This week, Greg Paxton and our partner audioMIDI present a full review of Steinberg's Sequel, entry-level DAW.
That "entry-level" statement could be put into perspective, as says the author : "Sequel offers a feature-rich program for anyone getting started - on both a PC and a Mac. The instrument library provides a versatile palette of sounds[...]. The loop library and editing capabilities are more than impressive. Other features [...] make Sequel anything but "entry level"."

Sims Audio has announced the Primus A25 Midi/USB controller. Basically it's a 25 key MIDI/USB keyboard controller featuring both line and microphone level inputs so it can also function as a USB interface.

Features :

● 25-key MIDI keyboard controller with 16 channel MIDI I/O
● 24-bit / 96 kHz Audio interface
● 8 assignable MIDI controller knobs and encoders
● Function keypads and a data wheel with 3 digit 7-segment LED display
● 5 fully-editable internal user banks
● 4 presets optimized for bundled demo software and 1 useful preset
● Pitch bend and modulation wheels
● Sustain pedal jack
● 2 line inputs (1/4" TS), 1 MIC input (1/4" TRS) and 1 Hi-Z input (1/4" TS)
● 2 line outputs (1/4" TS) / Headphone output with level control
● Direct monitor switch for zero-latency monitoring
● USB 2.0 bus powered
● Additional 9V DC power socket
● Supports WDM, ASIO, DirectSound and Core Audio driver with low latency
● Native Instruments Pro53 DEMO, FM8 DEMO, B4II DEMO and Battery 3 DEMO software included

The Primus A25 has an MSRP of $270 USD, and will be available in the first quarter of 2008.

Ueberschall has announced the release of 80s Punk & New Wave, a new state-of-the-art Punk & New Wave library, including 23 construction kits which contain over 1.6 GB of loops, phrases and samples. Ueberschall's newest Elastik Player product is inspired by the rudest guitar driven LA Punk, NY Punk, UK Punk, Ska, Hardcore, PostPunk and New Wave from the early and up to mid eighties. This library is packed with loads of "intoxicating" licks from guitars, bass, keys, drums and more. All loops are based on live performances from mic'd stacks, kits and analog favorites of the time. The user has the choice of Dry mix or 80ies infected over-bloated commercial saturation for all loops. Drumkit multi-tracks from kick, snare and overheads for each construction kit mix are also included.

The sound library comes complete with the "Elastik" loop player which includes features like :

- Highspeed timestretching and pitchshifting in best quality.
- Innovative "LoopEye" for fast loop variations.
- All parameters MIDI controllable.
- Multiple content management.
- Each product separately installable.
- Mapping tools (automatic slice- & chromatic-map).
- Save audio of original and modified loops.
- Creation of user presets.
- Filter with "kill function" (-72db).
- Adaptable to tempos from 10 to 480 BPM.
- Audio engine for quick adaptation.
- And more...
- Compatible with Mac OS X / Windows - AU / VST / RTAS.

Ueberschall's 80s Punk & New Wave is available for $119 / €99.

Focusrite launches the online 'Liquid Mix Challenge'. This challenge provides ten different excerpts; each features a dry sample, followed by two processed samples, A and B. One of these is processed through the original vintage or classic hardware, the other through a Liquid Mix emulation of the same unit. The question is, 'which is which?'

For each excerpt, the user must decide which sample has been processed through the Liquid Mix, as well as decide which sample they liked the most. Your score is displayed at the end of the short test, alongside an aggregate of the world's scores to date.

Fancy yourself as a bit of an audiophile? Think you can you hear the difference? Then take the online 'Liquid Mix Challenge' now and have a chance to win a new Liquid 4PRE.

Spectrasonics has released Stylus RMX Xpanded, which includes Stylus RMX with all five S.A.G.E. Xpanders: Backbeat, Retro Funk, Metamorphosis, Burning Grooves and Liquid Grooves.
This new package is priced at $399US/349Euro and offers a saving of almost $400US off the combined price. The Xpanders libraries will add 5.5 GB of grooves and sounds to the current Stylus RMX's 7.4 GB remix-oriented core library.

Fully compatible with PPC and Intel Macs, and Windows PC (including Vista).