Native Instruments announces at AES its new Essentials bundle, a new instrument collection including the full versions of Absynth 3, the semi-modular synthesizer; Battery 2, the percussion sampler; PRO-53, an emulation of the legendary Prophet 5 analog synthesizer; Kompakt, the multi-format sampler that includes a comprehensive instrument library; and one amp emulation of choice from the Guitar Combos series that includes the Plexi Combo, Twang Combo and AC-Box Combo, all derived from NI's Guitar Rig amp emulation system.

NI Essentials is available immediately for of $499. A special limited-time upgrade offer also allows all owners of at least one product from the NI Essentials to upgrade to the full bundle for $339. This upgrade offer expires on December 31st 2005.

BIAS announced that the Master Perfection Suite, a collection of six plug-ins for mastering and sound design, will be available in Q1 of 2006 for Audio Units, DirectX, RTAS, and VST host applications on Mac OS X and Windows XP. BIAS first released the Master Perfection Suite last month as part of Peak Pro XT 5, an extended technology edition of Peak Pro 5 that also includes SoundSoap and SoundSoap Pro audio restoration tools. While currently compatible within Peak Pro 5, the Master Perfection Suite will soon be offered as a separate product with universal plug-in host compatibility on Mac OS X and Windows XP. The Master Perfection Suite includes: Repli-Q (spectral/EQ matching), PitchCraft (pitch correction/manipulation), Reveal (seven tool analysis suite), Sqweez-3 & -5 (linear phase multi-band compressor/limiter/expander), SuperFreq (new edition of the 4,6,8, and 10-band parametric equalizer suite), and GateEx (gate/downward expander). The plug-ins were designed from the ground up by carefully listening to professional user feedback and they offer more features and many user interface improvements over other plug-ins in their class.

MOTU unveiled Version 1.1 of the recently released Symphonic Instrument universal orchestral plug-in for Mac and Windows. Version 1.1 adds disk streaming and support for multiple independent outputs. It will be offered as a free update to all Symphonic Instrument plug-in users later this Fall.

Native Instruments debuts the new version of its drawbar organ, the B4 II. The bass pedal section of the B4 II has been extended with a Pedal Bass Legato function, and now even includes a special "String Bass" option. Th new B4 II comes equipped with a new selection of models, ranging from a number of B3 organs of different age and condition to Vox Continental, Farfisa and Harmonium models. The rotary speaker section, the crucial element in achieving the signature Hammond sound, has also received a complete overhaul that brings both its authenticity and versatility to a new level.

The B4 II will be available in November 2005 for $229, or as a bundle with the B4D Drawbar Controller for $449.

JBL unveils its new LSR4300 Studio Monitors serie, dedicated to project studios, post-production and broadcast facilities, with two models : LSR4326P (powered six-inch two-way system) and the LSR4328P (powered eight-inch two-way system) . Thay will come with a dedicated system volume control, mute and solo functions and input switching that allows the user to monitor a range of analog and digital playback sources. Each model includes high-resolution 24-bit, 96kHz AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital inputs to interface with computer audio interfaces. They will include an accessory kit containing a calibration microphone, remote control, and LSR4300 Control Center Software.

LSR4326P will cost $1,399 per pair, and LSR4328P will cost $1,699 per pair.