Sonoris Audio Engineering has just announced the release of Sonoris Dither, a professional, high quality audio plugin for mastering purposes.

With this plugin you can quantize audio to a lower bitdepth with dither and/or noiseshaping. The dithertype is selectable between TPDF and High Pass (HP) TPDF. TPDF is short for Triangular Probability Densitity Function, a form of dither that eliminates non-linear distortion during re-quantization and has no signal modulation artifacts.

The noiseshaping can be set to three flavors: Curve A, B and C or "Off". It is also possible to set noiseshaping without dither.

The output bitdepth can be set to 16 and 20 bit or "Off" for no quantization.

Sonoris Dither is available now for both Mac OS X and Windows in VST format and is priced at $75.

Perimeter Sound Arts has released Tone Set #5, a collection of 128 newly created Gearbox patches.

Sorted into 4 categories, 'Alternative', 'Blues', 'Clean', and 'Metal', with a focus on mixing and matching guitar & bass pres and cabs, and bringing out the truer tone of the amps, with fewer effects added and almost no compression used.

Tone Set #5 is available now and is priced at $20. Note that a free no-restrictions-on-use (and no email sign up of any kind required) free demo pack of 16 patches from Tone Set #5 is also available.

McDSP has extended its offer on the "Create Your Own Native Bundle" special for the month of August. You may purchase any one native plug-in for $295, two native plug-ins for $495, three native plug-ins for $695 or four native plug-ins for $795

All McDSP native plug-ins are included in this one-time-deal of creating your own bundle – Analog Channel, Channel G, Chrome Tone, CompressorBank, DE555, FilterBank, FutzBox, MC2000, ML4000, NF575, Revolver and Synthesizer One.

The McDSP Native product line supports RTAS and AudioSuite formats, and operates on Pro Tools HD, LE, and M-Powered. Special available only via electronic delivery. All plug-ins purchased within a bundle must be deposited to the same iLok account. Note that this offer ends August 31, 2008.

Tascam has announced three recording bundles designed to "supply musicians with the tools they need to make great recordings".

The Track Pack T1 combines the US-122L audio interface with a dynamic microphone, headphones and Cubase LE4 recording software. The Track Pack T2 matches the US-144 interface with Tascam's new TM-78 condenser microphone. The Field Pack pairs the DR-1 portable recorder with the TM-ST1 stereo microphone.

Pricing :

- Track Pack T1 sells for $299 MSRP/$179 street.
- Track Pack T2 sells for $369 MSRP/ $199 street
- Field Pack sells for $498 MSRP/$349 street.

Soniccouture has released Bowed Piano, a new sampled instrument for EXS24 and Kontakt.

First suggested by the composer Curtis Curtis-Smith in 1972, the Bowed Piano technique uses flexible bows made from monofilament nylon fishing-line which are then coated in rosin. The nylon is threaded under the strings, and the performer can coax a sustained tone from the piano.

The Soniccouture Bowed Piano instrument was recorded using a 9 foot Baldwin Grand, a popular model with Bowed practitioners. Each key has alternate samples to prevent repetition of attack transients, and there are 3 articulations per key — Normal bowing, Hard bowing, and short, staccato bows. The Normal and Hard samples are looped long, for infinite sustain. When playing, you can crossfade from normal to hard bowing using the mod-wheel, and the staccato bows are activated via a keyswitch.

Features :

- 1.6 GB Sampled Instrument
- 24 bit Stereo 44.1 Recording
- 9' Baldwin Grand Piano
- Multiple Articulations
- Alternate Round Robin Layers
- Convolution Reverb From Piano Cabinet Kontakt 2 / 3 or Logic EXS24 Required

Bowed Piano is available now fand is priced at £49 (download) / £52 (DVD). Audio examples are also available at the following address :