Univers-Sons / Ultimate Sound Bank has updated their free, advanced virtual sampler UVI Workstation to v1.0.15.

Changes :

• [Imp] Allow MIDI Modulation for most controls (editable using Alt (Option) + Right Click).
• [Fix] fix some crashes.
• [Fix] fix possible issues with favorites folders.
• [Fix] More flexible text conversion to value when editing controls values.
• [Fix] fix CPU issue when opening popup menu on Windows.
• [Fix] fix MIDI edition range on int parameters (now can access to all values).

Apple unveils 3 new songs to the Artists section of the GarageBand Lesson Store. Sting's Message in a Bottle and Fragile and Sarah McLachlan's Angel bring the total number of artist lessons available to 13.

Lessons cost £3.95/€4.95 each and can be purchased from within the GarageBand application, part of the iLife '09 suite.

MOTU has just annonced the release of Volta, its new virtual instrument plug-in that allows users to play and automate modular synthesizers — or any hardware equipped with control voltage (CV) inputs — from their favorite host audio workstation software.

Volta is now available for Mac OS X as an Audio Unit plug-in instrument at a list price of $249.

Ueberschall announces the release of Studio Works, their latest Elastik Soundbank. This 1.8 GB package is immensely compatible with Soul, Funk, RnB, Acid Jazz, House, and Downbeat sound environments. In addition to construction kits, a substantial selection of individual phrases are also provided. Ueberschall strived to maintain richness of tone from the ground up in their approach and implementation of methods to assemble this collection. Zero Virtual Instruments/Virtual Effects were used, leaving the material in it's most transparent valve, tube, tape enhanced state, to further alter and treat at your discretion.

Studio Works has an MSRP of $119 / €99 / £69. The included Elastik Players is available for Mac OS X and Windows in AU, VST and RTAS plug-in formats. To hear a demo go to :

Ohm Force has launched a new video contest called the Ohm Studio Video COhmpetition.

"How do you use the Ohm Force plugins? How do they help you to give your personal touch to your audio tracks? What Ohm tricks & threats have you already learnt and/or created, from the most known and used to the secret techniques you keep for the *right* moments? In this contest you'll be able to share your ohm studio techniques with all the ohmfriends around the world. And maybe get a huge prize kit in reward."

Five winners will be chosen from the submissions to win one of five increasingly awesome prize packages that include both Ohmn and non-Ohm branded prizes :