Steinberg announces the release of HALion Sonic, the premier VST workstation instrument and successor to the Hypersonic 2 VSTi. HALion Sonic combines a sample library with a powerful sampling and synthesis engine. HALion Sonic supports both VST and AU plug-in formats and is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 and 10.5 as well as Windows 7 and Windows Vista, which also includes a native x64 version. HALion Sonic is now available for EUR 249.

With more than 1,200 synths, hybrid and acoustic instruments spanning across 12 GB of hard drive, the included library is the upshot of a strong collaboration between Steinberg and Yamaha sound design teams. A maximum of 20 articulations per instrument cover a generous scope of playing styles for various instruments, while support for Steinberg's VST Expre ...

Keith McMillen is introducing StringPort, "The First Computer Platform for Guitar". The StringPort very carefully processes, converts and conveys to the computer the polyphonic audio from industry-standard hexaphonic pickups (like the GK, Graph Tek, Zeta and RMC models) through high speed USB2. They have written custom drivers with extremely low latencies and all their applications take full advantage of multi-threading and multiple cores. High resolution (24bit) converters and impeccable design provide greater than 92 dB SNR from analog in to analog out.

But what really makes StringPort the last string/synth/processor device we will ever need is the powerful suite of software for use with the StringPort Hardware. The suite includes 24 applications including fast and accurate Analysis (for converting every little nuance of your performance into control data), powerful Polyphonic FX Processing (Wave Guide, PolyFuzz, Phase Vocoder, SMACK), a versatile VST FX Wall (perfect for all those plug-ins you've been "collecting"), a side of Synthesis (Classic FM and direct support for the world-famous Synful synthesizer), a friendly and useful Notation application (to capture data for output to your favorite music notation software), and MIDI Out to integrate StringPort into your existing MIDI world.

Shure announced the latest additions to its line of KSM microphones – the new KSM42 and KSM44A. The pinnacle of Shure advancements in microphone development, KSM microphones deliver world-class sound reproduction from exquisite electro-acoustical design and technology.

The KSM42 is a premium, side-address, cardioid condenser microphone for premier vocal recording. The KSM44A is a large-diaphragm, side-address condenser microphone that can be used in a variety of live and studio applications.

Like the other microphones in Shure's KSM line, the KSM42 and KSM44A are crafted from premium components and are ideal for sound engineers who demand the highest caliber of live sound and premier studio recording, with superb

The KSM42 ($999 MSRP) and KSM44A ($1,249 MSRP) microphones will be available in July and carry a two-year limited warranty.

SONiVOX announced the release of Reggaeton Instrumento Virtual, a new virtual instrument plug-in for MAC and PC. For the first time, Reggaeton producers can enjoy a virtual instrument solely dedicated to their craft.

Designed for quick and easy professional beat construction, Reggaeton's distinctive bilingual (English and Spanish) user interface affords effortless integration of midi keyboards and MPC pad controllers, bridging the gap between MPC style music creation and the computer-based virtual instrument environment.

Reggaeton Instrumento Virtual is packed to the brim with seven gigabytes of premium instruments, as well as a selection of loop based construction kits. Reggaeton Instrumento Virtual runs as Standalone, VST, RTAS or AudioUnit. It is available now with a MSRP of $149 and an introductory street price of $99.

Following their initial announcement at Winter Namm back in January, audio hardware specialists ESI have released their compact audio recorder – Rekord-M.

Priced at 159€, the stylish ESI Rekord M provides studio quality recordings for budget-conscious musicians seeking a portable unit to record their ideas, gigs and sessions.

Despite its incredibly compact size (3.4 x 8.5 x 1.4cm), Rekord-M features a built-in stereo microphone, integrated speaker, mono microphone input for dynamic microphones, stereo line level input with adjustable input level, integrated battery, convenient charging via USB, 4 GB of memory and even a colour LCD display.