SoundSource 3 is an Audio Routing Tool for Mac

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SoundSource logomacOS has proven to be an essential tool for media producers. The operating system’s overall stability, combined with its implementation of Core Audio have given media-focused developers a solid foundation for building robust, full-featured media-production applications. But macOS still has some limitations when it comes to the internal routing of audio. Some things can be configured thru the Sound pane in System Preferences. But sometimes, that’s not enough. That’s where SoundSource, an audio routing application from Rogue Amoeba comes in.

Rouge Amoeba recently announced the release of SoundSource 3, the latest version of the app:

From SoundSource’s menu bar icon, you can instantly configure the audio devices your Mac uses for Input, Output and Sound Effects. In seconds, you can adjust the volume for each of your audio devices or switch between connected devices. SoundSource can also enable the soft play-thru of audio from input devices. Use the Play-Thru window to monitor any connected input, such as a microphone, right through your headphones or other output.

SoundSource is a superior sound control in a tremendously convenient package. It tucks out of your way in the menu bar until you need it, then provides easy access to swap audio devices, adjust volumes, and more.

SoundSource is available as a $10 download direct from Rogue Amoeba. The company is also providing a special offer for existing customers of any Rogue Amoeba product that allows those users to get SoundSource for free.

Sienna Releases WebCam for NDI

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Sienna NDIWe’ve written about Network Device Interface (NDI) before, the protocol developed by Newtek that makes it possible to send HD video over networked connections. Newtek has encouraged widespread adoption of NDI by releasing the protocol under free, open-source terms. This has allowed the video production community to find different uses for NDI, and Sienna has the latest development in NDI-compatible software.

Sienna recently released WebCam for NDI, an application that allows users to work with macOS-based webcams over NDI connections:

This unique app turns your macOS Webcam into a powerful network camera, using the NDI IP Video Protocol.

Simply launch the app,select your camera and a new NDI service will be registered on your network.

Now you can select WebCam for NDI from any NDI compatible receiver, such as NewTek TriCaster Advanced edition and use the mac’s Camera as a high quality network video and audio source.

WebCam for NDI is low latency and high quality and adds a convenient way to connect things like MacBook iSight Cameras into your production mix .

WebCam for NDI requires a solid network connection, as NDI can use a lot of bandwidth. WebCam for NDI is compatible with many popular webcams, including the Logitech C920 and Apple iSight cameras. WebCam for NDI also supports AVFoundation compatible devices.

WebCam for NDI is available as a $39.99 purchase from the Mac App Store.

Bayco Products Introduces New Nightstick Portable Lights

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Bayco Products Inc., a Texas based leader in professional grade lightning products, announced availability of their new 1,000 Lumen Nightstick NSR-1514 LED Rechargeable Area/Scene Light with Magnetic Base, and 1,000 Lumen Nightstick NSR-1514C Rechargeable LED Area Light Kit which includes a 6 foot tripod placed inside a durable carrying case.

With an impressive 1,000 lumens of light on high, 500 lumens on low using a single sealed push button switch, the discrete yet powerful Nightstick NSR-1514 weighs only a mere 3.3 pounds.

Leveraging lithium-ion rechargeable battery technology to provide up to 8 hours of continuous usable light on 1 single charge, the NSR-1514 also features a rare-earth 10 pound pull force magnet in the supporting base. With hands-free use and lightweight rechargeable portability in mind, this area light will swivel independently providing the ability to position light exactly where needed and at angles not available in traditional fixed position scene lighting until now.

The NSR-1514 Rechargeable LED Area Light with Magnetic Base is perfect when portability is important. The housing is constructed from lightweight 6061-T6 aluminum and the multi-fin heat sink design keeps the fixture cool to the touch. The area light includes an adjustable handle, AC and DC power supplies.

The NSR-1514C Rechargeable LED Area Light Kit is also perfect for portability. The housing is also constructed from lightweight 6160-T6 aluminum and the multi-fin heat sink design keeps the fixture cool to the touch. The area light kit includes an adjustable handle, a 6” tripod with camlock adjusters, and AC and DC power supplies all placed inside a durable carrying case.

Powersoft Audio Launched Quattrocanali Amplifier Series

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Powersoft Audio has launched its new Quattrocanali series (which it brought to the ISE Show). This completes Powersoft Audio’s installation series that also includes the Duecanali (two channel) range.

The Quattrocanali offers the traditionally amazing sound quality and reliability of all Powersoft products. The patented SRM (Smart Rails Management) technology allows you to maximize the efficiency of the system.

With output powers ranging from 300W to 1200W per channel, in depth control and monitoring capabilities, Quattrocanali is designed to be conveniently tailored to all small to medium sized installation projects. Quattrocanali is a 4-channel class D amplifier platform. The series includes three models: the 1204, the 2404 and the 4804.

The Quattrocanali 1204 is a crisp sounding, high end 4-channel amplifier platform. The Quattrocanali 2404 allows for cost effective performances for small to medium range installations. The Quattrocanali 4804 offers sustained power for small to medium sized applications.

Shure is Auctioning Off Limited Edition SM58 Microphones

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Shure is the most trusted audio brand worldwide. Shure has partnered with Paul McCartney and The Who to auction off limited edition graphic painted SM58 microphones. Proceeds from the auctions will go to two charities.

Shure Incorporated was founded in 1925 and is widely acknowledged as the world’s leading manufacturer of microphones and audio electronics. Shure’s product line includes world-class wired microphones, wireless microphone, award-winning headphones and more.

The Shure SM58 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone has been used faithfully by the world’s most influential musicians since 1966. To celebrate and honor the strong connection of the SM58 to legendary musicians, Shure has partnered with both Paul McCartney and The Who to make available at auction a one-time production of 600 serialized graphic painted SM58’s.

All of the proceeds generated from the campaign will go directly toward foundations for which both artists are deeply vested, including Paul McCartney’s Meat Free Monday and The Who’s Teen Cancer America.

The serialized microphone will come with graphics specific to each artist. The Paul McCartney Special Edition 50th Anniversary SM58 will feature cover art from the album Kisses on the Bottom, photographed by Mary McCartney, and The Who Special Edition will feature original artwork from graphic designer Richard Evans, who has been designing The Who’s album covers and promotional visuals since 1976.

Each artist will have 300 SM58 microphones produced for the auction, with serial numbers 11-300 listed for sale at a fixed price. Additionally, Shure will be auctioning off serial numbers 1-10, which feature hand-signed autographs on the microphone handles. The limited edition microphones will be available through eBay for Charity.

HandBrake 1.0 Released

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Handbrake IconHandBrake has been a handy tool for media creators for over a decade. The free, open-source application makes it easy to convert and encode media of almost any format. HandBrake recently crossed an important milestone in its development, having finally reached an official version 1.0.0 release:

After more than 13 years of development, the HandBrake Team is delighted to present HandBrake 1.0.0. Thank you to all of our many contributors over the years for making HandBrake what it is today.

Here are some features included in HandBrake 1.0.0:

– New online documentation at https://handbrake.fr/docs
– Completely overhauled the official presets
– New general use presets for broad compatibility
– New device presets, now more up-to-date for common devices
– New web presets
– New Matroska (MKV) presets, including VP9 video with Opus audio
– Official presets from HandBrake 0.10.x are still available under “Legacy”
– New JSON-based preset system including command line support
– New JSON-based API for interacting with libhb
– Improvements to audio/video sync engine to better handle difficult sources
– Many miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements
– VP9 video encoding via libvpx
– Intel QuickSync Video H.265/HEVC encoder
– Requires Intel Skylake or newer CPU
– Ultra HD / 4K color pass through (support for BT.2020)
– Additional standard frame rate selections in the graphical interfaces
– New Auto anamorphic mode maximizes storage resolution, replaces Strict anamorphic mode
– New Pad filter (command line only for now)
– New Decomb/Deinterlace filter settings and improved defaults
– Rotate filter now available in all graphical interfaces
– New NLMeans filter tunes Tape and Sprite for analog tape recordings and vintage video games, respectively
– Assembly optimizations NLMeans filter improve performance up to 10%
– Assembly optimizations in x264 encoder improve performance for faster presets by 5-10%
– x265 encoder quality improvements, especially when using tune grain
– High bit depth encoding support via external shared libraries (video pipeline is still 8-bit 4:2:0)
– x264 10-bit
– x265 10-bit and 12-bit

To learn more about HandBrake 1.0.0, click the link at the top of this article. HandBrake is available as a free download for macOS, Windows, and Linux, as a well as a command-line version of the application.

Accusonus Releasing ERA-N Denoising Plugin

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ERA-N pluginNobody likes noisy audio tracks. They can be particularly problematic in spoken-word productions. And while it’s obvious that the best way to solve a noise problem is to cut it off at the source, that’s not always an option. Fortunately, there are a number of tools available to audio producers for reducing or (hopefully!) removing unwanted noise from recordings. But even with the variety of these denoising tools available today, there’s still plenty of room left for improvement.

And making a better denoiser is exactly what Accusonus is aiming for with its new “single knob” ERA-N audio plugin:

Enhance your voice-overs, repair your music recordings and restore your damaged audio files. ERA-N is a single-knob high-quality denoise plugin that just works. Based on accusonus’ multi-patented noise removal algorithms, ERA-N offers a quick and efficient workflow and allows you to rescue audio recordings that you would have previously considered unusable.

ERA-N will be available for digital audio workstations that use AU, VST, and AAX plugins, ERA-N is expected to go on sale at a special early-bird price of $39, with a final retail price of $59 after that. Check out this video for more information on the Accusonus ERA-N denoising plugin.

Line 6 To Release Helix Native Audio Plugin

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Helix PluginLine 6 has been innovating the audio hardware and effects space for decades. The company made a big splash with the release of its latest flagship guitar effects processor, Helix, in 2015. And while the hardware version of Helix has proven to be very popular with musicians, Line 6 identified a need for Helix’s effects outside of an all-in-one piece of gear. That’s why Helix will soon be released as an audio plugin, with native versions available for most popular digital audio workstations:

Helix Native is a world-class guitar processor plug-in that accurately recreates the dynamic sound and feel of vintage tube amps, cabs, mics and effects with award-winning HX modeling. It allows guitarists and engineers to accurately recreate the dynamic sound and feel of vintage tube amps, cabs, mics, and effects in professional DAW environments and they can now bring those exact tones to the stage by simply transferring their plug-in presets to their Helix hardware.

And:

Seamless workflow and broad compatibility. The Helix Native plug-in features broad compatibility with your DAW of choice, offering powerful 64-bit performance on AAX, AU and VST3 platforms. It also tightly integrates with Helix hardware so you can take your presets from studio to the stage—and back again.

Pricing is not yet available for the Helix native plugin. Line 6 has marked the plugin’s status as “coming soon,” with no further release details.

Elektron Announced Digitakt Digital Drum Machine

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Elektron announced Digitakt, an eight track digital drum machine and sampler. It has a compact size, a powerful digital sound engine, all new back-lit buttons, and super crisp OLED screen. These features make it a portable and focused instrument for producers and live musicians.

Drum machines are something of an Elektron speciality. Digitakt is compact, rugged, and to the point. It is a formidable drum machine with an astounding feature set and an exquisite digital sound engine. It includes a digital and highly flexible sound engine, sampling capability, a live-friendly sequencer, and the means to control external MIDI gear.

Digitakt highlights:

  • 8 internal audio tracks
  • 8 dedicated MIDI tracks
  • 1 x Multi-mode filter per audio track
  • 1 x Assignable LFO per track
  • Delay and Reverb send FX
  • Sampling capability
  • 64 MB sample memory
  • 1 GB + Drive storage
  • 2 x 1/4” input & 2 x 1/4” balanced output
  • 1 x High Speed USB 2.0 port
  • MIDI IN, OUT and THRU ports
  • Overbridge support

Soundelux USA Announces U99 Microphone

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Soundelux USA has announced the U99 Microphone. It is made in the USA by David Bock and its components have been carefully auditioned and selected for the best sound and lowest noise, not to satisfy a spread sheet. The mic comes with its own proprietary N470 power supply, six pin XLR cable, and bottom thread shock mount.

Inspired by the “Sound of Tomorrow 67”, Soundelux USA announces the U99 multi-pattern tube microphone; a versatile, high-quality workhorse mic that rises to any task a studio can throw at it.

Featuring a k67 dual symmetrical backplate dual membrane capsule along the signature Soundelux USA “fat” switch featured on the U195 microphone and an innovative new high frequency “boost-flat-cut” switch, the U99 has enough proximity effect to sound full, but not so much that it sounds “boomy.” This makes it a natural on vocals, acoustics instruments, and drums thanks to an onboard pad switch. The added benefit of allowing the user to set the brightness and fullness characteristics of the mic via switches means unrivaled flexibility for the engineer, producer, or artist.

As all Soundelux USA mics, the U99 uses a “new old stock” tube and true linear high current power supply for fullest possible sound. The electronics circuit differs from the vintage 67 in its departure from non-removable frequency shaping components and the removal of gain controlling negative feedback. It also feature a larger output transformer to radically increase the low frequency headroom.

The Soundelux USA U99 Microphones carries a US MSRP of $2,599 and will be available in March 2017. Visit Soundelux at NAMM booth #6799A.