Modartt releases Pianoteq add-on Xylo (€49) which includes a Xylophone and a Bass Marimba. Simultaneously, Modartt announces two new add-ons collections: Chromatic Percussions (Vibes, Celeste, Xylo / €99) and Rock collection (Electric Pianos, Clavinet, Rock Piano / €89).

Xylophone and Bass Marimba are similar to the vibraphone but are using wooden bars instead of aluminium. Each bar, that vibrates when hit with mallets, is paired with a metallic resonator which is tuned to amplify the sound.

The origin of the xylophone dates back several thousand years in Africa and South East Asia. The marimba appeared at the same time and is today the symbol of Guatemalan music. Due to its huge size, the bass marimba sounds more than two octaves below the xylophone. Very popular both, they are used in various musical styles from classical to Latin and rock.

The Pianoteq virtual copies of these two instruments are respectively modelled after a modern 3½-octave French brand xylophone and a modern 5-octave French brand bass marimba. Thanks to the sophisticated Pianoteq physical model, they come in several variants and benefit from the recently developed humanization feature which allows varying the strike point, adding to the musician's interpretation a vivid and stunning realism.

Both instruments are part of the new Chromatic percussions collection (including add-ons Vibes, Celeste and Xylo) which is announced together with a Rock collection (including add-ons Electric Pianos, Clavinet and Rock Piano).

Voxengo has updated its mastering limiter plug-in Elephant to version 3.7.

Changes :

• "Show All Channel Meters" metering issue in 5.1 surround mode fixed.
• Additional visual look variation settings added.
• K-metering modes now use fixed 600ms RMS and release time constants.

This update is free for registered users.

Steinberg is proud to announce the release of WaveLab's latest incarnation, WaveLab 7. Adding new facilities to its previous versions for Windows, the seventh version now also sets a benchmark for audio editing and mastering under Mac OS X.

Its feature list includes the revamped graphical user interface which provides eminently convenient handling of audio material across multiple windows, montages and podcasts with an intelligent docking and scaling system. Brand-new VST3 plug-ins and restoration tools, the new, future-proof burning engine and its flexible multiprocessing capabilities are further highlights. WaveLab 7 is available as boxed version in the Steinberg Online Shop and from authorized Steinberg resellers for €599/£497. The stripped-down version, WaveLab Elements 7, is available as boxed and download version for €99/£82.

Reengineered from top to bottom, WaveLab 7 introduces several novelties to its user interface which makes working with audio much more intuitive as well as expediting workflows in audio editing and mastering with a convenient, completely customizable window and toolbar management system. WaveLab 7 also includes a restoration tool package encompassing specialized DeNoiser, DeBuzzer and DeClicker plug-ins by leading plug-in manufacturer Sonnox plus 30 new VST3 plug-ins for further processing, expanding the depth of WaveLab's vast range of functionality. DDP support and the entirely new CD and DVD-A burning engine are features that round out the functional additions to WaveLab 7.

WaveLab 7 is the comprehensive audio editing and mastering software application which may be used to record, edit, restore and publish audio by hobbyists and professional mastering engineers alike.

Avid has announced the upcoming release of the Mbox 3 Mini, the Mbox 3 Mini and The Mbox 3 Pro.


The Mbox 3 Mini ($399) is the intro Avid Mbox interface. It is a 24-bit/48kHz, USB bus-powered 2 x 2 interface. It has 1 XLR mic/line combo input with 48V phantom power, 2 -1/4" instrument inputs, balanced output, headphone out, a mix control for zero-latency monitoring, and monitor volume knob. Rock-solid drivers ensure hardware compatibility with most major audio software (Logic, Live, Cubase, and more).

The Mbox 3 ($549) is a 4-in, 4-out USB 2.0 audio interface, with two microphone preamps (switchable between combi jack and 1/4" DI). In addition to the higher-speed USB 2.0 connection (up from USB 1.1 in the previous rev) are the Avid-branded version's improved 24-bit/96k converters (the Mbox 2 maxed out at 24/48).

Aalto from Madrona Labs is a new semi-modular software synthesizer with an innovative, patchable UI, distinctive sounds, and a charming personality.

Aalto's sound engine lets you create sounds that have been difficult or impossible to make with softsynths before now. The heart of Aalto is a Buchla-inspired complex oscillator, with FM, timbre and waveshape controls that enable a wide range of expressive sounds. These sounds are uniquely malleable and alive, in part because they are made with dynamic calculation, not static wavetables.

Aalto is designed as much for sequencing patterns as for playing individual notes. Each voice has a separate, built-in sequencer with a patchable, independently controllable rate and offset that make it easy to achieve evolving, chaotic textures.

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