Edirol announced their new assignable control surface with USB Audio and MIDI. The UR-80 is an all-in-one studio box for computer musicians, combining a fully assignable control surface, USB audio interface with 24-bit/96 kHz capability, MIDI and the GM2 Hyper Canvas software synthesizer. The UR-80 control surface resembles a digital mixer, with transport controls, time wheel, and assignable switches for quick access to music software functions. It comes with a Control Map Editor and eight pre-loaded control maps supporting popular sequencers, such as Cubase and Logic, plus a variety of soft synths.

Edirol introduces the World's First Hi-Speed USB 2 Audio Recording Interface.The UA-1000 is multi port on 10 separate channels via a wide variety of connections:
- 4 x front-mounted XLR/TRS combo jacks, with Phantom power and preamps
- Hi-Z guitar in
- SP/DIF (Optical/Coaxial)
- 8 channel ADAT
- MIDI
- 2 x Stereo (4) Inserts for effect send/return

TC-Helicon brings in April his Voice modeling technology to the Powercore platform. The Voicemodeler can change or improve a voice, a "thin" vocal into a "throat" one, a "male" into a "female". A complete control is possible on the parameters of the voice: morphing, crispness, breath, growl can be adjusted in real time. You can expect more voice effects in charts in the coming month after this release, from the natural to the extreme. Price $249-215eu

Yamaha revamps the 01 mixer the mLAN way. It is in fact a 01V96 in mLAN with 9 motorised faders, transport controls, DAW support for Cubase SX, Nuendo, Logic Audio, Digital Performer and softs synths.

- 28 Channels with dynamic processing and 4 band parametric EQ
- 2X 32 bit effect processors
- large LCD screen to display names on top of the faders.
- 3 VST plug-ins for enhanced vocal processing, pitch correction and mastering.
- VST channel module to show hardware and functions of the mixer on the computer screen
- mLAN input and outpout

Certainly a tough competition for Digidesign Digi002.

mLAN support is included in OSX 10.2.4
Due in Q3 2003 for $1700-1700eu

Steinberg release a bundle "Waldorf Edition" with the following VST plug-ins from Waldorf:
- Attack
- D-Pole
- PPG Wave 2.V

they run in both OS 9 and X and the bundle is expected for 249?