Posts by Lyubomir Dobrev

Avid sets Sibelius free (kinda) with complimentary beginners’ version

Avid Corp. has gone ahead and made Sibelius, the popular notation software, free. Not the whole thing, though. Rather, it's called Sibelius | First and it stands for a streamlined free version.

Atlas maps out your drum samples using a novel AI engine

Atlas is an AI-powered tool which maps out your drum samples, analyzes them, categorizes them, and constructs makeshift drum kits that are ready to go inside your DAW. It looks like an useful tool for ...

Zynaptiq dials up the Intensity with its new AI-based mastering plug-in

Intensity appears to be in a league of its own, for it's not a compressor and it's not a typical exciter, either. It's something you'll have to throw onto your tracks and find out if it works for you.

MOTU 8PRE-ES doubles down on preamps and networking, costs just over USD 1000

Priced USD 1195, the 8PRE-ES is a powerful and affordable unit that's designed thoughtfully and ergonomically. We are sure it will be capable of great things when in the right hands.

PluginPlay, a new platform for subscription plug-ins, challenges Splice

Currently in beta for Windows, with an upcoming Mac release planned, PluginPlay promises "access to the world's best plug-ins, when you need them, for as long as you need them." Watch out, Splice!

The Rode VideoMic Me-L targets iOS vloggers and musicians

Paired with the iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch's front camera, it makes for a convenient vlogging solution, ideal for spontaneous creative outbursts or situations that don't allow carrying a more elaborate setup.

Intel 8-core Coffee Lake CPU surfaces primed for a fall 2018 release

Intel is going to release an 8-core, 16-thread mainstream Coffee Lake processor in the fall. The processor made an appearance in the SiSoft Sandra database, clocked to a modest 2.6GHz.

Avantone unveils Chris Lord Alge-endorsed Yamaha NS-10M replicas

Now everyone will have the opportunity to add a pair of NS10M-sounding monitors to their monitoring setup or replace their aging Yamahas. The CLA10s will start shipping in August.

New Toshiba OCZ RC100 SSD drives slay with NVMe speeds, affordable prices

Thanks to NVMe, Toshiba's newest 64-layer 3D-TLC NAND memory chips, and a custom controller, these SSD drives race at up to 1600MB/s - more than you need even for high resolution audio recording.

Apple updates GarageBand with new drummers, Mellotron sounds

Apple has dished out a comprehensive GarageBand update with plenty of new content for songwriters at home and on the go; this patch is available to music makers on all Apple platforms for free.

New from Softube: American Class A, OTO Biscuit, Weiss Comp/Limiter emulations

In addition to expanding its Modular software synth, Swedish developer Softube unveiled a trio of brand-new plug-ins — a console channel strip, an effects unit, and a new compressor/limiter.

Slate Digital presents ML-2 small-diaphragm modelling microphone with 18 models

Slate Digital has come up with a small diaphragm modelling microphone to supplement its Virtual Microphone System. The ML-2 can emulate 18 microphones, including dynamic mics.

Lenovo ThinkPad P52 mobile workstation: the hardcore music producer’s laptop?

Lenovo has announced a new workstation-class laptop in its ThinkPad series, the P52, which can be configured as a music and video production monster, and has plenty of connectivity.

Rumor: Apple to ditch Lightning ports, opt for USB-C in 2019 iPads and iPhones

Apple may bestow USB-C ports on 2019 iPhones and iPads, ditching the long-standing Lightning port. Such a move won't be at all surprising considering the recent USB-C only MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

Sontronics unveils the Corona, a retro-style dynamic vocal mic that “requires no EQ”

British manufacturer Sontronics has unveiled a peculiar retro-styled dynamic microphone, the Corona. Designed for stage and studio use, it has a tight super-cardioid polar pattern and it's been developed for ...

Native Instruments releases crushing effects trio: Dirt, Bite, and Freak

The brightly-coloured new stompbox-style effects go against the dark UI trend that's been going on since Logic Pro X's release. Expect to see them as stand-alone products and in Komplete 12.

New vintage compression and EQ plug-in suite by Acustica Audio: Water

Acustica Audio has a new suite of three analog-inspired plug-ins called Water, modelled after a bunch of 60's hardware and replete with a channel strip, equalizer, and compressor.

New 500-Series rack units from Rupert Neve Designs and Elysia

British royatly Rupert Neve Designs and German audophiles Elysia added new items to their 500-Series rack unit line-ups. These are the 545 Primary Source Enhancer feedback eliminator and skulpter preamp.

A&H completes its SQ digital console line-up with the SQ-7 flagship desk

Allen & Heath has completed its line-up of SQ-series digital consoles with the big daddy, the new SQ-7. This is a 33-fader desk that expands on the SQ-5 and SQ-6 which were announced last October.

Waves intros FLEX subscription/rent-to-own plan for its plug-ins

Following in the steps of Slate Digital, Eventide, SSL, and many others, Waves debuted an interesting subscription system that also incorporates a rent-to-own option. The plan is called Wave FLEX.

SSL unveils the compact L100 console for small and mid-sized venues

Solid State Logic unveiled a new console designed for live applications in space-restricted environments - the L100. SSL also recommends it for sub-mixing and corporate production use cases.

Townsend Labs adds 9 new mic models to its Sphere modeling system

A free update for all new and upcoming owners of the Sphere L22 modeling microphone, version 1.2 adds nine new virtual microphone models, bringing the total number of mic emulations to 20.

ZOOM F8n fields some serious recording tech with 360 audio support

ZOOM has a new flagship portable field recorder, the F8n, with lots of interesting technology. We can see this one being a market success - it has everything but the kitchen sink!

Ableton outs 8 free Creative Extensions for Live 10 Suite & Standard with M4L

Ableton has added to Live 10 with a selection of eight sound design tools developed in collaboration with Amazing Noises. And they're free, too. Live users should spin these up and dive in.