Imagine a control surface with real knobs, sliders, real switches for your favourite sequencer, plug-in, virtual synth or whatever. Let me introduce you to SenseSurface, a working demonstration prototype from Girton Labs.

Applications that would normally use a mouse, Qwerty keyboard or MIDI controller can be now controlled with traditional knobs. The scroll bar on the right hand side of your computer screen can be controlled with a real slider button. SenseSurface can be used with most laptops with a USB input. The sensing knobs have a custom designed movement sensor to determine position within a range of 180 degrees with a 10 bit digital output, linearity typically 1%.

The magnetic knobs can be removed and repositioned immediately by picking them up and moving to a different part of screen. A unique sensing x/y matrix is attached to the rear of the laptop screen to detect the control's position. The distance of the sensor from the screen can also be detected.

The system is multitouch and scaleable , the number of controls on the screen is limited by the size of the screen. The screen can be at any angle. The SenseSurface should cost less than $100 in production.

Girton Labs is looking for interested business partners and manufacturers. For more information, please visit the link below :

Tune It! is a piece of software that helps musicians to tune their instruments. It can also be used to monitor the pitch during live performance. It is based on an original and very accurate pitch detection algorithm. It can tune a wide range of instruments such as guitar, bass, piano, flute, violin, saxophone, etc.

Available for both Mac and PC, it can be ran as a standalone application or as a plugin within a VST or AU host. The good news : Tune It! is totally free !

MXL (a division of Marshall Electronics) is pleased to announce the introduction of the MXL Studio 1 portable USB condenser microphone for the home recording market. The Studio 1 is the latest addition to the line of existing USB microphones from MXL.

Unlike other products that require mixers, preamps, or expensive studio gear, USB condenser microphones are "Plug & Play". The MXL Studio 1 does not require any special drivers and is compatible with any PC or Mac computer.

The Studio 1 features a large two-micron diaphragm condenser capsule with a 40 Hz-20 kHz frequency response. The digital section features a 16-bit Delta Sigma A/D converter with available sampling rates of 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz. A red LED light behind the protective grill indicates that the microphone is active and correctly oriented toward the user. The Studio 1 also has an integrated headphone jack which provides zero latency monitoring and clear audio playback. This zero latency feature provides a more accurate recording when doing voiceovers and Internet recording such as podcasts, interviews, and personalized radio or playlists.

The MXL Studio 1 includes a hard black plastic carrying case, desktop microphone stand / adapter, 10-foot USB cable, user's manual, and application guide. The expected street price is $99.95 with a MSRP of $129.95.

Ableton Live 7 is now available absolutely free for 14 days. This is a great opportunity to test drive the new Ableton instruments or discover the new features and functions in Ableton Live 7.

The trial version includes :

- Ableton Live 7
- Sampler, Operator, Electric, Analog, Tension
- Extensive built-in step-by-step tutorials
- Localized software menus, tutorials, and PDF reference manuals

Try out all the features, including save and export, for 14 days by following the link below.

Note that each session requires connecting to the Ableton server to activate saving and exporting.