∞ Toontrack announces Custom and Vintage drums for Superior Drummer

Toontrack Music on Tuesday announced two new expansion packs for its flagship drum sampler, Superior Drummer 2.0. (more…)

∞ Microsoft poaching Apple store managers and sales staff

Microsoft is beginning to look to Apple for more than just inspiration for its retail stores, the company is now also starting to hire away its retail employees. (more…)

∞ Native Instruments updates Traktor Scratch Pro, Traktor Pro

Native Instruments on Monday released updates for owners of Traktor Scratch Pro and Traktor Pro, the company’s digital DJ products. (more…)

∞ Hands On: Cakewalk's V-Studio 100

Like most guitar players, I spend a lot of time and money making sure I have the best gear I can afford to make my tone the best it can be. One item that’s often ignored when recording into the computer, is a quality audio interface. (more…)

∞ Apple responds to Google's FCC letter

Google on Friday lifted the confidentiality clause on a letter sent to the FCC in late August concerning Apple and the Google Voice iPhone app. What it revealed was that Apple did reject the app. (more…)

∞ Google contradicts Apple, tells FCC iPhone app was rejected

Google has contradicted Apple’s letter to the FCC, saying that Apple did, in fact, reject its Google Voice app entry into the App Store. (more…)

∞ Toontrack goes electronic with new EZdrummer expansion pack

Toontrack Music on Friday released a new expansion kit compatible with its EZdrummer and Superior Drummer samplers. (more…)

∞ Microsoft matches Snow Leopard's $29 price for students

Microsoft on Thursday promoted a new Web site that allows students to purchase Windows 7 for $29, the same price Apple is selling its new operating system, Snow Leopard. (more…)

∞ Snow Leopard outsells Leopard and Tiger in first two weeks

Mac OS X Snow Leopard is proving to be a very popular release for Apple, according to a new report from market research firm, NPD. (more…)

∞ Will Apple release new Macs before the holidays?

With its annual September event done, Apple is set for iPod releases for the holidays, but will the company update its Macs before the biggest shopping season of the year? One research firm thinks so. (more…)

Universal Audio: The best audio plug-ins for the Mac

I made some pretty bold statements when I first wrote about Universal Audio’s plug-ins for the Mac. I’ve had quite a few questions from that article, so I thought I’d try to answer them here.

In the original article I said, “While there are a lot of plug-in choices, I have found none better than Universal Audio (UA).”

A lot of you wrote and asked if I had tried this plug-in or that plug-in. I can assure you that over the years I have tried pretty much everything available. I not only stand by my statement, I will say that UA is simply the best set of audio plug-ins on the market.

Another bold statement. Let me explain why.

Every bit of music has a limit on the range it can occupy. Unfortunately, some of today’s music takes every last bit of that range and packs it completely full of sound. Some obviously like this, but personally I like my music to have room to breathe.

As an example: have you ever listened to a song that goes into a soft bridge section; the guitars get quiet; the drummer is tapping on a cymbal; the singer is talking; and then the band starts to get back into the swing of things and with an amazing bang they are rocking again.

Did you notice that sometimes in those sections, things don’t really quiet down? In some mixes those quiet parts are just as loud as the main section of the song. To me, it’s missing a major dynamic of the music.

I find that the UA plug-ins allow me to control that range of frequencies better than anything else. Sure, there are a lot of EQs and compressors out there that can do the job, but not like this.

UA has taken the time to model some of the world’s best vintage gear and make it accurate. I feel like the control I have is real, not control over some made up space that doesn’t even exist in the range of the song.

Sometimes it seems like the music I’m listening to is trying to break out of its range and that’s too bad. That range needs to be managed.

I also said in the original article that I liked the “warmth” the plug-ins provided. Some have asked exactly what I meant by that.

“Warmth” is a difficult thing to explain. Some music is loud and pounding — that’s not warmth. Some music is high-pitched and tinny sounding — that is not warmth. I guess the warmth is the fullness of the music without wanting to rip my ears off.

You can find that in classical music, metal, hard rock and every other genre.

My UAD-2 Quad costs $1,899, but it is one of the best investments I’ve made for my music. I have all of the plug-ins and I have different uses for them.

I love the sound of a Fairchild Compressor on an acoustic guitar. For me, it just brings out that natural sound that I like in an acoustic. I also use the Neve 1081, Neve 1073, LA-2A and the 1176 Compressor. They all give you something different.

Not only does UA model its software to be like the original, they still make some of the originals. All of the analog gear is handmade and from what I’ve heard, it sounds amazing.

I never thought I’d do this, but when time and money allow, I’ll be picking up some of their analog gear as well.

I spend a lot of time and energy on my music. I’m glad to deal with a company that does the same thing with its products.

∞ Report: Mac sales up 7% for September quarter, iPods down

According to new data from market research firm NPD, Apple is on track to increase its Mac sales for its September quarter over the same period last year. (more…)

∞ iTunes 9 files point to iTunes U syncing with Apple TV

Apple’s recently released iTunes 9 may hint at an upcoming update for the company’s home media player, Apple TV. (more…)

∞ Apple responds to iPhone anti-phishing confusion

iPhone OS 3.1 was released earlier this week during Apple’s music event in San Francisco and includes a new feature that seems to have been misunderstood in early tests. (more…)

∞ RapidWeaver update adds Snow Leopard compatibility

We told you about the initial public beta release, so we thought it would be a good idea to let you know about the final shipping release too. (more…)

∞ Cakewalk releases Snow Leopard drivers for V-Studio 100

If you use Cakewalk’s V-Studio 100 and have already upgraded to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, you’ll be pleased to know that the company on Friday released new drivers for the audio interface. (more…)

∞ Testing the iPod nano video capabilities

There have been a lot of questions about the quality of the iPod nano’s video camera, so I thought I’d enlist the help of a friend and test it out. (more…)

∞ Jobs discusses the iPod nano camera, e-books, and iPod touch

The big question on everyone’s mind yesterday was about cameras. Why the iPod touch didn’t get one and the iPod nano only got video recording and not the ability to take still photos. (more…)

∞ Hands On: Apple's new iPod nano with video

I got one of the new iPod nanos that has the built-in video camera this afternoon and thought I’d give you my first impressions. (more…)

∞ Analyst: Apple did what they needed to do with iPod releases

With the release of the new iPods and iTunes 9 at its event in San Francisco on Wednesday, Apple aimed to put itself further ahead of the competition in the app, music and MP3 player business. One analyst believes they did just that. (more…)

∞ Live coverage from Apple's music event

The posts are in reverse chronological order (newest on top). Please refresh your browser to see the latest. (more…)

∞ Analyst: iPhone taking share from BlackBerry, Nokia

Apple’s iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS continue to top the charts for wireless partner AT&T, according to a new research report from Piper Jaffray. (more…)

∞ Hands On: Pixelmator 1.5 adds Trim, Send to iPhoto

One of my favorite applications will see a major revision next week, as the Pixelmator Team updates it image editor, Pixelmator. I’ve made no secret of how much I like Pixelmator, so I thought I’d put the new version through its paces and see how it works. (more…)

∞ New Jersey Apple Store thieves caught on video

For the second time in three months thieves were caught on video robbing an Apple retail store. (more…)

∞ AT&T will offer iPhone tethering sometime 'in the future'

Don’t get your hopes up for an iPhone tethering announcement from AT&T anytime soon. (more…)

∞ AT&T sets September 25 as iPhone MMS launch date

The wait is almost over. iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS users will have to ability to send and receive MMS in about three weeks, according to AT&T. (more…)

∞ Sources confirm no Apple TV at Apple's September event

Piper Jaffray Senior Research Analyst, Gene Munster, on Tuesday said he feels an Apple TV may be introduced at next week’s Apple event. However, that is not going to happen. (more…)

∞ Hands On: Song Sergeant cleans up your iTunes library

I don’t have the biggest iTunes library in the world, but it’s big enough to become unmanageable sometimes. That’s a problem I’ve been looking to fix for some time and I think LairWare’s Song Sergeant may be the answer. (more…)

∞ NI announces Kontakt 4, Absynth 5, and Komplete 6

In addition to unveiling the next major version of Guitar Rig 4, Native Instruments (NI) also announced new versions of Kontakt 4, Absynth 5, and Komplete 6. (more…)

∞ Seven social networking iPhone apps to get you started

People use their iPhones for all kinds of things like music, work, and phone calls, but one of the most popular things to do with the iPhone is social networking. (more…)