Blue Cat Audio has announced the release of a new version of Blue Cat's Freeware Pack, its free audio plugins bundle. This new version introduces RTAS plugin format support for Pro Tools. It also includes several fixes and enhancements for the other formats, on both Mac and PC.

RTAS support is in final beta stage, so the company welcomes feedback about the usage of these free plugins in Pro Tools.

What's new in this version :

• Factory presets are now available from the plugin menu.
• RTAS plugin format support (final beta stage - currently available with
the Free Pack only)
• Mac: fixed keyboard/mouse focus issues in some hosts.
• Mac: fixed user interface crashes in some hosts, when used with particular
display settings.
• Mac-AU: fixed user ...

"Ethnic Panpipes" is a sampler instrument, made from an extended set of Lithuanian national panpipes. As in Soundprovocation previous release, multiple samples were recorded to recreate natural feel of the instrument.

The set contains 25 panpipes (2 octaves). There are three articulations recorded, selectable by modulation wheel - mezzo (normal), piano (soft & silent), sforzando (sharp & rude attack). Each note of the articulation presented has 9 variations. Every time you press a single note, you will hear a different variation. There are 675 individual samples total recorded.

"Ethnic Panpipes" is dedicated to ambient, folk, neo-folk music composers, movie, theatre soundtrack producers and composers with special needs to add something unordinary and extra natural to their creations.

"Ethnic Panpipes" is available for samplers EXS24 and Kontakt. You can get it for the introductory price of €9.99 instead of €19.99 (Offer is valid until December 31). Here is a link to demo sounds and more info :

Operator by 9 Soundware is a collection of presets for the EFM1 synthesizer within Apple Logic Pro. These settings harness the noise making capabilities of FM synthesis, a synthesis method often associated with the ubiquitous bell-like sounds heard in music from the 1980s.

The sound set consists of 30 inharmonic sounds and 20 tonal sounds. Examples include settings for impacts (e.g., Breakdancrrrrrrrrr.pst, Creepy-crawly.pst, Hair Metal.pst, and Piņata.pst), noise (e.g., Chop Suey.pst and Fluff Assasin.pst), and backdrops (e.g., Chernobyl.pst, Crop Circle.pst, and Snarl.pst), as well as those which are designed to be played with heavy use of the mod wheel (e.g., Country And Western.pst). Also included are a few presets which are characteristic of quintessential FM sounds (e.g., Mullet.pst and Menthol.pst).

The 0.2 MB download includes 50 .pst files.

Operator is available now for $14.99.

The X1 by sE Electronics is a new large diaphragm condenser microphone which is hand built in sE's own facility in Shanghai like all their products. It features a 10dB pad and a bass cut.

The X1 will be available in December at a price of €120.

Abletoncourses.com is a new website which features two online Ableton live video courses for beginners, intermediate and advanced level students, which has been designed and delivered by Ableton certified trainer Rob Jones.

The concept of this new internet business is to allow students of all abilities and locations to login and study online whenever they choose, getting professional instruction and support as modules are delivered.

Each course is presented in a modular format with each lesson lasting around 20 minutes and in total 26 modules are available which cover everything from initial setup through to advanced racks and performance techniques. Each module comes with comprehensive notes and students also follow a series of live sessions with Rob which are included in the course ...