Well here is a hot news! Our friends from Ableton has just informed us that the long awaited Live 6 is available as from today! Live 6 is surely their most versatile and powerful version to date. With significant workflow improvements, Live continues to feel good as the functionality grows.

What's New?

• Quicktime video support
• The Essential Instrument Collection
• Instrument and Effect Racks (Dynamic Tube, Saturator, EQ Eight, etc.)
• Multicore and Multiprocessor support
• Deep Freeze
• New Project Management Tools
• And much more...

Live 6 is available for $599 (549 EUR). Upgrade pricing details can be found on the Ableton web site.

Apple released today the 10.4.8 update for PPC or Intel Mac, if you need networks to work, or are on a deadline, wait a little for feedback before upgrading:
"The 10.4.8 Update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies:

- connecting to wireless networks using the EAP-FAST protocol
- Apple USB modem reliability
- using OpenType fonts in Microsoft Word
- compatibility with 3rd party USB hubs
- scanner performance
- RAW camera support
- printing documents with Asian language names
- performance of the Translation widget
- broadband network performance
- security updates

For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n304200"

FXpansion updates VST to RTAS adapter to 2.0, adding Universal Binary code, Pro Tools 7 optimizing, and VST 2.3 compatibility. Note that the 2.0 version is only for Pro Tools 7 users, PT 6 users should keep the 1.0.6 VST to RTAS adapter. The update price from version 1.x is $49 or 37.5 euros.

VST to AU adapter goes the 2.0 road too, with Universal Binary, a plug-in manager to select and rename the plug-ins to wrap and better stability and performances. The update price from version 1.x is $49 or 37.5 euros too.

And the surprise: to celebrate its brand new website, FXpansion offers to all its registered users Orca their new virtual instrument, an experimental monophonic virtual synth modeled from analogue synths and components.

Soundcraft has launched the compact MPM Series of multipurpose mixers. Designed for live sound, recording, houses of worship, multi-speaker installations and other applications, the MPM is available in two standard frame sizes offering either 12 (MPM12/2) or 20 (MPM20/2) mono inputs, with each model featuring two additional stereo input strips.