BandmateLoops unveiled three new Sounds Like Drums Universal Virtual Instruments today. SLD's Hip Hop/RnB Kit offers multiple styles of Hip-Hop drums in one package. Firstly, the SLD 808 set provides classic emulation of the legendary drum machine. This
set is a powerful hybrid of real drum samples and synthesized sounds. Secondly, The Old School set provides the perfect backdrop for traditional Hip-Hop tracks, offering classic Hip-Hop sound. Finally, the RnB Kit is ideal for contemporary RnB sound. (ala Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, etc.)

Each kit utilizes a one-hundred percent analog recording process. The result is sound with a warmth and richness that is simply not achievable with even todays digital recording. Supported instrument formats include Mac and PC versions of Kontakt 2, Reason and others.

The 440Network.com team and myself are so proud to let all of you loyal MacMusicians know that we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary on September 27th during Apple Expo in Paris.

Ten years... Wow! When I launched the MacMusic mailing list on September 29th, 1997, I would never have imagined (even in my most enthusiastic dreams) that we would count, 10 years later, over 70,000 subscribed members and host close to one million visitors every month! I guess that follows the place internet took in our lives in a general way...

When I was a teenager studying electronics, music and sound engineering, I would have loved to access such useful content as the one we now deliver online through our news items, forums, article sections, etc. Now days, students, well versed amateurs and even acclaimed professionals can quickly get very useful answers to precise technical questions within minutes as these will be consulted by thousands of passionate users throughout the world that just love to share their knowhow and tech experiences.

Audio Impressions has updated their website with down loadable demos and the latest information on their Realtime Strings Powered by DVZ. Consisting of 70-Stradivarius and other prized instruments this amazing library offers natural orchestral balance and audiophile quality that result in a realism never before heard in a virtual instrument.

Change the size of an ensemble from a soloist to a full symphony or anything in between while continuously controlling the acoustic environment and instrument location in real-time all with intelligent articulations all controlled by a single intuitive user interface.

Realtime Strings is ideal for anyone using computers to create music for television, film, live theater and for use in music education.

McDSP has discontinued sales of individual LE products. For existing LE customers, McDSP is for the first time ever, offering the chance to upgrade individual LE plug-ins to Native for $195. Individual Native products have never been offered before, so take this opportunity and upgrade your LE plugs to Native.

Native products are full version plugs that are RTAS /AS compatible. Only individual LE sales have been discontinued, the Project Studio Bundle is still available, containing all LE products for $495.

Apogee Electronics Corporation released an update to their X-HD option card to provide better integration with Pro Tools HD.

The X-HD v.2 option allows for direct connectivity between Pro Tools HD systems and Apogee's AD-16X, DA-16X, and Rosetta 800 and 200 series converters, providing superior quality conversion to Pro Tools HD users without the need for an additional interface.

The X-HD v.2 release changes Apogee hardware emulation in Pro Tools to better support I/O setup and auto delay compensation without compromising channel counts or converter configurations.