CharterOak Acoustic Devices will make their NAMM debut next week and will demonstrate the new SCL1 discrete stereo compressor/limiter. (NAMM booth 1861, hall E) Generating quite a buzz at the AES Show in San Francisco, the unit began shipping in November and is currently in back ordered status.

The SCL-1 Solid State Compressor/Limiter employs all discreet electronics and is capable of providing a constant output level regardless of input level or frequency, without the familiar pumping inherent in most compressor/limiters. The unit delivers extremely fast attack times without overcompensation, and a release characteristic, which is a function of dynamic range and average program level. Designed to fit any standard 19" rack, the SCL-1 may be used as a stereo unit, or as two independent limiters in the dual mode. This feature enables the end user to employ the device in one or two track production applications.

Like all CharterOak products, the SCL-1 comes with the CharterOak Lifetime Warranty.

Antares Audio Technologies has announced that Auto-Tune EFX - Real-Time Auto-Tune Vocal Effect and Pitch Correction Plug-in will now be available at authorized Antares dealers around the world.

Initially introduced in a limited rollout in November 2008, Auto-Tune EFX is an affordable and easy-to-use tool for real-time pitch correction and for creating the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect (i.e., the T-Pain/ Cher-style effect). Powered by the same Evo Voice Processing Technology as Antares' Auto-Tune Evo, Auto-Tune EFX makes Antares-quality pitch processing accessible to anyone engaged in computer-based audio recording.

Auto-Tune EFX is available for RTAS (Mac OS X and PC), VST (Mac OS X and PC) and Audio Units (Mac OS X) at a U.S. MSRP of $129.00. All Macintosh versions are universal binaries.

Fritz and Ulrich Sourisseau of Baden-Württemberg (Germany) unveils the VinylRecorder T-560 which turns your Technics SL-1200 or 1210 MKII into a high-precision master vinyl cutter !

The "starter set" includes everything you need except for a turntable (i.e., Complete Mechanic Stereo Cutter Head fused with 1.2 A slow Diamond Stylus, Mono microscope 40X, Lamp 220V 40W, all cables and adapters and 10 Blank 10" vinyl discs) and is priced at €3200. Additional blank discs are also available from their website.

Discover the VinylRecorder T-560 on 440tv !

Apogee is pleased to announce compatibility with Digidesign's recently released Pro Tools HD 8. All X-HD compatible Apogee hardware, including AD-16X, DA-16X, Rosetta 800 and Rosetta 200 has been approved for use with Pro Tools HD 8 hardware and software running on Mac OS X 10.5.5 or Windows XP SP 2.

All questions regarding Apogee products use with Pro Tools HD 8 can be submitted to Apogee Tech Support at :

Toontrack Music proudly announces that its all-new sound-replacing tool is now shipping in all territories.

Drumtracker is a stand-alone, host independent, multi-track audio to MIDI converter. Specifically designed to convert drum session audio recordings to MIDI files for drum replacement purposes, Drumtracker will grant your drums a new lease of life.

Drumtracker is available now for both Mac and PC and is priced at $149 / €99. Note that a demo version is also available.

By the way, this year Toontrack Music is bringing the entire development crew to the NAMM show in Anaheim, CA from the 15th to the 18th of January (booth 1200 in Hall E). Take this unique opportunity to talk directly to the people behind products like EZdrummer, Superior Drummer 2.0, etc...