Allen & Heath is proud to be shipping the new Xone:22, a 2-channel analog DJ mixer offering high quality audio and a professional feature set at a price of $399. The smallest and most affordable Xone mixer to date, the Xone:22 is equipped with Allen & Heath's characteristic sound and build quality, plus professional-grade features that would normally be found in the booth of a top-rated club.

At the heart of the feature set is a "lite" version of the analog Voltage Control Filter (VCF) system offering low-pass and high-pass filters, frequency sweep and 'mild to wild' resonance control. There is also a soft-switched effects loop to bring in external effects, which are routed back in through the filter system.

The new mixer has two stereo channels with dual phono/line inputs, and th ...

Lexicon announces the release of new Windows and Mac software drivers for the I·ONIX Series of Desktop Recording Interfaces.

With the new 64-bit Windows driver, these interfaces now operate seamlessly on computers running Windows 64-bit XP and Vista operating systems. The new Mac driver improves performance and now supports all Mac computers operating on OS X 10.4.9 or higher regardless of whether they are based on a PowerPC or Intel processor.

After releasing Cubase 5 and Cubase Studio 5 in the first half of this year, Steinberg now is also introducing the fifth version of Cubase Essential.

Offering a streamlined feature set that offers newcomers to Cubase a comprehensive set of composing, recording, editing, and mixing capabilities, the new version includes a range of functions from its sibling, Cubase 5.

Supporting Mac OS X 10.5, Windows Vista, and Windows XP, Cubase Essential 5 ($195.99/€149.75) will be shipping to European dealers and international Steinberg distributors, so availability may vary regionally. Cubase Essential 5 may also be purchased through the Steinberg online stores.

Novation is now proudly shipping the new SL Mk II range of Controller Keyboards featuring Automap 3 technology.

The SL Mk II features over 70 controls including touch-sensitive faders and ringlet rotaries, backlit switches, and pads all tightly linked to the DAW/Plugin/Instruments via Novation's exclusive Automap 3 Pro software. The SL Mk II lineup includes the 61, 49, and 25-key versions as well as a control surface only ZeRO SL Mk II with touch sensitive 60mm faders optimized for controlling DAW mixers in addition to plugins and software instruments.

QuikQuak has updated its "crowd simulator" plug-in Crowd Chamber to version 2.0.
New features :

• New algorithm.
• The complex feedback system has now been replaced by simple global parameters.
• Global Spread dial stretches out each voice over time, used to create large crowds, or weird individual effects.
• Overall spectral shift control, for creating large global pitch effects.
• Huge reduction in CPU usage for large crowd simulations.
• Reduced initial delay for large crowds.
• Increased basic population value.
• Extra presets demonstrating new capabilities.
• Simplified GUI and clearer labeling.
• PDF manual added.

Available now for both Mac (AU/VST) and PC (VST) at a price of £15.