Cognitone, based in Hamburg, Germany, creates unusual programs that help with chords, scales and harmony and support the composition of original music.

The actual procedure of composing original music is rarely supported well. It usually requires a lot of experience, physical skills and a formal education in order to write a decent song, or setup an orchestral arrangement. When it comes to developing new ideas from scratch, the choice of tools is limited.

Cognitone's intelligent software companions simplify the early stages of the musical creation process. The first product, Harmony Navigator (MacOS X and Windows), is already available. The more comprehensive Music Prototyping Studio is intended for professional use and is announced for 2008.

The software can be purchased for 99 Euros on the vendor's website. A free 30-day trial version is available for download.

Alesis has announced immediate availability of the M1 Active 320 USB, combining USB audio playback and USB audio input for computers.

The speakers are not only audio monitors but also an audio interface. You can directly plug any pro hardware (keyboards, mic pre's, guitar effects, DJ mixers, CD and tape players, etc.) into the line input jacks on the M1 Active 320 USB in order to record them (no special drivers required).

Features include:

- USB 1.1 audio interface
- 16-Bit /44.1-48 kHz recording and playback
- Pro-grade 1/4" plugs and standard RCA jacks
- TRS Headphone output
- Stereo 1/8" TRS mini-jack input
- Stereo RCA inputs
- 1/8" TS output to passive speaker
- Switchable power supply
- Magnetically shielded for placement near TV and computer monitors.
- etc.

Native Instruments today announced that a demo version of Kore 2 is now available.

The demo version comes with a special demo library that contains 100 KoreSounds with Sound Variations, showcasing the vast range of production-ready sounds available in the Kore 2 factory library.

The Kore 2 demo version is now available as a free download for Windows and
Mac OS X on the NI website.

Here it is : PowerCore software v.3 !
This update is available for PowerCore Element, PCI, PCI mkII, Express, Unplugged, Compact, FireWire and X8.

Mac : plug-ins and drivers are Universal and support both Intel and PowerPC Macs.
Mac & Windows : Support for PowerCore X8 hardware added.
Mac & Windows : Tube-Tech CL 1B added + 4 hours of trial time.
Mac & Windows : Softube Vintage Amp Room PowerCore added + 4 hours of trial time.
Mac & Windows : improved preset handling on all TC Electronic plug-ins, with new preset up/down, a/b and reset buttons for faster preset browsing and comparison of settings.
Mac & Windows : new native Sidechainer plug-in with versatile high/low cut filters.
Mac & Windows : new versions of 24/7-C, ChorusDelay, Dynamic EQ, Filtroid, Master X3, Master X5, Mega ...

This update improves overall stability and addresses issues with file export to iPhone.