Propellerhead Software has announced the release of Record 1.5 and Reason 5. These highly anticipated upgrades introduce new instruments, effects, sequencing, sounds, patches and more for composing, beatmaking, loop-mangling, vocal treatment, songwriting, remixing and music production.

Reason Record Duo feature highlights :

• Introducing Kong Drum Designer (Reason): Load, sculpt, build and tweak your sounds with your choice of drum synthesis, sampling, REX loops, physical modeling and custom-made effect modules for percussion on Kong's 16 pads.
• Dr. REX octuples into Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player (Reason): No matter how you use it—as a pattern sequencer for loops, or to completely mangle your REX'ed audio – it is "guaranteed to inspire".
• New Neptune Pitch Adjuster and ...

HALion Sonic, the successor to Hypersonic 2, is Steinberg's premier VST Workstation, featuring the latest sampling and synthesis technologies, a world-class library and an intelligent user interface that excels in the studio as well as on stage.

Features :

• Easy-to-use yet powerful premier music and production workstation
• Next-generation audio and synth engine
• Outstanding library including over 1,200 instrument sounds
• Unique morphing filters; FlexPhraser module for driving beats, arpeggios and complex tonal phrases
• Wide range of audio effects, including REVerence convolution reverb
• Integrated MediaBay sound management system
• Made to be played live: tweaking sounds on stage has never been faster
• Full VST Expression support for smart articulation editing
• Cross platform: Windows (VST3, VST2.4) and Mac OS X (VST3, VST2.4, AU) plug-in support

Pricing : €249

Vermona presents the Kick Lancet, an analogue kick drum generator.

The Kick Lancet is a handy analogue percussion synthesizer with priority to kick-drum sounds. The heart of the Kick Lancet's sound structure is an analogue oscillator that produces sine- and square waves, which can be blend seamless from one to the other. Two independent envelope generators with a decay/release phase can modulate the oscillator's frequency and the VCA. Additionally the VCO pitch can be modulated by the fast LFO (3Hz to 3kHz, triangle). Noise and a pulse signal can be added in the MIXER section. And we have a BALLS controller for making it really big.

The Kick Lancet can be triggered by MIDI but beside that there are three different trigger inputs:

• GATE: A gate impulse can trigger the Kick Lancet in normal way, with additional accent or completely dynamical depending on the incoming voltage.
• SWITCH: Simply short current trigger (i.e. momentary foot switch).
• AUDIO: Offers the possibility to trigger the Kick Lancet by an audio signal – static or dynamically. Also drum pads can be connected here.

For technical specifications and sound samples, please visit :

Plogue has updated chipsounds to version 1.5. In addition to having a totally new Interface and improved sound authenticity, Plogue is saving 3 new sound chips from extinction and adds many additional features.

UI Changes :
• Totally different skin (fits on all monitors and ebooks).
• Current mixer strip is always available.
• You can now enter some values using keyboard.
• New Amplitude LFO added.
• Two assignable drawable user LFOS.

New rescued chips:
• uPD1771C (as used in the Super Cassette Vision).
• uPD65010G (as used in the PV-1000).
• M5232 (as used in the Poly-800).

Healed chip:
• DMG-01's wave channel now has extra phase modulation (Pmode) and vertical offset (VPOS) settings.

Effect Changes:
• Added new MIDI Delay Module.
• Added Swing to Arpeggiator.

This update is free for registered users.

Brainworx releases their new bx_shredspread plug-in.

bx_shredspread is a stereo processor to be used on any stereo guitar subgroup or stereo guitar channels. bx_shredspread' s main purpose is to make sure your stereo ("doubled") guitar signals sound "wide and phatt" - as easy and fast as possible.

Stereo-guitars that have been created by recording several mono tracks (aka "doubled" guitars) will benefit best from the auto-correcting features and the "SHRED-filter", but bx_shredspread will work on conventional stereo guitar sounds and stereo samples as well, of course.

Although mainly created for guitars bx_shredspread may also be used on keyboard groups, organs, choirs, etc. bx_shredspread is a tool to control panning, stereo width and the "tone" of your stereo guitar tracks / groups. It automatically avoids typical phase problems that can occur when using M/S technology via some sophisticated algorithms for stereo width, EQ and pan.

Pricing :

• €119 - regular price after Sept 30.
• €89 - intro price until September 30th!
• €59 - your price if you own ANY bx_plugin