The huge NAMM show has come to an end in California -- ah, the memories. Well, okay, virtual memories as the MacMusic crew is holed up in places like New York and Paris instead. Apple has posted an enormous wrap-up of the festivities with galleries, press releases, and more. It's a little more Apple-centric than usual, not too surprising with big Emagic announcements and Garage Band. But the Mac Music ecosystem, from Cycling 74 to MOTU, makes an appearance, too, and check out that nice motorcycle and accordion.

Vintage synths and misc instrument icons for OS X that can be used for audio set-ups as well! Ed: Fire up Audio MIDI Setup and pop in these beauties! Gorgeous -PK

Avid Technology, Inc. announced that its audio division, Digidesign, will receive an Academy Award of Merit (Oscar statuette) from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The statuette, which will be presented at the Scientific and Technical Academy Awards on February 14, 2004, will recognize Digidesign for the design, development, and implementation of the Pro Tools digital audio workstation, which is renowned "as the standard for creating and editing motion picture soundtracks."

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents Scientific and Technical Awards to the creators of devices, methods, formulas, discoveries, or inventions of special and outstanding value to the arts and sciences of motion pictures. In the 76-year history of the Academy, only 42 Oscar statuettes have been awarded for scientific and technical achievements. The award presented to Digidesign is the fifth Oscar statuette to recognize innovations in sound technology.

In the "blast-from-the-past category," it's the sequencer/audio program Metro, now owned by Sagan Technology. Here's the latest from Sagan. -PK

Due to repeated request, Sagan Technology has released Metro 6 LX. This is the middle sibling in their product line. Bigger than Metro SE yet much more compact than the full version of Metro. This product, like their others, is available for download only. However, unlike the other products, LX is an OS X only product. The price is currently $129.99 and upgrades from Sagan Technology's SE product are just $49.99. (more)

PowerFX has announced the release of a new collection of CD-ROMs entitled Apple Disc Jams. These Apple Loops libraries are optimized for use with Apple's Soundtrack & Garage Band applications. The first 3 titles of the series are available for $49 USD exclusively from the PowerFX website. The new products are:

- Invincible Dance: A fresh collection of Club & Dance oriented loops featuring everything from bass & drum loops to synth pads and FX loops.
- NuJazz House: Authentic acoustic & electric instrument samples in the Jazz vein that include drums, bass, electric piano, minor 7th chords & much more.
- Electro Clashmatic: A Neo-Retro combination of classic Vocoder & Electro style beats & bass as well as modern synth & FX one shots.

Ed: Garage Band users, tried these out yet? Apple's Jam Pack? Write a review if so. -PK