Tascam released a new virtual sampler that is powered by the Giga software. The sampler has many of the features you would expect from a professional virtual sampler. The “interesting” part is that it plugs in to the gigastudio to allow for seamless integration. The limited deployment of the GigaStudio software in the commercial market though makes this news more interesting. As the Gigastudio becomes more enhanced perhaps they can give ProTools a run for their money finally.

Icon Collective is a school to learn about electronic music production. Electronic music may have moved away from the forefront of popular musinc of the the last few years but with places like this poping up every where nurtureing a new generation of electronic artists the future of dance music is assured.

::: icon collective :::

Centaur Entertainment announces that DJ/Producer Junior Vasquez will make a new CD entitled Party Groove: White Party Volume 7. The mix is being presented in conjunction with Junior Vasquez Music. Centaur’s
President Nick DeBiase was very excited and said “We’re very excited to be working with Junior Vasquez
and his new CD will definitely be one of the best dance albums of the year.”

“I tried to make it edgy, uplifting, anthemic and spiritual,” says Junior.
“For many years I was criticized for playing pots-and-pans but I’m over that
sound. I love great vocals with instrumentation that’s tough-as-nails to
underpin the song.” Junior’s reported sobriety in the last year has
certainly influenced him musically.

Digidesign released a new version of Pro Tools version 7. The software is a digital workstation that allows for the manipulation of MIDI files and other audio formats to produce music. Owners of licensed versions of the software are eligable for a free upgrade. Also Digidesign offers a free trial version of ProTools to allow musicians to try it out.

Regards to MacWorld for the scoop.

Roland released a new sampler called the SP-404. The SP-404 replaced the SP-303. The newly released sampler, designed with the 303 as the foundation, had several new features. The new features added included increased pads, memory, and voices. Roland also added a inline microphone which made sampling easier.

I noticed to today that Cakewalk released a new version of Pyro.

That really isn’t news in and of itself though.

Here is what they say about it:

Cakewalk Pyro was the first consumer digital music management product to offer an integrated system where users could play, organize, edit, and share mix CDs of their favorite music; digitize and restore LPs and cassettes; create MP3s; record Internet broadcasts; and create data CDs; all from one easy-to-use interface. New version 5 adds ringtone creation and delivery, disc burning enhancements, improved audio editing, enhanced support for portable players, and more.

Whay I found interesting was that this cheap program can be used to create ringtones. Interesting.

Scratch Academy is a school for DJ’s in LA. The school is pretty intriguing on their online site. They go to great lengths to make the case that the school is justified by labeling the courses in the format of colleges and splashing the word career around. The names teaching the courses are top notch and the course work seems to make sense but to suggest to a young man or woman that it is a career choice seems irresponsible.

New Toneworks Signal Processor

Toneworks released a new signal processor using Korg technology at its heart. The processor uses knobs for its manipulation and offers a wide range of preset effects.

Roland Updates 16 Track Recorder

Roland released an updated version of its BOSS BR-1600CD 16 track recorder. The new features include increased base amp models, enhanced realtime vocal-pitch correction, and the ability to synchronize playback with another BR-1600CD.

Shure Launches Grammy Camp

Shure launched a camp for educating teenage musicians. The camp includes courses on the creative process and technical aspects of performing, recording and distribution.