Developer Dan Nigrin has announced that his software Klee Sequencer is now available. The app, available for Mac and Windows, is a software version of the Klee step sequencer.

Features:

• MIDI output to any hardware or software synths
• Internal or MIDI clock control
• 10 preset slots for instant recall of parameters
• Presets can be saved to and loaded from disk
• Built-in clock divide capability
• Synchronous load – loading of pattern happens on clock pulses, and not in between
• Load on Play feature to allow for loading of pattern each time clock started
• MIDI-controllable baseline note
• Custom definable note range allows for alternative scales

Klee Sequencer retails for $40. 15% of the net proceeds go to support electro-music.com. A demo version is available.

Vestax has teamed up with software maker Algoriddim to produce Spin, a $249.95 entry-level all-in-one digital DJ controller that will be sold elusively in Apple stores throughout the US and Canada.

Features:

• Blend your voice into the mix through the integrated microphone input (microphone included)
• Seamless iTunes integration through djay software, allowing easy to mix, beat match, loops to effects for creating your perfect mix tape
• Simple plug-and-play setup
• Touch sensor jog wheel platters give high resolution to experience an analog feel when scratching and mixing
• Multi-channel audio system for high quality monitoring, master output and separate microphone input
• A compact and light DJ All-in-one system
• Seamless iTunes integration
• Easy-to-use drag and drop interface
• Automix and automatic tempo
• Beat detection, beat-matched looping and BPM-sync
• Auto-gain
• Sampler and visual cue points
• Live Microphone with pitch and echo effect
• Audio effects such as speed change, reverse, time-stretching, pitch-shifting and more
• Record mixes for podcasts, photo slide shows and mix tapes
• Export history of played songs as iTunes playlist or PDF
• Cover artwork on virtual vinyl
• Support for all major audio formats such as MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF, Audio-CD and songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store

Technical specifications

• DJ USB Midi controller
• Touch sensor platters
• Headphone output
• Microphone input
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 14.0 x 9.5 x 1.5 in./35.6 x 24.1 x 3.8 cm
• Weight: 3.2 lbs./1.5 kg (Spin only)

System requirements

• Mac OS X v10.4 or later
• 1.8GHz or faster Intel processor
• 1GB of RAM

What’s in the box?

• Spin (DJ midi controller)
• Microphone with adapter
• USB cable
• djay 3 software with license key
• User manual (Set-up basic guide)
• 1/8- to 1/4-in. adapter for headphone or microphone

Official blurbage below.

Did you notice?

Spin—with its seamlessly integrated djay software—allows you to record your mixes as a high-quality audio file, for use in your latest podcast, movie, photo slide show or to make a classic “mix tape”.

Apple Recommends for…

Beginners and seasoned pros alike who want to mix tracks and playlists from iTunes on their Mac. Or iTunes users and music lovers who want to have fun with their music and explore the world of DJing.

Be your own DJ with iTunes

Spin and djay software let you easily mix all your favorite songs from iTunes. Simply drag and drop, and get creative with your own music.

Touch sensor jog wheels

High-resolution touch-sensitive jog wheels allow you to DJ like in analog mode from scratching to remixing.

Multi-channel audio system

Spin comes with high-quality sound for monitoring, master output and a separate mic input.

Compact and light

A travel friendly unit perfect for the Mac, it comes with a USB cable and djay software so you can DJ anywhere you want.

Perfectly match your music

djay’s on-the-fly beat and tempo detection allows you to easily match two songs for a perfect transition.

Find the right song

Preview and prepare the next song with headphones through Spin before playing it through the main speakers.

Automix your party

One click means hours of fun. Sit back and let Spin/djay mix your favorite iTunes playlists with seamless DJ-style transitions.

Scratch. Mix. Loop.

Discover the world of DJing. Use the featured buttons, jog wheel platters and faders to mix and scratch your songs. Every feature found on the Spin interface will allow you endless opportunities of creative DJing from loops to effects.

Record your mixes

Save your mix—for your latest podcast, movie or photo slide show, or to make a classic “mix tape.” Just push the REC button.

Cuckoo demo’s the new Plogue Chipsounds.

via cuckoomusic:

I bought this new plug-in called Plogue Chipsounds and took it for a spin. I must say it sounds fantastic. I’m going through a couple of the chips, perform and loop live to see how it all sounds.Best regardsCUCKOOMore on Cuckoo:http://www.cuckoo.noMore on Plogue Chipsounds:http://www.plogue.com

TASCAM has announced the US-2000, a new one rackspace 16-input audio interface that’s expected to sell for under $500.

US-2000 features

• 16-in / 4-out USB 2.0 audio interface.
• 96kHz / 24-bit audio resolution.
• (8) XLR microphone inputs with phantom power.
• (6) 1/4? balanced line inputs.
• (4) 1/4? balanced line outputs.
• (2) 1/4? instrument inputs (chan. 7 & 8 on front panel “combi “jacks).
• Stereo S/PDIF digital in and out.
• 100-LED meter bridge (5 segments for each input and output).
• Zero-latency direct monitoring with mono/stereo switch for each pair of inputs.
• 1/4? balanced stereo monitor output with its own volume control.
• 1/4? stereo high-powered headphone output.
• Mac and Windows compatible.
• Steinberg Cubase LE4 48-track recording software included.
• High-tech, attractive aluminum case design.

If you’ve used the TASCAM US-2000 USB audio interface, leave a comment with your thoughts on it!Description:

Eight studio-grade microphone preamps welcome condenser microphones, and two of the mic inputs are on the front panel for easy access. An additional six balanced 1/4? line inputs are provided, as well as four balanced line outs and stereo digital I/O. The front panel features a 100-LED meter bridge for setting input and output levels.

The US-2000 connects to a computer through high-speed USB 2.0, and is priced about the same as less-capable 8-channel FireWire interfaces. Included with the TASCAM US-2000 is Cubase LE4, a 48-track workstation for Mac or Windows computers. It includes flexible hardware controls for zero-latency monitoring during recording.

The US-2000 will be available from TASCAM retailers in October at a projected street price under $500 USD.

Last week, we brought you the news of Plogue’s new 8-bit style software synth, Chipsounds.

According to Plogue, Chipsounds emulates more than eight vintage 8bit-era sound chips (on top of their variants), down to their smallest idiosyncrasies.

Now you can decide for yourself:

chipsounds EP by chipsounds

These tracks were made by the chipsounds beta team and show the
variety of styles and sounds that can be achieved with the software.

The only guideline given was that the music’s chip content had to be made using chipsounds.

Check out the demos and let me know what you think!

Lexicon has introduced a set of native reverb plugins for teh Mac & PC, the PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle.

The intro video, above, is a little over the top. They’ve got demo videos on YouTube that offer more specifics.

Details below.

Features at a Glance

PCM Reverb Plug-In 7 Algorithms

• 7 legendary Lexicon Reverbs
• Hundreds of brilliantly crafted studio presets
• Multi-platform compatibility (Windows XP, Vista, and 7; Mac OSX 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, PowerPC and Intel)
• Formats that work seamlessly in any VST, Audio Unit, or RTAS compatible DAW
• Graphical real-time display illustrating the frequency stages of each algorithm
• Visual EQ section for easy adjustment of both early and late reflections
• Presets can be stored in a DAW independent format which allows custom presets to be transferred between any DAWs.
• Full parameter control and automation
• Input and output meters for quick assessment of audio levels going to and from the reverb
• iLok authorized

PCM Reverb Plug-In Multiband Notch Filter

Each algorithm can be run in either mono, stereo, or a combination of the two. We’ve taken the time to add Input and Output Meters in addition to a graphical EQ section for easy adjustment of both early and late reflections. The most noticeable feature, however, is center screen in a multi-dimensional realtime display. There are three screens to choose from, all showing different frequency stages of the algorithm to help you shape your sound.

PCM Reverb Plug-In Frequency LoPass

The user interface displays nine of the most logical parameters for customization, it also enables you to transition deeper into the algorithm to edit the full matrix of parameters. Compare your custom preset to the original and save it off once you have the perfect sound. You’ll also have the ability to load that preset into a different DAW.

PCM Reverb Plug-In Impulse Lopass

The wealth of algorithms and presets will enable you to envelop your vocals and instruments with the musical ambiance of panoramically wonderful spaces. The PCM Native Reverb Bundle is a complete collection of the finest reverbs, now with all the flexibility of a multi-platform native software plug-in.

Klon takes your voice and adds up to 16 different copies of your voice, in realtime. This lays the ground for an impressive amount of applications like:

• Choir generator
• Harmonizer
• Voice doubler
• Change voice’s gender
• Pitch corrector
• Extreme voice manipulation

KLON is available for purchase for the introductory offer of 99 EUR until October 31st, 2009 (regular price 169 EUR). It is free with every purchase of Take Five FX (incl. Bark, Matrix, Reflect, TDesign and VTape) before October 31st, 2009.

You can preview a demo of VirSyn Klon below:

The 16 pitch shifters inside KLON are divided into 4 groups making it easy to build up large choral parts from a simple, single vocal line. The four separate, switchable groups have their own dedicated set of controls. These controls include an x-y pad for fast, easy control of pitch and panorama. Each group can be altered in real time while music is playing or can be by-passed, edited and switched back on when required. The pitch for each group can be shifted by up to +/- two octaves with adjustable formant control retaining voice quality even at extreme settings. All of those controls are available for host automation for unsurpassed dynamic voice manipulations.

KLON includes a flexible and adaptive pitch correction to any given scale or external MIDI notes and chords. Think of playing a chord to immediately harmonizing your vocal input.

The realtime manipulation possibilities together with the low latency operation makes KLON the ideal live plugin for vocals.

Free Mac Music Software: GWS RanPan is a free random pan effect for OS X, which can be synced to tempo:

I couldn’t find an effect that did this when I wanted to apply it to my own music project, so I whipped it up myself. Now any audio application that hosts Audio Units can take advantage of this plugin to randomly pan sound around in sync with the beat!

Version 2.8 adds 64-bit to the Universal Binary, and fixes a problem with the number formatting in the text fields of the user interface. This version requires Mac OS X 10.5 or greater. For more information, see “GWS RanPan Read Me” in the zipped disk image file.

Universal GWS RanPan is a Universal Binary, includes a 64-bit binary, and is compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and 10.6 Snow Leopard.

This three-part Propellerhead Reason 4 tutorial looks at using Thor as a switchable filter.

via SirSedricMusic:

This is a quick look at using the Thor Polysonic Synthesizer as a Switchable Filter in Reason 4, using Combinator assignments.

To save time, I’m assuming you already know a thing or two about Reason;

1) You know how to create Combinators and assign Reason controls to hardware controls.

2) You know how to route devices within a Combinator.

3) You have a general understanding of the principles which drive Reason.

If you don’t know any of these things, do some searching. There are many great tutorials out there, and with a little patience you’re sure to find some to get you started. Try the PropellerheadsSW channel, they have some decent stuff to get you started.

In this particular tutorial I’m using a ReDrum as the audio source for simplicities sake. I’m just trying to give everyone a good idea of the concept behind this so we can cover some more interesting and fun stuff in parts 2 and 3.

My apologies in advance for the noisy audio, I had to record this using my built-in mic. Future tutorials will have better audio, I promise.

LInks;
-008’s Vinyl Crates Refill (where I got the drum sounds in this video) -

http://008blog.blogspot.com/2009/06/0…

Plogue has announced a new soft-synthesizer, Chipsounds, that turns your VST/AU/RTAS host into a classic video game console, vintage 8-bit home computer and even an 80’s arcade.

Plogue Chipsounds authentically emulates more than eight vintage 8-bit era sound chips (on top of their variants). But more interestingly, it also faithfully allows you to dynamically reproduce the accidentally discovered sounds effect tricks and abusive musical techniques that were made famous by innovative chiptune composers and classic video game sound designers, which for the good part of the last 2 decades, have pushed beyond the boundaries of the original chip designs.

No pricing or release date have been announced. Details and audio demos are available at the Plogue site.

Algoriddim has upgraded DJay, their mixing software for iTunes, to version 3.

Many new features have been added, including Automatic Beat and Tempo Detection, Auto-Cut Scratching, Beat-Matched Looping, enhanced Audio FX, Automix Queue, Auto-Gain and MIDI Learn.

Algoriddim DJay 3 retails for $49.95.

If you’ve used DJay 3, leave a comment!

Features:

• Automatic Beat & Temp Detection is djay’s on-the-fly song analysis that calculates the beats per minute (BPM) and exact location of each beat, laying the groundwork for a host of other features including Auto-Sync, looping and beat-synchronized effects.
• Auto-Sync djay’s automatic beat and tempo detection allows you to easily match the playback speed of two songs for a perfect transition with the click of a single button. djay calculates the volume perceived by the human ear for each song and automatically ensures that all your songs play at the same volume level. This allows you to seamlessly fade one song into the next without sudden changes in loudness.
• Real-time effects, scratching, pitch-shifting and more with solid sound quality and improved low latency. djay’s new audio engine builds upon the Mac’s extended audio support and claims to meet the highest standards in digital audio processing.
• Auto-Cut Scratching automatically applies the rhythmic pattern of the currently playing song to your scratches in real-time. Create sounds like professional scratch DJs and go beyond the possibilities of the analog world. A breakthrough in digital scratching.
• The Automix Queue lets you queue up your favorite tracks in advance. Enable Automix and let djay take care of the mixes while you cruise the party. Or use the queue to build a playlist on-the-go from your audience’s song requests. Plug in your favorite MIDI controller and easily map all features in djay to the buttons and sliders on your controller using MIDI-Learn. With Beat-Matched Looping, you can continuously loop part of a song perfectly in sync with the beat.
• Spice up your mix with djay’s new audio effects including beat-synchronized echo to various reverb types with adjustable wet/dry settings.

If you’re a Mac-based Pro Tools 8.0.x user, Pro Tools 8.0.3pr software is provided as a convenience should you wish to begin your transition to Snow Leopard before a fully tested and qualified version of Pro Tools becomes available.

Download the Free Pro Tools 8.0.3pr Prerelease

Pro Tools 8.0.3pr is a free download for Pro Tools HD 8, Pro Tools LE 8, and Pro Tools M-Powered 8 users. Please note that you will need your Pro Tools 8 authorization code (Pro Tools LE) or iLok authorization (Pro Tools|HD or Pro Tools M-Powered) to authorize the software:

• Download the Pro Tools 8.0.3pr prerelease
• Download updated M-Audio device drivers

ValhallaFreqEcho is a free audio VST for Mac & PC that “combines a Bode-style frequency shifter with analog echo emulation to create skull melting chaos.”

That’s right – “skull-melting chaos”.

Can you put a price on skull-melting chaos?

You’ll never know until you download this bad boy.

Give it a try and then leave a comment with your thoughts. And if you create an audio demo, leave a link!

Download here.

Description:

Sonic results range from subtle chorusing and double tracking, to barberpole phasing and flanging, to runaway echos spinning through your skull, to endless glissandos. Perfect for those Dr. Who sounds, dub, and all of your psychedelic needs.

An OSX AU is planned.

via rekkerd

Airwindows’ Pop is a universal binary Audio Unit compressor plugin designed to create “extraordinary pop vocals.”

According to Airwindows:

Inspired by radio-friendly Genesis, Pop puts every detail in your lap- the reason it exists is, I was listening to ‘Mama’ and other songs off the eponymous Genesis album, and couldn’t believe how overwhelming Hugh Padgham had Phil Collins’ vocal sounding. It reached out and grabbed and defined every detail so aggressively- I needed to make a special compressor that could deliver a sound like that, because nothing I had was designed for such aggressive behavior.

Pop retails for $59.99. A non-expiring demo version is available.

Xylio has updated FutureDecks Pro, DJ mixing software for Windows and Mac, to version 1.5.

Changes in FutureDecks Pro v1.5 include:

• New skin (widescreen).
• Video preview screen (for both DirectX and OpenGL mode).
• New CUE points logic (for the small cue points buttons).
• Special AutoMix playlist.
• Allow Auto-Mix on all lists (use current list when Auto-Mixing instead of special list).
• Inserting/selecting multiple songs (works with Drag&Drop, Remove, Physical Remove, Analyze).
• Searching works also with comment and album and preserves last cursor position (when leaving search mode).
• Shuffle function.
• Move song to top/bottom of list (Ctrl + PgUp/Down).
• Current time on the standard skins.
• Complete rewrite of several parts of the software to allow further improvements and better stability.
• Numerous small improvements.
• Performance optimizations.
• Lots of stability improvements.
• Error on mouse leaving button still pressed (the button remained on).
• Video quality fixed (both OpenGL and DirectX).

FutureDecks Pro is available for Mac & PC, and retails for $99 USD / 79 EUR / 59 GBP.

Sugar Bytes’ Eloquence is a powerful MIDI step sequencer plugin that gives you control over just about all aspects of your favorite MIDI devices.

Description:

Use Eloquence to create varied and organic bass lines, screaming leads, pulsating chords, and organic pad sounds in the studio or on stage.

For live musicians, Eloquence provides an extremely versatile palette of performance options which can be triggered right from your MIDI keyboard: you can transpose, manipulate, twist up, mutate, and mangle your patterns without even getting near your computer.

Eloquence is a plugin which can be used with any major Windows or Mac VST or AU host. This includes Cubase, Logic, Kore, and Ableton Live, among others. It is 100% MIDI compliant.

Eloquence will be released on August 15 and will cost 99€ / 129USD. Registered ERA users will receive a crossgrade offer for 69€ / 89USD.

This video looks at how you can streamline your Mac for DJing with one click, including quitting out of programs, shutting off Airport, Adjusting your Energy preferences and audio preferences and more.

via eangolden

This is an audio demo of some of the patches in Arturia’s Analog Factory.

via synthmaniak

Apple today introduced the next version of Logic Studio, with major upgrades to Logic Pro and MainStage and more than 200 new features.

Here’s what’s new:

• Logic Pro 9 features new Amp Designer and Pedalboard plug-ins that provide realistic virtual guitar amps and stompbox effects.
• A new set of Flex Time tools allow Logic users to easily manipulate the timing and tempo of audio.
• MainStage 2, Apple’s live performance application, includes the new Playback and Loopback plug-ins to provide backing tracks and creative, real-time loop recording for performing on stage.
• Logic Studio also includes the new Soundtrack Pro 3, with new multitrack audio tools for video production, and Compressor 3.5 for encoding in a variety of formats.

This looks like a great update to Logic Studio and Logic Studio’s $499 will continue to put pressure on other DAW developers to add features and keep prices down.

Apple has published a set of video demos on Logic Pro 9, the new guitar plugins and Mainstage 2. The new Amp Designer and Pedalboard plug-ins give guitar players new recording and sound design capabilities.

Amp Designer recreates 25 legendary vintage and modern amp heads in beautiful detail with matching controls and 25 paired speaker cabinets that emulate the sound and feel of a guitar running through a real tube amplifier. Guitar players can create their own custom rig by mixing and matching amps, cabinets, reverbs and EQs, and can choose from three different microphone types that can be positioned in 3D space to capture the ideal guitar tone.

Pedalboard adds an assortment of 30 guitar stompbox pedals that can be arranged in any order to produce a wide variety of lush, creative effects including overdrive, distortion, fuzz, delay, chorus, flange, phaser, tremolo, treble boost, wah and more.

Flex Time is a new collection of tools that allow musicians to quickly manipulate the timing and tempo of recorded audio, including vocals and instruments, to create tighter performances. Using the Flex Tool, individual beats in a waveform can be moved effortlessly with a mouse click, without the need for tedious slicing and editing. Audio Quantize can instantly fix or adjust the timing of an entire performance by aligning notes and beats to a musical grid with a single menu selection. Varispeed provides the ability to slow down and then speed up an entire multi-track production to help record challenging parts. Flex Time also enables recorded tracks to be moved between different Logic projects and matched together, even if they were performed at different tempos. All Flex Time edits are performed non destructively and in real time, even when using the highest quality settings.

MainStage 2 lets musicians use all the instruments and effects from Logic Studio to turn their Mac® into the ultimate live performance rig. The new Playback plug-in provides musicians with a backing band, allowing them to perform with pre-recorded audio, like drums, sound effects and other accompaniments that can be triggered to play while they are performing live. The new Loopback plug-in allows musicians to record, layer and jam along with their own performance so a single musician can lay down a rhythm and then play a lead over it.

Soundtrack Pro 3 adds powerful new audio editing tools including Voice Level Match which extracts volume information from the vocal content of one clip and applies it to another without altering any other audio content, so editors can easily correct mismatched voice levels. An enhanced File Editor includes new tools to make sophisticated edits and fine tune volume adjustments by targeting specific frequencies such as the rustle of a paper or the bump of a desk without affecting dialogue. The new Advanced Time Stretch feature stretches and compresses audio with incredible precision using three Apple-designed algorithms or other algorithms available as third party plug-ins. Soundtrack Pro and Compressor are also available as part of the new Final Cut Studio®, allowing Final Cut® and Logic users to collaborate and share files.

Pricing & Availability

Logic Studio is now available through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $499 (US). Existing users of Logic Studio and Logic Pro can upgrade for a suggested retail price of $199 (US). Logic Express will ship in August for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) and will be available through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

DJ Mike Flores explains the basics of how to DJ with a laptop, in this two part video that looks at laptop DJ basics.

Click here to view the embedded video.

via mike71flores