Zero-G has announced Carnival Drums, over 2,000 samples and 1.4GB of the exciting sounds of the Brazilian carnival. This library features the main drums of the Brazilian Samba Baterias (samba percussion ensembles), which perform every summer at the Rio Carnival. For this project, 10 professional Brazilian percussionists, who perform annually at the carnival, were recorded at a state-of-the-art studio with close-mics, stereo overheads and distant stereo room mics to capture the true essence of these exhilarating performances. The 10 drummers were recorded playing every rhythm in unison, creating the power and force of a large carnival band when multiple loops are combined. Carnival Drums provides users with the versatility of over 1,400 drum loops in four mic positions. In addition, the col ...

KEL Audio has announced the HM-2d, an affordable large diaphragm condenser mic voiced "in the tradition of a high quality dynamic mic". Recommended for rock and roots vocals, guitar amps, piano, outside kick drums, harmonica, horns and more the HM-2d features a specially tuned capsule and circuit to produce a frequency response that varies only about 2 dB over most of its range, producing a tight, full, sonic profile free of the peaks and thin sound associated with many budget condenser mics and popular dynamic sound reinforcement mics.

The HM-2d will ship early September and will be available direct from KEL Audio website for $149 USD including shipping. A pre-order price of $129 will be offered until September 30th.

Roland has released its new flagship SP-555 Sampling Workstation for its popular SP Sampler lineup. The SP-555 comes complete with 16 velocity sensitive pads, 37 Fantom-quality effects, a new Loop Capture function, beefed up internal sample memory, and total computer integration with USB MIDI/AUDIO connectivity.

Features overview :

- Ultra-easy sampling with innovative Loop Capture feature
- Versatile sampling through Line input, phantom-powered Mic input,USB audio streaming, and WAV/AIFF import
- Dozens of killer performance effects, including Super Filter and DJFX Looper
- Audio interface capability with any DAW or DJ audio application (Cakewalk SONAR LE included)
- Large Sample Memory via CompactFlash (up to 2GB)
- Bundled Wave Converter software (Mac and PC) for importing and exporting WAV/AIFF files
- Infrared D BEAM controller and V-LINK compatibility for high-impact performance

For more information, please visit their web site.

CME has just announced that the new UF series master keyboards is now shipping. This 2nd generation series include a built-in USB plug and play interface, a MIDI in added to the expansion slot, and even a built-in full duplex wireless MIDI interface with error detection and 262 ft range.

Features :

- 49, 61, or 76 key semi-weighted action keyboard with aftertouch (UF50 / 60 / 70)
- 88-key hammer-action weighted keyboard with aftertouch (UF80)
- Built-in duplex wireless MIDI interface
- Over 20 user template, non-volatile memories
- 8 assignable control knobs with preset functions
- 9 assignable control faders with preset functions
- LED data display
- 6 assignable shortcut knobs
- 6 sequencer remote buttons
- Panel page and layer button, data adjustment knobs.
- 1 MIDI-out ...

Freeverse and Felt Tip Software recently announced "Tuna Pitch", a free app and widget to help you tune your guitar or other instrument. With five built-in presets including the standard EADGBE tuning, reference tones, and the option to set all six strings to any note, Tuna Pitch has everything you need to stay in-tune!

The Tuna Pitch app features a high-contrast, expandable window so it's easy to read, while the widget version is small and won't clutter your Dashboard. Both the app and widget are 100% free and are available for download from Freeverse's new website.