Radial Engineering Ltd. is pleased to announce the new LB series of API compatible Lunchbox modules. We already told you about the Radial JDV-LB Class-A direct box and the Radial PHZ-LB phase adjustment tool last month, so today let's talk about the Radial JDX-LB Head and Cabinet direct box.

The Radial JDX-LB is a combination loudspeaker cabinet emulator and direct box. Following the popular Radial JDX Reactor, the LB version is designed to connect between a guitar amplifier head and speaker cabinet to capture both the sound from the head plus the back-electromagnetic impulse from the loudspeaker via a reactive load. The signal is then processed via a proprietary filter that emulates the sound of a typical 4x12 guitar cabinet. To further enhance functionality in the studio, the JDX-LB features a high gain setting for 300W amplifiers and a low frequency extender for bass. The JDX-LB may also be used as a speaker cabinet emulator by feeding the instrument or a preamp directly into the circuit.

Pricing :

- Radial JDV-LB Class-A direct box : $349
- Radial PHZ-LB phase adjustment tool : $299
- Radial JDX-LB Head and Cabinet direct box : $299

For a limited time only, Abbey Road Plug-ins is offering the chance to own all three of their plug-ins in one low-price bundle. Containing the Brilliance Pack, TG Mastering Pack and TG12413 Limiter, the bundle costs $500 (Native) or $750 (TDM) – amounting to respective savings of $419 and $869 off the usual combined price !

This is a unique offer which ends on Monday, January 26th 2009 at 9am GMT and is open to both new and existing customers.

The bundle is available now and only through :

Insert Piz has released Mr. Alias 2, its new free virtual synth which is now open source and cross-platform.

Mr. Alias 2 uses non-bandlimited oscillators which can be transposed near to and beyond the Nyquist frequency, causing most of their spectra to be aliased back into audible non-harmonic frequencies. The sound can then be further processed by a number of crude "effects."

Though it is based on the same concept as the original, Mr. Alias 2 is completely rewritten for cross-platform compatibility, and has a number of significant improvements.

Some highlights :

- 2 oscillators.
- 18 waveforms.
- Full stereo processing.
- 6 filter types including a formant filter.
- Filter envelope.
- External audio processing.
- Patch randomizer button.
- Highly configurable MIDI control with MIDI learn.
- MIDI-controllable patch morphing.
- Drag & drop preset and MIDI map loading.
- Resizable GUI.

Mr. Alias 2 is available now for free as a VSTi for both Windows and Mac OS X, an AU version is also available for Mac users.

Four free EXS24 instruments have been posted at Practical Sampling. The site is provided as a companion to the Focal Press book Audio Sampling. The free instruments are a portion of the final projects of students at the University of Colorado at Denver who participated in a Sampling class last semester.

The instruments include :

- Toy Piano
- Toy Accordian
- Simple Guitar
- Bilhorn Organ

According to the site's blog, more instruments will be posted soon.

Waves has just announced that its GTR Solo software is now available for free for one full year.

GTR Solo features :

- 10 Amp Models (Fender, Marshall, Vox, etc...)
- 13 Stomp FX (distortion, wahwah, flanger, etc...)
- 10 Cabs

GTR Solo is available for Mac OS X and Windows in VST, AU and RTAS plug-in formats.