Sonic Studio LLC announced the availability of their first major software revision since taking over the Sonic Studio workstation products from Sonic Solutions. Sonic Studio HD version 1.9 is the culmination of over a year of development effort to fundamentally stabilize the workstation while boosting performance and adding long awaited functionality.

Among the dozens of enhancements and additions to HD 1.9 are an entirely new mixing desk, revamped FFT tool, 16 channel I/O support on a single board system, and a dramatically improved and optimized DSP allocation system for desk events processing. This version also resolves numerous longstanding issues with stability, synchronization, and CD imaging and is available to all Sonic Studio HD owners at no charge (Hey Digidesign...).

Drums on Demand Vol. 1 is now available in REX2 format, making the song-based drum loop CD even more functional in for Mac Users in Cubase, Reason, Logic, Digital Performer and other audio programs that support REX2 files.

Created from studio recordings of contemporary songs, Drums On Demand includes nearly 900 royalty free loops and segments : 41 Song Sets, with each set including as many as 30 verse, chorus, fill, bridge, break, intro, ending and other loops. Loops and segments range from one to five bars in length. Simply find the master verse or chorus loop that fits your song and use the other loops and segments in the Song Set to quickly build a drum track that feels like a live session drummer playing a real song -- because that's exactly what it is. Plus, you can mix and match m ...

Bias has announced his new audio restoration plug-in for professionals at AES in NY.
Rather than splitting the restoration process into separate plug-ins, SoundSoap Pro uses a unique, integrated interface that allows the user to access any tool quickly and easily from within a single plug-in window. Tool navigation tabs are labeled (left to right) "Hum & Rumble," "Click & Crackle," "Broadband," and "Noise Gate" - reflecting the suggested order in which the operations should be performed, to obtain the best possible results. The tabs even provide convenient parameter feedback, allowing the user to monitor the primary tool settings globally, regardless of which tool is currently selected.

SoundSoap Pro's tool area features a unique, global, real-time spectrogram - providing constant visu ...

In the second half of October 2003 the Native Instruments sampler KONTAKT will receive an extensive update to version 1.5.

KONTAKT 1.5 brings many new and improved features, including a Beat Machine for slicing and syncing loops, the excellent Time Machine II, VST automation and much more. In addition KONTAKT 1.5 provides Mac OS X compatibility and new interfaces, namely Audio Units and RTAS.

The Mini-MP 2-channel Analog Mic-pre, is Apogee's latest addition to their Mini-Series.

Featured in the Mini-MP are two, low distortion, ultra-fast, high-gain pre-amps that offer a full 70 dB of gain. Input/output options on the Mini-MP are strong and flexible. The phantom powered microphone inputs are capable of handling level of up to +18dB and the auto select High-Z inputs are a great feature for instruments and consumer level equipment are ideal for giving direct guitars, basses and keyboards that warm analog sound.

On the output side Mini-MP uses Apogee's newly developed electronically balanced line drivers, which simulate true transformer behavior and allow for perfect symmetry when used in balanced mode and no increased distortion when used unbalanced.

Other useful Mini-MP ...