Digidesign is launching the Control and Expand Program, which enables music and post production professionals to gain hands-on control of projects while quickly expanding the capabilities of their Digidesign® Pro Tools|HD system. When you buy a Control|24 control surface or an 8- or 24-fader ICON D-Command worksurface, you'll receive a free Pro Tools|HD peripheral. For example, if you buy a Control|24, you will receive for free a 192 AD Expansion Card. if you buy a 8 or 24 fader ICON D-Command, you will receive either of the following for free: PRE, or 192 Digital I/O.

This promotion ends December 20, 2005.

Arturia announces that its full line of virtual instruments is now compatible with new Digidesign Pro Tools 7 software :

- Arturia CS-80V (Yamaha CS-80 emulation) is available as 1.5 PT 7 version;
- Arturia ARP 2600 V synthesizer as PT 7 version;
- Arturia Minimoog V is available as 1.5 PT7 version;
- Arturia Moog Modular V is available as 2.0 PT 7 version.

These updates are available as RTAS versions.

Native Instruments announces that its new Traktor DJ Studio 3 is now available in stores. This new version provides a host of powerful creative features, including four playback decks, a suite of performance effects, an analog-modeled mixer section, a customizable user interface and more. TRAKTOR DJ Studio 3 also allows DJs to browse and purchase the latest club music releases from within the software by giving access to the full catalog of Beatport, the leading online store for club music. New features include : Four full-featured playback decks, Beatport online store integration, Professional 4-channel DJ mixer emulation, Beat-synchronized DJ effects , New customizable user interface, Performance-oriented parameter control, and advanced track collection and library functions.

Traktor DJ Studio 3 is available for $279.

Ueberschall today announced the availability of Liquid Guitar, the 3rd Instrument from the Liquid Instrument Series for Mac for usage with VST, Audio Units or RTAS compatible host applications. Liquid Guitar offers the collected power of the entire guitar universe ready to use for individual compositions. Liquid Guitar (L.I.S. Vol.3) contains a broad stylistic spectrum of guitar licks recorded with acoustic (nylon/steel) and electric guitars. From Funk, RnB, Pop, Rock, Blues, Fusion, Jazz, Western, Beat all the way to Sound FX. Liquid Guitar contains rhythmically and soloistically played licks and phrases recorded as: Clean-direct input and Real Amp Recording with crunch, distortion including feedback, tremolo and Wah-Wah sounds.

Liquid Guitar (L.I.S. Vol. 3) is available for $200.

Metasonix the infamous and overdrived manufacturer of weird tube effects for synths and guitars is currently finishing the last jobs on an all tube synth based on his own designs. It's not the first time Eric Barbour is going along the synthesizer way but it's his largest to date : 2 all tubes VCO, a waveshaper, a multimode VCF (Low Pass, treble/mid bandpass, and bass bandpass) all tubes (there must be somme idea behind that), 2 enveloppes A(S)R and AR, which can be combined as ADSR, a VCA featuring a Pentode, 2 LFO, and 2 modulation busses, a joystick and multiple patch points as the S-1000 is half-modular.