Steinberg updated Cubase seriously in all platforms - 64 bit Vista version has arrived also as a beta. The new Cubase 4.5 supports all the new Steinberg interface-controllers that were introduced earlier. New on the support topic is the VST integration of the Yamaha Motif XS synths - you just connect it via Firewire and the hardware synth acts as a plugin. A new format is also introduced: VST Sound, which can hold any type of a synth sound for any gardware or software synth or effect. A useful extra is bundled: 1.5 gigabytes of sound sample material for HALion. Here is the detailed spec list, and here is the download link.

Three Kore-news came from Native Instruments, together. At first, Kore 2 has a reduced price from now: 400 euro, instead of 500. Second, you can buy Kore 2 software without the hardware, only for 200 euro - name: Kore 2 Software Edition. Third, a huge deal on sound programs: Kore Electronic Experience is a package which contains seven Soundpacks for Kore, for only 160 euro. Click here to learn more.

Here is a fine piece of technical art, Coyote-1 from Howler Audio. It is an open source guitar effect box which comes with a full hardware and software documentation, so guitarists with a programming talent can write their own DSP code to perform effects that are new to us. A small Windows utility helps to organize effect patches in the desired order. The box has a Propeller DSP from Parallax, there are eight cores inside, all running at 80 MHz. It has a high-level programming language, Spin, and of course you can reach the cores with assembly instructions, too. A direct video output is also present from the processor itself, so you can connect a video monitor. Check here for more details.

MoReVoX has sampled a lot of old spring reverbs and collect them into a huge, 250-piece wave file collection, RetroVerb. The files has very good quality - al of them has 24 bits resolution, stereo and 5-channel surround, taken with a very good equipment -, and can be used in any convolution reverb software. It costs 79 USD, here.

NuSofting released Modelonia, a new softsynth plugin that uses physical modeling to produce sounds. It has accurate brass and plucked strings models, and you can combine the diferent elements inside the instrment. Skinning is performed also, with two selectable skins that are coming from the factory. All these costs 51 euro, here.

A new art project, Telemegaphone is still in active state until 6th, September. It is a seven meters tall speaker set in the fjords of Norway, which can send your voice real-time three kilometres around if you call the phone number specified here. The unit is totally green, powered by the wind, and the volume was set carefully not to disturb the people living there but to have a real impact.

The Klaus Schulze book has finally arrived, but with a very simple title - Klaus is the Electronic Music Legend in fact, no doubt, but it is really not a title that screams. The author, Greg Allen follows the career of the genious carefully, and interviews the persons around him, plus some colleagues: Jörg Schaaf, Klaus D. Müller, Steve Roach, Kitaro. Photos were taken from Schulze's own archives. Order here immediately.

Making of a drum synth is the title of a new blog - if you follow it you can build your own analogue drum synth. Try it.

Wallander Instruments' WIVI has reached version 2. It realises wind and brass instruments via physical modeling, has a small phrase sequencer, and all this wonder sits in a single plugin. A great feature is the finest velocity resolution on the market, far beyond the usual 127 levels. Not the cheapest one: if you buy the whole ensemble, you end at 1600 USD. Go here to learn more.

Softube modeled the spring reverb in their newest plugin so gently that it even has a Shake function. Priced at 99 USD, Spring Reverb has a tasty feel graphically, it almost has the typical smell of the vintage gear. Another authentic function is the spring tension setting. To learn more click here.

The cheapest digital DJ solution, Quad has a new version, Quad2. This is the system which handles four time-coded vynil discs via standard, ASIO-compatible sound cards for 89 euro only. The latest version runs on Mac already, and has a comletely customisable user interface. It has more nice goodies, like the tempo-adjustable effects. Check the official info sheet here.

Universal Audio has released their new DSP card fmily, UAD-2 yesterday. I comes in three strength scales, Solo, Duo and Quad. All three features the same SHARC DSP chips. The smallest one exceeds the old UAD-1 2,5 times in terms of DSP power, and the biggest exceeds 10 times. Prices starting at 500 USD. Check here the official news.

This small gadget is a full-featured MIDI sequencer that records onto SD card. The name of the game is SD MIDI Controller, and you can buy it on a British web page, for 195 GBP. If you want to assemble yourself you can buy it as a kit, too. Check its website for more info.

An new version has ccome from Auto-Tune, the leading pitch correction software plugin from Antares. It's called Auto-Tune Evo, and it has a completely redesigned core technology, plus a new interface, and a simpler workflow. It shifts pitch real-time also, and checks for the formants to preserve the sound characteristics. It also models the mouth size of the singer, and you can even modify it, to control the tonal specs of the singer. The price is 400 USD, to know more click here please.

We had an article on the free DJ software, DJ-1800 already; now it has a major upgrade, version 3.2 which streams the live mixed material to the internet. Check it here - for Mac users only.

Update: unfortunatel DL-1800 is not free any more - the full single-user licence costs 80 USD.

Korg's strangest synth, DS-10 on preorder from now, they will ship it in September. As you probably remember this is a software synth for the Nintendo platform, and quite a complex one: just check this video  - the soundtrack was composed fully on the DS. Two synths and a drum track, at the same time. Kling, klang.

Didgeridoo is fashionable since more than 20 years - at first, it came for E-mu's Emulator III, in 1986. Now Zero-G published a full library dedicated to this instrument - an enormous set of more than 800 samples. It's called Rhythm Organism, costs 100 USD, check it for more info here.

Impressive, isn't it? We don't know what we have found exactly but it's a rather cool experience: nude girls surrounded with synth legends like Fairlight CMI 3, Moog Micromoog, EMS and so on. We would have some questions about this project so if somebody has the answers please drop a comment.

Serious free synths everywhere, powerful drum machine for 5 USD - the future of the market can be found perhaps under the 10 USD price tag? Centaurus from Koblo can prove this sentence. This virtual analog goodie costs 7.49 USD only, and performs quite well. For more info click here.

A short news on a simple instrument: Peter Yandell has produced SimpleSynth, a very basic synth application for Mac. It comes with a General MIDI-soundset, but can load any Soundfont file to extend the sonic range. Sounds are not tweakable but there is a low-pass filter with no resonance. It works as a stand-alone only. Get it here.

Theoretically it is very easy to discover that your iPhone could be a fine MIDI controller. Now it is reality, iTouchMidi is up in the Appstore for 40 euros: Jazzmutant is probably worrying as we suspect... A networked Mac is needed to perform the www.itouchmidi.com/.

Eighteen gigabytes of sampled material, Kontakt Player inside, and costs 300 USD: it is Synergy, Sample Logic's latest supersynth. Synergy gives you more than 1200 sound presets for the money, mainly in the modern synth/groove field. Check it here.

DSK launched a free saxophone virtual instrument, SaxophoneZ. It plays alto, soprano and tenor sax, has tweakable envelope generator, low and high pass filter, plus a reverb and a chorus. Take it here.

Propellerhead celebrates Moog these days: they donated the Moog Foundation (probably with a REASONable sum), and they provide a free soundset download of some Moog-sounding instruments, produced by Craig Anderton, Mark Vail and Gordon Reid. Click here to have it - you have to have a registered Reason copy.

Korg nice yellow toy, Kaossilator has a surprise: David Bottino blogger let us know it. With some button push and trick, without any hardware modification anyone can force the gadget to memorize four bars instead of two. If you have the machine and some time try it.