Digidesign has announced Structure, a sampler workstation designed and optimized specifically for Pro Tools. Structure includes a premium comprehensive sample library from EastWest, features support for importing SampleCell, EXS24, and Kontakt 2 sample libraries, and many more features.

Main features :

- 128-level multitimbral universal sound engine
- support for an unlimited number of nestable patches and up to 8-channel interleaved samples
- supports all standard bit depths, sample rates, and surround formats (up to 24-bit/192 kHz/7.1 surround)
- integrated file browser, sample editor and multi-effects processing engine including convolution reverb
- samples can be played back via disk streaming or solely from RAM

Digidesign will soon be launching a Structure public beta program open to a limited number of participants. More details and the official beta program kickoff announcement will be soon posted at the Digidesign website.

Korg has debuted the mini-KP, a newcomer in the KAOSS Pad family.

Features :

- Intuitive touch-pad interface gives you fingertip effect control in real-time.
- The smallest body in the KAOSS PAD series.
- Battery operation and a carrying strap make it an ideal choice for any scene.
- One hundred effects including filter, delay, and looper meet the needs of any musical style.
- Numerous BPM effects are provided. You can use the "TAP/BPM button" to synchronize the mini-KP to your song's tempo, and apply a wide range of effects to your music.
- "FX RELEASE" function provides a natural decay when changing effects or removing your finger from the pad.
- Hold function lets you memorize the position at which you touched the touch-pad when you release your finger.
- Use the two memory keys A and B to store your favorite effect program settings, including the effect depth and the Hold on/off status.

The mini-KP will be available March 2007 for $250.

Blue Microphones has announced the Woodpecker, an active ribbon microphone made the old-fashioned way - without compromise. With an exotic wood finish and unique active circuitry, the Woodpecker is a precision-crafted recording tool, combining the low noise and Blue's Class-A discrete handmade electronics with the bold sound of a handmade aluminum ribbon pressure-gradient transducer.

The Woodpecker will be available on Q1 2007 for $1299.

Solid State Logic has announced Drumstrip, a drum processing plug-in for Duende.

Key features:

- Carefully selected collection of five audio processing tools.
- Transient shaper with Transient Invert to bring the attack phase of your drums to life.
- Transient Shaper Audition enables you to isolate and monitor the effect of the Transient Shaper.
- "Over-Easy" soft ratio compression characteristic for smooth transitions.
- Dedicated drum Gate with range and independent open and close threshold con.
- High Frequency Enhancer to invigorate top end.
- Low Frequency Enhancer to improve bass frequencies.
- The classic SSL Listen Mic Compressor with additional bypass function to alter the legendary band-limited compression to full range compression.
- Adjustable processor o ...

Korg has unveiled the successor to their microKORG called Korg R3. The R3 is a compact synthesizer and vocoder that borrows its feature set from the Radias. An R3 program consists of two complete timbres, each with two oscillators, two filters, two LFOs, three ADSR envelopes, and a modulation sequencer. It comes with a built-in microphone, an arpeggiator, and a 37-note, Velocity-sensitive keyboard.

For more information, visit Korg's web site.