Paris, May 2006: The finishing touches are being put on the preparations for the 120th AES Pro Audio Expo & Convention, which opens its doors in less than two weeks. Many exciting new features have been added in the past few months alone, making this year's convention a real standout in both the number as well as the range of new convention elements. "This year visitors can expect a much greater number of presentations for all of the various subjects covered in the convention", says Roger Furness, Executive Director of the AES. "Attendees will see an expansion in all areas of the convention – from the workshops, to the new Application Seminars, to the comprehensive Paper Sessions as well as the Exhibitor Seminars."

The Application Seminars are creating the biggest buzz at this year's convention. "They will focus on one important topic per day, each having been selected for its relevance to the practical daily work" explains Gisele Clark, who is responsible for organizing the Application Seminars. "They will be held in a specially-built auditorium directly on the exhibition floor, easy for everyone to reach. What's more, visitors will be able to take part in these new seminars at absolutely no cost!"

Apple posted an update to version 7.1 for QuickTime. QuickTime 7.1 is an important release that delivers numerous bug fixes, support for iLife '06, and H.264 performance improvements. This update is highly recommended for all QuickTime 7 users. Please note that a new Mac OS X Security update is also available.

Theses updates are available form the Apple web site and via the Software Update utility.

Native Instruments has updated its Elektrik Piano to version 1.1, with enhanced stability, enhanced performance in ProTools 6.9 (but not optimized for Pro Tools 7) and support for Native Instruments Kore.Elektrik Piano unites the four most beloved E-pianos of all time into one high-performance software instrument, which reproduces in exacting detail the sounds of the Fender Rhodes MK ITM and MK IITM, Hohner Clavinet E7TM, and the Wurlitzer A 200TM.

Focusrite announces its new Saffire LE audio interface. Housed within a sleek Black and Silver casing and mirroring the original Saffire's desktop design, Saffire LE features :

- Ultra-low latency Firewire 400 interface
- 24-bit, 96kHz integrated A-D/D-A
- Six inputs; Two Focusrite preamps, two balanced Line I/Ps and SPDIF I/Ps
- Eight Outputs: Six balanced analogue outputs for creating separate headphone/monitor mixes or 5.1 surround monitoring and SPDIF Output
- Suite of saffire plug-ins; Compression, EQ, Amp modeling and Reverb
- SaffireControl LE – Comprehensive level and monitoring control
- MIDI I/O and MIDI Thru
- AC3 and DTS compatibility.

Saffire LE will be shipping at the end of May, at a price of £239 including VAT (yes..pounds sterling...so approx. 348 euros or $440 ).

Zero-G announces the release of TOTAL REX, a collection of professional REX files in a single product, featuring over 15,000 of loops selected from over 40 different Zero-G products. Over 10 Gb of groove inspiration! Over 15,000 drumloops, instrument grooves & riffs, breakbeats and awesome rhythmic inspiration for use with: Spectrasonics STYLUS RMX (Total Rex is "Stylus RMX-optimized" for fast accurate loading), Propellerheads REASON, Steinberg CUBASE, Apple LOGIC PRO, Motu MACHFIVE, Motu DIGITAL PERFORMER, NI INTAKT, NI KONTAKT, Cakewalk SONAR, Image-Line FL STUDIO, and more....Note that the REX files are accessible individually (not packed into a REFILL).

Recommended Retail Price: $169.95 or 149 Euro.