Yamaha Music Corporation of America launched the 2004 Yamaha International Music Production Contest. You can enter the contest with original music works created using Yamaha products (01x, Motif and AW worksation). More than $50,000 in Yamaha music production gear will be given away to the winners. You can submit your works in mp3 files before January 1st, 2005.

You can enter this contest on the YamJams web site.

Devine Machine Software has just released Lucifer VST, a repeat/scratch VST effect plugin for Mac OS X. Lucifer VST is designed for use effects in realtime and for live performance, for manipulating audio tracks in realtime. The plugin allows users to do stutter, reverse, pitch, scratch, filter, and other effects.

Lucifer VST is available for $66.66. A demo version v1.02 for Mac OS X is also available.

SonicBoomBox is a collection of loops and instruments for GarageBand, made by Ultimate Sound Bank . The collection contains 222 instruments for GarageBand: Drums, Percussion, Bass, Guitars, Keyboards, Synths and more.

SonicBoomBox is available now and costs $99.

The legendary Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, would be part of the Sony corporation. Sony has made an offer of 12$ by share for a total of 2.93 billion dollars, and will clean up the 2 billion $ debt. They give a deposit of 150 million of dollars. The final decision will occur before September 27th.

The bad news is that it will make Sony bigger in the multimedia industry and it will be more difficult for little companies to compete with a giant like this. It will also be more difficult for companies like Apple who try to have another distribution mode. And for independents and artists, they will have to negotiate according to the Sony rules.

The French importer of the RME Fireface informs us that the Mac driver for its inteface won't be available in Europe before early October...here goes the whole answer by Arbiter :

"Concerning the Mac drivers, RME said : not before early October. By the way I have been told off by the manufacturer because they said I annoy them about this driver every day. Sorry for the delay, we have written new ads at every single retailer's to warn the customers that this driver is not available yet. You need to know that unsatisfied customers can be refunded if they bring their full package back to their vendor."

ps clouvel : note that the email address for technical support is : support@synthax.de (international support), george@synthax.com (for the USA) and support@synthax.nl (for the Benelux : the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg).