Roland is now shipping the RS-50 Synthesizer. RS-50 features improved sounds, hundreds of new CD-quality sounds that can be called up via simple Direct Access Buttons, plus cool performance features including a D Beam controller, arpeggiator and chord memory, all at an affordable price.

BOSS is now shipping the new BR-864 8-Track Digital Studio. With 8 primary recording tracks, 64 Virtual Tracks, COSM effects and USB, the BR-864 offers a powerful, easy and portable 8-track recording solution. The BR-864 records to a 128MB Compact Flash card (included) for over an hour of high-quality recording. A built-in USB port makes it easy to load and convert WAV/AIFF files from a Mac directly into a track or export songs for CD-burning and MP3 creation. It's also a great way to archive and back up song data. Connections to the BR-864 include a 1/4-inch Instrument/Hi-Z Instrument input, XLR and 1/4-inch Microphone inputs, a stereo RCA Line input, stereo RCA Line output, a Headphone output, S/PDIF digital output and USB port. The BR-864 runs on batteries or optional AC power.

New branding for professional audio cards and I/O solutions by TerraTec Electronic : all TerraTec products for professional musicians and producers will be marketed under the brand name TerraTec Producer. Here are their first products :

- The Phase 26 USB : an external 24 bit / 96-kHz interface with 2 analog inputs and six outputs, MIDI interface, microphone input, and amplified headphones output, optical and coaxial digital S/PDIF I/O, high-quality converters, low latency, support Mac OS 9 and X.

- The Phase 28 : a PCI audio card with converters 24 bit / 192 kHz resolution, 2 balanced analog inputs 6.3 mm (1/4"), 8 balanced analog outputs 6.3 mm (1/4"), surround formats up to 7.1, gain knobs and signal LEDs for all input channels, S/PDIF digital I/O, MIDI interface for 16 channels, ...

A new audio and midi interface on the M-Audio/Midiman catalog.
The M-Audio Firewire 410 with single cable, phantom alimentation via the firewire bus (pretty useful for powerbooks), two ear phone input with sens, low latency and direct monitoring and two firewire connexions (useful to link an external hard disk...). And more... for less than 500 $

Every day we receive lot of rumors about Apple and its new products. Here is a rumor digest from many sources (two of whom was deep throat...and adam'apple)

- New and definitive version of Panther (OS 10.3 or X3) should be introduced during the forthcoming keyNote in Paris AppleExpo (sept 16 th)

- Coming August, new powerbooks (15' in aluminium), higher frenquencies for 12' and 17' and new look wired for the screen monitor...

- Update of the Imac line to offset sales difficulties

- Soon withdrawal of G3 processors

- New generation for G5 (already !) should be announced next december with higher frequencies, fixed bugs and improvments on the PCI-X

- G5 processor for laptops ready... next february...

- Soon Xserve G5 available

We said...only rumors !!!!!!!