D&M Professional, manufacturer of the Marantz® Professional PMD series of professional recording products, introduces its newest field recorder, the PMD661 Compact Digital Recorder.

The launch of the PMD661 is a direct result of feedback from users in the field, working in an array of recording environments in various vertical markets such as broadcast, government, faith and education. Marantz Professional has developed the PMD661 to provide advanced functionality and convenience, further emphasizing its ongoing commitment to supplying customers with market driven product solutions.

Features :

- MP3/WAV (BWF) recording, with files saved directly to SD/SDHC memory cards
- 44.1/48/96kHz sample rate selections, in 16 or 24-bit quantization
- Switchable balanced XLR Mic/Line inputs with +48V phantom power
- S/PDIF Digital Input
- Built-in stereo condenser microphones
- Large, easy-view OLED (Organic LED) display
- Large, easy-to-use multi-function interface with improved navigation
- Angled LED and on-screen record level meters for easy visibility
- 1/4" headphone jack with independent level control
- Built-in stereo speakers
- Solid, field-worthy handheld design
- Battery-powered operation via 4 AA Alkaline, providing over 5 hours of typical operation (unit also accepts off-the-shelf rechargeable NiMH batteries. Batteries not included)
- USB 2.0 data port for fast transfer of files to PC/Mac
- Transcription playback functions, including pitch control and user-definable skip back
- Advanced editing features, including Timer Record/Playback, Copy segment, & File divide

The PMD661 is expected to be available January 2009 with an estimated street price of $599.

Puremagnetik has released BIG08 — over 3 Gigabytes of Micropaks from Puremagnetik's 2008 catalog. From electric pianos to drum machines and vintage synthesizers, BIG08 includes a collection of sampled instruments and effects specifically programmed to utilize Ableton Live 7's unique features. BIG08 saves customers 30% when compared to purchasing each Micropak individually.

Here are the included packs :

- Digital Beatboxes
- Blip
- Big Bertha
- Guitar Rack Vol. 2
- Metalsphere
- Vector
- AmpPak
- Model-C
- Analog Bass Vol. 2
- TeeBee
- PM Mark One
- Technosphere

BIG08 is priced at $98 and is available now.

Studio Devil unveils Virtual Bass Amp, the newest addition to their line of vacuum tube modeling amplifier plug-ins.

Features :

- Classic 12AX7A vacuum tube bass preamplifier emulation with GAIN control.
- BOOST switch that "hot rods" the bass amp for natural overdrive and distortion.
- BASS, MIDS, and TREBLE tone controls based on classic bass amp designs.
- Parametric MIDS control with FREQ knob for customized amplifier tone.
- Push-pull tube power amplifier model with DRIVE control.
- Continuously variable SOFT / HARD clipping limiter control.
- DEEP and BRIGHT switches to boost the ultra low end and brighten presence.
- Built-in "4x10" and "1x15" Cabinet Simulation FIR Filters.
- "Direct Box" (D.I.) Mode for compatibility with your favorite cabinet impulse modeling plug-ins.
- 7-Band GRAPHIC EQ tuned specifically for bass guitar with LEVEL and ENABLE controls.
- 4X Up-Sampling Engine with 64-bit Internal Floating-Point Precision.
- 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, and 192kHz sampling rate support.
- Compatible with VST, Audio Units, and RTAS audio hosts for Windows and Mac OS X.

Studio Devil Virtual Bass Amp is priced at $69 and will be available soon.

Addictive, filthy nu-house licks, raw wobbly sub-bass grooves, jackin, rude and disgustingly electroholic twisted leads, crystallised sexy electro-flavoured textures, and purified pulsating chord progressions, as the electro house phenomena evolves from the studios to the clubs, dominating the airwaves and seizing number 1's across the globe, Prime Loops proudly present their hottest producer package yet, with a fresh selection of new electro cuts bursting with inspirational content.

Dirty Electro Synth Loops has been recorded using a combination of vintage analogue synthesizers and cutting edge digital synthesis, compiling the hottest sounds of the moment with over 160 DJ-ready Electro House Synth Loops, Bass Loops, Leads and Chord Progressions, all of which seamlessly fuse together to provide solid tools for enhanced electro house music production. Everything has been optimised to chart standards, and mastered using the foremost studio technologies available to put you a cut above the rest.

To download listen to the demo & download free samples visit Prime Loops at :

We already mentionned it here a year ago but it's getting more precise ! The USB promoter group has unvealed the new specifications of the USB 3.0, a.k.a. "SuperSpeed USB". It will be up to ten times faster than the actual USB 2.0 and will be retro compatible, the flow rate will go up to 625Mo per second.

However before the introduction of this standard in our machines it will passed a bit of time and the first products including these new connections should'nt come sooner as middle 2009 at best.

This leads some space for an evolution of the Firewire connections...