Avid Technology today announced three new Pro Tools Essential bundles, hardware-software combinations that target consumers and hobbyists who are interested in musical composition, editing, and production, or who want to create and share music, podcasts, narrations, and other audio content. The packages are: Pro Tools Vocal Studio, Pro Tools Recording Studio, and Pro Tools KeyStudio.

Pro Tools Vocal Studio includes the Producer USB microphone that lets people capture vocals, as well as record acoustically played instruments. Using the software, users can remix vocals to produce soundtracks and podcasts. It also comes with a desktop stand and carrying case.

Pro Tools Recording Studio lets users craft songs

MakeMusic has announced the simultaneous release of Finale Songwriter 2010 and Finale PrintMusic 2010. Both music notation software packages include new features and provide compatibility with current operating systems and files created with Finale 2010, MakeMusic's flagship software package.

With a list price of $49.95, SongWriter lets songwriters, teachers, band and choir directors, church musicians, students and other musicians create publisher-quality sheet music with instrumentations of up to 8 staves. SongWriter includes tools that inspire creativity including Drum Groove and Band-in-a-Box Auto-Harmonizing. With SongWriter they can hear their music played back using hundreds of built-in sounds, share their music with others using the free downloadable Finale Reader and create .MP ...

Tascam has tested all of their audio interfaces for use with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, Apple's latest operating system. Tascam certified the US-122L, US-144, US-1641, FW-1082, and FW-1884 as being fully functional in the OS. The newly-announced US-100, a stereo USB 2.0 interface priced under $100, is also compatible with OSX 10.6.

All Tascam interfaces were tested with the 32-bit mode of Mac OS X 10.6. 64-bit support will be announced at a later date. Windows 7 compatibility testing is now underway.

Mackie announces the launch of its Onyx-i Series FireWire Recording Mixers, delivering premium analog features, tremendous flexibility, and built-in 24-bit/96kHz FireWire I/O. Onyx-i FireWire mixers can be used with all major DAWs, and is qualified by Mackie for use with Pro Tools® M-Powered 8 (*), offering those users a host of new hardware options.

The new Onyx-i Series mixers feature extremely deep FireWire integration and a host of proven, high-quality analog features like Onyx mic preamps and Perkins EQ. Users can choose to implement the Perkins EQ into the recording path at the push of a button, and can also choose to record auxes, groups (1640i) and the master L/R signal. The flagship Onyx 1640i incorporates a massively flexible 16x16 FireWire interface, allowing the user to return up to 16 DAW channels right back into the channel strips for a true tape-style mixdown.

Propellerhead has just announced the release of Record, their new recording software which combines "effortless recording and a stunning software mixer console with a limitless rack of audio processing gear that builds itself or can be infinitely customized". Over 50,000 users tested Record during its beta test period, which began in May.

Built for independent minded musicians, Record is supposed to have the feel of a million dollar recording studio with the streamlined simplicity of a tape deck. For guitar players, the built-in virtual POD® from Line 6 brings a wide range of top quality guitar amps and cabinets. Record's software mixer's sound is modeled after the renowned SSL® 9000K hardware with flexible routing, full dynamics, EQ, advanced effects handling and complete automation. W ...