Tascam has announced the long-awaited new version of GigaStudio – GigaStudio 3.0, sadly not as a plugin as hoped but it does offer support for VST effects. This new version, a from-the-ground-up rewrite of the original application, adds dozens of new features for composers, sound designers and music producers. Available in three versions – Orchestra, Ensemble and Solo – it offers up to unlimited polyphony, 96kHz/24-bit sample support, ReWire support, VST FX plugin support, and GigaPiano 2, real-time convolution and a new look and feel to maintain GigaStudio's presence at the forefront of the sampling market. And it retains the features that made it the professional choice for sampling, such as disk streaming, the lowest latency of any sampler and the best sound libraries in the world.

GigaStudio 3 adds a list of new features designed to make music production easier while producing the most authentic sampled instruments ever created.

• Unlimited Polyphony – in GigaStudio 3 Orchestra, dependant on hard drive speed. 160 voice polyphony in GS3 Ensemble, 96 voices in GS3 Solo.
• VST Plug-In support – use your favorite effects in GigaStudio.
• Rewire support – GigaStudio now provides virtual MIDI and audio connections between a sequencer and GS3.
• 24-bit sample support – a new dimension of detail, without affecting polyphony.
• 96kHz sample support – load 24-bit/96kHz instruments for stunning realism.
• Expanded mixer – now supports 128 channels and 32 fader groups.
• Quick Edit – by popular demand, edit real time parameters on the fly.
• New User Interface look and feel – a modern overhaul to the look of GigaStudio for improved workflow and usability.
• Intelligent MIDI – Legato, Alternation, Random modes and more.
• Sample Recording – Now the premier sample player can record samples, not just play them back. New GSIF 2.0-compatible soundcards now support input as well as output for recording or processing directly into GigaStudio.
• Kernel-level MIDI – Tascam's new MIDI input technology virtually eliminates latency and reduces jitter on the incoming MIDI data.
• Convolution Surround placement –using a native version of GigaPulse with extra channels for surround.
• GigaPulse – This processor models the resonance of a space, microphone or instrument body for the most realistic sampled instruments ever. A playback-only version, GigaPulse SP, is included with Orchestra, Ensemble and Solo. GigaPulse Pro is included with GigaStudio 3 Orchestra, and offers the ability to create your own reverb impulses and add them to instruments.