Ableton has posted the beta version of its live sequencing audio software Live v5. This beta version is only available for registered owners of Live. Ableton also set up a dedicated beta forum for all beta testers. Live 5 includes advanced and creative DAW features to satisfy any audio professional. Live 5 will feature :

- Clip Freeze serves two purposes: freeing up CPU power and easing the transfer of projects between computers. Unique to Live 5, "frozen" clips retain their real-time launch capabilities, allowing for improvisation, performance or song arrangement. A project with frozen tracks can also be transferred from your main computer and run easily on one with less-than-optimal CPU specs.

- Plug-In Delay Compensation automatically delays tracks to compensate for latencies caused by effects and plug-ins, including those on the return tracks. In addition, both audio and MIDI tracks have a manual delay setting to compensate for human, acoustic, hardware and other real-world delays.

Celemony posted an update to version 1.0.1 for its audio editing software Melodyne Uno, which adds minor improvements. This update is available for registered users only. Melodyne uno offers you the celebrated Melodyne technology in the most compact and affordable format. Melodyne uno dispenses with the multi-track Arrange window of the larger versions of Melodyne and operates like a normal sample editor

Sagan announces a new pre-release version (6.3.1) for Metro, Metro SE and Metro SX. These new versions add several improvements (drag and drop, MIDI controlers,...) and fix many bugs. Metro is a fast-operating, easy-to-learn high-powered sequencer for the design of professional audio projects. It stands alone as a complete and integrated MIDI, audio and video production system.

More info and list of bugs fixed on Sagan web site.

TCelectronic announces a patch, available for Spark XL users only. This patch fixes a bug with Spark and Mac OS X 10.4 : when users quit Spark XL 2.8.2 under MacOS X 10.4.x (Tiger), Spark hangs until Force Quit is used.

This update of Spark (discontinued) is freely available from TC electronic web site.

The news was around for 2 weeks but it's official now, after the Intel/Apple deal, another earthshaking event: Peter Gabriel has bought Solid State Logic in a joint venture with David Engelke (a broadcast industry entrepreneur). As other pro audio companies are either going down or bought up by founds who don't know a pot from a driver licence, it's great to see music professionals and a musician in particular preserve one of the best desk manufacturer out there.

The business will stay in Oxford and will continue issuing some "little" mixing stuff ;) Also, David told about going to a broader market... Will it mean something for the rest of us? I hope so!