Sims Audio has just announced The AMON USB recording interface, a two channel USB interface. It features a high quality microphone preamp, a line level/instrument input, and MIDI I/O. Additionally, the AMON includes a full software package from Native Instruments including: Absynth 4, Massive, and Traktor 3 demo software.

Note that this interface is USB bus powered and requires no extra power supply or wall-wart. The lack of power supply and small size make the AMON ideal for location recording. The AMON also supports zero latency direct hardware monitoring so you can hear exactly what is coming from the recording source. A powered headphone amp is also included in the chassis and it accepts a 1/4" headphone input.

The AMON has a MSRP of $225 USD, and will be available in the 1st quarter of 2008.

"Consider that each band of EQ can be selected from any of the five included 1951-1980 classic hardware models, add to that 60 unique compressor presets with an almost limitless set of input stage, compressor and the EQ combinations and clearly you've got one killer channel strip" says Mikail Graham in his review.

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Gallo Engineering has announced that the Mac OS X VST Universal Binary version of Studio Devil BVC (British Valve Custom), the free Guitar Tube Amp Modeling VST plug-in, is now available.

Features :

- Accurate 12AX7A vacuum tube preamplifier stage emulation with DRIVE control.
- Gain structure signal path that's true to those on vintage tube amp schematics.
- Authentic Bass, Mids, Treble, and Presence TONE controls just like those on real tube amps.
- Push-pull tube power amplifier model with DRIVE control.
- FIR-based speaker/cabinet/mic modeling filter built in for a "miked-up" tone.
- 4X Up-Sampling Engine with 64-bit Internal Floating-Point Precision.
- 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, and 196kHz sampling rate support.

The Mac version of Studio Devil BVC's commercial brother, Studio Devil VGA (Virtual Guitar Amp), is not yet ready for release but it will be available for Mac VST and Audio Units soon.

Announcing Major Malfunction version 2.0, a new version of the Mac OS X realtime audio plugin specifically created for use in Ableton Live. It allows you to easily mangle, glitch, slice and dice, and otherwise FSU in your audio stream, in either subtle or extreme ways. You use it as either a VST or an AU plugin in Live.

Major Malfunction syncs itself to the Ableton Live tempo automatically, and processes the incoming audio in a number of different user-specified ways, or even randomly if the user prefers.

New Features in version 2.0:

- new Multi Mode, allows for multiple effects per step
- in Multi Mode, allows for serial or parallel routing
- in serial Multi Mode, can rearrange effects in any order
- dramatic efficiency improvements compared with previous versions
- small bug fixes

Major Malfunction v2.0 costs $25 (USD) and is available now; it is a free update to registered v1.0 and v1.5 users. A free demo is also available.

Tascam has introduced two new digital Portastudios, the DP-02 and the DP-02 CF. The new Portastudios have been updated with a fresh new look, new effects and a new display.

The DP-02CF includes a 1GB card as an introductory offer, for plenty of recording time without purchasing additional memory, The DP-02 records to a 40GB hard drive instead of compact flash, and includes a multieffect processor, stereo reverb and CD burner for CD masters and song backup. Both units feature a Portastudio-style interface so that musicians can mix with knobs instead of digging through menus.

Features :

- Two XLR mic/line inputs with phantom power for condenser microphones
- Eight-track recording at uncompressed 44.1k/16-bit audio quality
- Portastudio-based interface with volume fader, pan, effect send, high and low EQ controls per channel
- EQ frequency button to access high and low EQ shelf frequencies
- USB 2.0 interface for transferring tracks, mixes and backup files to a computer
- Dedicated stereo master track for mixdown
- Internal metronome and bar/beat display for song position
- Headphone output
- Stereo line outputs on RCA analog and S/PDIF optical digital connectors
- 1GB Compact Flash card included as a launch promotion (DP-02CF only)
- 40GB internal hard drive (DP-02 only)
- Multieffects processor with guitar, bass, vocal and drum programs featuring a new tube overdrive effect (DP-02 only)
- Stereo reverb processor with send/return controls for multichannel mixing (DP-02 only)
- Built-in chromatic tuner (DP-02 only)
- Built -in CD-RW burner for CD mastering and song backup (DP-02 only)

Price :
DP-02 CF : $500
DP-02 : $800