At NAB, Apple's senior director of audio and video marketing Frank Casanova presented the new iChat AV version 3. Wiredmetro reports that "Casanova called up a producer at one location, and a video editor at another. The middle "guest" wasn't a person at all. It was the output of Final Cut Pro 5. In this manner, the post house can now be seen anywhere - in fact, in more than one place at the same time. What this means is that the material being edited can be reviewed and commented on by people nowhere near the editing facility."

AudioEase updated (again...) its convolution reverb Altiverb to version 5.0.3, which features : error 5505 on install fixed, gain correction info in SDII and AV IR files now works, improved speaker placer mono/stereo configurationn, and CPU meter error fixed (in Audio Units version).

Native Instruments announces that Kontakt is updated to version 2.0.1. This release features convolution and database improvements, adds support for Giga 3, Kurzweil K2x00, and Ensoniq ASR-10/EPS formats, import command now supports disk images in .IMG, .ISO, .NRG, and .DMG. formats, and adds several improvements and bug fixes.

At NAB, Apple unveiled its new audio software, Soundtrack Pro. This software is not only an update of Soundtrack, but, according to Apple, a new way of working. Apple's Soundtrack Pro features :

- a waveform editor: Nondestructive, sample-accurate editing of mono and stereo audio file, AIFF, WAV, MP3, SDII and QuickTime, Up to 24-bit/96kHz, Audio Time Stretching, Ambient Noise Print, Background Noise Removal, Animated Waveform.

- Intelligent analysis: repair and restoration functions for Clicks and Pops, Power Line Hum, DC Offset, Phase, Clipped Signal, Silence.

- Sound effects: Soundtracks comes with 3500 Apple loops, 1000 sound effects and 50 effects from Logic (including : Space Designer reverb, PlatinumVerb, SubBass, Match EQ, High Shelving EQ, and more).

- Mixer Interface: Multitrack Timeline, Console-style Mixer, Interface with Bussing, Mix and Effect Automation, Time or Beat-based Track, Control Surface Support (Mackie Control Protocol).

- Integration: AppleScript, Mac OS X v10.4 Automator actions, Support for video formats up to HD resolution, integrated Video tab in Multitrack and Waveform views, Audio Units support and more...

Soundtrack Pro is part of the new Final Cut Studio or costs $299.

Ableton announces an update to version 4.1.2 for Live. This new release of Ableton's audio sequencer fixes a ReWire shared library bug, an error on device chains with Reverb effect, a MIDI bug for some VST plug-ins, a problem with the zoom in the arranger, a switch audio input device bug, and others.

This update is available in the MacMusic softwares section.