Students granted subsidized access to professional level orchestral libraries
POTSDAM, GERMANY, February 12, 2025 — Orchestral Tools is proud to announce a new collaborative relationship with the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf. The collaboration is designed to support and inspire the next generation of film composers, by granting students of film composition at the university subsidized access to Berlin Orchestra—the high-quality virtual orchestra initially designed in collaboration with the film scoring department at Berklee College of Music. The full-featured orchestra provides students with an inspiring, professional-level composing toolkit equally suitable for academic projects and industry work. For more information about the Film University film scoring program, please click here.
Inspiring the next generation of film composers
Since its founding as the German Academy of Film Art in 1954 in the former GDR, the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf has been one of the divided—and then the united—country’s preeminent training grounds for generations of filmmakers. The scope of the university has expanded radically within the last 70 years to include all aspects of the craft, including a very strong film scoring concentration. “The Film University is the most celebrated institution for film music education in the Berlin area and we’ve always felt a strong connection to their program and students,” explains Orchestral Tools Head of Marketing Graham Ball. “We saw this initiative as an opportunity to support them and provide their young composers with an inspiring set of musical tools that would support their studies, as well as prepare them for professional work in the industry.”
“Our students have been pushing all kinds of boundaries in terms of their ambition and desire to expand the art form, and we encourage them to do so” added Film University Babelsberg Head of Film Music Program Ulrich Reuter. “Today in film music, every sound is possible. Nevertheless, being able to write for orchestra is, and will stay, a part of the required skillset of a film composer. And so it is an important part of our program, involving the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg performing regular scoring sessions for the students. But even in situations where you do have the luxury of recording with a real orchestra, a convincing sample library is vital for composing and for communicating with the director and other stakeholders.
Berlin Orchestra has a strong educational pedigree and the quality of its samples and extended articulations are very well in line with our needs as educators and composers, so we are very happy about this opportunity for the students.”
Berlin Orchestra is a complete sampled orchestra collection that focuses clearly on realism and playability, allowing for complex orchestral writing. The collection includes a full string section with soloists and ensembles, a brass section with soloists and ensembles, a detailed woodwinds section, and a wide range of percussion instruments. The diversity of instrumentation and articulations available allow composers to score just as they would for a live orchestra, with enough subtlety and control for the most demanding compositional needs. The collection was recorded at the Teldex Scoring Stage in Berlin with the same musicians and recording setup as OT’s flagship Berlin Series libraries—the industry standard sample libraries used by leading composers around the world.
“For students learning the art of film scoring, a high-quality, playable orchestra is absolutely essential,” says Orchestral Tools Founder and CEO Hendrik Schwarzer. “In the past, lower priced collections simply have not had the quality of sound or flexibility required for serious programs like those at the Film University in Babelsberg. Here, largely thanks to our collaboration with Berklee, we are able to provide these students with an inspiring orchestra at a reasonable price—one that will deliver the depth and quality for advanced orchestration that these students require.”
“We’re incredibly proud to contribute to the next generation of composers in this way, and look forward to our ongoing collaboration with the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF.”
For more information about Berlin Orchestra, please visit: https://www.orchestraltools.com/store/collections/berlinorchestra
About Orchestral Tools
Orchestral Tools makes premium-quality sampled instruments for professional composers. Notable libraries include the Berlin Series, Metropolis Ark, Tallinn, Tom Holkenborg’s Brass and Percussion, created in collaboration with composer Tom Holkenborg, and Phoenix Orchestra, created in collaboration with composers Harry Gregson-Williams and Richard Harvey. Originally founded in 2005 by Hendrik Schwarzer, Orchestral Tools operates internationally from its base in Germany, with offices in Freiburg and Berlin.
Chicago, IL – February 11, 2025 – Designed for superior synchronization and supreme audio fidelity, the new Revolution Clocks from Black Lion Audio ensure that all connected digital audio devices operate in perfect sync, even at the highest sampling rates. With a scant 0.5pS RMS of jitter at the BNC outputs, these are the most precise and reliable word clocks from Black Lion to date. Whether in the studio or a live production environment, Revolution clocks provide rock-solid timing for unmatched sonic clarity and depth.
Hyper-accurate sync delivers pristine audio performance
Clocking is essential for any system using multiple digital audio devices. Without proper synchronization, jitter-induced timing errors can cause smearing in the stereo field, reduced transient accuracy, and degraded high-frequency detail. A correctly clocked system eliminates these issues, providing a more precise stereo image, clearer transients, and greater spatial accuracy. The Revolution Clocks function as the central timing reference, eliminating individual device clock errors and ensuring that all connected devices follow the same, ultra-precise timing for flawless audio reproduction.
Cutting-Edge Clocking Technologies
The Revolution Clock family integrates multiple advanced technologies for superior performance. All Revolution clocks feature Black Lion Audio’s patented Macro-MMC technology and precision MEMS oscillators for industry-leading stability. The Revolution Clock XC model introduces Suspended Oscillation technology, physically isolating the oscillators from environmental vibrations to maintain the highest accuracy, even in high-SPL studio environments. Additionally, a built-in mini-transformer ensures galvanic isolation, reducing parasitic interference for an even cleaner clock signal.
A Revolution Clock for Every Studio
The Revolution Clock family includes three models to suit various applications:
∙ Revolution Clock XC: The flagship model, capable of driving up to 14 devices, featuring Suspended Oscillation technology and an extensive range of connectivity options, including 8 BNC, 2 S/PDIF, 2 ADAT optical, and 2 AES/EBU outputs; as well as BNC clock in. 44.1kHz – 384kHz.
∙ Revolution Clock: A versatile mid-range option with 4 BNC, 1 S/PDIF, 1 ADAT optical, and 1 AES/EBU output, ideal for medium-sized setups requiring high-quality clocking. 44.1kHz – 384kHz.
∙ Revolution Clock Mini: A compact yet powerful solution for smaller studios or live use, offering 3 BNC outputs and rock-solid timing up to 192kHz.
Stable and Secure
Setting up a Revolution Clock is as simple as connecting the desired digital devices to its outputs and setting them to receive external clocking. Intuitive controls and a locking encoder to prevent accidental changes ensure hassle-free operation. Revolution Clocks are also capable of driving signals over 1,000 feet of coaxial cable, making them perfect for large-scale live sound, broadcast, and post-production applications.
Experience the best clocking performance from Black Lion Audio to date.
Available for pre-order beginning February 11, 2025, Revolution Clock should start shipping through Black Lion Audio’s growing global network of dealers/distributors (https://www.blacklionaudio.com/dealers) in late Q1/early Q2 2025, priced as follows:
∙ Revolution Clock Mini: $299 US MAP/€399 SSP Inc. 19% VAT
∙ Revolution Clock: $599 US MAP/€799 SSP inc. 19% VAT
∙ Revolution Clock XC: $1,099 US MAP/€1,499 SSP inc. 19% VAT
For more in-depth information, please visit the Revolution Clock product webpages here: https://www.blacklionaudio.com/product-category/word-clocking/
About Black Lion Audio (www.blacklionaudio.com)
Founded in Chicago, Black Lion Audio is known for creating high-quality audio products, including professional-grade preamps, compressors, converters, and more. The company’s mission is to provide exceptional audio equipment with a focus on innovation, craftsmanship, and superior sound quality.
© 2025 Black Lion Audio
Bass Station is an iconic mono-synth, celebrated for its raw, punchy bass and distinctive analogue filter. First launched in 1993, it has been a core part of Novation’s brand ever since.
The new GForce Bass Station AU / VST is an exact emulation of the original Bass Station, now with a new expanded mode, which includes up to 16-voice polyphony and unison modes, taking its versatility far beyond the monophonic hardware original. Additionally, GForce included their unique X-Modifier technology, that enables you to work faster and create extensive modulations of almost every parameter, without having to set up modulation paths; they’re already set up for you. The GForce Bass Station also includes a high pass filter; a powerful new sequencer and arpeggiator; and effects such as distortion, chorus, delay and reverb. A fully scalable user interface and advanced patch browser streamline workflow also makes it easier to find, customize, and explore sounds.
Ferocious Basslines and Monstrous Polyphonic Sounds
The Bass Station delivers a sound as powerful and textured as the iconic TB-303® that its 24dB filter is meant to emulate. Its distinctive filter sweeps and lively oscillators allow for expressive bass lines and leads, from smooth, rounded tones to biting, edgy textures. Whether you’re shaping intense bass grooves or slicing through leads, the Bass Station is your ultimate ally in redefining the low end. Break free from the ordinary and let your bass lines take centre stage with the timeless energy of the Bass Station.
How Was It Augmented?
The Novation Bass Station by GForce has been richly enhanced to bring the best of both worlds—vintage charm aligned with modern possibilities. Here are the key enhancements:
These enhancements ensure that the GForce Bass Station is a powerful, fun and versatile musical instrument.
Novation Bass Station – key features
Compatibility
Mac: Standalone Application, AudioUnit, AAX, VST and VST3
PC: Standalone Application, AAX, VST and VST3
The Minimum System Requirements for Mac are as follows:
The Minimum System Requirements for PC are as follows:
This updated Bass Station VST will be available for purchase directly from GForce for £99.99 + VAT (introductory price of £49.99 + VAT until end of February). It will also be available to all Novation Launchkey 4, FLkey, and SL Mk3 customers upon registering their products.
For more information on compatibility, system requirements, and pricing, visit
gforcesoftware.com/products/bass-station and novationmusic.com/gforce-bass-station
Registered customers of the Novation Launchkey MK4, FLKey, or SL MK3, will receive this plugin for free. They will need to log in to their Novation account for more information!
About Novation Music novationmusic.com
Novation is a UK-based music technology company dedicated to creating innovative and inspiring tools for musicians and producers. Founded in 1992, Novation is known for its hardware and software solutions that push the boundaries of music production, from synthesizers like the Bass Station to MIDI controllers, audio interfaces, and more. As part of the Focusrite Group, Novation continues to lead the way in musical innovation, providing products that empower artists and creators worldwide.
About GForce Software Ltd. www.gforcesoftware.com
Specializing in vintage synthesizer modelling, GForce Software offer a range of products with the most authentic sonic and musical quality in the virtual arena. Our mission is to inspire composers and producers by providing well crafted instruments and sounds; and to nurture those aspiring to learn and grow during their musical journey.
LONDON, UK: Spitfire Audio is proud to announce availability of an update to its significant SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA release — relatively recently relaunched with reviewed content and an updated UI (User Interface) in a single more user-friendly package that became last year’s bestseller as a set of flagship virtual instruments featuring full SYMPHONIC STRINGS, SYMPHONIC BRASS, and SYMPHONIC WOODWINDS sections (including solo instruments, plus harp, piano, and all core elements of percussion needed to complete the band), beautifully performed by top-tier musicians who have featured on some of the top film scores of the last decade, duly captured in Lyndhurst Hall’s hallowed acoustic at London’s legendary AIR Studios as some of the leading sounds and sample libraries creator’s best, most classic recordings, readily realized as a definitive selection of blockbuster sounds that have already made their musical mark in hundreds of AAA film, game, and TV score productions by the world’s top composers and music-makers — with the welcomed addition of SOLO STRINGS, featuring three stunning-sounding soloists, as of February 6…
SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’s newly-added Solo Violin comes courtesy of Andrew Haveron, currently Concertmaster of the prestigious Sydney Symphony Orchestra, its roots stretching as far back as 1908, before it was made a professional orchestra upon the formation of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1932. As an internationally-renowned soloist who was previously First Violinist of the longstanding Brodsky Quartet — a British string quartet formed in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire in 1972 as the Cleveland Quartet, and subsequently named for Russian violinist Adolph Brodsky; Leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra — at the heart of British musical culture since its 1930 creation as the first permanent salaried orchestra in London; and Leader of the Philharmonia Orchestra — a London-based British orchestra founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI, Andrew Haveron is indisputably one of the most accomplished and admired violinists in the world.
With Bruce White — one of the most in-demand violists in the world, with a staggering 998 credits on films, TV shows, and video games, as well as 2,028 credits on released records to his notable name — performing its newly-added Solo Viola, rest assured that SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA continues to be in the most talented of musical hands. It is highly likely that owners of SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA — updated or otherwise — will have heard Bruce White’s wonderful work as a hugely sought-after session soloist and section Leader on almost every major film recorded in London.
Last, but by no means least, SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA has Caroline Dale to thank for its newly-added Solo Cello. Currently Principal Cello for the London-based English Chamber Orchestra — originating as part of the Goldsbrough Orchestra, founded in 1948 by British conductor, cellist, composer, teacher, and writer Lawrence Leonard and Arnold Goldsbrough (to which it obviously owed its name) — and the London Metropolitan Orchestra — London’s finest multimedia orchestra, engaged by all major Hollywood studios and global record companies since its formation in 1994, Caroline Dale won the string final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year at the tender age of 13, and at 15 was the youngest ever recipient of the Isserlis Scholarship for classical instrumentalists to fulfil their dreams of overseas study. She has featured as a soloist with multiple orchestras and in film famously played the solos in Italian composer Dario Marianelli’s Oscar-winning score to the period drama Atonement (2007) and Australian composer Barrington Pheloung’s BAFTA Award-nominated score to Hilary and Jackie (1998), the tragic story of world-renowned cellist Jaqueline du Pré. But beyond the big screen, she has also played with many big name artists, including Joan Armatrading, Peter Gabriel, David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and U2. Ultimately, Caroline Dale is one of the most in-demand cellists in the world, with an international reputation as a soloist, and the SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA update is lucky to have her — as well as Andrew Haveron and Bruce White — onboard.
“Digging back into the multitracks of these three incredible soloists was a delight.” So says Spitfire Audio co-founder Paul Thomson — a versatile producer and composer who is no stranger to musical talent himself, having achieved the highest grades of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in four instruments, created his first theatrical score for a piece by acclaimed French playwright Henri Ghéon, and wrote the official fanfare for the 900th anniversary of the granting of Worcester’s Royal Charter while still at school — before adding: “Andrew, Bruce, and Caroline are three of the most talented performers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, and these new additions to SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA cements its position as the leading orchestral sample library. Indeed, if you’ve watched blockbuster films, TV, played video games, or listened to hit records, you’ve heard SSO.”
Saying that, SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’s updated patches (including an independent Solo Violin 2 derived from the ‘V1’ samples) comprise a performance patch with three legato transition types — namely, fingered, bowed, and portamento, plus other articulations, including Long, SPICCATO, Staccato, Pizzicato, Short Harmonics, and Long Harmonics. That the three stunning-sounding soloists concerned were recorded in position in Lyndhurst Hall’s hallowed acoustic at London’s legendary AIR Studios while SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA users can creatively mix between CLOSE, (Decca) TREE, and AMB. (ambient) mic signals when working with the resulting samples serve to certainly cement Spitfire Audio’s significant release as the leading orchestral sample library as a result; after all, it now offers even more professionally-produced patches to help them to stand out from the sound of the crowd… just like those top composers and music-makers are already doing, so successfully.
Presented in Native Instruments’ KONTAKT 7 virtual instrument platform, the NKS (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD®)-ready/AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible, 360 GB download-sized (updated) SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA library is available for MacOS 11, 12, or 13 (latest update) and Windows 10 or 11 (latest Service Pack) at a 20%-discounted, time-limited promo price of £399.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$503.00 USD/ €455.00 EUR (inc. VAT) until February 28, 2025 — rising thereafter to its regular price of £499.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$629.00 USD/€569.00 EUR — from here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/spitfire-symphony-orchestra (The update is free to existing owners of SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.)
Anyone who does not already own KONTAKT 7 is invited to download KONTAKT 7 PLAYER for free; though the updated SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA will work with both KONTAKT 8 variations, it does not need either.
Spitfire Audio’s namesake Spitfire Audio app allows anyone to buy now and download anytime, and is available for free from here: http://www.spitfireaudio.com/info/library-manager/
For more in-depth information, including some superb-sounding audio demos, please visit the dedicated SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA webpage here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/spitfire-symphony-orchestra
About Spitfire Audio (www.spitfireaudio.com)
Founded in 2007 by composers, Spitfire Audio is the leading creator of sounds and sample libraries uniting pioneering artists with pioneering sounds and music technology. Its products are used by composers and music makers around the globe in their compositions and productions, with a major percentage of composers — including Oscar, Emmy, BAFTA, GRAMMY®, and César Awards nominees and winners — utilising them in their journey to scoring films and other projects.
© 2025 Spitfire Audio Holdings Limited
UVI release Mosaiq, innovative music production multitool offering unlimited inspiration for chords, beats, and more, available now with special pricing Paris, February 6th, 2025 – UVI is excited to announce the release of Mosaiq, an innovative music production multitool offering limitless inspiration for chords, beats, and more. Fun, and instantly rewarding, Mosaiq lets users play a massive library of sound sources across 8 deeply customizable key tracks, tweak with 5 interactive effects, a powerful MIDI sequencing engine, and a modular effects engine, and explore 1,600+ creative sound sources, 1,200+ hand-crafted presets in genre based collections, hundreds of built-in chord progressions, and numerous levels of randomization and mutation for near-infinite inspiration. A true sonic playground, Mosaiq delivers an innovative approach to modern music production that puts fun and exploration at the forefront. Mosaiq is available now, with a special introductory price of $99 / 99€, available through February 24th, 2025
(regularly $199 / 199€).
Both flexible and deep, Mosaiq is a chameleon-like workhorse, equally suited to create massive chords, powerful drums, or as a flexible sample-based instrument – it begs to be explored, and yields creative and inspiring results with little provocation. The included preset library offers a glimpse into Mosaiq’s potential, with 1,200+ presets of chords, drums, and kits, artfully crafted by the sound design team at UVI, and arranged in genre-based categories including Softpop, Tropical Heat, Hyperpop, Retrofuturism, Liquid Breaks, Electronic Rush, Beat Culture, and Velvet R&B – all available through a rich and immersive browser. Users can also easily design their own presets from the 1,600+ included sound sources or using their own samples thanks to native drag-and-drop support. Mosaiq not only excels at quickly generating ideas, it provides a deep and powerful sound design toolkit, giving users an all-in-one solution to tweak, refine, and polish with speed and precision.
Perfect your sounds with per-key control over amplitude, filter, pitch, EQ, humanization of velocity and pan, modulation, with LFO and step sequencer, and motion, allowing animation of your sounds with arpeggiator, phraser, or note sequencer – or iterate through exciting new territories with built-in mutation and randomization controls, available at both the sound and kit levels. Mosaiq offers native 64-bit standalone operation by way of Falcon or the free UVI Workstation, providing comprehensive support for all modern DAWs and simultaneous authorization on up to 3 computers or iLok keys.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Mosaiq is available immediately at a special price of $99 / 99€ (regularly $199 / 199€).
Special pricing is valid through February 24th, 2025.
ADDITIONAL PRODUCT INFORMATION
Additional information on Mosaiq is available at:
https://www.uvi.net/mosaiq
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC: as another significant addition to its ever-expanding range of premium instruments for MSoundFactory, itself held in high regard as arguably the most powerful modular virtual instrument platform out there today by effectively allowing users to create their own instruments (alternatively available as MSoundFactory LE — providing access to all the sounds and instruments included with its bigger brother, but without access to the editing screen — and also for free as the self-explanatory MSoundFactory Player with only a few sounds included, although users can choose to purchase premium instruments), music production and audio processing advanced tools-maker MeldaProduction is proud to announce availability of PowerWoodwinds — pushing that premium instrument range further forward by maneuvering orchestrally into the territory of woodwinds while following in the footsteps of its PowerBrass and PowerStrings predecessors with which it clearly compliments — as of February 3…
Orchestral maneuvers in woodwind territory
As an orchestral woodwind powerhouse, PowerWoodwinds is an MSoundFactory premium instrument featuring a complete woodwind ensemble explicitly tailored for the versatile demands of modern music production. PowerWoodwinds combines the timeless elegance of orchestral woodwinds with a contemporary twist, delivering rich and vibrant sounds designed to elevate tracks instantly. Indeed, its streamlined interface and intuitive controls effectively allow anyone to effortlessly add lush woodwind arrangements to their compositions without slowing down their creative flow.
Articulate to orchestrate
PowerWoodwinds’ power offers a diverse range of articulations that range from smooth Legato to crisp Staccato, allowing anyone to achieve the perfect expression for any musical idea. It is possible to switch between them during a live performance using the low keys of a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) controller keyboard or even enable multiple articulations at the same time. And as if that was not enough to be getting on with in itself, PowerWoodwinds offers independent Volume and Transpose (pitch) per articulation, which is ideal for extremely easy layering, while every articulation also has access to its own detailed envelope settings — think Attack, ACurve (Attack Curve), Hold, Decay, DCurve (Decay Curve), Sustain, and Release in the case of its Sustain articulations.
Get CREATIVE
While working with PowerWoodwinds, woodwinds need not always sound like woodwinds. When accessing PowerWoodwinds’ CREATIVE ‘tab’, users are plunged headlong into a brave new world of sound, one where they can, for example, transform the sound of those woodwinds into a synth using the CONVOLUTION settings. Similarly, FM (Frequency Modulation) controls are also available, as is control over HARMONICS. Applying a pleasant-sounding DIFFUSION to the proceedings is, likewise, all part of getting creative. Clearly, the results of doing that is a great blend between natural and artificial.
Cause and effect
Also, there is no need, necessarily, to turn to third-party effect plug-ins for finalizing the sound since PowerWoodwinds includes its own REVERB (offering five types of room and hall) alongside an advanced DELAY and five-band EQUALIZER, plus MOTION, DISTORTION, CHORUS, MODULATION, and LOFI effects — more than enough, surely, to boost creativity in the highly unlikely event of PowerWoodwinds failing to inspire in its musical mission of elevating whatever it touches.
Stand and deliver
It is fair to say that no matter what musical genre might make a user feel most comfortable — crafting an ambient track, a pop-rock song, orchestrating epic film trailers, composing emotive soundtracks, or producing majestic symphonies, perhaps, PowerWoodwinds stands ready to infuse their music with unparalleled depth and grandeur. As an optimized sample library, it is a lightweight MSoundFactory premium instrument that is efficient in terms of CPU (Central Processing Unit) and RAM (Random Access Memory) efficiency. Ending on a high note involves asking a pertinent question: is it worth using PowerWoodwinds instead of hiring an orchestra? Only time will tell for some stalwarts, but, for everyone else, PowerWoodwinds’ sounds surely speak for themselves. Time, though, is obviously of the essence in the versatile world of modern music production; PowerWoodwinds’ complete woodwind ensemble is, after all, explicitly tailored to meet those versatile demands.
PowerWoodwinds is available to purchase as an AAX-, AU-, VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in supporting all major hosts on macOS (64-bit only) and Windows (64-bit only) via its dedicated webpage (https://www.meldaproduction.com/PowerWoodwinds) for a time-limited introductory promo price of only €9.00 EUR until March 9, 2025 — rising thereafter to its regular price of €69.00 EUR — and can be used in MeldaProduction’s free MSoundFactory Player (downloadable from here: https://www.meldaproduction.com/MSoundFactoryPlayer); owners of MSoundFactory or MSoundFactory LE can get PowerWoodwinds as an add-on for free. (It is worth noting that MSoundFactory is also included in Image Line’s FL Cloud subscription: https://www.image-line.com/fl-cloud/whats-included/)
About MeldaProduction
MeldaProduction was founded in 2009 by Vojtech Meluzin and is based in Prague, Czech Republic. Inspired by ancient analogue gear right through to the latest digital developments, it makes advanced tools for music production and audio processing with 100-plus products — including more than 30 available for free — to its notable name. Needless to say, applying innovative thinking to create sounds that matter with inspiring user interfaces that are as easy to use as they are versatile with never-ending improvements neatly sums up the company’s gifted game plan. It is also a premier partner brand of fellow Prague-registered Limited Company United Plugins, a federation of independent development teams comprised of individuals involved in the music industry.
© 2025 MeldaProduction
Participating users entered to win OC818 microphone
Vienna, Austria, February 5, 2024 — Austrian Audio announces the start of public beta testing on the latest version of PolarDesigner – one of several innovative audio plugins in Austrian Audio’s software suite created by the brand for use with their OC818 and OC-S10 microphones. Beta testing on the open source plugin is open to all users starting now and those participating by providing feedback will be entered to win an OC818 microphone. For more information and to sign up, please click here.
Versatile post-processing tool for cutting-edge hardware technology
Austrian Audio’s software suite is designed to provide users with access to advanced post-processing power that take full advantage of the versatility of the OC818 and OC-S10 microphones. PolarDesigner gives users the ability to morph polar patterns in your DAW during post-production, adjusting the polar pattern of the microphone signal in up to five frequency bands for full flexibility. This empowers the user to push the limits of audio processing of acoustic material for creative ends in an intuitive, easy to understand way. These changes can also be automated in the DAW. PolarDesigner is the first plugin to streamline these techniques into an easy-to-use workflow for immediate, creative use. The Beta of PolarDesigner3 also includes a simplified UI for ease of operation, added Trim slider control, and is compatible with all Windows and Mac DAWs including all versions of Apple Silicon.
“We at Austrian Audio believe that the future of microphone design is the combination of the best practices in high-end physical engineering and having a pioneering spirit towards exploring the versatility of digital post-processing control,” says Austrian Audio CEO Martin Seidl. “With this public beta we are opening the doors to our very active user community and letting them guide us towards the ultimate workflow – using our abilities as engineers and designers to speak to their needs as working creators.”
“It is a very exciting process and we’re eager to see how together, we can explore the next frontier of essential microphone features.”
PolarDesigner3 Specs
For more information about and to sign up for Austrian Audio Plugin Beta Testing for PolarDesigner3, please visit: https://austrian.audio/product/polardesigner/
About Austrian Audio
Austrian Audio opened its doors in 2017 following the closure of the AKG offices in Vienna and set out to create something new, challenging, and respectful to its heritage. The new company started with a core team of previous AKG personnel from management, acoustics, electronics, test and measurement, mechanical design, RF/wireless, and software/firmware, bringing 350 years of cumulative engineering experience to the new company.
For more information, visit austrian.audio.
A 14-day interactive challenge designed to help aspiring producers create their first track
CUMBERLAND, R.I., (February 3, 2025) – Akai Professional, in collaboration with Splice and Melodics, proudly presents the February 2025 Beatmaker Bootcamp, a free 14-day interactive challenge running from February 17 to March 2, designed to help aspiring music producers create their first complete track. Participants can register now through the start of the program, gaining access to an immersive learning experience at no cost to them.
This hands-on bootcamp provides a structured and inspiring platform for new beatmakers, offering step-by-step guidance from renowned producer TAETRO. Participants will unlock daily lessons through the Melodics app, complemented by an engaging community component via Discord, where they can connect, share progress, and collaborate. The Beatmaker Bootcamp is more than just a course—it’s a gateway for aspiring producers to unlock their creativity and build confidence in their craft.
What to Expect from the Beatmaker Bootcamp:
How to Join
The free Beatmaker Bootcamp runs from February 17 to March 2, 2025, with sign-ups open now. Participants will gain access to guided lessons, a supportive community, and the opportunity to refine their music production skills.
Prizes & Exclusive Offers
Winners of the Beatmaker Bootcamp will have the chance to take home an exciting range of software and hardware prizes. Throughout the campaign, up to 10 software licenses will be awarded as spot prizes, featuring Sub Factory, Flavor Pro, and Delay Pro. For the grand finale, hardware prizes include an APC64, APC Mini MK2, and MPK Mini MK3, equipping winners with powerful tools to enhance their music production setup.
Additionally, all participants will have access to an exclusive Beat Maker Pack offer at 40% off ($138, MSRP $345). This bundle includes Jura ($149 MSRP), Flex Beat ($79 MSRP), and three MPC Expansions ($117 MSRP)—excluding the newly released Native Instruments expansions.
For more information and to register, visit: https://melodics.com/partners/beatmaker-bootcamp
To learn more, please visit the www.akaipro.com. Join the conversation on social media by following @AkaiProVideo YouTube, @Akai_Pro on Instagram, @Akai_Pro on Tik Tok and @Akai_Pro on X.
ABOUT AKAI PROFESSIONAL:
For over 40 years, Akai Professional has led the music production industry with innovative tools, including the iconic MPC series, which revolutionized sampling and gave rise to new genres. Trusted by top producers and musicians worldwide, Akai Professional continues to inspire the future of music creation.
ABOUT MELODICS:
Founded by Sam Gribben, former CEO of DJ-software brand Serato, Melodics is on a mission to make learning an instrument as fun and rewarding as playing it. Since 2015, Melodics has helped musicians worldwide enhance their skills with a platform designed for all levels, blending modern music and intuitive, interactive learning.
ABOUT SPLICE
Splice empowers music creators with the sounds and tools to bring their ideas to life. Through a vast, industry-leading catalog of high-quality licensed samples, paired with powerful AI, the platform accelerates sound discovery and inspiration. Committed to empowering music creators everywhere, Splice also provides affordable access to plugins and DAWs through a rent-to-own gear marketplace.
Somerville, January 24, 2025 – Step into a world of rich textures and phrases with Woven Violin, the newest creation from Somerville Sounds. Crafted to inspire and guide, this sample library is more than a collection of sounds—it’s a muse, ready to weave its magic into your compositions. Woven Violin is housed in an intuitive engine built for instant inspiration and designed to work with the Free Kontakt Player.
At its core, Woven Violin offers all the familiar articulations—drones, staccato, pizzicato, and harmonics—but its soul lies in the swells: lush, expressive arcs of sound in short, medium, and long variations. These swells, alongside evocative phrases that mold themselves to your chosen key, carry an authenticity and depth that breathe life into your music. Every note is infused with a sense of motion and emotion, perfectly controlled through velocity and dynamics.
Weave Mode unlocks the true artistry of Woven Violin. This intuitive, musical interface lets you blend articulations seamlessly, creating a palette of expression that responds as naturally as an instrument in a musician’s hands. It doesn’t just follow your lead as a composer—it offers its hand, gently pulling you toward unexpected discoveries and new creative horizons.
Pricing & Availability
Woven Violin is available immediately at a special price of $ 79 (regularly $99). Special pricing is valid through February 28th, 2025.
Additional Product Information
Additional information on Woven Violin is available at:
https://somervillesounds.com/wovenviolin/
Available for the free Kontakt player
About Somerville Sounds
“Our sounds inspire your songs”
Somerville Sounds, born from Jon Meyer’s music channel and free sampling projects,
launched in early 2024 with a focus on Folk Cinema-inspired virtual instruments.
Following a collaboration with Spitfire Audio, we’ve grown into a vibrant collection of free VSTs and Kontakt Player libraries. Named after Jon’s parents’ hometown in Texas, Somerville Sounds blends artistry and storytelling to create unique tools for composers and producers.
https://somervillesounds.com/
About the Artist Avery Bright
Performed by the virtuosic Avery Bright, a Nashville violinist whose soulful touch and
lyrical phrasing embodies the essence of Somerville Sounds’ Folk Cinema ethos,
Woven Violin is both an anchor to tradition and a bridge to the unexplored.
https://www.averybright.com
LONDON, UK: Spitfire Audio is proud to announce availability of SPITFIRE SYMPHONIC EXTRAS — enabled as the perfect companion piece to the leading sounds and sample libraries creator’s cornerstone SPITFIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA release recorded at London’s legendary AIR Studios (or, indeed, any of its best-selling series of ALBION… libraries that each uniquely fulfils the promise of providing everything needed to score a film in one product) by providing a wealth of unusual sounds captured from first-call session players in Lyndhurst Hall’s hallowed acoustic, ably capable of creating sound design textures or acting as substitutes for more standard choices in the orchestral palette to give a unique edge to anyone’s sound world — as of January 30…
Conventionality clearly has its place in the orchestral palette, as evidenced by SPITFIRE SYMPHONIC EXTRAS embracing an instrument that falls squarely into that category — an immaculately maintained baroque Harpsichord, performed by London-based virtuoso Steve Devine. Effectively every sound anyone could conceivably desire from this spectacular instrument is covered, courtesy of a full complement of registers.
Readily representing a non-standard piano in SPITFIRE SYMPHONIC EXTRAS’ substitutes for more standard choices in the orchestral palette, however, is a super-useful Plucked Piano sample set — performed by none other than Spitfire Audio co-founder Paul Thomson, also an accomplished composer in his own right — providing users with a very useful alternative to any tuned orchestral percussion. Put it this way: with its long ring-out, the bass notes are fantastic for adding to long, low orchestral tension. Indeed, it can double as a prepared piano or even sound otherworldly, like an organic string synthesizer. Switching between the tape — recorded to an analogue (Studer A827) multitrack — or digital — direct to Avid’s Pro Tools (via Prism Sound convertors) — signals is instantly on tap.
The Aluphone is a truly unique sound, conjured from a row of tuned aluminum bells, performed by first-call percussion virtuoso Paul Clarvis. As an exciting addition to the mallet family, this is familiar, yet different — a magical, metallic texture to use in scores and add both interest and uniqueness in equal measure.
Meanwhile, the Steel Drums are performed by notable percussionist Frank Ricotti to provide SPITFIRE SYMPHONIC EXTRAS users with wide-ranging textures spanning hauntingly beautiful soft layers through to searing metallic bite. Better still, these instruments — impressively featured in American musician and composer Cliff Martinez’s superb score for the psychological sci-fi film Solaris (2002) — have been performed with some of the overtones gently restrained to also provide a familiar, yet different representation of their sound.
As a shimmering, spine-tingling tuned percussion instrument used in Hollywood scores for its mysterious, sinister sound, the Cimbalom’s distinctive, metallic tones can cut through the orchestra. Ultimately, users of SPITFIRE SYMPHONIC EXTRAS have Czech-born Hungarian musical instrument-maker Vencel József Schunda to thank for the layout of the instrument in question, which dates back to 1874 in Budapest, based on his modifications to existing hammered dulcimer instruments already present in Central and Eastern Europe. Outside of those areas, popularization of the instrument was helped by Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, music pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher Zoltán Kodály, and also renowned Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. SPITFIRE SYMPHONIC EXTRAS’ collection was performed by pre-eminent player Greg Knowles, known for his contribution to The Hunger Games blockbuster (2012).
Since Scraped Percussion includes a collection of progressive, unconventional percussive sounds created using imaginatively played percussion instruments and objects — off-beatly encompassing a bicycle wheel and polystyrene cup! — in the capable hands of Paul Clarvis, SPITFIRE SYMPHONIC EXTRAS users can expect to benefit from a series of bowed, brushed, and scraped sounds born out of his experience as the go-to percussionist for A-list film composers and artists looking to enhance their scores by adding contemporary sonic architecture with an edge. As a wonderful collection of exceptionally unusual percussion noises, each object and instrument used has been explored with every possible performing style by Paul Clarvis — cymbals articulations alone include Bowed Long, Bowed Short, Serrated Long, Serrated Short, Stick Long, Stick Short, Superball Long, and Superball Short, for instance.
It is fair to say that the Hg2O collection really represents Spitfire Audio’s take on the waterphone, played by Paul Clarvis as a classic percussion instrument in AIR Studios’ legendary Lyndhurst Hall. Here, though, the leading sounds and sample libraries creator goes beyond the vintage horror stereotype to rival its inspirational beauty. By way of a brief explanation, the waterphone consists of a stainless-steel resonator bowl with a cylindrical neck and bronze rods of different lengths around the rim; the resonator itself is filled with water to give the instrument a vibrant, ethereal sound that has appeared on countless film scores, records, and live performances. Both bowed and drummed performances — with and without movement — have been sampled by Spitfire Audio in great detail; the resultant resonant characteristics of the bowl and rods in combination with the movement of the water immediately evokes mystery and suspense. It is possible to control the water level — front empty to half full and full — via the UI (User Interface). It is fair to say, surely, that the glass-half-full idiom irrefutably applies to anyone using the Hg2O collection… or any of the orchestral palette-enhancing instruments included in SPITFIRE SYMPHONIC EXTRAS for that matter!
Musically speaking, performer Paul Thomson clearly could not agree more. “This collection of extraordinary sounds gives a wealth of organic, real world content that I use regularly — both to expand the sound world of the orchestra with interesting substitutions, such as the Aluphone in place of the celeste or glockenspiel, or the Plucked Piano instead of the harp, but also to add otherworldly sound design to my tracks; this organic sound design element is the combined experience of two world-class, first-call percussionists creating new, unusual sounds for many blockbuster film scores,” he concludes, adding: “Having it all in one extensive package is the perfect toolkit to accompany my orchestral libraries.”
Presented in Native Instruments’ KONTAKT 7 virtual instrument platform, the NKS (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD®)-ready/AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible, 19.1 GB download-sized SPITFIRE SYMPHONIC EXTRAS library is available for MacOS 11, 12, or 13 (latest update) and Windows 10 or 11 (latest Service Pack) for £99.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$99.00 USD/€99.00 EUR (inc. VAT) from here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/spitfire-symphonic-extras
Anyone who does not already own KONTAKT 7 is invited to download KONTAKT 7 PLAYER for free; though SPITFIRE SYMPHONIC EXTRAS will work with both KONTAKT 8 variations, it does not need either.
Spitfire Audio’s namesake Spitfire Audio app allows anyone to buy now and download anytime, and is available for free from here: http://www.spitfireaudio.com/info/library-manager/
For more in-depth information, including some superb-sounding audio demos, please visit the dedicated SPITFIRE SYMPHONIC EXTRAS webpage here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/spitfire-symphonic-extras
About Spitfire Audio (www.spitfireaudio.com)
Founded in 2007 by composers, Spitfire Audio is the leading creator of sounds and sample libraries uniting pioneering artists with pioneering sounds and music technology. Its products are used by composers and music makers around the globe in their compositions and productions, with a major percentage of composers — including Oscar, Emmy, BAFTA, GRAMMY®, and César Awards nominees and winners — utilizing them in their journey to scoring films and other projects.
© 2025 Spitfire Audio Holdings Limited
