Universal Audio today announced the web release of v4.9 software for the UAD Family of DSP Card's & Powered Plug-Ins(tm). Version 4.9 includes 14-day fully functional demos of both the new SPL Transient Designer and new Precision Buss Compressor; a classic center-console mix compressor.

Key SPL Transient Designer Features :

- UA modeled, SPL authorized and endorsed AU/VST/RTAS plug-in version of Transient Designer's unique Differential Envelope Technology
- Increase or decrease the transients of percussive sources for greater impact, or a softened response
- Sustain of sources can be transparently shortened or increased for increased musicality
- Reduces or increases room sound or preexisting reverb on virtually any source
- Highly useful as a gate substitute, a transparen ...

First introduced during the 2006 Winter Namm, PSP Xenon is now available.

Xenon is a full band, dual-stage limiter plug-in (AudioUnit, VST and RTAS for MacOSX UB ; VST and RTAS for PC) featuring an integrated Leveller, advanced K-System metering and psycho-acoustically optimized wordlength reduction. PSP Xenon offers 64-bit precision processing throughout its entire signal path, and can operate at sample rates up to 192kHz.
One of the good news is that it is available for PPC G4 and G5 : when introduced last year, it was only planned for Intel Mac.

A 14-day demo is also available (iLok required).

Yamaha offers new drivers and firmwares (available here) for the following FireWire/mLAN products : the G046 audio interface, the Motif XS workstation and the n Series digital mixers.
The new drivers make the GO46 compatible with Windows Vista. The firmwares for MOTIF XS, n8 and n12 mixers improve network capability over mLAN (without further precision).

Are you wondering if it's worth updating to Kontakt 3 ? Or are you just curious, or perhaps have you never tried Kontakt before ?
Native Instruments answers by offering a free demo (version 3.0.1) for Mac OS 10.4 or higher (458 MB) and Win XP (407 MB). You can use it as a stand-alone and as a plug-in via Audio Units, VST 2 and RTAS.
You will benefit by complete function range with all presets, the full PDF manual, and play with a demo library instruments from the categories Band, Orchestral, Synth, Urban Beats, Vintage and World. Demo limits are sessions limited to 30 minutes and no Save and no Total Recall.

This update offers many features, such as the new Full String Playing modes (string pizzicato, bartok-pizz, col legno, sul ponticello, tremolo, sul ponticello tremolo, mute).
The String Playing modes are the first to use Synful new synthesis engine, preserving full 24 bit fidelity while allowing the flexible morphing capabilities needed for Reconstructive Phrase Modeling (RPM), their proprietary technology.
Numerous features have been added, like new controls (release time, noise level, sforzando, tremolo speed, etc.), the ability to map any MIDI continuous control to any parameter, natural divisi (the players arrange themselves automatically across the notes of a played chord)...
Many bugs have also been fixed. This update provides support for Mac OSX (Leopard) UB and Windows XP/Vista 32/64 (in AU, VSTi and DXi plugin formats).