410) recalls the most expensive contemporary instruments.
Available in roundneck and squareneck designs, the resonator comes with a 10.5” hand-spun continental cone, a mahogany top, back, neck and sides, and [...]