Swar Systems, a Switzerland-based company specialized in Indian music software, is announcing the imminent release of North 2, a whole new set of instruments from North India on all their products (standalone software, VST plugins, Akai/Reason patches).

North 2 is a new set of folk instruments and a large array of typical rhythms and melodies from the Indian folk/classical repertoire. Final release of this new collection is planned before November for a price increase of 30 US$. Registered clients will be asked the same amount to upgrade.

For a limited time, Digidesign offers to SampleCell users (all versions : nubus, PCI, SampleCell II, SampleCell Soft..) to move up to SampleTank XL by IK Multimedia.

This crossgrade run from November 1st through December 20, for a retail price of 349 euros, only on the DigiStore.

Doggiebox by "Zygoat Creative Technical Services" is available in version 1.0.5. This beat sequencing software empowers you to create and manipulate percussion-based songs and create drum tracks in minutes.

Doggiebox 1.0.5 is compatible mac OS 10.3 and available for 29 Euros. A demo version is also available.

The Apple Panther upgrade 10.3.1 is now available in the "software update" utility. This little update (only 1.3 Mb) corrects some bugs in the first Panther release : applications stability, FileVault, printing and FireWire 800.

Regarding problems with external FireWire (oxford 922), Apple advices to update your FireWire firmware for these drives.

Native Instruments annouce that its news software Intakt is now available: INTAKT is a sampler specifically designed for rhythmic loop playback and manipulation. INTAKT combines time stretching and a classic sampler mode into a complete loop workstation and provides a multimode filter, an envelope follower, two LFOs, effects and also includes a 1.2 GB library, full of drum and instrument loops.

Intakt needs Mac OS 10.2.6 or higher, G3 500 MHz, 256 MB RAM, and is available on the Native Web Shop for 199 Euros.