FXpansion is proud to present the second instalment of Yamaha artist signature snares for your BFD2 library. With the usual high levels of detail, multiple channels and multiple articulations, BFD Signature Snares Vol.2 is ready for you to sequence and mix using BFD 2.1's powerful software interface.

The snares are captured in the same room as previous Yamaha expansion kits and the Jazz & Funk, Percussion and B.O.M.B expansion packs, in Omega Studios, Rockville, MD, USA. The tight, precise and very playable sound makes them sound great when combined with any kit-pieces in the BFD library.

BFD v2.1's support for custom articulations allows these snares to offer 'rim clicks' in addition to the standard snare articulations, as well as positional sensing when used with electronic drums. ...

XILS-lab is proud to announce its new product : the polyKB. The polyKB is a recreation of a very rare, very powerful polyphonic synthesizer released in the 80's by a french company. It is a polyphonic substractive synthesizer based on two waveform morphing, aliasing free oscillators and a self oscilating 4 poles low pass filter.

One of its features, never heard on other analog synthesizers, was the continuously modulated waveform, sort of a modulated waveform morphing. Recreating this feature in the digital domain, without aliasing was a very big challenge.

Features :

• two aliasing-free morphing oscillators: from triangle to pulse, through saw.
• one 4 poles low pass self oscillating filter
• two envelope generators (ADSR)
• two MIDI synced LFO
• one MIDI synced Sample and Hold
• one 128 steps polyphonic sequencer
• one arpeggiator
• chorus and delay effects
• mono/unison/poly playing mode with up to 16 voices of polyphony
• all parameters are MIDI controllable

The polyKB will be released soon for Windows and Mac OS X in VST, AU and RTAS instrument plug-in formats. Pricing is not yet announced.

Universal Audio today announced the release of the highly anticipated Manley Massive Passive EQ plug-in.

Working with Manley Labs, Universal Audio's Massive Passive EQ plug-in represents their most ambitious hardware EQ modeling project to date, bringing UAD-2 users both the standard and mastering versions of this world-renowned EQ in one package. Specifically, the two-channel, four-band Manley Massive Passive EQ utilizes design strengths from choice console, graphic, parametric and Pultec EQs — delivering a fundamentally different EQ that's beyond compare. The Massive Passive's natural treatment of a signal lends itself to both radical tonal shaping as well as delicate vocal shading or subtle mastering enhancement.

MXL Microphones is about to unveil the new Revelation Variable Pattern Tube Microphone at Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Germany March 24-27, booth B47, hall 5.1.

The Revelation is a studio mic weighing in at over two pounds. An EF86 tube is designed to deliver "warm, transparent sound while its tuned grill cavity reduces standing waves and harmonic distortion".

Polar pattern selection is virtually limitless thanks to the variable knob located on the Revelation power supply that allows users to alter the polar pickup pattern from omni-directional to figure 8, and everything in between.

Other features include a -10 dB pad for high SPL sources and a bass roll-off switch to help reduce proximity effect.

The Revelation includes an aluminum flight case, 15ft 7-pin Mogami cable, 15ft XLR Mogami microphone cable, Revelation power supply, shockmount, and micro-fiber cleaning cloth.

Pricing: $1,495

112dB has updated its near-field monitor simulation for headphones, Redline Monitor, to version 1.0.4. This maintenance release applies to both the retail and the trial version.

Changes :

• Dim attenuation selectable from -3dB to -12dB to prevent clipping.
• Dim attenuation disabled when the plug-in is bypassed.
• Fixed - Option to disable tooltips wasn't remembered after closing the plug-in.
• Fixed - The plug-in caused a +6dB level increase on OS X.
• Fixed - The installer mistakenly warned about Windows 7 not being supported.

This update is free for all registered users.