Currently riding high with tours and engineers thanks to the incredible success of the Vi Series digital consoles, Soundcraft has launched a mid-market partner console in the Soundcraft Si3. This new desk is designed for live use on both touring sound systems and in fixed installations.

This compact footprint desk can directly handle 64 mono inputs, 4 stereo inputs and has full connectivity for all 35 output busses (24 Aux/Group, 8 Matrix and Left/Right/Centre mix buses). Add to this 4 Lexicon effects processors, 12 VCA groups, 8 Mute groups and bar graph metering for all 35 bus outputs and you begin to see what a package the Si3 is.

With the Si3, Soundcraft has revisited the control topology employed on the Spirit 328 and 324 digital consoles. The model is this - above each fader is ...

This man beat boxes the ingredients for his cooking show. Legen, wait for it... dary !

Check it out !

ARX unveils the ARX USB-DI VC Digital to Analogue Direct Box.

In response to many requests from users of the original USB DI who have been using it for specific applications, ARX developed the new ARX USB DI-VC which is basically a USB DI with the addition of an output level control. It is still a true Plug and Play digital to analog pro audio interface, removing the need to use any existing sound card outputs, but now the output level can be modified quickly and accurately...

It also still features the USB DI's full transformer balanced output isolation to eliminate earth loops / ground hum and other extraneous interaction noise and distortion.

The addition of the volume control allows the USB DI-VC to be used without a mixer. This is a very useful option when driving active loudspeakers from a laptop - the level control lets you reduce the level instantly to suit the required SPL, which still retaining an excellent signal-to-noise ratio.

Watch out this UFO !

Rob Papen has just released RG - The Rhythm Guitar Synthesizer.

RG is an innovative software instrument that allows the user to create not just classic rhythm guitar grooves, but also exciting new grooves and sounds which a real guitar could never produce.

RG uses a keyboard layout of "major-" and "minor" chords to play the grooves, each with two sequence pattern (A or B) options. Just hit a single note in the major or minor keyboard range and the groove plays. The sound sets are clean sampled guitars, which gives you great freedom and flexibility when using the synthesizer features and effects of RG.

Guitar types included are the classic Fender Stratocaster electric guitar, the 8th note groove type Steel String acoustic guitar and the 16th note groove type Steel String acoustic guitar.

The synthesizer parts of RG include a classic analog modelled synthesizer filter, LFO, envelopes and modulation section. The effect section can be built up by using up to 3 effects at a time. MIDI time-based delays, chorus and speaker simulators, phaser, flanger and many more are all featured plus over 500 presets including 300 "RG" grooves and 200 "basic" grooves.

RG is available now for Mac OS X and Windows in VST, AU, RTAS formats with an MSRP of £99 / €149 / $179.