Ative Instruments today announced STUDIO DRUMMER, a new instrument for the efficient creation of studio-quality acoustic drum tracks. By combining premium sampled drum kits and a comprehensive studio-grade mixing environment with a wide assortment of professional grooves, the KONTAKT-based instrument provides a highly versatile and easy-to-use "virtual drummer" that gives authentic and fast results for pop, rock, metal, jazz and related music styles.

For use with the full KONTAKT version and the free KONTAKT PLAYER, STUDIO DRUMMER makes extensive use of the advanced features of the KONTAKT 5 generation to provide all necessary components for a first-class studio drums production. At the heart of the instrument are three premium drum kits from Pearl, Sonor and Yamaha that have been sampled with painstaking precision in the renowned Teldex Studios in Berlin, using selected outboard gear and an especially sophisticated array of up to 18 microphones. The resulting 17 GB of sample material incorporate up to 25 velocity layers with up to 6 variation samples for individual instruments, and contain over a dozen distinct articulations for snare and hi-hats as well as an alternative snare option for each kit.

Native Instruments today announced KONTAKT 5, the next generation of its leading software sampler. The new version offers profoundly enhanced sound shaping through a host of new high-quality filters and studio-grade effect algorithms, superior time-stretching, vintage sampling modes, and more. Further accommodating its role as the central sample library platform on the market, KONTAKT 5 also introduces two major new features for advanced instrument design.

In a further major expansion of its unrivaled sound shaping capabilities, KONTAKT 5 introduces a completely new suite of high-quality filters, developed by the creative mastermind behind the acclaimed MASSIVE synthesizer. Ranging from classic analog-style ladder and state-variable models to modern formant filters, some of the 37 new filters also employ the unique new "Adaptive Resonance" concept, which automatically manages the filter characteristics to prevent unpleasant sonic artifacts from excessive resonance peaks. At the same time, the superior new "TimeMachine Pro" time-stretching algorithm in KONTAKT 5 enables unprecedented sound quality for harmonic solo instruments and similar demanding source material.ONTAKT 5 will be available in September 2011 for $399 / 379 EUR. An update for owners of previous KONTAKT versions will be available for $119 / 99 EUR.

Native Instruments today announced new versions of its studio-standard software bundle. While KOMPLETE 8 has been further expanded to include 27 individual products at an unchanged price, the new KOMPLETE 8 ULTIMATE for the first time combines the full arsenal of Native Instruments' KOMPLETE Instruments and Effects range at the same substantial discount, with 50 individual products conveniently provided on a dedicated external hard drive.

Further expanding its versatile sonic arsenal, the new KOMPLETE 8 includes the latest KONTAKT 5 and GUITAR RIG 5 versions, and adds the charismatic WEST AFRICA percussion instrument. It also incorporates the versatile new STUDIO DRUMMER drum production instrument and the upcoming TRANSIENT MASTER dynamic processing effect. Furthermore, KOMPLETE 8 includes over 1,300 additional presets for ABSYNTH, FM8 and MASSIVE, derived from several acclaimed soundpacks previously available as individual products.

The new KOMPLETE 8 ULTIMATE includes the full content of the regular KOMPLETE 8 bundle and much more, combining the full range of all currently available KOMPLETE Instruments and Effects on a dedicated USB 2.0 hard drive. The resulting collection comprises 50 individual products with over 13,000 sounds and 240 GB of sample content, at an effective discount of over 80% compared to the individual prices. The hard drive enables a fast and convenient installation process, and also constitutes a compact and robust backup medium for the software.

Nuendo 5.5 highlights new editing functionality useful in audio production environments. Multitrack editing tools, grouping events and editing across multiple lanes are now eminently convenient alongside reworked transient hitpoint detection and phase-stable audio quantization to expedite workflows. The powerful audio/MIDI lane editing for quick comping provides an overall efficient recording experience.


Great quality in real-time time stretching and pitch shifting is revealed through the newly added acclaimed élastique Pro algorithms. Complementing the list of new features are also an advanced offline processing, automation editing with improved trimming functions, the VST Amp Rack plug-in, tempo detection and full 64-bit support for Mac.

ITCH 2.0 is the latest update for Serato ITCH, a digital DJ software designed to work with carefully co-engineered controllers made by the best hardware companies on the planet: Vestax, Numark, Allen & Heath, Pioneer and Novation.

ITCH 2.0 is the first version to include a re-optimized sync engine, with all new Serato SmartSync technology. Serato's unique SmartSync smashes the traditional notion of master/slave states, creating an entirely new sync structure behind the scenes. This technology, teamed with precise beatgrids, locks grooves for smooth, intuitive syncing of multiple audio sources.
The Serato SP-6 Sample Player makes its debut in ITCH 2.0, complete with Serato's SmartSync. The SP-6 Sample Player offers four banks with six slots each to trigger drops, loops and whole songs seamlessly into the mix.