Spectrasonics has released updates for Omnisphere :

- Omnisphere Software v1.0.3f
- Omnisphere Patch Library v1.0.3
- Omnisphere Soundsource Library 1.0.2

The good news is that it adds over 2000 brand new patches with :

- Lots of new aggressive and punchy synth sounds
- Added "Dance" genre to the entire factory library
- Hundreds of evocative new 'Psychoacoustic' and "Hybrid Organic" patches
- Traditional and Vocal/Choral patches greatly expanded
- Created by the renown international sound designers (Diego Stocco, Scott Frankfurt, Ignacio Longo, John Lehmkuhl, Tobias Marberger, Stéphane Bonvallet, Hans Jörg Scheffler, Tolga Gurpinar and Eric Persing)
- Total Omnisphere factory patch library now over 4000 Patches

Of course this is free for all registered customers.

Fostex is proud to announce the new LR16 Live Recording Mixer which is a 16/4/2 live mixer with built-in 16-track recorder.

Main Features :

- Connector Box (recorder + I/O) and Controller (mixer section) can be flexibly separated via off-the-shelf CAT5 cable up to 50m. Just one cable from I/O box on the stage to the F.O.H. mixer controller instead of heavy and expensive snake cable.
- Intuitive analog-like mixer operation in digital domain with 16 inputs faders + 4 bus faders + master fader.
- Built-in 80GB HD for approx. 16 hours of 16-track uncompressed digital recording (16bit/44.1kHz) or 9 hours at superior digital quality of 24bit/48kHz.
- One hit of "REC" button starts 16-track recording immediately.
- Multitrack and Stereo Mix can be recorded simultaneously creating 16 x mono wave files plus 1 x Stereo wave file on the HD.
- Choice of MTR-like stand-alone integration or separated rack mounting.
- FAT 32 formatted HD can be mounted on PC or Mac via USB.
- Digitally controlled TRIM with LIMITER on all the 16 channels.
- 3-band EQ on all the 16 channels.
- Built-in Master Effects (Reverb/Delay)
- USB Host connector to dump recorded data to USB flash memory for easy data transfer to PC or Mac.
- 10 keys on the recorder panel for instant playback.

The LR16 will carry an MSRP of $2199.

Blue Cat Audio has released Blue Cat's Protector 1.1, a new version of its stereo brickwall limiter plug-in. The plug-in is now available for Mac in VST and Audio Unit formats and includes several improvements and fixes to the PC VST and DirectX versions. It offers simple controls and yet provides a wide range of sounding capabilities, from very transparent limiting to heavy distortion, with no latency.

What's new in Blue Cat's Protector 1.1 :

- Mac Audio Unit and VST support.
- New Windows installers (much faster install, improved upgrades).
- Automation output can now be disabled for hosts that do not propose automated parameters choice.
- (Bug Fix): fixed MIDI learn issues.
- (Bug Fix): window opacity is now properly reset when selecting factory presets.

Blue Cat's Protector can be purchased alone or within the Blue Cat's Master Pack plug-ins bundle. A demo version is available for download and the product can currently be purchased at a special introductory price of €53.10 (instead of €59) / $71.10 (instead of $79).

QuikQuak has released version 2.0 of its real-time pitch changing plug-in : Pitchwheel.

Changes :

- High quality, sample accurate pitch changing.
- 8 note chords, with low additional CPU resources.
- MIDI input.
- New user-interface.
- Zero offset phase bug fix from 1.1.

Pitchwheel v2.0 is available now in VST and AU formats for Mac OS X and Windows and it costs £15. Note that demo versions are available.

112dB has announced the release of Redline Monitor, a high-quality near-field monitor simulation for headphones.

Redline Monitor is a listening, mixing, and mastering tool. It replaces the extreme stereo separation characteristic for headphones with the detailed stereo image of near-field monitor speakers, turning headphones into a portable uniform listening environment. Whether in the studio or on the road, on a full-blown studio rig or your notebook, even in home studios and untreated rooms, with Redline Monitor mixes sound identical where ever you go.

Features :

- True stereo soundstage with adjustable left/right speaker position from 30° to 90°.
- Transparent sound with flat frequency response (±0.1dB for the entire 10Hz–22kHz range).
- Separately adjustable phantom-center level from 0dB to -3dB for optimal speaker matching.
- Distance control from 0m to 2m to simulate placement of near-field monitors in room.
- Auxiliary left/right solo and phase invert controls for critical listening.
- Output switchable to mono for mono-compatibility checking.
- Support for samplerates up to 384kHz.
- Flexible MIDI learn system.

Redline Monitor is available now in RTAS/VST/AU formats for Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and up at an introductory price of €69 / $69 until April 21, after which the regular price becomes €99/$99. Note that an unrestricted 60-day evaluation version is available.