Audacity, the free cross-platform sound editor for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows, is now coming of age, after two years of development. 1.2 is the first major stable release since 1.0 in June 2002, but those years haven't gone wasted: the new release includes professional-quality dithering and resampling, new pitch- and speed-changing effects. Also new: cross-fade effects, screen display fixes, an MP3 tag fix, and audio problems fixed on Apple Power Mac G5s, plus much more.

Steinberg's flagship high-end audio workstation, Nuendo, has been upgraded to version "2.1.2.28." version. Steinberg has improved networking via LAN or via standard network protocols, plus compatibility with Mac OS 10.3 Panther. Nuendo 2.1.2.28 is a free upgrade.

Ed: Steinberg tends to get overshadowed on the Mac by Digidesign, Apple/Emagic, and MOTU, but they're an essential part of what Apple calls the "Mac music ecosystem": they offer unique features no one else does. The most exciting to me is the networking capabilities, and the ability to share audio processing resources across multiple machines. That's huge for studios and classroom labs, not to mention those of us who are collecting multiple Macs or working collaboratively. Any readers out there taking advantage of this capability? Hit comments and let us know. -PK

Intakt is a rhythmic loop sampler by Native Instruments. This new version adds some new features and improvements: MIDI controller automation, MIDI clock out in the standalone version, support for Open Sound Control and improved VST and RTAS compatibility. Intakt 1.03 is available now as a free update for current users on Mac OS X; the full version sells for $229.

Ed: MIDI controller automation is a big feature for this loop sampler. So, users out there: are you running this alongside existing loop-based software like Live or are you dedicated to one standalone app or another? Click comments for a little show-and-tell with your software rig. -PK

Multi Delay by arkne.knup is a multichannel filter delay (VST/AU). This new version for Mac OS X features up to 10 individual Channels with a Delay and a Filter, works on mono, stereo or multichannel tracks and is Velocity Engine optimized. Multi Delay is a freeware, but musicians who want to use it in a commercial project have to contact the author.