Edirol has announced the PCR-1, a compact 24-bit/96kHz audio interface and keyboard controller made for the traveling musician. The PCR-1 features 25 full-width keys, 25 assignable controllers, RCA input & output, S/PDIF output and pitch & modulation controls. This very slim keyboard is USB bus-powered and needs a Mac PowerPC G3/233 MHz or higher on MacOS 8.5, 8.6, 9.x, and OS X.

Ed: Now the main decision for folks is whether to buy this or the similar product from Midiman. Want to weight in? Hit comments. -PK

The website formerly known as GBUsers.com has announced that it will now be known as MacJams.com. MacJams.com is one of the leading GarageBand communities, featuring news, information, and user discussion about Apple's popular music software and related topics. Users are asked to update their bookmarks prior to February 2, 2004, our former domain name will become inactive. Ed: Sounds good to me -- GB sounds too much like "Great Britain"!

IK Multimedia announces Sonik Synth 2 plug-in synth workstation, a cooperation between IK Multimedia and leading US sound designer Sonic Reality. Sonik Synth 2 is a RTAS, VST, Audio Unit and MAS plug-in for Mac0S9-Mac0SX. This virtual instrument features the Sonik Synth virtual synth module and more than 500 sounds and textures, more than 1000 sampled instruments and performance elements designed by Sonik Reality. Sonik Synth will be available by Q2, 2004 at 399 euros.

T-Racks 24, the stand-alone mastering software will be available for MacOS X by the end of January 2004 for a retail price of 299 euros.

The plugin version of T-Racks will be available for Audio Units and VST on MacOS X by the end of January 2004 for 399 euros.

And at last, AmpliTubeT, the guitar amp and effects plug-in will be available for Audio Units and VST for MacOS X by the end of January 2004 for 399 euros.: Amp

The Virtual Orchestra is a multimedia library of the contemporary orchestra. It includes sample banks with more than 15,000 instrumental sounds, pictures and the software sampler Osiris. The Virtual Orchestra is a system developed by Thomas Hummel at SWR Experimental Studio in Germany.

Virtual Orchestra goes now to Mac OS X and is available from Forum IRCAM.

Ed: You have to join Forum IRCAM to acquire this software, but what an impressive collection -- good reason to join! English readers, look for the flag in the upper right corner on the link below. -PK)

The 25th-anniversary festival and competition Ars Electronica will take place in Linz, Austria, from 2 to 7 september '04. The Prize Ars Electronica is devoted to new media artists, and a total of EUR 130,000 in prize money will be awarded in the following six categories in 2004: Digital Communities, Net Vision, Interactive Art, Computer Animation/Visual Effects, Digital Musics and u19 freestyle computing.

There's an open call in the "Digital Musics" category, as well as for works combining sound and media, computer compositions ranging from electro-acoustic to experimental music, and sound installations.

The international cyberarts competition kicks off on January 12, 2004 with online registration.