Recording Engineer. Recording tips. Mixing Tips.

Globalmixing.com proudly announces the launch of a new vocal fixing service.
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TC Electronic announces Digital Konnekt x32, an all-in-one digital patchbay, format converter and FireWire audio interface, for integrating digital outboard effects units and keyboards with modern digital audio workstation based studios. Digital Konnekt x32 will ship in July 2007 with a retail price of $1745 MSRP, EUR1295, GBP875 ex. VAT.

As a stand-alone format converter and patchbay, Digital Konnekt x32 includes 8 channels of AES/EBU, 8 channels of S/PDIF and TOS, 8 channels of ADAT (up to 96 kHz SMUX) and Word Clock I/O. Any input format can be converted into either of the other formats and aligned to any sample rate ranging from 44.1 to 192 kHz. Digital Konnekt x32 allows sample rate conversion on up to four separate stereo inputs at once.
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RME has announced that a re-engineered and enhanced Firmware 2.0 Update for the Micstasy is now available. The update gives the Micstasy direct compatibility with Yamaha’s M7C and PM5D mixing consoles, responding to their Sysex commands. Input gain is adjustable in steps of 1dB (gain range of -9 to 63dB), with phantom power selectable on each channel.

The Micstasy can also be controlled from Yamaha’s DM1000 and DM 2000 consoles via MIDI, even though the protocols are not directly compatible. For this purpose, the consoles’ MIDI remote layer functionality has to be set up so that it corresponds to the Micstasy’s Sysex remote protocol.
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The Vienna Symphonic Library team is proud to announce the release of the new VIENNA INSTRUMENTS Collection SPECIAL BRASS, which is now available from Vienna’s worldwide network of distributors and dealers.

Like the recently released Special Woodwinds, the 21 GB Vienna Instruments Collection Special Brass offers resonant rarities that a first-rate virtual orchestra can’t do without.

To create the perfect counterpart for Vienna’s now famous Epic Horns, the team recorded an ensemble of six trumpet players (three trumpets in Bb and three in C). The Fanfare Trumpets provide tremendous impact with their sforzato and sforzatissimo playing techniques. And they deliver sparkling trumpet themes that soar magnificently above the orchestra.
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Abbey Road Studios and Propellerhead Software announce they have partnered to produce the Abbey Road Keyboards ReFill for Propellerhead Software’s Reason. Abbey Road Keyboards delivers a hypersampled collection of seven unique instruments recorded using the original equipment at the legendary Abbey Road Studios.

The Abbey Road Keyboards ReFill consists of Reason 3.0 patches with samples of Steinway “Mrs. Mills” piano, Challen studio piano, Hammond RT-3 & Leslie Model 122, Mannborg Harmonium, Mellotron Model 400, Schiedmayer Celeste and Premier Tubular Bells. These time-tested keyboards have been at the studios since the early 60’s and were used on some of the most popular tracks of all time—from “A Hard Day’s Night” to “Dark Side Of The Moon” as well as numerous film scores such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Aliens, all three Lord of the Rings movies and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, to name but a few.
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SABIAN, Ltd., the award-winning cymbal manufacturer, today announced the 10 finalists in its “SABIAN Dream Spot,” a promotional contest that will give one lucky undiscovered band a chance to play 10 dates on the 2007 Vans Warped Tour. The winning band will play on the “Kevin Says” stage, the launching pad for numerous SABIAN bands including renowned favorites “My Chemical Romance,” “Fall out Boy,” “Avenged Sevenfold” and “All American Rejects.”

Hundreds of bands submitted entries for the “Dream Spot” contest. Preliminary judging was conducted by a panel of industry professionals including Vans Warped Tour representatives, magazine editors and SABIAN’s artist relations team, who narrowed the list down to 10 finalists. Those finalists represent a variety of musical genres and hail from all over North America.
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Apogee Electronics Corporation announced today that Symphony Mobile is now shipping worldwide through authorized dealers and distributors. Symphony Mobile is the first professional, state-of-the art native audio workstation designed specifically for Apple’s MacBook Pro.

Symphony Mobile features all of the performance, quality and value of Apogee’s Symphony PCI-Express card, with up to 32 channels of I/O, and less than 1.6 milliseconds of latency at 96K, in a portable form factor. Installed directly into Apple’s MacBook Pro and connected to Apogee’s legendary X-Series or Rosetta Series converters, Symphony Mobile delivers amazing sound quality and capabilities that rival most desktop workstations, making it the ultimate solution for professionals that want to do audio production on a laptop.

“We are pleased to be shipping Symphony Mobile,” says Apogee Co-Founder and CEO, Betty Bennett. “With high channel count and extremely low latency, Symphony Mobile liberates the customer from large desktop workstations. The freedom to move no longer requires professionals to compromise on performance.”
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Extreme Punch 2 is a major upgrade to Extreme Punch with a number of improvements.

New Features:
CPU efficiency improved by 60%
Fatter, punchier, more analog sound
Natural tape compression emulation
Automatic dynamic control
Free Video instruction guide

Extreme Punch is an analog tape emulator designed to make digital tracks warmer and considerably punchier.

Back in the days of analog tape, producers used the “limitations” of the medium to make recordings that were punchy and warm. This was done by saturating the magnetic particles on analog tape by sending a very “hot” signal to the tape.

The result was a pleasantly warm sounding recording that analog became known for. Extreme Punch was designed to very accurately reproduce the sound of tape saturation. You can download the free demo version and try it for yourself.

For more information, visit their web site at www.recordingschoolonline.com

DontCrac[k] in partnership with Nomad Factory today announces the launch of their third Blue Tubes V3 Pack that is nothing else than a complete pack of hot effects to be used with any VST - RTAS/AS and AU audio sequencer host. Designed by musicians for musicians, the Blue Tubes Effects Pack is a collection of 6 very high quality plug-ins processors for PC and Mac OSX.
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As part of its ongoing efforts to support working musicians, TuneCore—in conjunction with its strategic partner Guitar Center—is giving away a prize package on July 20, including a 2007 Ford Econoline van, enabling a band to tour across the US.

TuneCore, which allows musicians to quickly, cheaply and easily upload their music to iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster and eMusic and many more understands the necessity of touring and the resources needed to go on tour.

Jeff Price, founder and CEO of TuneCore, says, “The goal of TuneCore is to take the headache out of the musician’s life while providing the services and resources needed to succeed. Gigging is not only important to building a band’s profile, for many, it is also THE moment when the artist and fan directly connect. Seeing your fans singing along, cheering, getting caught up in what you create can be the biggest reward there is. Being able to provide the resources necessary to let a band tour takes the worry and obstacles out of the way. This contest, and many more to come, is another exclusive benefit of being a TuneCore customer. And as always, we will never take an artist’s rights or any of the revenue they generate through their music. They get it all.

To enter, bands can go to www.guitarcenter.com/winavan during the month of June and submit the following information:

- How your band could benefit from a new ride
- Your best tour story or best tour story of the future
- 10 things your band would always have in the van
- The dedication of your band members to its craft

This contest is one of many ways in which TuneCore members can experience exclusive special benefits such as being able to download T-RackS 24 (retail $199, mastering software for Mac or PC) from IK Multimedia free with the purchase of any TuneCore upload.

For more information, visit their web site at www.tunecore.com

Blue Cat Audio unleashes Blue Cat’s Parametr’EQ series V3.0 and a new mastering bundle named Blue Cat’s Master Pack. With a brand new design for both the user interface and the audio engine, this new version of Blue Cat Audio’s parametric equalizer plugins for Windows enables Blue Cat Audio to enrich its professional offer. They now propose a complete pack for mastering and mixing purposes.
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Cubase 4 is undoubtedly one of the most powerful MIDI and audio production suites around - but are you realising its full potential? This highly readable book is crammed with practical ‘insider’ tips and tricks on using the program creatively.
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The new FireOne from Tascam and Frontier Design Group is a FireWire audio interface that combines stereo audio I/O with a control interface. The FireOne includes a copy of Live Lite 6 Tascam Edition, the music creation, production and performance software from Ableton. Live’s drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to seamlessly move from basic song ideas, to studio production, to the stage.
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Solid State Logic proudly announces the XLogic Alpha VHD Pre. Introduced at the recent Musikmesse in Frankfurt, the Alpha VHD Pre joins SSL’s growing XLogic family of rack mount equipment.

The XLogic Alpha VHD Pre is a slab of pure analogue attitude. Whether you need to track pristine vocals, crunched drums or electric guitars on the edge of sonic destruction, the VHD Pre delivers a powerful and versatile sound shaping tool kit—the perfect analogue companion to any digital recording system. Based on the VHD circuit from SSL’s acclaimed Duality console, the VHD Pre adds four SSL mic preamps to any line level DAW audio interface, transforming it into a professional quality, multi-channel analogue recording system.
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Softube is announcing the Vintage Amp Room plug-in for Pro Tools and VENUE. Vintage Amp Room for Pro Tools|HD Accel and VENUE is available today at the TC Electronic web shop (€649 excl. VAT or $799).
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Ableton is pleased to announce that Live Lite to Full, the upgrade from all Lite versions to the full version of Live 6, is now available at musical instrument dealers worldwide.

All users of Live Lite (as bundled with products from M-Audio, Digidesign, Korg, Line 6, E-MU, Focusrite, Novation, Tascam, Allen & Heath, Behringer and TC Electronic) can now purchase an upgrade to the full version of Live 6 at a discounted price.
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PreSonus is pleased to announced the Monitor Station Remote for the FireStudio 26×26 FireWire Recording System is NOW SHIPPING.

The Monitor Station Remote (MSR) is a completely integrated surround sound/stereo speaker manager, input switcher and communication system delivering fast and efficient workflow for music creation. The MSR connects to the FireStudio via standard Cat 5 Ethernet cable to keep your work space as clean as possible. There are also two headphone outputs on the FireStudio for added convenience.
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