CSound VSTi has been updated to v0.51 [Win VSTi]

Wantech/Aska have released a new 'Switch Table Synth' VSTi for Windows - Aska Switch. They've also updated Aska Ayum and Aska Draw to v1.04

AudioSynth has been updated to v010 [Win VSTi]

• Support for pitch bend (Range: 1-12 semitones)
• Sample preview with volume control and auto play option

• 2 oscillators which 3 additive waveforms, adjustable coarse and fine tune
• Saturation control for both oscillators
• Ring Modulator
• Multimode filter with 24 dB Lowpass, 24 dB Highpass types and Separation control
• 2 pitch envelopes
• ADSR filter envelope
• ADSR amplitude envelope
• LFO on pitch and/or filter
• Glide function, can be switched between constant-rate and constant-time
• Bass Fx section to create ultra-low basses
• Complex Chorus section allows a wide range of delay, chorus, flange and spatialization effects
• Distortion effect, low/high filter, and level for the master output
• Supports both parameter automation and Cubase automation (MIDI CC)
• Unison mode (plays all voices at once)
• Up to 8 voices of polyphony
• Costs $59

Wantech/Aska have updated Aska Ayum and Aska Draw to v1.03, adding support for Cubase (?? - the older versions already worked in Cubase here!) [Win VSTi's]

We've got a copy of Sonic Syndicate's forthcoming flagship product Orion Platinum to give away in our latest competition! With 2 copies of Orion Pro for the runners up. Orion Platinum will ship with lots of amazing new features including ReWire support, high-quality multisamples, drum kits and 100's of ready-to-use presets, and it'll be on CD rather than a download!!

It's a song competition but this time the song has to be composed using Orion.

But I don't own Orion I hear you cry!! No worries, Sonic Syndicate have created a special version of Orion just for you - Orion Lite is a stripped down version of Orion Standard, the only difference being that the export functions (stream-to-WAV, midi), sampler, and the VST/DX support are missing!

Click here to read the rules and download your free copy of Orion Lite

Native Instruments have released the demo version of Reaktor 3 for MacOS. They've also released the MacOS v2.5 update for Pro-52:

• Reaktor 3 Demo
• Pro-52 v2.5 Update

Massiva has been updated to X0.65 [Win VSTi Host]

• Real-time SysEx recording
• Fixed an automation bug
• Customize: added an option for NOT displaying a background bitmap
• Works better with Win2k
• Support for Zero-X BeatCreator zex files. These files can be dragged from the sample browser into the sample window and all samples and sample events will automatically be inserted from the file
• Select VSTi programs by name on Softsynth tracks
• A cross hair is displayed in the meter window on top while editing and adding automation events

DestroyFX @ SmartElectron:x have released three new VST Instrument/FX plugins - Skidder, Rez Synth, and Buffer Override - all for Windows and MacOS. They are unusual MIDI controlled VST FX, and are hard to explain so try them out here...

Dash Synthesis have released 4 new Reaktor synths. They've also got a new File Download Area: when you order you get full access to the files, upgrades, updates and new stuff via a Login Area, so you can enter as
many times you want for as long as you need.

• daBiChoPak by BiCho
  - 3 synth clones: Korg Electribe, Yamaha SY2, FilterFactory (Cost $22)
  
  
• daBassKonzeptPro by J.Knocker
  - BassEmulator (Costs $8)

Dash have also announced their first Infinity 2.0 Synth, daMSV-20 Band Vocoder, with own GUI Interface. A Pro version is also on the way. Use this direct link as their main page isn't updated with the info yet...

Computer Music have now posted a screenshot of their forthcoming free SR-202 Drum Sampler VSTi. Check it out in its full glory here...

GMEDIA Music have released Nu-Tron 'Tape Banks' for the M-Tron VSTi. 26 new sound banks featuring: Steel Guitar, Solo Cello, Mixed Choir, Boys
Choir, Male & Female Choir, Solo Female Voice, Wine Glasses, Clarinet,
String Section, Harp Glissandos, Roxy Music Sound Effects, Pipe Organ and
more.

The CD is available for £32.95. More info here...

Steinberg have slipped another MacOS Cubase Public Beta out - 5.0r3PB1

• Cubase VST 5.0r3PB1
• Cubase VST Score 5.0r3PB1
• Cubase VST 32 5.0r3PB1
• Version History

Computer Music, the UK magazine devoted to making music with your computer (!) have a new free VSTi planned for inclusion on the cover disc of issue 40 (28th October) if all goes to plan. As with their last free VSTi, CM-101, it has been developed by Muon Software so quality is assured!

SR-202 is a Drum sampler and there will be Windows and MacOS versions. If you want to know more, as I'm sure you do, Red has posted an extensive specification list on the forum in this thread...

Sonic Syndicate have updated Orion Pro to v2.6 including lots of enhancements, most interestingly, DXi support has been added!

• Custom Arpeggios can be defined and used in the arpeggiator
• All chords for the AutoChord function are now configurable, custom chords can be added
• MIDI CC automation for VSTi's added as an alternative to the normal VST parameter automation. This allows you to record controller changes for multitimbral VSTi's on any MIDI channel
• New effect added: Analog Clipper
• New effect added: Stereo Widen
• Compressor now has seamlessly adjustable hard/soft knee curve shapes
• FXP support added for VST Plugins
• DXi support added
• Drum pattern changes are now undoable as well
• The new Velocity Editor now works correctly for the drums module and multitimbral VSTi's

Steinberg have released Cubase VST 5.0r2 for MacOS

• Cubase VST 5.0r2
• Cubase VST Score 5.0r2
• Cubase VST 32 5.0r2
• Version History

Native Instruments have updated Battery to v1.01 for both Windows and MacOS

• New: reads AKAI MPC-2000 samples & programs (mapping only).
• New: reads SoundDesigner SDII samples (MAC only).
• DXI: now Battery kits are saved with a Cakewalk song. MIDI channel, mute and transpose in a MIDI track are transmitted to the plug-in.
• Detuning-bug #1: occurred when the host sample rate differs from the sample rate of the loaded sample. Now resampling is done at load time, which is also much more efficient.
• Detuning bug #2: very small detuning values were ignored. Fixed.
• 8-Bit AIFFs were not read correctly. Fixed.
• SF2 import: global zones / global instruments were not read correctly, causing some instruments being imported poorly. Fixed.
• AKAI import did not work properly on Windows 2000. Fixed.
• AKAI import: on some CDs, single zones were out of tune. Fixed.
• Level meters were showing the left channel on both sides. Fixed.
• The layer volume display did not always show the right value. Fixed.
• Under certain conditions BATTERY crashed FruityLoops. Fixed.
• The modulation source loop count did not work perfectly right (the first two loop iterations produced the same modulation value). Fixed.
• Reading more samples than fitting into the panel, while starting at a cell other than the first one caused a crash. Fixed.
• UI graphics (e.g. flashing cells) were quite performance-intensive, causing dropouts on some machines. The graphic performance has been improved in this update.

PluginSpot have made the MacOS versions of mda's plugins available again, now also including the new mda ePiano, a great free Electric Piano VSTi! More info and download here...

Steinberg have released a new Public Beta of Cubase for Windows - 5.0r7PB3. There are actually two sets of files:

One set, the 15MB files, contain a whole collection of updated plug-ins, including Neon, VB1, USM, new drum kits in LM-9 etc. (There are now 5 included drum kits), and the other set only patch the Cubase Application files, and don't update the plug-ins.

Download the files (FTP)
Version History

[UPDATE] PB2 was removed and replaced by PB3 very quickly due to a bug discovered in PB2 [/UPDATE]

We're entering the last week of the VSTi Host competition and we're still looking for a winner, if you're a Mac user you should get your entry in sharpish and you could be the lucky owner of VSTi Host 3.0!

Click here to enter!

Its been a while, but we've got a few new banks for you, thanks as always to the authors for submitting them, sorry for the delay in posting them, as usual ;)

Desaster Development is the new name behind Ruction Sample Sequencer which has now reached version 1.0 after being in beta for the last couple of months. Ruction is a full featured step-sequencer VSTi for Windows, a Mac version is also planned. Specifications are below, a demo version is also available.

Technical:

• 8 stereo-slots for samples, which can be assigned to 6 stereo-outs in your host software.
  
• Adjustable vol/length/tune/pan/out per sample-slot
• Filter section per slot: lowpass, bandpass, highpass filters available
• Note-off recognition, velocity-sensing for expressive playing
• Adjustable shuffle parameter
• Automatic tuning of sample-loops to hosts BPM
• Parameter data compression for compatibility with logic
• Support for all host-samplerates

Intuitive user interface:

• Ultra-fast sample-skipping while playback
• Quick sample loading functions (drag-drop support, sample-browse dropdown-menu)
• Intelligent sample relocation
• Auto click-removal at end of samples
• Keyboard shortcuts for edit-modes
• Overfly editing: 'wipe' the steps/values by overflying with mouse clicked
• Context menus with many copy/paste/init functions for slots and patterns.

Step-sequencer features:

• Sync to host's BPM
• Import/Export of ruction grooves
• Smooth Volume/filter frequency/filter resonance/tune/panning modulation
• 2 x 12 patterns
  
• Parallel pattern play
• Integrated play button for pattern preview
  
  
• Costs $45

VSamp has been updated to v3.23 [Mac VSTi]

• Fixed problem whereby double-clicking on a VSamp file in MacOS 9 Finder gave an error -39 (launched OS X VSamp instead of OS 9).

Muon have released a Windows demo version of their excellent Tau Pro VSTi, they've also recently updated the freeware Tau to v1.2 - adding a few general optimizations, and 16 program memories to store user patches in.

Muon Positron News:

Thanks to some amazing optimization work, the waveform oscillators of the Tau Pro have now been added to the forthcoming Positron polysynth, upping the wave count to 16 different types with maximum-speed performance, a full bottom end and absolutely NO aliasing noise! Also, PWM and Hard Sync are available on all waveforms just like the Tau Pro! The Muon Positron should be available in October 2001.

Updated Positron features:

• Two 64-bit alias-free oscillators, with a choice of 16 waveforms each (saw 1-5, square 1-5, triangle 1-5, sine) plus detune, vibrato and PWM (available for all waveforms)
• Hard sync for great lead sounds
• Unison mode with glide and detune - play all 32 of the Positron's oscillators on just one key!
• Ultrafat 24db/octave multimode filter with EG and LFO modulation options
• Two fast ADSR envelope generators
• Flexible LFO with waveform selection and MIDI modulation of depth and speed via aftertouch, modwheel and velocity
• Built-in Stereo FX unit with distortion, delay, chorus and flange programs

PluginSpot have released WASP VSTi for Windows, formerly only available as one of Image Line Fruityloops' and Sonic Syndicate Orion's internal synths! They've also acquired the mda Piano and mda DX-10 from MDA. The idea is to keep both free and do commercial versions with better interfaces and larger samples based on the same engines. The mda Piano package now also features the mda ePiano, an Electric Piano, specifically a Rhodes, emulation, alas this doesn't have a nice GUI but is restricted to your hosts default interface, it is free though!!

[UPDATE] mda Piano and ePiano have now been unbundled into separate products and downloads [/UPDATE]

WASP info:

• 2 oscillators with coarse tune -36/+36 semitones & fine tune
• Oscillator shapes are sawtooth, square, sine & noise
• Sub Oscillator, slaved to osc #1 (one octave below), saw & square shapes
• Oscillator Mix slider
• Pulse Width for Osc1 + Osc2
• Frequency Modulation (Osc1>Osc2)
• Ring Modulator (Osc1 x Osc2)
• Amplitude envelope (ADSR), can be linked to Filter ADSR
• Filter envelope (ADSR)
• 2 LFO's with Pitch, Osc Mix, Cutoff, Amp, PWM targets
• Sources are sine, sawtooth, square, noise
• Filter section is packed with 6 filters:
  
  - 24 dB Lowpass
  - 24 dB Bandpass
  - 24 dB Highpass
  - 12 dB Lowpass + Notch, Double-Notch
  - 24 dB 'fat' Lowpass
  
  
• Filter keyboard track option (higher notes -> higher cutoff)
• Cutoff, Resonance & Filter Envelope Amount adjustable
• Distortion section with Drive + Tone Control
• Costs $29

You can check them all out at www.pluginspot.com

LinPlug have release RM III Final, their new flagship drum sampler for Windows.

• 18 polyphonic instruments (Up to 24 voices, CPU dependent), each with up to 32 samples
• Mono and stereo sample support, 8 to 32 bit, up to 96 kHz, direct loading capability, WAV, Float-WAV and AIFF
• Variable output assignment from 1 stereo to 18 stereo and mono outs
• Onboard Compressor, Distortion and Velocity Controlled Filter for each Pad
• RM 2, RM III, LM-4 and LM-9 drum kit import
• Amplitude and pitch envelopes, level, tuning and crunchy bit crushing
• All instruments can play samples over the keyboard
• Switchable Note-Off response
• Mute and solo switches, “velocity sensitive” trigger pads, activity lights per instrument
• A variety of user-definable choke options
• Costs $59

Dash Synthesis have released more new ensembles for Reaktor

• AcGuitar (10 MB of samples) emulating an Acoustic/Jazz guitar with
  note strike and Automatic-Hand Slider
• AcSax 2.0 now with AirBlow and KeyClick

Kenfen.com have released three new sample CD's for Native Instruments Battery. Each one is packed with over 650 samples for a valuable addition to your sound arsenal, for more info visit their site...

• JSquare's BombKits for Battery, Volume One
• Junebug's Battery Box, Volume One
• Kenfen's Battery Pack Volume One