Blue Cat Audio has released a new version of Blue Cat's Freeware Pack, its free audio plug-ins bundle. This new release makes these free plug-ins available for virtually any digital audioworkstation: it includes official RTAS plug-in format support for Pro Tools users. It also brings 64-bit support for DirectX and VST versions under Windows x64, and 64-bit Audio Units support under Snow Leopard (for Logic 9.1 users running in 64-bit mode).

The plug-ins are available for download for free as a single bundle or separately on the editor's website.

What's new :

• RTAS plug-in format support for Pro Tools (Mac and Windows)
• 64-bit applications support for Windows DX and VST under Windows x64
• Mac AU 64-bit format support (compatible with 64-bit Logic 9.1 on Snow Leopard)
• Mac: fixed user interface crashes in some hosts under Snow Leopard
• Fixed MIDI learn issues

CFA-Sound has released CableDance, a new soundset for u-he's ACE (Any Cable Everywhere).

According to the editor, this soundset shows how analog and fat ACE can sound. It includes a mass of phat basses and stirring synthsounds, integrated with rough sequences, weird fx-sounds and analog drumsounds.

Features :

• 64 sounds for electro, house & minimal
• economic cpu-usage
• sorted in categories
• ACE 1.0 required

CableDance costs €17.50.

Rycote has announced a new product at the 2010 NAMM show in Anaheim, California — the InVision USM, a universal mic suspension for large-diaphragm recording microphones. According to Rycote, this mic mount offers substantially more isolation (up to 12dB) from unwanted vibrations than that afforded by traditional elasticated 'cat's cradle' mic suspensions.

The InVision Universal Studio Mount (or USM) has been designed to provide an alternative to elasticated suspensions, the basic form of which has remained essentially unchanged for several decades. Based around the 'u'-shaped Lyre suspension mount used in Rycote's existing InVision suspension range for smaller-barrelled microphones, the InVision USM will fit any microphone from 18 to 55mm in diameter, including large-diaphragm models and those with flat-sided and tapered barrels.

In addition to the InVision USM, Rycote has also announced the InVision TLM mount, a version of the new mount designed specifically for Neumann TLM-series mics.

In the "Toontrack TV" section of Toontrack's website you can find a very interesting video called "A Couple of Days in the Life of Toontrack"...

Shot in November 2009, this video provides several hints which suggest that Toontrack might be working on a virtual bass instrument, and maybe a virtual piano !

2010 promises to be exciting at Toontrack !!

D16 Group has updated Devastor - Multiband Distortion Unit to version 1.2.0.

New features :

• Full compatibility with Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.x).
• Distortion function can be selected from six predefined functions.
• Dry/Wet parameter has been added.
• Processing quality settings have been added.
• Filters can be turned off now.
• Bank of presets and MIDI CC mapping available at startup can be customised (factory settings, empty slots and user defined files are available).
• Recently used load/save directory is now stored within plugin's ini file.
• Presets storing method can be customised.

Changes :

• CPU usage has been optimized about 25%.
• Range of filters' resonance has been widened.
• Filters' frequency c ...