MacPips, a small, new, Mac-only developer, have released their first product: MacPips Loop Pack 1 for Garageband. This pack of 125 carefully crafted royalty-free Real Instrument and Software Instrument loops for Garageband contains a wide variety of music styles, with some great melodies and harmonies that you can adapt to your own compositions. From delicate piano lines, neat guitars, walking basslines, classical phrases to ambient beats, there's something here for everyone.

These loops are perfect if you're composing for games, iMovie and iDVD projects, film, radio jingles or podcasts. The full product may be purchased for $7.99.

Nomad Factory has released Essential Studio Suite plugin bundle as version 1.2 Universal Binary for both MacIntel and PowerPC, in VST, AU and RTAS/AudioSuite. The bundle includes Multiband Compressor, Essential Channel, Essential Graphic EQ, Essential Compressor, Essential Noise Gate, Multiband Loudness Maximizer, Loudness Maximizer, Tube/Tape Warmer, and Retro-Vox.

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Announced at Frankfurt MusikMesse, Steinberg HALion Symphonic Orchestra is now shipping worldwide. HALion Symphonic Orchestra features a 27GB library, integrated easy-to-use player, RealAmbience adjustable recorded reverb and range of playability features combine to form a new orchestral composition and production tool. Played by a leading European orchestra, the expansive 27GB HSO library encompasses a vast array of articulations for strings, woodwind, brass and percussion including crescendo, decrescendo, accents, half and whole tone thrills, bowing (where applicable), portamento, pizzicato, expressivo and many more. 1250 programs offer solo, ensemble and tutti sounds for almost every instrument, with innovatively programmed facilities like key-switches and crossfades providing easy use of complex sample groups.

Supporting VST, DXi, AU as well as ReWire for easy integration into Pro Tools, HALion Symphonic Orchestra also offers a stand-alone mode. it ships for €499.00. HALion String Edition 1 or 2 users can upgrade to HALion Symphonic Orchestra for €199 or €99.

BIAS announced an extension of their spring promotion with several customer incentives for new retail editions of five BIAS software products purchased from June 1, 2006 though July 31, 2006 :

- if you buy Peak Pro XT 5, you get Free DDP Export Extension
- if you buy Peak Pro 5, you get Free SoundSoap 2
- if you buy Peak LE 5, you get Free Freq-4 and Sqweez Plug-ins
- if you buy SoundSoap Pro, you get Free Peak LE 5
- if you buy SoundSoap 2, you get Free Peak Express 5

The free products offered in this promotion will be made available to qualifying customers via download after proper completion and submission of the downloadable BIAS Summer Promotion coupon (available on the BIAS Web site) accompanied by a valid sales receipt.