GigaStudio

Sony has introduced Sound Forge Pro 10, the latest version of its professional digital audio production suite for Windows.

Update features include event-based editing, the élastique time stretch and pitch shift plug-in, interactive tutorials and a mastering effects bundle.

Details below.

If you’ve used Sony Sound Forge Pro 10, leave a comment with your thoughts! Read more…

Musikmesse 2009: TASCAM, and Garritan Corporation announced the completion of the sale of technology assets relating to GigaStudio, Gigasampler, GVI, GigaPulse and all Giga products.

Gigasampler revolutionized the music industry when it was introduced in 1999 and its importance in the music world cannot be overstated. Giga products enjoy exclusive rights to Endless Wave technology, a patented system which allows large samples to be streamed directly from the hard drive with low latency. Giga became the professional’s sampler of choice for many film, game and television composers, including many high-profile musicians.

The technology looked like it was stuck in a dead-end, though, when Tascam announced it was ceasing development. Read more…

TASCAM has apparently decided to kill off its GigaStudio sampler.

I haven’t seen an official announcement on this yet, but a post at Virtual Instruments Composers Forum quotes TASCAM:

“Notice:  TEAC America, Inc. will cease further development of GIGASTUDIO and GIGASTUDIO related products as of July 21, 2008.  Product sales and technical support will continue through the end of the year.”

It looks like TASCAM is getting out of the software business completely. If you check TASCAM’s site, the product category for software is completely empty, and everything Giga-related is now in the legacy software category.

My guess is that the growing popularity of the Mac, combined with solid competition, made further development of GigaStudio impossible. This is unfortunate, because it not only leaves a lot of users high and dry, but many dedicated developers, too.

Over at Create Digital Music, Peter Kirn says “Earth to Tascam: please make some kind of statement to your customers, even if it means a series of messages if the situation is evolving.” I’ll second that.

A new site, Open GigaStudio, has been created to petition TASCAM to open source GigaStudio. I’ll second that idea, too.

“Please consider making GS4 open source. The GS community is more than happy to support itself and GS developers can then at least continue to offer their products while maintaining their livlihood. GS is one of the last bastions of freedom for the user to customize and enjoy their sample content to the fullest in a world of locked samplers.” forum member “Freedom”

I’ve signed the petition, and I’d encourage readers to do the same.

TASCAM has released GigaStudio 4., its Windows sampling workstation.

New features include the QuickSound database tool, additions to the QuickEdit interface and user interface improvements.

GigaStudio 4 features:

• Supports 64-bit operating systems like XP64 and Windows Vista 64 (32-bit version also available).
• Unlimited polyphony.
• 96kHz/24-bit sample support.
• 128 MIDI channel playback.
• embedded GigaPulse convolution reverb.
• iMIDI rule programming includes legato mode, round-robin, alternation, portamento, dynamic expression filters and more to add realism to sampled performances.
• Sound Libraries from SONiVOX, Larry Seyer Digital, Project SAM, Wavelore.

GigaStudio 4 is available now with an MSRP of $599 USD. The GigaStudio 3 Orchestra to GigaStudio 4 Upgrade is $199 USD.

BandmateLoops.com has introduced iAcoustica Studio, a new multi-sample Universal Acoustic Drum Library.  iAcoustica Studio offers eight unique, realistic drum kits for Reason, Kontakt 2, EXS-24 and GigaStudio.

iAcoustica Studio is based on two full acoustic drum and cymbal sets and utilizes a broad range of sticks, mallets, metal brushes and wooden brushes.

Also included are hundreds of custom drum patterns covering Funk, Rock, Samba, Latin, R&B, Jazz and other genres in SMF (Standard MIDI File) format. Each pattern also features multiple variations and fills for extra versatility.

The new collection is available via electronic delivery for $44.95 USD, along with all current Bandmates products via their website. Universal format includes: Reason, Kontakt 2, EXS-24 and GigaStudio versions.