Producer's Edge Magazine / Producer's Edge Magazine Forums / Music Production

NI:EVOLVE MUTATIONS 2

xodus phoenix — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:01:50 GMT

EVOLVE MUTATIONS 2 transcends the ordinary to bring you a KONTAKT Instrument packed with sounds, textures and FX to enrich any film, TV or game score. With 2 GB of loops, samples and sounds and an innovative Trigger FX feature for instantly transforming your sound, EVOLVE MUTATIONS 2 expands and improves on the first version, bringing modern composers the premium tools for adding tension, drama and emotion to any project.

EVOLVE MUTATIONS 2* is available for $119 / 99 € in the NI Online Shop. Or, buy it bundled together with the first edition for just $169 / 149 €.

EVOLVE MUTATIONS

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EVOLVE MUTATIONS BUNDLE

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ABSYNTH TWILIGHTS

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NI on Twitter

NI Youtube Channel

* For use with the free KONTAKT 4 PLAYER (4.0.5) or KONTAKT 4.0.5 .

Camel Audio: Alchemy Player Released

xodus phoenix — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:38:04 GMT

1. Alchemy Player Free with Soundbanks
2. Cinematic Soundbank Out Now
3. Dance & Trance Soundbank Out Now
4. 50% Off Coupon for Alchemy Owners
5. Alchemy Demo Updated to v1.12 with 150 Presets
6. Alchemy Effects Tutorial Video

1. Alchemy Player Free with Soundbanks

Alchemy Player is the perfect solution if you lust after the sounds of Alchemy but don't want to create your own presets. It's also extremely affordable at just $59 / €49 / £39. The Player is included free when you purchase any Alchemy soundbank, turning each of these banks into a standalone instrument in its own right! The ever-expanding Alchemy soundbank line already consists of seven banks featuring world-class sound designers such as Biolabs, BigTone and Junkie XL covering everything from Cinematic to Dance sounds.

Alchemy Player includes 150 presets and 360 MB of samples taken from the full factory library, including evolving soundscapes, lush pads, and pulsing arpeggios. With your first soundbank from Camel Audio you get 300 flexible presets for the modest price of $59.

Find Out More About Alchemy Player

2. Cinematic Soundbank Out Now

Cinematic consists of 150 presets which will provide loads of inspiration for film, TV and ambient composers. With dramatic soundscapes, mysterious textures and evocative atmospheres, it covers a lot of emotional ground, with moods ranging from gentle and thoughtful, romantic and moving, through upbeat all the way to bleak and disturbing.

Ideal for many genres such as action and adventure, suspense, sci-fi and horror, and packed with slowly evolving details and innovative instrumental layers, Cinematic also includes over 100 MB of new samples ranging from a collection of thunderous hits and stabs to tinkling chimes, suspense-filled drones, bowed horror ambiences, treated guitar washes, and a selection of analogue and digital synths and keyboard sounds

Listen to Cinematic Demos

3. Dance & Trance Soundbank Out Now

Dance & Trance drives your music towards hypnotic euphoria, with its anthemic leads and basses, chordal stabs, pumping beats, stuttering gated riffs and darting arpeggios. Featuring massive supersaw and hard sync synths, aggressive underground sounds and epic hooks, it also has a gentler side when you want to chill out, with seriously lush pads, digital synths, breathy sweeps, skippy grooves, and dancing delays.

Whether you like your sounds classic, acid, progressive, or uplifting, raising the energy has never been so easy, while loops, arpeggios and riffs all remain tempo-locked to your songs whatever their BPM. It also includes a few specially-selected samples including four-on-the-floor beats, fat basses and specially flavoured synths.

Listen to Dance & Trance Demos

4. 50% Off Coupon for Alchemy Owners

All registered Alchemy users can save 50% on any soundbank until 31 March. Why not pick up one of the recently released Cinematic, Dance & Trance, Biolabs: Alchemy Labs or Junkie XL soundbanks.

During March you can save 20% on any additional soundbanks you add to your cart. Simply log into your user account, and click on the special offer link to buy a soundbank at half price.

5. Alchemy Demo Updated to v1.12 with 150 Presets

The Alchemy demo has been updated to v1.12 to include all of the new features available in the full version. The demo is fully functional for three weeks, and even if you've tried previous versions of the demo, this version will function for another 3 weeks. The latest demo also includes new content, representing a diverse range of 150 presets and over 360 MB of samples from the Factory library. If you purchase Alchemy Player, it includes 3 weeks of full Alchemy functionality - just select 'Try Full Version' from the File menu.

Anyone who purchases Alchemy during the month of March will qualify for a free sound bank, as well as a coupon to purchase another soundbank at half price.

Try Alchemy Free for 3 Weeks

6. Alchemy Effects Tutorial Video

A new Alchemy tutorial focusing on the effects section is now available for viewing by all registered Alchemy users. The new tutorial compliments the four recently released tutorials, building on the techniques learned so far including parameter modulation and signal routing.

Watch Alchemy Tutorial Videos

Cheers,
The Camel Audio Crew

PS. Have we told you lately that we love you? We like making weird noises, and creating plugins which make strange sounds. We wouldn't be spending our days doing it, without your support - so thanks! :)

Big Fish Audio Green Tag Sale!

xodus phoenix — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:22:08 GMT

CHECK OUT OTHER NEW TITLES!
New titles... Click here.

STOP BY AND CHECK OUT OUR MONTHLY HOT TITLES!
Blazing hot titles... Click here.

The Big Fish Audio Customer Service Team
Big Fish Audio
http://www.bigfishaudio.com/

New Products from Big Fish Audio

xodus phoenix — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:41:42 GMT









CHECK OUT OTHER NEW TITLES! New titles... Click here. STOP BY AND CHECK OUT OUR MONTHLY HOT TITLES! Blazing hot titles... Click here. The Big Fish Audio Customer Service Team Big Fish Audio http://www.bigfishaudio.com/

Ultimate Sound Bank

xodus phoenix — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:56:53 GMT

Cakewalk Sonar 8

xodus phoenix — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:56:10 GMT

SONAR 8 Focus: Big on content, small on price
This 132-page full-color guidebook is jammed with 100% SONAR content, making it must-have for every SONAR user. SONAR 8 Focus features exclusive interviews with A-list SONAR users from film score guru Shawn Clement to the world famous Sun Studio. In addition to exclusive interviews, SONAR 8 Focus also features 17 SONAR 8 workshops covering virtually all of SONAR's expansive collection of tools and features including Session Drummer 3, Step Sequencer 2.0, Z3TA+, and more. Plus get an interactive DVD filled with video tutorials, loops, and demos.

Buy SONAR 8 Focus today for only $14.99/£8.99/€11.99

Get more from Dimension Pro & LE with new Digital Sound Factory Elite Packs
Take advantage of the whole Digital Sound Factory palette with Digital Sound Factory’s volumes 1-10 for Dimension Pro and Dimension LE. Each volume in this series features an amazing collection of sounds—from classic synths, orchestral sounds, old-world instruments, pianos, and drums to guitars, basses, sound effects and even vocals. The full collection includes nearly 10 gigabytes of content and endless sonic possibilities.

$250/£175/€200 for SONAR 8.5 users

$400/£280/€320 for Dimension Pro and LE users

New NAMM videos posted: SONAR 8.5 Basics
Watch as Cakewalk's Mike Trujillo walks you through SONAR 8.5 basics. The first video of this two part series covers SONAR 8.5's basic features including Session Drummer 3, Step Sequencer 2.0, TL-64 Tube Leveler, Dimension Pro, Matrix View, Media Browser, Boost 11 Peak Limiter, and more. The second video of the series focuses on the VX-64 Vocals Strip, Guitar Rig 3 LE, using 64-bit audio files, the ins and outs of the Matrix View, and more.

Watch the videos

New AudioSnap 2.0 videos now available
Be sure to check out our AudioSnap 2.0 videos. These free videos, including two new videos just added this week are a great source of information, showing you how to get the most out of the SONAR exclusive. AudioSnap 2.0 is a powerful tool that allows you to quantize audio just like MIDI, with amazing results.

Watch the AudioSnap videos

Nucleus SoundLab

xodus phoenix — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:55:06 GMT

In this issue:

MK Digital Keys Refill 33% Off Sale

MK Digital Keys is our incredible retro-keyboard sampleset based on the classic Roland MKS-20 sound module. Its proven very popular with a wide variety of musicians - from pop, to electronic, and especially gospel producers.

Until March 31st, 2010, you can get a sweet 33% discount on MK Digital Keys. Non-Reason customers won't feel left out either - as the Wusikstation and Kontakt/EXS/SFZ formats are also on sale!

Don't forget to download the Demo Refill and check out some of the demo songs below.
BurnWeaver
Asian Toys
Fading City Lights

To order at this special price, head over to the product page.

New Pantheon II + Viral Outbreak Bundle

Pantheon II and Viral Outbreak are two of our best-selling Refills. Pantheon II is completely sample-free and powered by Thor, while Viral Outbreak is packed full of samples from the wicked Virus TI hardware synthesizer. These are two very different Refills, but they are also very complementary to any electronic musician.

Quite a few customers have requested these Refills as part of a custom bundle from us. For that reason, we are making Pantheon II + Viral Outbreak available at special bundle pricing for all customers! Save $20 off of regular prices by purchasing these two awesome Refills together.

Head over to the bundles page to purchase.

Free Trial Month of Reason Wizardry

Due to popular demand we've opened up the free monthly trial subscriptions for Reason Wizardry once again. That means you can sign up for a totally free month of the most advanced Reason video tutorials available. There is no obligation whatsoever to continue after your free month ends.

If you subscribe before the end of February, you'll get the February 2010 issue. This is an extremely in-depth and technical issue discussing how to sample VST instruments into the Reason environment in the most hi-quality way possible.

Head over to the Reason Wizardry product page for more info and to subscribe. Don't delay, the free trial offer ends March 31st, 2010.

Pantheon II Music Video

Get ready for a new and very interesting way to experience Pantheon II. We've done a 'Music Video', for one of Pantheon II's best demo songs (Just for Now by Tom Pritchard).

No, its not just one of those videos using music with a picture slideshow. Yawn... Instead we've got a full 3D synced visualization running along with the song! Just to push the coolness quotient over the top, its also filmed in 720p high-definition. Come on, you know you want to see it!

Head over to Youtube and check it out.

Sneak Peak at the New NSL Website + more

This will be the last newsletter using the old Nucleus SoundLab logo. Next month we will be launching a whole new website, with this amazing new logo by Danny Adler.

Newsletter subscribers will get an email with more info once the website launches. But until then, visit us on Facebook and you can see a preview of the new website! Of course, you should check us out on Facebook anyway, to get insider info on all things NSL.

Jeremy Janzen on Vacation

From February 28th to March 10th, I will be out of the country. During this time I may have sporadic email access. You can still make online purchases from nucleus-soundlab.com, but I may take up to 48 hours to send your download links. Of course, if you order a DVD during this time I will not be shipping it until I return mid-March.

Similarly, if you have any email support requests - I will do my best to reply but my responses will be quite a bit slower. Thanks for understanding!

That's all for this month! Thanks for reading.

Groove3: 2 new awesome Pro Tools training products.

xodus phoenix — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:52:07 GMT

Hello Everyone,

It's that time of the year… March Madness! To help you get through the rest of the winter, we're announcing a huge site-wide sale as well as 2 new awesome Pro Tools training products.

The first from Groove 3 veteran Kenny Gioia, it's "Pro Tools Tips & Tricks - Vol 4" and the other from new Groove 3 author Russ Hughes, "Structure Explained".

See below for more info, and don't forget to stock up on our other great products too. All the prices on the website have been slashed up to 50% off, but hurry, the sale ends at the end of the month.

New Releases

Watch Now

Pro Tools Tips & Tricks - Vol 4

Kenny strikes again! Presented by multi-platinum producer / engineer Kenny Gioia and shown entirely in Pro Tools 8, this awesome collection of in-depth video tutorials is focused on "Frequently Asked Questions".

Kenny has gathered all the questions he's been asked via email and on Pro Tools forums, and answers them all in detail as only Kenny can. You'll learn creative tips & tricks on things like punching in, using effect sends and returns, automation, edit tools, edit modes, plug-ins, fades and crossfades, templates and much more.

Regular Price : $49.99
Sale Price : $39.99 (Good until Mar. 31st, 2010)

Learn More

Watch Now

Structure Explained

Presented by AIR Users Blog founder and Pro Tools maven Russ Hughes, "Structure Explained" is your solution to the sometimes puzzling Pro Tools virtual sampler, Structure.

This in-depth series is for beginner to intermediate users of the full version of Structure and will reveal many of its powerful features and functions. If you want to get the most out of Pro Tool's amazing virtual sampler, look no further.

"Structure Explained" will enable you to work Structure like a pro and elevate your sounds and productions to the next level. Solve the Structure puzzle today...

Regular Price : $39.99
Sale Price : $29.99 (Good until Mar. 31st, 2010)

Learn More

Recently Released

Producing Voiceovers in Pro Tools

In this in-depth series, Arnie shows you everything you need to know in order to produce a killer, professional sounding voiceover production for radio, TV or any other medium.

Price : $39.99

Learn More

BFD Explained

Have BFD2? Want to know how to get the most from it? DAW guru Eli Krantzberg shows you how in this in-depth look at the awesome but complex BFD2 drum virtual instrument by FXpansion.

Price : $29.99

Learn More

VDM - Vintage Drum Machines

An amazing recreation of classic vintage drum machines painstakingly produced by SoundJump, offering the "closest thing to the real thing" type of sound. The sounds were additionally modified with custom distortion algorithms, vintage reverb and transient enhancements for an even wider sonic production palette. All the classic drum machines are back!

Price : $29.99

Learn More

Coming Soon

There is an avalanche of training coming your way - "Audio for Video in Pro Tools", "Kontakt Explained", "Superior Drummer Explained" and many many more… Stay tuned!

What gets you going?

Tell us what you like and we'll make it. Anything is possible, just make a wish… we're listening! Click here

Zenhiser: Brand New House Drum Beats For Global House Producers

xodus phoenix — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:50:52 GMT

Brand New House Drum Beats For Global House Producers

We love creating beats here at Zenhiser and believe 'Global House Drum Beats' is up their with the best. Each sample pack contains over 70 brand new and completely up to date house beats and grooves. 'Global House Drum Beats' is as the name suggests a collection of high end house drum loops that suits nearly all styles of house, from tech house and minimal house through to maximal house and tribal house. By varying the style of each drum loop this collection of house beats covers a multitude of styles and therefore lends itself to becoming a must for any and all house producers, remixers and dj's.

Just like all our drum loop packs, 'Global House Drum Beats' is packaged featuring drum loops both with and without kick drums. All house beats have the same bpm throughout with all house drum loops taking on 24 bit quality.

Link 01: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Global-House-Drum-Beats-01.html

Link 02: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Global-House-Drum-Beats-02.html

Link 03: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Global-House-Drum-Beats-03.html

Bring On Those Exclusive Techno Samples & Loops

Get ready for an audio assault on your ear drums with 'The Techno Construktion Kit'. Over 445 brand spanking new Techno & Minimal Techno samples & loops. Designed from the ground up this techno construktion kit is an awe inspiring collection of techno samples which will fit perfectly within any techno producers sample arsenal.

The attention to detail is astounding within this techno sample pack with each techno and minimal techno sample & loop oozing both quality and style. We believe this techno construktion kit is an absolute must for any producer looking to expand their techno sample library.

As with all our construktion kits we cover the most essential samples and loops to get your music productions rolling. Loads of drum loops, bass loops and synth loops for starting block inspiration. An extremely high quality drum kit with drum sounds created and suited to your genre. Bass samples to program your own basslines and fx to create transients and add the icing on the cake. If that wasn't enough we're supplying all our construktion kits with 24 bit wav samples and all key information including bpm and key note within the filename of every sample giving you all the information you need.

Link 01: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/The-Techno-Construktion-Kit-01.html

Native Instruments:New Product!

xodus phoenix — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:48:48 GMT

Sampled from the Grammy award winner's playing of her own piano in her own studio, this instrument is the only virtual piano that meets Alicia Keys' professional demands. Used extensively on her last album, and embodying the soulful, warm sound that has become her platinum trademark, ALICIA'S KEYS* is the real deal - just like Miss Keys herself.

Watch Alicia Keys talking about her new piano in our exclusive video!

CLASSIC PIANO COLLECTION

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SCARBEE VINTAGE KEYS COLLECTION

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ABBEY ROAD 60s DRUMS

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New Pro Tools and BFD Training Videos - Groove 3 Inc

xodus phoenix — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:11:28 GMT

Greetings Everyone,

We're excited to announce some hot new products to help keep you warm this winter! We've been working hard this month to bring you 2 new in-depth products, "BFD Explained" by Groove 3 veteran Eli Krantzberg and "Producing Voiceovers in Pro Tools" by new Groove 3 trainer, Arnie Geher.

Arnie has over 20 years experience has worked for both Disney and Dreamworks, and has so much to share with you. We welcome Arnie to the Groove 3 family.

Both of these awesome new products are on sale until the end of the month, so check them out today.

New Releases

Watch Now

Producing Voiceovers in Pro Tools

In this in-depth series, Arnie shows you everything you need to know in order to produce a killer, professional sounding voiceover production for radio, TV or any other medium.

If you're new to Pro Tools and want to get into the lucrative voiceover profession, stop right here. This "no frills" series has everything you need to learn in order to do it, so get ahead of the competition and check out "Producing Voiceovers in Pro Tools" today.

Regular Price : $49.99
Sale Price : $39.99 (Good until Feb. 28th, 2010)

Learn More

Watch Now

BFD Explained

Have BFD2? Want to know how to get the most from it? DAW guru Eli Krantzberg shows you how in this in-depth look at the awesome but complex BFD2 drum virtual instrument by FXpansion.

Eli takes you from the beginning showing you the basics such as installation, window overviews, building kits and importing your own sounds, to more advanced topics such as insert effects, using multiple outputs, groove editing, creating drum tracks, automation and much more. Set yourself apart from other BFD2 users and beat the most you can out of BFD2!

Regular Price : $39.99
Sale Price : $29.99 (Good until Feb. 28th, 2010)

Learn More

Recently Released

MainStage 2 Explained

Presented by Apple Certified Logic Trainer Doug Zangar, this 5+ hour in-depth series dedicated to explaining Apple MainStage 2 will show you everything it has to offer. After watching you'll have learned the basics as well as more in-depth and advanced uses.

Price : $49.99

Learn More

Producing Hard Rock with Logic

All new for 2010, the "Mad Man from Louisiana" Scott Griggs returns with a killer Logic 9 music production series, "Producing Hard Rock with Logic". This in-depth series starts with nothing, and ends with a serious "Rawk' n Roll" track as only Scott could do it.

Price : $49.99

Learn More

Concerto Grand Piano

This beautiful acoustic piano was created by the wizards at AIRUsersBlog and could possibly be the only piano sound you'll ever need. Concerto is a Grand Piano made exclusively for Digidesign Structure, Structure LE, Structure Essential and Structure FREE.

Price : $34.99

Learn More

Hi-Hat & Cymbals Loop Library

Designed by engineer / producer extraordinaire Kenny Gioia, this collection of 24 Bit .Wav & Rex files will quickly and easily add authentic Hi-Hat and Cymbal parts to your productions giving them that realistic "groovy feel and sound".

Price : $29.99

Learn More

Coming Soon

Where do we start? We have so many new titles in the works that you're sure to enjoy. Coming soon are, "Structure Explained", "Audio for Video in Pro Tools", new Pro Tools coverage from Kenny Gioia and many, many more.

What gets you going?

Tell us your most intimate desires for video tutorials and soundware, we dare you! We take your suggestions seriously and aim to please... Click here

CRYSONIC RELEASES SPECTRALIVE V3.5 for PC and Mac OS X

xodus phoenix — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:06:09 GMT

CRYSONIC RELEASES V3.5 of SPECTRALIVE NXT NEXT GENERATION AUDIO PLUGIN for Mac OS X and PC
Third Generation Intelligent Spectral Audio Vitalizer | Enhancer

Adelaide SA (February, 16, 2010) - Crysonic today released Version 3.5 of their flagship product Spectralive NXT and is available in Native Mac OSX AU,VST (PPC /Intel Mac) and PC VST formats. Spectralive NXT V3.5 is offering an even greater number of enhanced features with much improved performance and quality including the ability to completely customize the UI colors via Hue, Saturation and Brightness dials. The UI settings are stored and can be individually tailored in each instance of the plug-in across multiple tracks for identification and ease of use. Spectralive NXT V3.5 is a completely re-coded new product with everything using 64-bit internal precision designed for high end professional use.

Other Spectralive features include an 11 Band Look-ahead Soft Peak limiter /EQ /Maximizer with intelligent clip warning assistant. Final Master Clipping prevention ensures your audio does not distort and this can be switched on or off. The New multi-band effects Mix Palette section provides you with an infinite combination of algorithms and processes to enable better targeting the source audio.

Spectralive NXT V3.5 can be used with Mono sources with exceptional results. The ability to Convert any Mono audio source such as guitars, vocals, bass to stereo with a combination of three choices (MTS1, MTS2, ATMOSPHERICS) in any combination or all at once before applying the Spectralive effect. The all new ATMOSPHERICS section can be used as an additional enhancement process which can be applied to either stereo or mono signals on top of the Spectralive effect to further impart balance, clarity, definition and stereo coherence.

The main GLOBAL VITALITY Dial controls the final Spectralive effect for easy adjustment to taste, input/output gain dials can further be used to control the final audio output. As with all professional crysonic audio plug-ins, every parameter is fully automatable via the host including algorithm and process selection, Mix Palettes, Atmospherics and everything else.

Taking the lead from the very popular previous Spectralive plug-in, SPECTRALIVE has now over 28000+ users worldwide. Spectralive NXT V3.5 Vitality processor is available for PC & Mac OS X, AudioUnit and VST plug-in formats as Universal Binary which is compatible with Intel and Power PC including full Native PC compatibility for Windows 7 /Vista and XP

NEW UPDATED SPECTRALIVE NXT V3.5 main features

• V3.5- DRAMATIC UI and RENDER PERFORMANCE INCREASE Mac OSX and PC
• V3.5- SPECTRALIVE NOW COMES IN ANY COLOR YOU WISH, IT'S YOUR CHOICE,
ADJUST THE HUE, SATURATION and BRIGHTNESS TO YOU LIKING !
• V3.5- CUSTOM USER PRESETS - SAVE and Recall
• V3.5- UPDATED FFT Spectrum Display now much more accurate
• V3.5- NEW BYPASS Button
• V3.5- AUTOMATION PERFORMANCE INCREASE
• V3.5- BETTER MONO COMPATIBILITY
• V3.5- MUCH FASTER FINAL AUDIO RENDER

SPECTRALIVE NXT V3.5 GENERAL FEATURES

• Native PC and Mac Compatibility (Mac OS Universal Binary AU,VST and PC VST Native)
• The third generation Audio Plug-in to utilize the spectral-vitality process
• Completely re-coded new product with a gorgeous new GUI
• Now with 64 Algorithms and Processor Combinations
• 11- Band Look-Ahead smooth Peak limiter /EQ /Maximizer
• Intelligent Clip warning Assistant LED's
• Automatic Look-ahead Final Master Clipping Prevention
• Multi-Band Effect Mix Palette providing an insane number of combinations
• NOW can be used with Mono Audio signals
• Three methods to convert mono to stereo
• All new ATMOSPHERICS Enhancement process can be used on Stereo or mono signals
• Real-Time smooth FFT Spectrum Analysis
• Hi-Resolution Spectrogram
• Single VITALITY Dial for global tweak
• A-B Comparison of chosen effect
• Increase Stereo coherencel
• Sonically Correct mastering
• Audio Frequency targeting
• Intelligent Phase control
• Highly optimized custom DSP code
• Greatly Improved Audio Quality!
• Double click to set each control to default value!
• Press Ctrl for finer Adjustment
• Very Intuitive and easy to use User Interface
• Full automation for every parameter via the host
• custom and user presets
• Very Low CPU usage
• 64-bit internal precision
• Highly optimized Assembly DSP code with Vectorization on the Mac OS X Platform
• The Spectralive™ process is a novel and proprietary approach for imparting Vitality and warmth to all your audio material
• Master, Mix, Track your music on an even playing field regardless of your monitor speakers setup or quality
• For Mastering, Mixing, Tracking, Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Virtual Instruments and Live

Applications

• Impart Vitality and Clarity to any audio material without any artificial harmonics
• Ideal for vitalizing dynamics during tracking
• Film /TV Sound tracks
• Audio Restoration
• Re-Mastering
• Shape Spectral definition
• Increase stereo separation and definition without any artifacts
• Decrease frequency masking effects during mixing and mastering
• Reduce phase and amplitude dependency on the fundamental and Harmonic frequencies that exist between most loudspeakers
• Boost the bottom-end without affecting the midrange frequencies
• Enhance presence during live performances
• Increase dynamics for sound effects for games and other related media

More information visit:
http://www.crysonic.com

To Purchase:
SPECTRALIVE NXT V3.5 is Currently available at the Release Special of $69.95 (52% off) until the 25th of February 2010, MSRP $144, all previous Crysonic customer are eligible to purchase for $32.95

SPECTRALIVE NXT V3.5 is now available for purchase on-line from the crysonic website
http://www.crysonic.com/shop.html

Demo download:
http://www.crysonic.com/downloads.html

About crysonic
crysonic based in Australia, SA, is dedicated to developing high quality state-of-the-art professional audio plug-ins.

The leading VST/AU Action Effect Artillery is now available in version 2.2.

xodus phoenix — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:27:27 GMT

Artillery 2.2 released!
The leading VST/AU Action Effect Artillery is now available in version 2.2. The unbeatable original now comes with more refinements and a new MidiMessage modulator.
Why use a finger when you can put a hand on it!

The Consequence month!
Consequence is just a musthave for every producer. 300 Instrument sounds and nearly 1000 presets with millions of combinations wait for you to be discovered. Download now for the insane price of just 99 Euro/129 USD.

New Video page and 8 new tutorial Videos Online!
All our demo and tutorial videos are now in one place: Our new video page!
We are also proud to present a full load of tutorials for Artillery2 and Thesys! Check out these films, here the tricks are explained that make your next track stand out in any way!

Sincerely,

Your Sugar Bytes Team

ABSYNTH has earned its reputation as a modern legend.

xodus phoenix — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:26:18 GMT

ABSYNTH has earned its reputation as a modern legend. Now in its fifth version, it's packed full of incredible sounds and creative features. As a user of a previous version of ABSYNTH, you can get to ABSYNTH 5 for just $79 / 69 €. Here are just five reasons to why you should update today:

The new Mutator technology represents an innovative approach to sound design, allowing to intuitively create new sounds using the characteristics of other sounds of the library. Easy to use, yet highly creative, this feature can instantly add a fresh twist to any track.

The Supercomb adds colorful feedback to your sounds by using physical modeling technology. Expand your patches with natural resonations - i.e. of a string - to achieve realistic, voluminous sounds.

This effect pulverizes the sound into small particles, which can be manipulated and re-assembled in various ways, resembling anything from a chorus to a pitch shifter with an unheard-of natural texture. The result is an incredible range of possibilities and a granular effect that needs to be heard to be believed.

With the Cloud Filter, the granular approach of the Aetherizer can be used on the individual oscillator channels for sophisticated routing possibilities and even further flexibility. It also works like magic to give synth sounds a dense and aggressive quality.

ABSYNTH 5 comes with over 1.800 great-sounding presets, including more than 200 fresh sounds specially designed for this version. By taking full advantage of the new filters and effects, as well as brand-new and unusual sound material, ABSYNTH 5 is fun from the start.

ABSYNTH SPECTRAL EXPANSION

More Info

ABSYNTH TWILIGHTS

More Info

ACOUSTIC REFRACTIONS

More Info

The Future of Recording Studios

P.R.O. — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:31:28 GMT

Recording Studios Face Uncertain Future

by Joel Rose

December 10, 2009 - All this month, NPR is looking at how the music business has changed over the past decade — one that's seen dramatic shifts in the ways we hear and make music.

New York City used to be home to dozens of high-end recording studios, none more famous than the aptly named Hit Factory, located on West 54th Street in Manhattan. In the lobby of the building, you can still see platinum records by Paul Simon, Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen. But the building is no longer a recording studio; it's a condo building, with units starting at just over $1 million each.

"This whole area of New York City was filled with recording studios that were busy all the time," says Jim Anderson, a longtime recording engineer and NPR alum, who now teaches at New York University.

"I could count off I don't know how many studios in a 10-block area," says Anderson. "Media Recording, Hit Factory, Sony. A&R Recording had two buildings that were wonderful studios."

Anderson says digital technology has gotten a lot better over the past 10 years — to the point where you can make an almost professional-quality recording on your laptop, for a fraction of what you'd spend in professional studios.

"They lost a lot of work that was coming in on demos, on spec," says Anderson. "All that little work drifted away."

All that little work can now be done in a home studio. If that were the only problem, larger studios might have been able to get by. But some of the big work dried up, too, as the major record labels slashed their budgets. Add the soaring price of real estate, and it's easy to see why most of the well-known Manhattan studios closed their doors.

Feeling The Pinch

Around the block from the old Hit Factory sits Avatar Studios, one of the last recording facilities in town big enough to accommodate a full orchestra. General Manager Tino Passante says Avatar offers something you just can't get from a computer in your bedroom.

"You can never replicate the sound of a room, unless you have a room — and you can hear it missing in records that are not done in the studio," Passante laments. "Yeah, you can make a record at home, but that doesn't mean you should."

It's not just big New York studios that are feeling squeezed. Even in Philadelphia, where the rent is a lot cheaper, the past decade has been a struggle for many studios.

Engineer Brian McTear runs Miner Street Recordings. He's been working with indie rock bands in Philadelphia since the 1990s. And business was good — until the credit crunch of 2008.

"All of a sudden, we were stuck. I had nobody that could pay me anymore," says McTear. "And everyone wanted to pay me, everyone wanted to make these records. I just had to go this extra distance of helping them figure out where they would get money from."

Sometimes, that meant showing bands how to appeal directly to their fans online to raise money for the recording. Then, earlier this year, McTear launched the Weathervane Music Organization, a nonprofit that helps artists record one song in his studio for free, while Weathervane documents the project on video.

The Missing Ingredient

Philadelphia band BC Camplight has recorded four sessions at Miner Street. Frontman Brian Christinzio says it would be cheaper to record at home. But that's not the sound he's going for.

"I refuse to make a record that I know could be better," says Christinzio. "It just doesn't make sense. Why I would do something that I know could be better if I just had the money? So that's where I am now, and probably where I'll be when I'm 70."

Christinzio has made two records, and he's ready to start his third. But he says his label can't afford to pay for it. McTear hopes that he can help musicians in Christinzio's situation through his Weathervane organization — and that Weathervane will attract enough attention to become economically self-sustaining. Weathervane has projects planned next year with 10 artists.

"The real value for most bands isn't the equipment," says McTear. "A guy at Guitar Center or Sam Ash would like you to think it is. They'd like you to think if you just spent 3 grand, you're on your way to making your record because you bought the equipment. The sort of unseen, disappearing player in all the records being made today is collaboration — between artists, engineers and producers and studio musicians — all those people."

People who probably won't fit in your bedroom, anyway.

New Training and Soundware - Groove 3 Inc.

xodus phoenix — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:16:20 GMT

We're starting February off strong with awesome new video tutorial collections and must have soundware products. Available immediately is a killer new Logic 9 training series called "Producing Hard Rock with Logic", presented by the Louisiana Mad Man himself, Scott Griggs.

Another new title available right now is the second installment in Timothy Allan's series on creating House music with Live, "Producing House with Live : Bass & Synth".

Also, we're please to add two new soundware products; "Hi-Hat & Cymbal Loop Library" and "Concerto Piano". Both of these are fantastic studio tools to have in your sonic arsenal.

New Releases

Watch Now

Producing Hard Rock with Logic

This series is focused on a hard rock track, but you can easily use the theories and principles on any genre production. The techniques and procedures shown are truly universal and will further expand your ever growing Logic 9 mind. Get your hands on "Producing Hard Rock with Logic" today...

Regular Price : $74.99
Sale Price : $49.99 (Good until Feb. 28th, 2010)

Learn More

Watch Now

Producing House with Live : Bass & Synth

This series is presented by remixer extraordinaire Timothy Allan, whose remixes have reached #1 on the UK dance charts and placed high on US Billboard, DMC and Australia ARIA charts. His remix skills have even landed him a featured spot on an upcoming Madonna production.

The bassline is equally as important as the drums in House Music, and Tim takes you on a journey explaining it all step by step. He also goes over how to make cool synth parts to support your slammin beats and bass. Watch Tim bring the funk in this sub frequency, groove focused series.

Regular Price : $29.99
Sale Price : $19.99 (Good until Feb. 28th, 2010)

Learn More

New Soundware Products

Concerto Grand Piano

This beautiful acoustic piano was created by the wizards at AIR Users Blog and could possibly be the only piano sound you'll ever need. Concerto is a Grand Piano made exclusively for Digidesign Structure, Structure LE, Structure Essential and Structure FREE.

Price : $34.99

Learn More

Hi-Hat & Cymbals Loop Library

Price : $29.99

Learn More

Coming Soon

These titles are just the beginning of a whole new wave of top notch training from Groove 3. Here are some more releases we have slated for release in Feb. and March;

Producing Voiceovers with Pro Tools
Audio for Video with Pro Tools
BFD Explained
Structure Explained

What's your passion?

Please take a quick moment and let us know what videos and soundware you would like to see from Groove 3. It only takes a minute! Click here

AmpliTube 3 announced. The New King of Tone.

xodus phoenix — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:11:43 GMT

AmpliTube 3

A massive upgrade of the leading guitar and bass tone gear modeling software, AmpliTube 3 raises the industry standard for sound variety, realism and creative power.

- 160 guitar and bass gear models now included (nearly 100 more than version 2): 51 stomps, 31 amp heads, 47 cabinets, 15 microphones and 17 rack effects
- 30 brand new models never previously released with a new line of creative effects
- 70 superior sounding gear models from the award winning AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix and Amplitube Metal for a complete vintage to modern gear suite
- Completely new Cabinet module with two freely movable microphones and impulse based ambience
- Incredible new rotary speaker emulation
- New Drag & Drop feature for Stomp and Rack effects
- New full stereo path allows also stereo processing of drums, vocals, keyboards and more
- New standalone with 4 track recorder/player
- New advanced preset browser system with new single gear presets
- New one-click MIDI learn for compatibility with any MIDI controller
- New easy to use best quality/performance settings accessible with a single button
- Improved performance and re-mastered models
- New built-in expandability with products like AmpliTube Fender^TM or Ampeg SVX^TM directly within AmpliTube 3

Read about AmpliTube 3 here, and check out our live coverage of the NAMM show on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to learn more about it and other cool products like the newly announced StealthBoard.

AmpliTube 3 will ship during February 2010 with a price of $349.99 but you can pre-order it now at the special, limited time, reduced price of ONLY EUR $299.99 using this promo code: AT3PRE in our online store.

More Gear. More Feel. More Power. More Tone. AmpliTube 3 gives you More.

Groove 3 Training - Save 25% Until the End of the Month

xodus phoenix — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:02:18 GMT

It took a week to recover, but we're back from NAMM. We were at NAMM this year with one of our good friends, Jim Dalrymple of Loopinsight.com, legendary tech writer and Mac community guru. Check out his site, it is a great news resource for Apple, Mac, third-party software and music technology.

We also got to chat with some of our great friends at the various companies we currently offer training for, like Ableton, Digidesign/Avid, and Propellerheads. Last, but certainly not least, we met with some of the companies that we have training coming for, like FXpansion and Toontrack.

In honor of such a great NAMM experience and all the awesome plans we have for 2010, we have a 25% off promotion until the end of January.

NAMMtastic Sale
Starting right now until the end of January, you can shop the entire Groove3.com website and save 25% off your total order by using the following coupon code during checkout:

coupon code: NAMMtastic25

25% will be taken of your total order, so stock up while you can!

Recently Released

MainStage 2 Explained

Presented by Apple Certified Logic Trainer Doug Zangar, this 5+ hour in-depth series dedicated to explaining Apple MainStage 2 will show you everything it has to offer. After watching you'll have learned the basics such as the MainStage 2 overview, using templates, the layout, editing and playback, to more advanced topics such as Loopback, time saving utilities, using Rewire with MainStage 2 and much more.

You'll even see how to setup MainStage 2 for live keyboard, guitar, vocal and drum performances. Take your live performances to new heights, making them more exciting using what you learned in this series. Get on the MainStage today.

Regular Price $49.99

VDM - Vintage Drum Machines

This amazing recreation of vintage drum machines was painstakingly produced by SoundJump and offers the "closest thing to the real thing" type of sound. Additionally, the sounds were modified with custom distortion algorithms, vintage reverb and transient enhancements to offer an even wider sonic palette. VDM includes a self-contained Reason ReFill featuring slick Combinator Redrum and NN-XT patches with "eye-candy" graphics that are reminiscent of the originals.

For non-Reason users, VDM includes the "Sampler Collection" which provides all of the .wav files (1,448 Samples) and preset files for the most popular soft samplers such as Kontakt, Battery EXS24 and Structure. Plus, all of the VDM samples are in neatly organized folders for you to browse and load into any software or hardware device that uses the standard .wav format.

Regular Price $49.99

Coming Soon
We've got several products in the final stages of editing and will be releasing them in the months of February and March. Keep your eyes out for some great new stuff:

Producing Voiceovers with Pro Tools
Audio for Video with Pro Tools
Producing Hard Rock with Logic
Producing House with Live: Synth & Bass
BFD Explained

Zenhiser: a great selection for all the house heads

xodus phoenix — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:54:04 GMT

Delving Deep Into The World Of House Basslines

Delving into the realms of house music on a global scale, 'Global House Basslines' encompasses the ever growing house sound in it's different forms. Deep house basslines, dirty electro house bass loops, progressive house basslines & minimal tech bass loops covers just a few of this fantastic house bassline collation.

Delivering thirty extremely tasty and totally exclusive house basslines in each sample pack this house bass loops collection is one not to be missed. If you need your basslines tasty, dirty, tight and phat then you are in the right place!

link 01: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Global-House-Basslines-01.html

link 02: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Global-House-Basslines-02.html

Global House Top Lines Hits The Zenhiser Shelves

Global House Top Lines is a new insight into samples for us. These eclectic house samples merge non kick drum loops with sporadic house sounds and riffs to create a fresh injection into your house productions. Sitting on the tech house and minimal tech fence these exclusive house samples are perfectly suited for house producers and remixers looking to set up a fast groove and get their house productions rolling.

As with all our new Zenhiser samples and loops, each house top line has both the bpm and key information tagged within the file name for extremely fast use.

link 01: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Global-House-Top-Lines-01.html

link 02: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Global-House-Top-Lines-02.html

Need Some More Minimal Tech One Shots?

For the concerted minimalist we would like to introduce ‘Minimal Tech One Shots’. As the name suggests this a unique collection of minimal and tech samples including hits, slaps, tweaks, flips, pulses and more. Perfect for your minimal beats, essential for all tech grooves and a must for the articulated minimal tech rhythm. These minimal fx lend themselves to a multitude of uses within your music productions and come highly ranked from the Zenhiser camp.

Don’t over look these minimal samples, they will do wonders to your minimal and tech productions!

link 01: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Minimal-Tech-One-Shots-01.html

link 02: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Minimal-Tech-One-Shots-02.html

Winter NAMM 2010

xodus phoenix — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:22:32 GMT

New Korg Kaossilator Pro: http://korg.com/Product.aspx?pd=564

KAOSSILATOR PRO

USD$ 399.99

Dynamic Phrase Synthesizer/Loop Recorder

1 of 3

Introduction

KORG KAOSSILATOR PRO

Dynamic Phrase Synthesizer/Loop Recorder

Announcing the KAOSSILATOR PRO – a supercharged version of the palm-sized KAOSSILATOR, reborn as a powerful track-making tool and loaded with live performance power.

As a trailblazer among the "instrumental gadgets" that allowed anyone to easily create melodies and phrases, the KAOSSILATOR gained a strong and dedicated user base, even among those without any performing experience. Today, the KAOSSILATOR continues to be enormously popular. Retaining these revolutionary features – while adding a wide variety of new ones as well – is the new KAOSSILATOR PRO. With 200 sound programs, a new Electribe-inspired gate arpeggiator, and four loop recording banks that can even record external audio sources, the KAOSSILATOR PRO is packed with features that make it ideal for both live performance and premium productions. In addition, USB connectivity with your computer and SD card memory storage allow the KAOSSILATOR PRO to be used not just for improvised performances, but also as a superbly intuitive, track-making music production tool.

Main features

KAOSS X-Y touchpad offers intuitive, realtime control
200 sounds covering modern synth sounds such as lead and bass, and diverse acoustic sounds from piano to trumpet and beyond
PCM samples provide dramatic drum kits and ready to rock percussion patterns
Vocoder programs deliver scintillating vocal effects
Access up to eight of your favorite sounds instantly using the assignable Program Memory buttons
Loop Recording can layer both internal Program sounds and external audio overdubs
Four Loop Record Banks each allow up to four measures of loop recording, with easy muting that allows expressive realtime layering and DJ-Style re-mixing – ideal for live performance.
Gate Arpeggiator repeatedly triggers sounds in sync with the tempo. The slider controls either the gate time or gate speed.
Choose a key and select one of 31 musical scales to easily create musical phrases. Limit the X-Y pad's note range for even more control
Loop data, user settings and Program Memories can be stored on SD card
Dedicated software lets you manage loop data, MIDI assignments, and user settings from your computer
Performs double-duty as a MIDI controller for external equipment or software applications

Intuitive X-Y touchpad
Using touchpad is highly intuitive – simply rub, stroke, or tap it to instantly create complex phrases with a single finger. Responding instantly to these gestures, the KAOSSILATOR PRO creates spontaneous changes that were difficult to produce on synthesizers of the past. Horizontal motions control the pitch, while the vertical axis can control tone parameters such as cutoff, feedback, or modulation depth. This makes it easy for anyone to create entirely original sounds and musical phrases.

200 exciting programs
Korg's synthesizer technology – acclaimed by top musicians around the world – has been carefully distilled into the KAOSSILATOR PRO. The versatile array of pro-level sounds includes synths, drums, FX and other instruments. These sounds complement all styles of electronic and dance music including techno, house, breaks, hip hop, R&B, reggae, and electro. There are also numerous acoustic instruments such as piano, trumpet, and guitar, providing a further boost to your expressive resources. You can assign your favorite programs to the eight Program Memory buttons for instant recall, ensuring that your live performances will be smooth.

Extensively enhanced drum sounds
Rhythm can be the most important element when creating a phrase. In addition to the modeling synthesis borrowed from the original KAOSSILATOR, the KAOSSILATOR PRO provides a new PCM sound generator as well, offering even more realistic drum sounds arranged in kits across the X-Y pad. There are twenty different one-shot sounds for kick, snare, and hi-hat etc., as well as twenty-five rhythm loop patterns to spark your creativity.

Vocoder programs for creative audio effects
The KAOSSILATOR PRO features a mic input jack and fifteen types of vocoder programs, making it easy to achieve unique sound effects, create robot voices and unique more.

Thirty-one scales for musical expressiveness
The thirty-one types cover a range from chromatic scales to major, minor, blues and beyond. By specifying a scale and key, you can use a single finger to play perfect melodies and phrases that would be difficult to play even on a keyboard. There are also special scales such as Spanish, Ryukyu, and Raga, letting you play phrases that have a distinctive flavor. Another boost in expressive power is provided by the new Note Range function, which lets you specify the range of pitches available on the touchpad from a single octave up to eight octaves.

Gate Arpeggiator provides tightly sync'ed grooves
Inspired by the EMX-1 and ESX-1 Electribes, the new Gate Arpeggiator allows you to play a pattern of sounds that are always in sync with the tempo, generating phrases that defy imagination. The KAOSSILATOR PRO's slider can control the gate time or gate speed, allowing even more complex phrases to be produced. Tempos can be set manually, or on the fly using the Tap Tempo function.

Loop Recording with unlimited overdubbing
Loop Recording can be set for up to four measures /16 beats. Your KAOSSILATOR PRO musical performances can be recorded into one of the Loop Recorder Banks. By adding (overdubbing) additional sounds one at a time, you can create amazing loop phrases by repeating the cycle of selecting a sound, playing a phrase, and recording the sound over and over again.

Four Loop Recording Banks allow DJ-style performances
The KAOSSILATOR PRO provides four Loop Recording Banks. These banks can be combined for virtually infinite performance possibilities. Each of the four loop banks can host infinite overdubs. In addition, each bank can be muted or un-muted, its volume adjusted, and its loop length changed, making dynamic live performances easy for anyone. An unneeded loop can be erased during playback, and a new one recorded, so there's no need to stop the performance.

Loop Recording using an external source
The KAOSSILATOR PRO provides line inputs and a mic input, allowing loop recording using an external audio source. This makes it easy to add a rap, vocal, or audio from an external device to any loop phrase created on the KAOSSILATOR PRO.

USB + MIDI provides versatility and compatibility
The KAOSSILATOR PRO offers standard MIDI IN/OUT connectors. In addition, the USB connector lets you use your computer to back up the loop recording data, or even drop loops into your favorite DAW. The KAOSSILATOR PRO can also control your software applications or an external MIDI device. The KAOSSILATOR PRO can send or receive MIDI clock.

Convenient SD Card* data storage
The KAOSSILATOR PRO provides an SD card slot for storing loop data and user settings such as program memories. Favorite phrases can be saved to build up a collection of loop data that will inspire your musical arrangements. SD Card storage also allows you to create the same show with the same loops, night after night. You can also swap loops with other KAOSSILATOR PRO users, or use your data in multiple units.
* not compatible with SDHC cards and SDXC cards.

Dedicated Editor / Librarian Software
KAOSSILATOR PRO Editor is a dedicated software program for managing your recorded loop data, as well as MIDI assignment editor functionality that lets you transform the KAOSSILATOR PRO into a powerful MIDI controller that's set up just the way you want. KAOSSILATOR PRO Editor can be downloaded free of charge from the Korg website.
* Runs on Microsoft Windows XP (SP3 or later) / Vista (SP2 or later) / 7, and on Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

USD$ 399.99

Native Instruments:MASSIVE THREAT is usable in the free KORE 2 PLAYER, KORE 2, and in MASSIVE itself

xodus phoenix — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:05:17 GMT

The creator of the legendary synthesizer MASSIVE unleashes an instrument referencing the raw, aggressive sounds of dubstep, wonky and future garage. MASSIVE THREAT is usable in the free KORE 2 PLAYER, KORE 2, and in MASSIVE itself, and contains 200 new sounds ranging from bass wobbles to speaker-ripping leads and loops - aimed directly at producers of
cutting-edge electronic music.

Available for download now in the Online Shop for just $59 / 49 €

MASSIVE EXPANSION 1

Find out more...

MASSIVE EXPANSION 2

Find out more...

THE FINGER

Find out more...

Why today's music sounds worse than previous eras

P.R.O. — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:57:00 GMT

Aside from the fondness for various forms of live instrumentation and the appreciation for other genres of music could this be the reason that record diggers and sample lovers alike turn to earlier recordings?

[b]The Loudness Wars: Why Music Sounds Worse[/b]

December 31, 2009 - As we come to the end of the decade, we turn to one of the more dramatic changes we've heard in music over those 10 years: It seems to have gotten louder.

We're talking about compression here, the dynamic compression that's used a lot in popular music. There's actually another kind of compression going on today — one that allows us to carry hundreds of songs in our iPods. More on that in a minute.

But first, host Robert Siegel talked to Bob Ludwig, a record mastering engineer. For more than 40 years, he's been the final ear in the audio chain for albums running from Jimi Hendrix to Radiohead, from Tony Bennett to Kronos Quartet.

Bob pointed to a YouTube video titled The Loudness War. The video uses Paul McCartney's 1989 song "Figure of Eight" as an example, comparing its original recording with what a modern engineer might do with it.

"It really no longer sounds like a snare drum with a very sharp attack," Ludwig says. "It sounds more like somebody padding on a piece of leather or something like that," Ludwig says. He's referring to the practice of using compressors to squash the music, making the quiet parts louder and the loud parts a little quieter, so it jumps out of your radio or iPod.

Ludwig says the "Loudness War" came to a head last year with the release of Metallica's album Death Magnetic.

"It came out simultaneously to the fans as [a version on] Guitar Hero and the final CD," Ludwig says. "And the Guitar Hero doesn't have all the digital domain compression that the CD had. So the fans were able to hear what it could have been before this compression."

According to Ludwig, 10,000 or more fans signed an online petition to get the band to remix the record.

"That record is so loud that there is an outfit in Europe called ITU [International Telecommunication Union] that now has standardization measurements for long-term loudness," he says. "And that Metallica record is one of the loudest records ever produced."

Old News

"The 'Loudness Wars' have gone back to the days of 45s," Ludwig says. "When I first got into the business and was doing a lot of vinyl disc cutting, one producer after another just wanted to have his 45 sound louder than the next guy's so that when the program director at the Top 40 radio station was going through his stack of 45s to decide which two or three he was going to add that week, that the record would kind of jump out to the program director, aurally at least."

That's still a motivation for some producers. If their record jumps out of your iPod compared with the song that preceded it, then they've accomplished their goal.

Bob Ludwig thinks that's an unfortunate development.

"People talk about downloads hurting record sales," Ludwig says. "I and some other people would submit that another thing that is hurting record sales these days is the fact that they are so compressed that the ear just gets tired of it. When you're through listening to a whole album of this highly compressed music, your ear is fatigued. You may have enjoyed the music but you don't really feel like going back and listening to it again."

Ludwig's final assessment of the decade in music?

"It's been really rough, folks," he says. "But it can get better and I think it will get better. I'm glad it's going to be over."

Digital Compression

Digital compression is the process that allows a song to go from being a very big sound file in its natural state to a very small file in your iPod — so you can carry your entire record library in your pocket. But at what cost?

Dr. Andrew Oxenham is a professor in the psychology department at the University of Minnesota. His specialty is auditory perception — how our brains and ears interact. He also started out as a recording engineer.

Robert Siegel asked him to explain digital compression.

"Really, the challenge is to maintain the quality of a CD, but to stuff it into a much smaller space," Oxenham says. "Let's think about how digital recording works. You start out with a very smooth sound wave and we're trying to store that in digital form. So we're really trying to reproduce a smooth curve [with] these square blocks, which are the digital numbers [the 1s and 0s that are used to encode sound digitally].

"Now, the only way you can make square blocks look like a smooth curve is by using very, very small blocks so it ends up looking as if it's smooth. Now using lots and lots of blocks means lots of storage, so we end up using [fewer] bigger blocks. Which means we end up not representing that curve very smoothly at all."

Lost? Go back and re-read it — you'll get it.

"The difference between the smooth curve and the rough edges you end up with in the digital recording, you can think of as noise because that is perceived as noise," Oxenham says. "It's perceived as an error, something that wasn't there in the original recording. The trick is to take the noise — which is the loss of fidelity — and just make it so you can't hear it anymore."

In Hiding

It's called "masking." Think of it this way: You're having a conversation in a quiet room, and you can hear every word, every mouth noise, every stomach rumble. But if you were having that same conversation outside on a busy street, you'd get the gist of what was said, but you'd probably miss a few words. The traffic noise would mask them.

So let's say you're listening to a Brahms symphony.

"[The loud parts of the music are] giving the coding system a lot of leeway to code things not quite as accurately as it would have to," Oxenham says, "because the ear is being stimulated so much by the loud sound it won't pick up very small variations produced by the coding errors."

In other words, the loud parts of a recording are used to "mask," or hide that noise produced by the rough-edged squares of those digital 1s and 0s.

But are we missing something?

"There are really different levels of MP3 coding," Oxenham says. "You can go from much less data — which people can hear the difference — to higher levels of coding which take up more space on your MP3 player but sound better and are basically indistinguishable from a CD. And I would argue that under proper listening conditions — if it's really indistinguishable from the CD as far as your ear is concerned — then you really haven't lost anything perceptually."

Oxenham likes the convenience of portable MP3 players. But ultimately, he says, he prefers going to concerts.

IK Multimedia. Musicians First.

xodus phoenix — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:50:00 GMT

Dear Musician,

You only have a few days left to use the promo code: EOYSPECIAL in our online store and:

SAVE $130
Sonik Synth
A virtual synth museum, Sonik Synth gives you more than 5,800 sounds totaling over 8GB of samples.
Special reduced price: $99.99
Instead of: ~~$229.99~~

SAVE $130
SampleMoog ^TM
Offers over 1,700 basses, leads, pads, and effects from 16 rare and highly collectible Moog^TM synths.
Special reduced price: $99.99
Instead of: ~~$229.99~~

SAVE $130
SampleTron
Get the first and only "Tron" anthology, containing over 600 presets from 17 rare and collectible instruments and their derivatives.
Special reduced price: $99.99
Instead of: ~~$229.99~~

Building your own workstation has never been easier or more affordable. Take advantage of this End of the Year Stupid Deal and get yours today. Or you can grab all three for just $299.97!!!

Stay tuned.

IK Multimedia. Musicians First.

GrooveMaker Reggae for the iPhone/iTouch released by IK Multimedia

xodus phoenix — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:45:49 GMT

GrooveMaker® Reggae for the iPhone/iPod Touch
released by IK Multimedia
Reggae music by anyone, everywhere

December 2009, Modena, Italy – IK Multimedia is proud to announce the release of a new application for the iPhone/iPod Touch: GrooveMaker Reggae. This new style-based app allows anyone to create and share non-stop reggae tracks for remixing, multimedia and movie soundtrack compositions on the go, in real-time, just like a professional DJ or music producer.

GrooveMaker has quickly become one of the top downloaded remixing applications for the iPhone/iPod Touch, allowing any user to create professional, full-length tracks in minutes, with its unique combination of advanced remixing software and high-quality included loops’ sound content. With 10 available applications in the GrooveMaker range, there are now over 2,800 high-quality fresh loops available for your remixes.

GrooveMaker allows for instantaneous control over 8 stereo loop tracks, making it possible to remix the included massive loop library of drums, bass, bass drums, lines, pads, percussion and effects. Its unique and patented randomization feature allows musicians to generate a vast number of remixes on the fly, with one touch, to produce millions of possible groove combinations.

Loops made in GrooveMaker can be manipulated in real-time (pan, volume, mute, solo, group and tempo) and grooves can be arranged easily by dragging and dropping to create full-length tracks. These tracks can then be saved, previewed and recalled on the iPhone/iPod touch devices or exported as hi-quality .WAV files to any computer using a Wi-Fi network.

The new GrooveMaker Reggae allows you to compose reggae, dub and dancehall tracks with walking bass, hypnotic chords and syncopated beats. Pure reggae grooves with thick low-end and heavy bass sounds, dampened guitars, staccato riffs and shuffle keyboards will transport you in the world of Rastafari, with beats coming straight from the roots. Includes 3 songs, plus 1 FREE song by registering, and a total of 252 loops in 80-78-80-92 BPM ranges for 332 MB of samples.

Pricing and availability:
The new GrooveMaker Reggae is already available on the Apple iTunes App Store for only $9.99/€7.99.

This brings the number of currently available GrooveMaker applications to 10 in addition to the currently available GrooveMaker Club, House, Hip-Hop, Techno, Trance, Electro, D’n’B and Rock versions. A fully functional GrooveMaker FREE version is also already available, so everybody can download it and start making music right away!

For more information, video and audio demos, please visit:

GrooveMaker.com

Ableton news: Happy holidays! Free Live Packs, Max for Live patches, new movies and more

xodus phoenix — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:42:48 GMT

1. 2 free Live Packs from super-drummer KJ Sawka 2. The Schwarzonator: a Max for Live patch from Henrik Schwarz 3. Ableton at Winter NAMM 2010 4. Free gift voucher from Juno Download 5. Loopmasters competition: win Live Intro and Loopmasters CDs 6. Learn Ableton Live online at Berkleemusic.com 7. Bring your talents to the Ableton Team!

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1. 2 free Live Packs from super-drummer KJ Sawka

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KJ Sawka, drummer extraordinaire, has given us something special - two Live Packs, full of live drum recordings, loops and riffs. We'd like to share this holiday gift with you. He also produced his own movie to give you an idea of what to expect. Please join us in saying a big thank you to KJ Sawka.

Get the Live Packs and watch the movie here:

http://www.ableton.com/nl489-madbeatz

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2. The Schwarzonator: a Max for Live patch from Henrik Schwarz

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Henrik Schwarz is Berlin's very own jazz/soul/electronica legend, and he's created an amazing device for Max for Live. This MIDI effect makes any notes that you play on your keyboard fit into a selected scale, making it easier to play with other musicians. And it can even make your keyboard skills sound better than they are!

It's called the "Schwarzonator," and it comes with a companion device, called Little Brother that applies chord changes from the Schwarzonator onto other tracks. We filmed Henrik talking about the Schwarzonator, so watch the movie to find out how to use it and what it can do.

The Schwarzonator is free, but you'll need Max for Live for it to work.

Get the Schwarzonator and watch the movie here:

http://www.ableton.com/nl489-schwarzonator

Big Fish Audio G-Suite and Impressions Jazz kits

xodus phoenix — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:06:09 GMT

http://www.bigfishaudio.com/4DCGI/detail.html?511716

Welcome to the high rollers room. You have just arrived at the penthouse of the freshest, most modern Hip Hop and R&B on the market today. Producers Terry Lindsey and Gerald Brooks have expertly crafted 40 of the hottest urban construction kits with your user experience in mind. Each kit is fully broken down for your production needs, including full drum track loops and single hits. The entire library is around 6GB of content (2.3GB of original 24-bit WAV files) so there is plenty for you to work with to keep those club bangers coming!

------------------------------------

http://www.bigfishaudio.com/4DCGI/detail.html?1650

An impressionist painter doesn't look to create an exact replication of their subject but rather an abstract interpretation of it. Jazz is an American born musical artform. Truly great jazz performers splash colors of musical tones and rhythms into the air for the enjoyment of all who hear. Inspired by great jazz artists such as Miles Davis, Buddy Rich, Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock, Max Roach and Art Blakey comes Impressions: Jazz Construction Kits. Played and recorded to perfection, these kits are stunningly beautiful. The kits contain drums, electric and upright bass, piano, electric guitar, saxes, clarinets, flute, and trombone. The beat is swinging and the melodies are truly works of art. This massive library will inspire your own music to new levels. Whether you need a swinging rhythm

Nucleus SoundLab: Thor Refills for Propellerhead Reason 4

xodus phoenix — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:03:11 GMT

In this issue:

Pantheon II Refill Released + Demo Refill

Nucleus SoundLab proudly releases Pantheon II, the next in their series of ultimate Thor Refills for Propellerhead Reason 4. Pantheon II carries on the the fine lineage set by the original, with a massive new variety of intricately constructed patches ready to inspire you. Once again, these patches inner workings are revealed with refined and detailed PDF documentation.

Imagine a Refill without compromise. Instead of patches consisting of a single good idea, you'll find patches that contain several great ideas, tweaked to absolute perfection. As is now the Nucleus SoundLab standard, these patches are totally unique and fully mapped - ready to start or jumpstart your new track. You won't have a problem finding a suitable patch either - not only are all Combinators categorized intelligently across diverse categories, but all Thor patches are as well!

The original Pantheon brought detailed and informative patch documentation to mainstream Reason Refills. Now with Pantheon II, that concept has been further refined and fine-tuned. PDF bookmarks now make finding the exact patch you are looking for simple. Further, the new documentation is more concise and takes up less pages, while offering even more useful information about the performance, inspiration and design behind every patch!

Pantheon II doesn't seek to retread old ground. If you already own Pantheon, you'll find virtually no sonic overlap. Instead, new directions are explored: Malstrom/Thor hybrid synthesizers are featured; hardware-inspired monophonic beasts are uncovered; the Thor Step Sequencer is harnessed and taken to the next level; massive atmospheric washes using wavetable and FM techniques are explored; and RPG8 creates both classic dance arpeggios and exotic and delicate physically-modelled algorithmic patterns.

Details:

173 fresh and unique Combinators.
244 Thor patches.
30 Subtractor and Malstrom patches.
8 .rps demo songs.
All Combinator and Thor rotaries/buttons uniquely mapped.
All Combinator and Thor patches categorized intelligently.
PDF Design documentation for each patch, detailing important aspects of its design, inspiration and performance.

Listen to what Pantheon II offers by downloading the Video and MP3 demos below. In addition, a Demo Refill is available for free download. Every single MP3 demo is also packed inside the full Refill in .rps format, allowing you to examine their sequencing and sound design construction in detail.

Demo Video

Further by Adam Fielding
Just For Now by Tom Pritchard
Automatron by David Villalobos
Many more MP3s available on the product page!

Pantheon II is available now. It is priced at $49 USD in downloadable format. Want the full Pantheon experience? Why not check out the Pantheon Bundle? You'll get both the original Pantheon as well as Pantheon II at nearly 20% off.

Wizardry July 2009 Issue Now Free for Christmas

Every Christmas we at Nucleus SoundLab enjoy giving some presents back to the community. This year, we are releasing an entire Reason Wizardry backissue for free! The July 2009 Wizardry issue is available right here for streaming on Vimeo.

Additionally, if you choose to subscribe to Reason Wizardry for 12-months before Jan 5th, 2010 - you'll also receive the Ambient Drums Refill as a free bonus! So you'll receive both the Bonus Thor Wizardry as well as Ambient Drums Refill. Now is the perfect time to subscribe to Reason Wizardry!

Holiday 50% off sale

We have some more goodies for your stockings right here.

Until Jan 5th, 2010 you can purchase the following products at a full 50% off!

Synthetic Kits Refill
OB Resurrection Refill
Dragonfly for Sylenth1
Valkyrie for Zebra2

For more info on each product, click the above links. To purchase at these special prices, click the link below:

Nucleus SoundLab Holiday Sale

XLN Audio Addictive Drums: learn more about drum compression or get handy tips on how to work with delay effects in your mixes

xodus phoenix — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:01:30 GMT

Our new Free Tutorials section features tutorials and articles on various topics in music making. Read up on what you should look for when buying e-drums, learn more about drum compression or get handy tips on how to work with delay effects in your mixes.

There is already a handful of articles available online and more will be added on a weekly basis. So head over to the Free Tutorials section, read on and feel free to give us some feedback.

24 Mixed Presets - Free

Already got 'em all?

Have you already bought all our ADpaks but still need more production presets? This preset package makes use of the sounds in Addictive Drums, Retro, Modern Jazz - Brushes, Modern Jazz - Sticks and Funk. All in all there are 24 presets spread across various genres.

Download the mixed presets now!

You Tube Channel Updates

With the release of Addictive Drums 1.5 Adrenaline we added several videos to our channel. More videos were added with the release of the Funk ADpak. Now we're busy publishing new videos for our Free Tutorials.

Visit our channel to learn more about Addictive Drums, our ADpaks and music making in general. Oh, and don't forget to subscribe!

XLN Audio's - You Tube Channel

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We've had a great year here at XLN Audio with three new ADpaks, five MIDI Paks and a big free update to Addictive Drums. We've also updated our website and started offering direct downloads in our webshop. Now that we've got some momentum going we have no intention to slow down.

Thanks for supporting us! Look forward to new releases in 2010!

IK Multimedia: Only a few weeks left to get IK Holiday deals!

xodus phoenix — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:30:14 GMT

SampleMoog, SampleTron or SonikSynth 2 for $99.99

This special offer starts on December 14 and expires on December 31. Grab yours from the IK online store using promo code: EOYSPECIAL

4 AmpliTube hardware and software products for the price of 1

Also known as the AmpliTube Power Group promotion! Join the growing 3900 participants and pass the word.

All full versions of IK's award-winning Total Bundles for 50% off

Get any full version of IK's award-winning Total Bundles as low as $45.83 per plugin! The promo code to use on the IK online store is: TOTALDEAL

StompIO for as low as $599.99 plus a free gig bag!

Get the best possible price on StompIO hardware only upgrade or get the full version with 5 software titles included for only $799.99 plus a free gig bag!

ARC System, T-RackS 3 Deluxe and Classik Studio Reverb just $699.99

Combined value of all products included is over $1,300. Cover all your mixing and mastering needs, plus get a free "Mastering with T-RackS" tutorial video from Groove3.com

RiffWorks at a special reduced price of $99.99 and get one T-RackS 3 Single of your choice free

Use promo code: RIFFWORKSHOLIDAY in our webstore to get RiffWorks Standard, AmpliTube 2 Live and a T-RackS 3 Single for just $99.99. For a limited time only.

As an added bonus, if you take advantage of the AmpliTube Power Group promotion, StompIO at a special price or Engineering Tool Kit, you can save even more by using your JamPoints in our online store! Check the status and expiration of your JamPoints on your User Area and save big this holiday season*.

Big Fish Audio - 25% Off Holiday Sale 2009

xodus phoenix — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:09:28 GMT

Native Instruments new release

xodus phoenix — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:04:34 GMT

http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/producer/powered-by-kore/sonic-fiction/?page=1218&utm_source=sonic-fiction&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=sonic-fiction_newsletter

Whereas ACOUSTIC REFRACTIONS - the first "Powered by KORE" instrument from Jeremiah Savage - took its inspiration from everyday items and situations, SONIC FICTION uses concepts and scenarios from the world of science fiction as its creative source. Jeremiah's passion for the philosophical hypotheses in the best of sci-fi literature and film translates into 100 evocative, otherworldly and yet always highly-playable instruments, with 800 individual sound variations.

SONIC FICTION is powered by the free KORE PLAYER and can immediately be used in any production without the need to buy any other NI product.

A variety of non-musical objects and situations such as bubbling volcanic mudpots and television static were sampled as a basis for this completely new journey into sound. The sampled sources have been processed heavily through KONTAKT, ABSYNTH and KORE's unique sound shaping capabilities. The result is 100 completely original yet highly playable instruments, sure to resonate with modern musicians and sound designers for use on film scores, games or any type of electronic music production.
Each instrument comes with plenty of sound morphing options via 8 sound variations and up to 24 sound parameters per sound, totaling 800 individual sound variations, opening up new creative ways for real-time sound transformation.

Zenhiser: Need Some Minimal Tech Beats To Freshen Your Grooves?

xodus phoenix — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:38:33 GMT

The Ultimate Psy Trance Sample Collection

This is our first tightly packed construction kit and boy have we got a belter to start off with. 'The Psy Trance Construktion Kit' gives exactly what it says on the box whilst delivering at the highest quality possible. Not only is this Psy Trance Construction Kit packed full with over 300 brand new psy trance samples but the quality of these trance samples is second to none. Incredible synth loops, pulsating basslines, morphing pads & textures, snappy drum fx, eclectic synth hits, pounding drum loops, mesmerizing sound fx and an incredible collection of psy trance drum sounds sets this sample pack a cut above the rest.

The Psy Trance Construktion Kit also combines a broad collection of psy trance samples catering for juts about all producers in the psy trance genre. Honestly this sample pack is great, really great. Just have a listen to the preview to hear what we are talking about.

Link: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/The-Psy-Trance-Construktion-Kit-01.html

Another Awesome Electro House Bassline Collection From Zenhiser

We've released quite a few electro house basslines in the last couple of years and this brand new pack sits perfectly within the rest. Delving straight into the dirty bass synth sound 'Twisted Electro House Basslines 01' delivers 31 catchy as hell electro house bass loops that will drop perfectly into any electro house track.

Twisted Electro House Basslines also pushes the boundaries a little further with some all new electro house bass loops programming, resulting in some really funked up bass loops that shuffle and pitch all over the place. If you're looking for electro house basslines that are simply fat, crunchy, twisted and driving then you've come to the right place.

Link: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Twisted-Electro-House-Basslines-01.html

Need Some Minimal Tech Beats To Freshen Your Grooves?

In conjunction with our 'Pure Minitech Basslines' sample packs, these exclusive minimal tech drum beats set new standards in minimal programming. Fitting just as well under the groove loop section these minimal tech beats create a fundamental groove and sound to your minimal and tech tracks.

Sometimes getting the ball rolling with your latest minimal or tech track can take hours of programming, adjusting and sound selecting, with 'Pure Minitech DrumBeats 01 & 02' we do all that work for you. Once purchased just browse these seductively minimal beats, pick your groove and drop it perfectly into your minimal tech production, it's that easy. Trust us, these minimal tech beats are great.

Link: http://www.zenhiser.com/categories/Drum-Loops/Minimal-%7B47%7D-Tech/

Groove 3 - Black Friday Specials

xodus phoenix — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:13:01 GMT

Greetings Everyone!

Black Friday is almost here, and we're going to be offering some amazing deals as well as 2 new flagship products! This Friday - Monday, just go to www.groove3.com and browse our many products and you'll discover great values up to 65% off.

Our two new mixing and production titles below will also be heavily discounted. Remember, this holiday sale takes place Friday 11/27/09 to Monday 11/30/09 only. After that, it's gone…

New Products

Music Production with Pro Tools - Vol. 1 : Pop

Available Friday, Nov. 27th
Kenny Gioia is a multi-platinum producer and engineer who has worked with countless name acts. In this exciting new series, he shows you his method for creating a professional, radio-ready Pop music production, out of nothing more than a rough guide vocal take.

See how it's all done, from programming drum parts, laying down keys, synths and guitars, live bass, real drums, comping the perfect vocal take and more. You'll discover many cool Pro Tools features and functions, as well as shortcuts and tricks that can be applied to any DAW.

Regular Price $74.99 / Holiday Sale Price $49.99 - 33% Off!
Learn More

Mixing Urban Pop

Available Friday, Nov. 27th
If you're looking to learn how to mix urban pop, look no further. Australian mix master Michael Costa is going to show you the tricks of the trade. Michael starts with a raw mix of "Doin' Ma Thang" by upcoming super artist Tessa Cattanach, and goes through it all ending with a professional sounding radio mix that gets your head nodding.

See how Michael sets up his session, uses templates, creates routing, uses EQ, compression and effects to create a 3D space, banging drums, fat bass, "in your face" vocals and more. You'll see both mistakes and revelations happen as they occur, in this real-world mix session.

Regular Price $74.99 / Holiday Sale Price $49.99 - 33% Off!
Learn More

Black Friday - Cyber Monday Teasers!

These are just a few of the great deals you'll find during our big holiday sale. Go to www.groove3.com this Friday to Monday for more offers.

1-Year All Access Web Pass - Regular Price $299.99 / Holiday Sale Price $99.99 (First 100 Orders Only)

Logic 9 Tips & Tricks Vol 1 - Regular Price $49.99 / Holiday Sale Price $34.99 - 30% Off

Pro Tools Tips & Tricks Vol 3 - Regular Price $49.99 / Holiday Sale Price $34.99 - 30% Off

Pro Tools 8 Jump Start - Regular Price $29.99 / Holiday Sale Price $14.99 - 50% Off

Effect Plug-Ins Explained - Regular Price $49.99 / Holiday Sale Price $24.99 - 50% Off

Studio Secrets - Regular Price $49.99 / Holiday Sale Price $24.99 - 50% Off

Thank You

We can't say thank you enough. We're very excited to be bringing you the best video tutorials about your studio tools and more.

Best regards,
Your Groove 3 team

iZotope News - iDrum: RZA of Wu-Tang Released and Mario Winans Interview

xodus phoenix — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:56:59 GMT

Artist Interview:
Mario Winans

Mario Winans has amassed a sizeable list of production credits including Diddy, The Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim, Faith Evans, Destiny's Child, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez, Brian McKnight and so on.

We sat down with Mario to talk about his career and using Ozone, Trash and Alloy.

Read the Interview

TECH TIP: Alloy MacroPresets Video
Streamlined workflow with common sense control

Alloy's new Macro screen layouts give you streamlined control of whatever you are mixing. The screen will show certain modules and parameters inside of Alloy, effectively giving you hundreds of custom-tailored plug-ins, in one simple interface.

Alloy is iZotope's latest release and includes a complete set of essential mixing tools.

Watch Alloy’s MacroPresets Video
More Information on Alloy

NOW RELEASED!
iDrum:
RZA of Wu-Tang

17 original beats, produced by RZA of Wu-Tang Clan for your iPhone and iPod touch.

Buy the App
Watch the Video


	Win an iPod touch! Play or record guitar? Fill out a quick 5-minute survey and be entered into a drawing for a 32GB iPod touch! Take the Survey


	Watch Some Videos iDrum: RZA of Wu-Tang Alloy - MacroPresets Ozone - Multiband Modules iDrum: Virtual Drum Machine


	Questions? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions iZotope Support Center

ANR-B NEWS
Live TV Broadcast

The Christian Broadcast Network increases caller intelligibility by adding ANR-B to their live feeds. Phil Peters, Director of Audio - Broadcast Operations, shared with us how ANR-B is helping to make sure everyone is heard.

Read 700 Club Interactive Article

iZotope Music & Speech Cleaner
Know someone who needs audio cleaned up but isn't studio savvy? Get them iZotope Music & Speech Cleaner and put them on the right path.

Music & Speech Cleaner will give them intuitive tools to cleanup audio from lectures, sermons, home videos, LP and cassette collections.

Buy It Now for $39.95

Sugar Bytes: Artillery 2.1 update released!

xodus phoenix — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:55:05 GMT

Welcome to the Sugar Bytes Newsletter!

Artillery 2.1 update released!
With 4 new effects and many improvements, Artillery2 still represents the benchmark for innovative effects. 32 different effects can be stacked, modulated and triggered without limitations. Artillery2 is your first choice for looping, scratching and mashing up your live gigs, as well as for expensive sound clouds in the ProstPro Studio. And the new effects are:

-High Quality Reverb
-Timestretcher
-Scratch Looper
-Pitch Looper

Check Artillery2

Christmas Deals !
X-Mas is coming and we have some hot deals for you! We dropped the price of our fat Unique Synthesizer and the sweet Sugar Bundle! Additionally, we had a dream of a "Buy three, pay two-deal" and we made it come true!
Here´s what we´ve got for you:

- Buy three, pay two!
- Unique 99€/129$
- Sugar Bundle 399€/599$

Go shopping!

Zenhiser: two awesome MiniTech Bassline packs & Late Night Techno Grooves X2

xodus phoenix — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:10:06 GMT

Late Night Techno Grooves For The Wide Awake!

It's 2am, you're constructing your latest techno production and inspiration is at a loss. We know how you feel and of course we have done something about it. 'Late Night Techno Grooves' is an outstanding outing into the deeper and darker side of techno. Hypnotic rhythms, pulsating beats and after dark grooves come together to create these un-missable techno sample packs. Once again an extremely high attention to detail has been nurtured into every loop within this collection of techno grooves, loops & beats with the final product delivering over 60 incredible all new techno loops for only $9.99!

Direct Link: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Late-Night-Techno-Grooves-01.html

Minimal Tech Basslines With A Whole New Style

When it comes to minimal tech basslines we've got you covered. Constructed meticulously from the ground up 'Pure Minitech Basslines' delves deep into the underground minimal techno sound and pulsates some extraordinary rhythmotic basslines. Frequency responses are supplied with high regard within these spanking new minimal techno basslines.

Each minimal sample pack contains 30 exclusive minimal techno basslines at 125 bpm. Looped perfectly and mastered to perfection 'Pure Minitech Basslines' is not be missed and an essential piece of kit for serious minimal, techno or minitech producers. So if you your basslines tight, deep and groovetastic then look no further.

Direct Link: http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Pure-Minitech-Basslines-01.html

Addictive Drums 1.5 Adrenaline!

Griffin Avid — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:57:43 GMT

Addictive Drums v1.5 Adrenaline - Released!

We are proud and very happy to present the Addictive Drums v1.5 Adrenaline update featuring:

E-Drums Support
Beat Transformer
GM Support
300+ New MIDI Files
30 New Presets
Tomsets
...and more!

The 1.5 update is free and can be downloaded from our website which also has updated with lots of new content and information:
www.xlnaudio.com

Haven't got the full version of Addictive Drums yet? Try out the new 1.5 Demo version with E-Drum Support and new fills:
Download Demo Version

XLN Audio You Tube Channel Updated

Lots of new tutorials and demonstration videos has been uploaded to our YouTube Channel. We have also added a lot of favorite videos from fellow YouTubers you don't want to miss.
Check out our channel

Don't forget to subscribe to get info and updates about the latest videos and news!

New Audio Demos

We have updated the Audio Demos section at our website with new Audio Demos for all our products.
Check them out

New expert E-Drum partner - MikeyVPT

Meet our new E-Drums expert partner, MikeyVPT, who will be hanging around the user forum answering any questions you might have regarding E-Drums and other E-Drum related issues.

Hi friends! You may know me as MikeyVPT from my Youtube videos or from the Virtual Percussion Outlet. I am looking forward to joining the XLN Audio Forum to help spread information about using electronic drums with software. I also hope to learn and grow within this community. From what I've already seen, this forum has a really great vibe. I'm excited! See you in the XLN Audio Forum!

Glad to have you onboard, Mikey!

Visit the XLN Audio user forum

Native Instruments: Free MASCHINE 1.1 update available now

xodus phoenix — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:55:06 GMT

We're pleased to announce that the MASCHINE 1.1 update is

now available for free download. This latest version comes

with many great new features and optimizations, providing

even better integration with your host sequencer as well

as other music software and hardware. Please see below for

more information, or watch the video online showing all

the new features:

-> http://www.native-instruments.com/maschine-update.info

In addition to the new features, this update includes

several bugfixes and is highly recommended for all

MASCHINE users. You can access the download through the

Service Center or the Online Update Manager:

-> http://www.native-instruments.com/updates

What’s new:

MIDI In and Out: Send MASCHINE patterns as MIDI output to

other music software or hardware, and map MASCHINE sounds

to external MIDI sources, such as your host’s piano

roll.

Audio Export: Drag-and-drop MASCHINE patterns as audio

files direct onto your host sequencer timeline.

Scene switching via MIDI: Select scenes via MIDI notes and

record changes into your sequencer for even tighter host

integration.

Load groups without patterns: Try out different

collections of sounds on an existing groove.

REX file support: Import the popular REX format with

included slice information.

Expanded Hardware Control: Extended navigation of the

scene arranger and pattern editor direct from, the

MASCHINE controller, plus new handy shortcuts for quickly

adjusting volume and pitch of groups and sounds

Additional slicing options, count-in for recording,

adjustable metronome volume, silent sound selection and

other various enhancements.

The new musical instrument: Your phone

xodus phoenix — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:51:57 GMT

Often in the middle of the night, while his wife sleeps beside him, John Sheridan picks up his iPhone from the nightstand and shakes the device like it was a conductor's wand on fire.

Sometimes he goes on like this for more than an hour at a time. There's a point to this midnight madness, though.

By day, Sheridan is a 53-year-old real-estate agent in Florida. But by night, he's an iPhone musician.

In the past few months, he has used his phone to record and upload at least 30 songs to the Web using an iPhone application called ZOOZbeat, which helps anyone -- regardless of musical talent or lack thereof -- create songs by selecting instruments from a list and then waving his or her phone around.

"You don't have to know anything. You go in there and click on it, and it's playing guitar chords," Sheridan said. "It's pretty neat, actually."

A quick flick of the wrist produces a high note. A gentler movement belches out a lower tone. The app loops the sounds and lets users edit their tracks on the fly or afterwards.

Sheridan said he wears headphones while he's jamming, so as not to wake his wife.

His recording sessions are part of a pocket-sized revolution in the music world: Smartphone apps and programs for handheld gaming consoles now let all kinds of people create and remix tunes on-the-go.

The mobile-music movement is particularly pronounced in the Apple's iPhone app store, where more than a dozen downloadable applications, many of which are free or cost less than $3, let would-be musicians turn their smartphones into keyboards, drums, guitars and all kinds of futuristic synthesizers.

One bizarre application, called Ocarina, even lets people create flute sounds by blowing into their phone's built-in microphone while touching the screen to select various notes.

"There's been an absolute explosion in [music] production on mobile devices across all kinds of different platforms," said Peter Kirn, editor-in-chief of createdigitalmusic.com.

Some mobile musicians are finding online fame on video-sharing sites like YouTube. More than 82,000 people have viewed this video of a woman using the Ocarina app to play the theme to "Jurassic Park" with her nose, for example.

The band the Mentalists racked up nearly 900,000 views by performing the MGMT song "Kids" using four iPhones, each loaded with a different musical app.

Professional musicians are taking smartphones on tour with them for their musical capabilities, too. A video of the band Gomez shows the group using an iPhone as an instrument. The Gregory Brothers, the band formed by the siblings who make the "Auto-Tune the News" video series, have used the I Am T-Pain application to add robot-style vocal effects to their live shows.

Phoenix has performed with an iPhone, and Jordan Rudess of the band Dream Theater has a slate of online videos explaining the musical apps he uses on tour.

The smartphones have their technical limits, of course, and the idea isn't to fully replace real-world guitars and drum kits. But the phones do offer a lightweight alternative to heavy tour gear, and they have a novelty appeal for some musicians and music fans.

Jeremy Landry, a musician who said he has recorded an entire album on the Sony PSP gaming device, said it's a fun challenge to "see how much sound you can push out with your hands tied behind your back" by a mobile device.

"I feel like I have more creativity if I have limits set on me," he said.

Kirn, the Web site editor, said the trend toward mobile music started with Nintendo's Game Boy and continued on other hand-held gaming devices.

But smartphones are giving the trend more mainstream appeal.

The iPhone's accelerometer, which allows users to control apps by tilting the phone, makes the ZOOZbeat app possible, said Gil Weinberg, director of the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology and founder of ZOOZbeat.

Weinberg hopes the app will help save the struggling music industry by getting people more engaged in the music they love.

"You don't have to have a lot of money, and you also don't have to have a lot of experience in music" to be an iPhone musician, he said. "We will help you experience whatever level of creativity you would like."

ZOOZbeat recently released a new version of its app that will make this experience more social. The new app lets people "toss" recordings from one phone to another, helping them collaborate on track engineering.

It also lets people download professional music samples for remixing and recreation, adding their own lyrics if they choose.

People can't sell their ZOOZbeat creations, Weinberg said, but the company plans to hold contests with rewards like backstage passes to concerts.

Andrew Beck, a masters student in music technology at Georgia Tech who works at ZOOZbeat, envisions a future when apps like ZOOZbeat will let concert audiences participate in live shows.

"It'd be cool if people were somehow involved in the concert," he said, "but we're not sure exactly how that would work yet."

Beck, who also is a musician, said he tried giving an audience Wii remotes so they could play along with one of his shows. But the experiment just ended up creating a lot of noise, he said.

Sheridan, the nocturnal iPhone musician who goes by the screen name strato999 on the ZOOZbeat site, says that making mobile-phone music is addictive.

Sheridan earned money in college by playing guitar in a country band. Playing his phone isn't better than playing the guitar, just different, he said.

His first iPhone song, called "My name is John," is set to a hip-hop beat -- a stretch for a former country musician. The song's only lyrics are its title, which he repeats nine times in a slithery voice. Synthesizers squeal and records scratch in the background.

In a follow-up effort called "The Juan Song," Sheridan applies similar principles to a salsa beat. The lyrics, which were recorded in Spanish with the help of a translation app, go like this:

My name is John
Do you like my song?
If not, it doesn't matter
(repeat)

In other tunes, Sheridan just seems to say whatever comes to him in the moment he awakes. He laments about the real-estate crisis in a track called "Inside Out" and bemoans the fact that he's on a diet in "Salad -- The Horror of Salad," whose instrumentals sound fit for an '80s TV drama. The song starts off like a spoken-word poem:

Cucumbers. Tomatoes. Carrots. Oil. Vinegar. Lemon ...
SALAD!
Carrots, tomatoes are salad ... are salad.
I'M SO SICK OF SALAD!!!

Sheridan knows his songs are silly. When he posts them on Facebook, his friends tell him to hire a lyricist. But he hopes oddball tunes make people smile -- and bring a bit of a creative spark into his life in the process.

Dubspot’s Ableton Live 8 Tour : Los Angeles - November 7 & 8

plexipr — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:46:20 GMT

[B]DubSpot’s Ableton Live 8 US Sessions Tour is coming to Los Angeles![/B] Join us for a unique series of interactive workshops, Q&As and live performances from a diverse pool of talented artists, instructors and established musicians. Experience a weekend full of daily sessions, each specially designed to developed and enhance a diverse range of your production and performance abilities. Our tour will showcase just how far-reaching the capabilities of Live 8 are, and why it is the most advanced piece of music software on the planet. Come learn from Ableton Live experts, world-class artists & veteran producers and who will be coming together to help take your skills to the next level!

This one-of-a-kind series of interactive workshops features world-class artists as educators. These experts will share their secrets on drum programming, instrument and effect rack management, sequencing, automation, creating melody, harmonic awareness, mixing and mastering principles, sound stage management, synth programming, PA/DJ hybrid setups, controllers, live instruments in [B]Ableton[/B], efficient set management, looping, routing, licensing, and much more.

[IMG]http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss56/SteveR43/dupsot-2.jpg[/IMG]

[B][U]The Ableton L.A. tour stop crew[/U][/B]

[B]Scientist[/B] (Dub pioneer & newest Dubspot instructor)
[B]Kid Beyond[/B] (beatboxer, live looper, one-man band)
[B]Daedelus[/B] (Ninja Tune, dublab.com)
[B]Justin Boreta[/B] (Glitch Mob)
[B]Thavius Beck[/B] (Big Dada)
[B]Peter Kirn[/B] ([URL=http://www.createdigitalmusic.com]createdigitalmusic.com[/URL])
[B]Daniel Wyatt[/B] (Sonica Media, Atlantic, Dubspot)
[B]Barry Cole[/B] (Spot Music & Blue Mountain Publishing)
[B]DJ Kiva[/B] (Adios Babylon, Dubspot)
[B]Steve Nalepa[/B] (1320 Records, Chapman University Conservatory of Music)
[B]Irwin[/B] ([URL=http://www.IrwinMusic.com]IrwinMusic.com[/URL])
[B]Christopher Willits [/B](Ghostly, 12K, Overlap)

[B]Hosted by Dubspot instructor Jon Margulies-[/B]
(Heatercore & Hobotech, author of Ableton Live 7 & 8 Power!)

*Workshops hosted by established, world-class artists.
*Specific focus on cutting-edge production and performance techniques.
*Open-ended panel discussions.
*10 workshops or discussions over the weekend.
*A wide variety of styles and backgrounds.
*The most dynamic environment for expanding musical knowledge available.

Each unique event represents everything that is revolutionary about the [B]Dubspot Experience[/B], and the future of music education.

[B]King King[/B] Hollywood will be our LA classroom. Anyone, of any skill level, is welcomed to join our community - we're looking forward to joining yours...

[B][I]ABLETON LIVE 8: LOS ANGELES
Saturday, November 7th - 8th, 2009
Live 8 Weekend Pass $195 | Saturday Day Pass $110 | Sunday Day Pass $110[/I][/B]
Please visit [URL=http://www.live8tour.com]www.live8tour.com[/URL] for more details.

King King
6553 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323.960.9234
[URL=http://www.kingkinghollywood.com]www.kingkinghollywood.com[/URL]

[I]Also Sunday, November 8th night is [URL=http://www.createdigitalmusic.com]createdigitalmusic.com[/URL] ‘s 5-year anniversary party[/I]

[IMG]http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss56/SteveR43/DubSpot_LA.jpg[/IMG]

[B]Dubspot[/B]
[B]348 West 14th Street - MEZZ
New York, NY 10014
1-877-DUBSPOT (382-7768)
info@dubSpot.com
[URL=http://www.dubSpot.com]www.dubSpot.com[/URL][/B]

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