Pro Tools maker Avid is selling music technology company M-Audio to inMusic. Avid has agreed to the sale in order to focus on media enterprise and other professional customers, and to improve its operating performance. It is also passing its line of video editing apps to Corel Corporation at the same time as the M-Audio sale.
The Apple Store today kicked off a post-Thanksgiving Monday sale that has swung attention to accessories and some of Apple's secondary services. Audio is a focus and sees Beats' Beatbox speaker dock and Solo HD headphones drop down by $40 and $20 respectively, to $360 and $180. M-Audio's KeyStudio 49 MIDI keyboard has also been discounted from $100 to $70, and Edifier's Prisma E3350 speakers have had their price lowered to $117.
Avid has introduced several new products in its M-Audio line of audio hardware, each paired with an update to the consumer-level edition of Pro Tools. Electronista had a chance to preview the new products at a special event in New York City. The new bundles include KeyStudio, Recording Studio, and Vocal Studio.
Apple as promised has launched its Black Friday sale, currently ongoing in the US, Canada and Europe. The Friday-only discounts are highlighted by a $101 price cut for all iMac and MacBook Pro models regardless of size. The iPod touch also sees heavy discounts, bringing the 64GB model down to $358, the 32GB version to $268 and the 8GB model down to $178.
Avid's M-Audio is expanding its Studiophile monitor series with new mid-range line. Starting at $400, the CX-5 and CX-8 speakers fit between the company's entry-level BX line and its high-end Studiophile DSM Monitors. The new units include kevlar low-frequency woofers and silk-dome tweeters powered by built-in class A/B amplifiers.
M-Audio has announced Axiom Pro Series Keyboards, its latest series of USB MIDI keyboard controllers designed for professional musicians. Building off of M-Audio's previous line of USB MIDI Keyboards, the Pro series offers more enhancements for realistic play and comes in three different key models, 25, 49, and 61. The Axiom Pro provides software integration to digital audio workstations such as Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic and Reason. Also, the M-Audios HyperControl technology automatically maps keyboard controls to commonly accessed parameters in software instruments and DAWs.
M-Audio has announced an update to its Luna microphone line, the Luna II professional cardioid studio condenser microphone. The new microphone will feature class-A, solid-state electronics and a 1.1-inch, 3-micron, evaporated-gold diaphragm with a brass capsule, and is geared towards capturing vocals, guitar, piano and other musical instruments. It will also include a -10dB pad that allows recording up to 140dB, handling high-intensity sources like kick drums and guitar amplifiers. The Luna II has a switchable low-frequency roll-off filter and each microphone can be matched to a second Luna II for stereo recording.
M-Audio has unveiled the GForce M-Tron Pro virtual instrument that emulates sounds from classic synthesizers of the '60s and '70s, such as the Mellotron. The 3.5 GB sound library features over 200 sample sets, including 19 from the original M-Tron tape banks which were remastered at Abbey Road Studios in London. Over 700 patches and 45 brand-new tape banks have been included, along with editing controls and synthesizer parameter adjustments.
M-Audio on Monday unveiled the Fast Track Ultra 8R 8x8 MIDI USB 2.0 interface, offering users an MX Core DSP mixer, and eight Octane-powered preamps. The device can transmit audio at 24-bit/96kHz resolution across USB 2.0, giving users access to low-noise, high-gain pre-amplification for drum kits or ensembles. Fast Track Ultra 8R features +48V phantom power, signal/peak indicator lights, and a pull-out gain knob that activates a 20dB pad for high recording volumes.
M-Audio today unveiled two new portable digital pianos, as well as a rack-mountable 8 x 8 audio MIDI interface. The Fast Track Ultra 8R features an MX Core DSP mixer and eight Octane-enabled preamps, and delivers connectivity through a single USB 2.0 connector. M-Audio advertises that the Ultra 8R low-noise, high-gain preamplification, and near-zero latency. M-Audio is selling the Fast Track Ultra 8R for $650, and will be available during the second quarter.
M-Audio has released Pro Tools M-Powered 7.4, adding a number of new music features and workflow enhancements, including a new music composition and production tool, Elastic Time. Elastic Time allows users to change the tempo and timing of loops, music, and other sound files, without cutting up the tracks. Users can audition or import sounds into a session – including REX and Acid files – and the files will automatically sync to the tempo. Elastic Time can also quantize audio to the session grid or extracted grooves, providing fine-tuning control over every beat. M-Audio is currently selling the Pro Tools M-Powered 7.4 upgrade for $50 from v7.3, and $75 for all other users.
M-Audio today unveiled the MicroTrack II, a handheld 24/96 digital audio recorder. The device records to CompactFlash cards and Microdrives, providing 48V of phantom power to condenser microphones so that musicians can make use of the device while writing songs, playing practice sessions, and gigs. The MicroTrack II records in 24-bit/96KHz format, and can take signals from the quarter-inch TRS inputs, or the S/PDIF input, with sound monitoring available through the RCA or eighth-inch headphone jack. M-Audio is selling the MicroTrack II for $400, which includes an electret T-shaped microphone, software, a carrying pouch, an eighth-inch stereo extension cable with lapel clip, a power supply and USB cable.
Hardware and software maker M-Audio is preparing a new audio interface, the Fast Track Ultra. The unit is an 8x8 device with MIDI support, and connects to a Mac or PC via USB 2.0; six analog inputs and outputs are provided, along with a two-channel S/PDIF I/O. The Ultra can actually be used as a 16x8 device however, due in part to an eight-core DSP processor, which also minimizes latency and allows effects such as reverb. Four preamps boost the signal, and audio is streamed to a computer in 24 bits at 96kHz.
