M-Audio has announced the immediate release of its new 8-channel Octane preamp. Unveiled at NAMM, the Octane is due to ship this month. The Octane is designed as a 2-rack space front-end to multitrack digital recording systems, and would seem an ideal counterpart to, for example, a MOTU 828. The box features two mic-instrument channels for guitar, bass, and other instruments, M-S matrix encoding on 7-8 for pro stereo miking technique, analog preamp direct outs for each channel, ADAT for multichannel digital out, and word clock for syncing up multiple units. Each channel has both XLR and 1/4" TRS I/O with 1/4" outs, balanced/unbalanced operation, phantom power with indicator by group (1-4, 4-8), and full 24-bit audio resolution throughout. Approximative price : 799 € TTC, US$749.95 MSRP. This should shape up to be one of the hottest pro boxes to ship this year.

The Steinberg V-Stack is standalone rack software that allows you to run up to 16 VSTi plugins, or to insert plugins via VST Link, with no sequencer required. This new version adds Rewire 2 support and OS X compatibility. EUR50 for a complete new version; free update available for registered users.

Lo-Res Recording & Distribution has announced Vintage Synth Rescue Kits for several popular models of synthesizers. Each Mac/PC-compatible CD contains thousands of patches in Sysex format as well as a massive SoundDiver file containing up to 10,000 different patches. You'll also find Sysex librarians, manuals in PDF format, as well as articles and other information that may prove handy when picking up a second-hand instrument from Ebay.

Synths currently available in version 1.1: Korg's Poly-800 family, DS-8/707, Korg M1 Family, Roland D-50 family, Yamaha DX7 family, and Kurzweil K2x00 family. US$9.99 for all but the 2-disc Kurzweil set. Compare $10 to $10-20 for manuals alone purchased from other sites! Plans for the future include supporting more universal Editor/Librarians like MidiQuest and Unisyn, and of course free updates are available via email to anyone who buys a disc, as long as your email account can handle attachments over 2MB.

Bitcarel Software has annonouced the availability of iRecordMusic 1.2. This utility was previously named RAW. It enables you to surf and record Internet audio streams to MP4-AAC and now AIFF. You can record multiple radio streams, Hollywood movie trailer soundtracks and news webcasts at the same time. Recorded files are iPod compatible and iRecordMusic now integrates with iCal.

iRecordMusic 1.2 costs US $20.00.

The following has been published on Waldorf site regarding the company's insolvency. it brings some hope at least.