As an extension of existing plug-in interfaces such as VST or Audio Unit, ARA opens an additional channel of communication through which the DAW and plug-in are able to exchange information about the audio files and their placement in the song, as well as over their tempo, pitch, rhythm and more.

The plug-in is "far closer to the action" in the DAW and therefore works considerably more efficiently; the DAW, for its part, is able to integrate the plug-in and take specific advantage of its strengths, as though the plug-in were part of the DAW itself.

Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH is offering a time-limited upgrade offer to Cubase 6.5 and Cubase Artist 6.5 at a preferential price.

Effective from July 2, 2012, until August 31, 2012. The time-limited upgrade offer to Cubase 6.5 is available through the Steinberg Online Shop and authorized Steinberg resellers for only EUR 399, including German VAT, and GBP 337, including British VAT.

The time-limited upgrade offer to Cubase Artist 6.5 is available through the Steinberg Online Shop and authorized Steinberg resellers for only EUR 149, including German VAT, and GBP 126, including British VAT.

Featuring over 2 GB of uncompressed content, 'Sunny Lax: Modern Trance Vol 1' is sure to bring your Trance productions into the 21st century and well beyond. In no less than 10 kits you'll find euphoric melodies, deep chord progressions and climactic builds.

Each kit has its own distinct mood, but thanks to the intuitive file naming and key/tempo metadata embedded in the files they can be used with each other and with your other Producer Loops titles with no trouble at all.

Best Service announces that TITAN, Synth-Werk and Drums Overkill, three excellent virtual instruments have been drastically reduced in price.

Now they go for € 149 / US $ 159 each (before € 249).

Teinberg Media Technologies GmbH today released the Padshop Pro granular synthesizer. Padshop Pro offers extended capabilities that meet the demands of discerning sound designers.

Some Features:

- Advanced granular synthesis engine with 2 independent layers and individual oscillator, edit and FX sections
- Up to 8 grain streams per oscillator for impressively rich and spacious structures
- Intuitive user interface for effective usability and direct accessibility
- More than 450 presets dedicated to atmospheric pads and evolving textures
- SoftGrain Wave ROM with hundreds of sounds for custom presets and individual tweaks
- Sample import via drag-and-drop for advanced sound design projects and custom presets
- 10-stage Modulation Matrix with Note Expression support for unlimited flexibility
- 12 different high-quality filter types for each layer.