Here’s some more sites for your reference. Some of you will find these really useful.

100 free plugins. Yes, there’s more. We want to hear from you to see which ones you guys think are the best, and why.

Email me – chris@audiotechnews.com
DSK Brass: Sample-based brass instrument, with two layers and 23 waveforms, effects, automation support, and even micro-detuning.

DSK StringZ: Sample-based strings, two layers, separate ADSR envelopes for each layer, effects, automation.

Syntar: A sytar-like synthesizer.

Dr-Fusion 2: Drum sampler and synth with, layering, per-sample controls.

Tapeworm: Mellotron-inspired synth with fine-tuning and automation support.

Enjoy.

Eclipse Sound & Light in Suffolk, UK has decided to become a player, as it’s just bought an Electro-Voice XLD compact line array system.  The speaker configuration consists of 12 XLD281 top boxes plus four XLC215 bass bins, powered by EV’s Tour Grade amps.

Eclipse have gone for a  48-channel Midas Legend L3000, so Audiotechnews would love to hire in the speakers, but will bring the desk himself, thanks very much.

Forget friends. Your family will forgive you. If you’re thinking about a Christmas present for yourself, it might be worth taking a gander over here.

You can pick up McDSP’s Analog Channel Native plug-in at a reduced rate until the end of December.

Here’s what they have to say.

Analog Channel Native emulates the sounds of high-end analog tape machines, tape, and channel amplifiers.

Analog Channel is 2 plug-ins:

* AC1 – Emulates analog channel amplifier circuits
* AC2 – Emulates analog tape machines

Both in mono and stereo versions.

Analog Channel Native v3.1 is
RTAS and Audiosuite
Mac OSX & Win XP

To celebrate it’s 15th anniversary, Waves will begin to offer free downloads of selected Waves Artists’ presets and favorite Waves tools

Waves will update it’s list of available presets from its roster of artists, featuring some of the world’s top producers, engineers, mastering engineers and musicians.

You need to be registered, but then you just click on “Spotlight Artist” and away you go.

The first ones up for grabs are endorsed by Mike Hedges, Steve Lillywhite and mixing engineer Dave Pensado.

Lillywhite says, “Waves is the only product that I have been comfortable to endorse since I started.”

Waves

OK, it’s no secret that you can download thousands of plugins. Not to most people anyway, although I like to think that some people might read this blog who are pretty new to recording.

So the good news is – you can download free plugins. Pretty much every single type you’ve ever heard of, and then some. Stop there. Even the most seasoned professional sometimes has to curb him or herself with these things. It’s very easy to over do it.

On other occasions though, you just need the right one, and no other will do.

The best way is just to do a google search on “Free plugin reverb” unless you want a compressor, in which case you’re an idiot, but you’ll still find one anyway. Eventually. You will, for example end up clicking onto a page like this.

And there you will find one of my personal favourites – the Terry West Vocal EQ Pro. It’s so simple, but effective, and that’s almost always exactly what you will be looking for. Play with all the buttons, and all the combinations, and lose yourself in the fact that you just made something sound good, even if it is cheating a bit; because at the end of the day, if you end up settling for a bad sound out of that particular plugin…

You Sir… are a moron.

MXL Microphones have introduced a new general purpose studio microphone. The V88 is a large-diaphragm, pressure-gradient, condenser microphone with fully balanced transformer-less output. It boasts faithful capturing of vocals and other acoustic sources.

“Internally wired with Mogami cable for signal transfer, the V88 features a 32mm capsule with a gold-sputtered diaphragm. With its cardioid polar pattern, off-axis instruments remain natural-sounding, and the capsule provides feedback suppression during the recording of live performances where loudspeaker playback may be a factor.”

“With low self-noise and a high sound-pressure level rating, the V88 aims to capture the dynamics of the human voice, and reportedly delivers smooth frequency response from 20 Hz through 20 kHz due to the microphone’s Class A electronics.”

The V88 studio microphone comes with a protective aluminum flight case and shockmount adapter.

Anyone who’s tried one, let me know will you?

MXL Microphones Press Release

Good news for FireWire audio interface users who’ve bothered with Vista.
You can download Windows Vista 32 and 64 drivers for Tascam’s FW-1082, FW-1804, and FW-1884 FireWire audio interfaces as well as the legacy USB products.  More details and moral support on their website.

Studio Devil’s latest; Vitrual Guitar Amp for Windows is now shipping at $79.

It boasts 18 tube amp channels, but personally I’ve got sounds I’m happy with from programs like Reaper and the subsequent free downloads you can find on the net.

Having said that, you might want to check out the audio clips they’ve put up. I’m actually quite fond of the ‘Jazzy Blues’ sample.

The ARC System (Advanced Room Correction System) may be something to moan about for jaded engineers who feel the art is being taken out of the trade.

Using Audyssey’s MultEQ technology, the ARC corrects frequency and phase response for multiple points in the room. ARC also removes low-end alterations, restores tonal balances, and makes your mixes sound more consistent.

Two sugars please, Engineer.

JOST have released version 0.4.3 which accepts accepts audio synthesis and processing plugins in LADSPA, DSSI, and native Linux VST formats, and solves some of the pizmidi problems of v0.4.2

“JOST also encourages and monitors the development of native Linux VSTs from open source code provided by the original authors. Though written originally for Windows, this code is often released under the GPL, and some remarkable collections are available. The programmers at mda-vst kindly donated a package of more than thirty synthesizer and effect plugins, many of which have excellent sound quality. Other notable contributions include various effects from the DestroyFX crew, some interesting synths from the soi-disant Rock Hardbuns, and a potentially very useful set of MIDI event processors from the developer known only as The Piz.”

More at Linux Journal