Category Archives: News

PreSonus Studio One 3.5.3 Update Released

PreSonus has released Studio One v 3.5.3 with the following improvements;

New features and improvements in Studio One 3.5.3

• Support for Faderport 16
• [Project Page] new command to split Track and Event
• Copy range keeps the original range
• “Add Insert” for mixer channel as Macro target
• Added a value box “Reduction Level” (automation values) with range: 0% – 100%.

The following issues have been fixed in Studio One 3.5.3

• Potential crash with VSTs when updating master file
• [macOS] DDP export fails when Japanese characters are used in Project name
• [macOS] AU factory preset not restored
• [macOS] Potential crash on quit when certain AU plug-in UI is open
• [macOS] [Project Page] Some songs are truncated when burned to CD
• [macOS] Under certain conditions, search for files won’t deliver any result
• [macOS] Potential crash when opening a song with certain 3rd Party plugins (e. g. Slate VerbSuite)
• Some notes not playing when Song started at bar one
• Copy/Paste of automation not working when Folder Tracks are used
• Automation sometimes not applied to Mixdown
• Scratch Pad content appears in the main timeline after Mixdown
• Volume automation varies with device block size
• Send level automation noise
• Channel names on Multi-Instrument presets not restored correctly
• [Compressor] Gain Knob change has no effect
• [Compressor] sidechain switches to mono on listen
• [Compressor] Key Listen in Stereo Mode not working correctly
• [Fat Channel XT] – Key Filter crackle
• Multi-Instrument macro knob parameter name not updating in real time
• Duplicating Arranger section may lose some Events on copy
• Deleted Song folder after Notion transfer
• Console 1 steals focus during transformation process
• Occasionally hanging notes on Stop
• VST not loaded when Notion sends data into open song

Users can update from within the application or via their PreSonus account.

Gibson Kills Cakewalk

We didn’t want to believe the rumors were true, but Gibson Brands have officially ceased development of all Cakewalk products. This includes the powerful SONAR family of Windows-based DAWs, as well as soft synths such as Rapture and Z3TA+.

The first thing a lot of Cakewalk users no doubt want to know is: Where do I stand with support and continuing to use my stuff? Noel Borthwick, Chief Technology Officer for Cakewalk, had this to say:

“After 30 years of Cakewalk’s long and illustrious history, I am saddened to announce that we ceased new product development and reduced overall operations this past Friday. You can read the formal announcement from Gibson here, which states that this decision was made in order to align with the company’s acquisition strategy, focused on growth in the global consumer electronics audio business.

“Working at Cakewalk has been an incredibly positive experience for all of us who worked here. This can largely be attributed to the incredible people who worked here, past and present. I’ve been at Cakewalk 19 years and I’ve never come across a more dedicated and talented group of people. Our greatest motivation was the joy in producing software for an astonishingly passionate base of artists, musicians and producers who used our software to create music on a daily basis.

“So what does this mean for you, our loyal customers who’ve been with us all these years? Cakewalk’s servers will continue to operate, you will still have access to all of your online assets, and your software will continue to work normally. A dedicated team has been established during this transition period to continue to serve the Cakewalk community. Monthly updates to SONAR from Cakewalk will however cease during this time. We will continue to post notifications to keep you informed with any relevant developments. A sincere thank you to everyone in the Cakewalk community.”

From the perspective of consumer choice, this is a bad thing. Though I (editor Stephen Fortner) was never a Cakewalk user personally, I got to know the program via longtime user and music technology guru Craig Anderton, and was consistently impressed with its power and sound quality.

That Henry J. and company are circling the wagons should come as no surprise, however. Gibson has recently experienced a major debt crisis and put its iconic Memphis location up for sale. Plus, the more grudge-prone are inclined to think Gibson has never really known what to do with techie, nerdy, synthy brands it acquires: It proved to be a Dickensian orphanage for Oberheim in the late ’80s and a slaughterhouse for Opcode in the late ’90s. Had things gone differently, our own biggest website might be called Studio Vision Pro Expert.

We at Synth Expert wish nothing but success to all the music and pro audio brands in the Gibson stable. But their own official statement begs the question: If Gibson’s strategy is to focus on consumer electronics (and presumably guitars), what will be the fate of other pro-audio subsidiaries such as KRK and TASCAM?

Softube Announce Amazing Free Apollo Central Update Gives Console 1 Users Apollo Control

Softube continues to make their Console 1 hardware more and more desirable with constant updates for DAW control and other new features.

Now with their Apollo Central update, they have given control of Universal Audio Apollo hardware. 

Switch your Console 1 to Apollo Central mode, and you can load plug-ins and presets directly in your Apollo Console.

Control the plug-ins, channels, sends, monitoring and more all from the hardware.

Softube Apollo Central also gives hardware control of channel settings, such as Volume, Pan, Solo, Mute, Sends and Rec/Monitor.

Apollo Central Key Features:

  • load plugins and presets without touching a mouse 
  • control near-zero-latency guitar amps, reverbs, compressors
  • hardware control of unison enabled preamps, pre-mapped and laid out right there on your desk

Even better this is a free update and must have for Apollo owners.

More info on Softube Apollo Central

New Universal Audio UAD v9.4 Release Features Distressor, Dytronics Tri-Stereo Chorus, Gallien-Krueger 800RB Bass Amp And Ocean Way Mic Collection

UAD have announced v9.4 of their UAD plug-in software with a raft of killer new plug-ins.

The include Empirical Labs Distressor, Dytronics Tri-Stereo Chorus, Gallien-Krueger 800RB Bass Amp And Ocean Way Mic Collection for the Sphere microphone.

The only authentic Distressor plug-in endorsed by Empirical Labs’ founder Dave Derr, the UAD Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor is available exclusively for UAD hardware and Apollo interfaces. An exhaustive end-to-end emulation of Derr’s iconic hardware, the UAD EL8 Distressor is the only faithful emulation of this true “desert island” compressor.

Developed by Softube, and available exclusively for UAD hardware and Apollo interfaces, the Dytronics Tri‑Stereo Chorus plug‑in gives you all the expansive depth of the original’s three independent bucket‑brigade delay lines, along with new “plug‑in‑only” features.

Developed by Brainworx, and officially licensed by Gallien-Krueger, the Gallien-Krueger 800RB Bass Amp plug-in provides an exacting emulation of the original amp — along with indispensable modern features.

The Ocean Way Microphone Collection plug-in expands the capabilities of the acclaimed Townsend Labs Sphere L22 microphone system with 12 ultra-precise emulations of the “best of the best” vintage mics from Allen Sides’ world-renowned mic locker with classic mics from Neumann,® Sony,® RCA,®AKG,® and more.

Find out more about Universal Audio 9.4

iLok Manager Software Version 4 Available – Preparing For iLok Cloud Support

A new update for the iLok Licence Manager is now available and offers a number of improvements, namely iLok Cloud Support in anticipation of software publishers adding it to their licencing options.

PACE, the makers of iLok say; “Updating to version 4.0.0 is not a required update; however, some iLok-protected software may require that you use a version of 2.5.0 or greater. Please download the latest version from the iLok License Manager page of ilok.com.”

What’s New in Version 4.0.0?

  • iLok Cloud Support – This feature requires publishers to incorporate cloud support and release updated software and licenses
  • New sorting for Locations (Cloud, computer, iLoks)
  • Publisher License ID field available in the column view and License Details
  • New firmware for Second and Third generation iLoks (synchronize to update the firmware)
  • Release Date Limit (RDL) supported in licenses
  • Fixed crash if you select some View menu options when you are not signed in
  • Fixed crash if multiple surrender update deliveries, as well as some licenses, are selected and activated

Release History

New in Version 3.1.7:

  • Due to Microsoft bugs where some Windows 7 systems are unable to update, we’ve changed our installer to no longer require any Windows 7 updates.
  • This version now fixes a rare Mac-only permissions issue that has been problematic for some users.

New in Version 3.1.6:

  • Fixed a floating license issue that could happen when the system clock has incorrect time.
  • We anticipate that this version will be needed to use some older protected software from August 2017 moving forward. Before August 2017, we plan to release updates of the legacy installers for people running older operating systems.

New in Version 3.1.5:

  • The last account view selected will be remembered and this view will be shown the next time to sign in. The exception to this is the Hidden view.
  • Added accessibility support for networking features.

New in Version 3.1.4:

  • Added Date Registered and Last Seen to an offline computer’s details
  • Added the ability to view the status of a license activation in the license details and also in a new column called Activation Status
  • Fixed a bug in a license’s details where you could click on whitespace to the right of a button and invoke the action

New in Version 3.1.3:

  • Changes to an iLok’s name are now reflected in account data saved on the computer
  • Added a tool-tip for the Works On graphic on the license detail pane
  • Windows version:
  • Improvement to address a problem with the PACE License Service not starting up reliably
  • Fixed an issue with the Windows License Support installer
  • The Windows installer now installs an iLok driver signed using EV (Extended Validation) Signing when installing on Windows 10

New in Version 3.1.2:

  • Fixed display issues that occurred when a license that belongs to another account is deactivated from the computer
  • Fixed issues on the Preference dialog related to the status of connections for network servers
  • Fixed a display issue after surrendering licenses and then accessing the account from another computer where licenses were cached
  • Added a highlight when hovering over a row on the license view, license detail, etc.
  • Improvements for graphic display on high resolution monitors

New in Version 3.1.1:

  • Update for performance improvements

New in Version 3.1.0:

  • iLok License Manager
    • Account views are now cached locally when you sign out to allow for much quicker subsequent displays (cached files may be cleared in Preferences)
    • Added a warning when activating to a computer that deactivation should be done prior to substantive computer changes
    • Fixed display issues involving groups
    • Added the ability to display release limits in the license details
    • Added support for software publisher provided overrides to the License Type displayed
    • Fixed a problem where an iLok ownership warning was being displayed prior to signing in
    • Added support for high resolution monitors on Mac
    • Added additional error checking for Proxy Settings in the Preferences Dialog on Windows
  • Activation Experience, License Services, and Installers
  • Added the display of release limits and license type overrides
  • Fixed an issue where an error message was displayed if License Services was installed or restarted when multiple protected products were running
  • Fixed a rare Mac-only issue where License Daemon could hang when quitting
  • Improvement to the loading and unloading of License Daemon to account for changes to Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) and above
  • Fixed Windows uninstall of License Support to delete the iLok License Manager cache folder

Release notes for previous versions are available on the Support page of iLok.com. See the FAQ category “Release Notes”.

Exclusive: AIR Bring Two More ‘Pro Tools Only’ Instruments To Studio One And Other DAWs – Boom & Vacuum

AIR Music Technology, the team behind many of the most loved Pro Tools virtual instruments, has announced two more of the instruments previously exclusive to Pro Tools, Boom and Vacuum, will soon be available in AU and VST.

Boom – AU and VST

Boom, is created in the tradition of the original step input drum machines and features the sounds of drum machine favourites like the 909 and 808, as well as many more vintage drum machine sounds. Following in the tradition of those early drum machines, Boom offers step input of patterns as well as chaining them to create a song. There’s a lot under the hood that belies Booms tweakable potential.

Vacuum – AU and VST

Second to come to AU and VST is the Vacuum, which is a mono synth and legend has it was modelled on some Russian synth. It has excellent potential for mono leads and deep rich bass.  It features 2 oscillators, extensive envelopes and filters and is not a plug-in one should overlook when making synth-based music. 

Soon you’ll be able to use them in Studio One and any DAW that supports AU and VST.

Each plug-in will be $49.99 for Pro Tools users or $79.99 for new purchases. Exact release date TBC but we are informed it will be in November

Sound Radix Announce New POWAIR Smart Compressor Plug-in

Our friends at Sound Radix, makers of plug-ins such as Drum Leveler and Auto Align, have announced a new plug-in POWAIR, it is in their words a ‘smarter, more natural sounding compressor.’

In a news release sent out to conincide with AES2017 Sound Radix say;

POWAIR is a novel design two-stage leveler/compressor plug-in, designed to control dynamics and bring a sense of power to vocals, instruments, and mixes.

The first stage in POWAIR is a k-weighted perceived loudness (LKFS) auto-leveler.  Whether you need to deliver tracks to EBU specifications or control the levels of a dynamic performance, the loudness leveler will smoothly ride your tracks and get them to your target level.

POWAIR uses an innovative gain detection and reduction engine, capable of fast gain changes with minimal distortion and adaptive response to the recorded source signal. The unique characteristics of POWAIR allow powerful dynamics shaping while maintaining the timbre of the source material even when pushed to extremes.

The unique Punch feature enables full control over the transients levels during the Attack stage; making it possible to shape the transients length while keeping peak levels under control.

And in an industry first, POWAIR features Adaptive Compression to maintain an average compression action, adding intensity and glue while keeping the natural dynamics in the recording.

Nir Averbuch from Sound Radix explains how POWAIR’s Adaptive Compression feature came into being.

“A couple of years ago at the AES show, our dearest friend and evangelist, the one and only Frank Filipetti, pulled us as aside and said (more or less in these words): “Listen guys, I work on this vocal track and I get the compressor to work all smooth and nice on this section and then when the loud part comes in, the compressor over-compresses and kills my sound. Now, I could automate the threshold but what I want is a compressor that will keep the sound I did in the soft part, in the loud part as well. Can you do it?” After a few drinks and sleepless nights we’re happy to say “Yes we can!”

POWAIR is due to ship in November with an estimated yet unconfirmed price of $149.99.

Ditch The Dongle – iLok Cloud Is Coming Soon Say PACE

iLok is like Marmite, loved by some and hated by others, but this new move by PACE, the makers of iLok, may create some more love for them.

New iLok Cloud

PACE Anti-Piracy, Inc. introduces an entirely new approach to software license protection—iLok Cloud. With iLok Cloud, software publishers can offer their users quick and easy access to their licenses from any computer with an Internet connection. iLok Cloud has the same level of robust security as the current iLok USB smart key, which will remain as an option along with machine-based licenses.

Today, PACE Anti-Piracy announces the imminent launch of iLok Cloud. With iLok Cloud, software publishers that use PACE’s licensing system will have a third option to offer their users, in addition to the previously available iLok USB smart key and machine-based licenses.

Using iLok Cloud

Upon launching iLok Cloud protected software, the users will be prompted to provide their username and password. That’s it—the iLok protected software is now ready for use, without any dongles or having to use a specific authorized computer. It’s easy, iLok Cloud protected software can be used anywhere, and iLok Cloud takes the risk of lost or damaged iLok USB smart keys and computers out of the equation.

Availability

iLok Cloud will be available to software publishers as an option when updating their products in early November. Software protected with iLok Cloud should be available to end users in early 2018.  

PreSonus Announce New FaderPort 16 Control Surface

PreSonus, the makers of Studio One, has announced the latest model in the PreSonusFaderPort™ control surface series, the FaderPort 16.

The Faderport 16 Mix Production Controller connects via USB 2.0 to provide precise tactile control over your favorite DAW’s mix and automation functions, including complete transport control. The new control surface offers full level, solo, and mute control over 16 channels at once, with 16 touch-sensitive, motorized, 100 mm faders, and 89 buttons covering 102 different functions. Quickly zoom in on audio files for editing, adjust a click-track tempo with a simple tap, modify plug-in parameters, manage aux mixes—and, of course, control track levels with the touch of a finger. 

The FaderPort 16’s unique Session Navigator provides easy access to eight mission-critical functions for maximum flexibility. Dedicated buttons are provided to instantly arm all tracks for recording; control mutes and Solo Clear; view only the tracks, buses, and VCAs you want to see; and more. You’re not limited to preset controls, either: Four programmable User buttons let you quickly and easily access your favorite functions. Large, illuminated buttons make finding the function you need quick and easy. Sixteen high-definition digital scribble strips provide visual feedback.

Streamlined workflow and support for the Mackie Control and HUI protocols make it fast and easy to control virtually any DAW. No driver installation is necessary; just plug the control surface into a USB port and take command of your mix and plug-ins. 

When used with Studio One, the FaderPort 16 is a revelation, letting you do things like bypass all the plug-ins on any track with one button-press and open the Channel Editor and enable your faders to control each channel’s custom macro. Use the Control Link feature so that the Pan/Param encoder can follow your mouse, providing instant hands-on control of any parameter—or lock the encoder to the current parameter. Use the Session Navigator to quickly scroll through the different sections in the Arranger track; and more. You’ll be amazed how much faster you can work.

The FaderPort 16 is expected to be available at PreSonus dealers in late November 2017 for a U.S. MAP/street price of $999.95. For more information, please visit www.presonus.com/products/FaderPort-16.

PreSonus Announce Quantum 2 – 22×24 Thunderbolt 2 Low-Latency Audio Interface

PreSonus, the makers of Studio One, has today announced the Quantum 2, a 22×24 Thunderbolt 2 low-latency audio interface.

The Quantum 2 24-bit, 192 kHz audio/MIDI interface is, in their own words “PreSonus®’ fastest and best-sounding audio/MIDI interface, taking advantage of the high-speed Thunderbolt™ 2 bus and ADAT Optical I/O to deliver up to 22 inputs and 24 outputs, with extremely low latency.”

Quantum 2 is PreSonus®’ fastest and best-sounding audio/MIDI interface, taking advantage of the high-speed Thunderbolt™ 2 bus and a no-frills, direct-to-DAW (no DSP added) signal path to achieve extremely low latency. Cutting-edge 24-bit, 192 kHz converters with 120 dB of dynamic range and PreSonus’ recallable XMAX microphone pre amps combine to deliver superb audio quality. For more I/O channels, simply stack up to 4 Quantum 2 interfaces via Thunderbolt to create a monster 80×80 system. Using the included Studio One Artist DAW or UC Surface control software, you can remote-control the preamps and many other features. To top it off, Quantum 2 owners get the Studio Magic Plug-in Suite free.

PreSonus®’ fastest and best-sounding audio/MIDI interface 

PreSonus Quantum 2 Features 

  • Uses high-speed Thunderbolt™ 2 bus
  • 24-bit resolution and up to 192 kHz sampling rate (120 dB dynamic range)
  • 22×24; expandable to 80×80 by stacking up to four Quantums via Thunderbolt
  • 2 combo mic/instrument inputs with recallable XMAX preamps
  • 2 combo mic/line inputs with recallable XMAX preamps
  • +48V phantom power (switchable per channel)
  • 6 8-segment LED meters (8 input, 2 output)
  • 4 ¼” TRS line outputs, DC coupled
  • 1 ¼” headphone output with dedicated volume
  • Dual ADAT Optical I/O
  • S/PDIF, MIDI, and BNC word clock I/O
  • Assignable output level control
  • Studio One® Artist and Studio Magic Plug-in Suite included; upgrade to Studio One Professional for 50% off

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Features Quantum Quantum 2
MRSP $1,249.95 $899.95
MAP $999.95 $699.95
Mic Preamps 8 Recallable XMAX 4 Recallable XMAX
Analog Inputs 2 mic/ instrument, 6 mic/line 2 mic/ instrument, 2 mic/line
Analog Outputs 2 1⁄4” TRS mains, 8 1⁄4” TRS line; 2 1⁄4“ stereo headphones 4 1⁄4” TRS line, 1 1⁄4“ stereo headphones
ADAT I/O Yes Yes
S/DIF I/O Yes Yes

You can find out more about the new Quantum 2 from the PreSonus website