The Audio Unit version of Ambient Keys 1.5 for Mac OS X was released in March and now the release of version 1.5 for VST hosts on Mac OS X is available. Ambient Keys is a synthesizer, which plays an extensive set of ambient waveforms, processing these using a filter, envelopes, an LFO, an ensemble, delays and an effect section which features 133 different effect modes, including crossfading effects and layered effects. Current release is for PowerPC Macs only. Next release will be a universal binary, tested on Intel.

Price is $99, including the three soundpacks.

Because of public demand, here's a news item about Garageband : Apple announced an update for Garageband to version 3.0.2. This update addresses issues with video handling, podcast exporting, and importing QuickTime markers. It also addresses a number of other minor issues.

Garageband is a software to perform, record, and create music.

Digidesign has officially qualified Mac OS X 10.4.6 for PPC with all of the following systems:

- Pro Tools HD 7.0/7.1
- Pro Tools LE 7.0/7.1
- Pro Tools M-Powered 7.0/7.1

This qualification is only for PowerPC models.Intel-based Macs are currently not supported with any version of Pro Tools. Digidesign currently anticipates that we will release versions of Pro Tools LE 7 and Pro Tools M-Powered 7 software that are compatible with Intel-based Apple computers in May 2006.

Massenburg Designworks EQ 2.0 has been replaced with new installers for Mac. The plug-ins (MDWEQ5B and MDWEQ3B0) remain at version 2.0.0, with the following changes included in the new installer:

- A fix for distortion problems experienced by some users with the 3-band EQ.
- Installer now correctly moves the original MDW EQ (version 1.x) to the "Plug-Ins (Unused)" folder if version 1.x was previously installed.

The Audio Unit and RTAS versions of Wave Arts version 5 plug-ins will now run on the new Intel powered Mac computers. The 5.10 update also includes some bug fixes which apply to all Mac and PC plug-in formats. The update version 5 plug-ins include: TrackPlug, MultiDynamics, MasterVerb, FinalPlug and Panorama.

The update for existing customers is free and Wave Arts plug-ins are available for Mac OS X as AU, VST, MAS, and RTAS formats.