We know what you did last summer…
… and iZotope, Avid and Presonus staff didn’t get summer holidays after all
It’s just coming up to the end of the slow season as we write this, so we were looking forward to another depleted news section. Then, in what can only be described as ‘trying to get in there first to get maximum publicity’ three of our industry big guns announced big news! (Well, to be honest, these are just mostly regular updates to long-standing software, but after the news summer we’ve had, this is big news, okay?)
First up, iZotope have announced RX 10 and Ozone 10 with extra AI. They were pretty intelligent before to be fair, with RX 10 handling all your audio restoration and Ozone most of your mastering while you could just sit there watching Tipping Point (and who wouldn’t, given half the chance).
The latest RX adds an enhanced Repair Assistant (clue is in the name), and upgrades to De-Hum and Spectral Recovery, the latter of which is especially directed at bolstering audio captured on phones. Ozone 10, meanwhile, adds the Stabilizer module which is an intelligent and adaptive mastering EQ; Impact module adds punch and space; and there’s an improved Mastering Assist for easier song A-B-ing. Prices are RX 10 Advanced ($1199), Standard ($399) and Elements ($129); Ozone 10 Advanced ($499) and Standard ($249).
Next up Presonus have added the big version 6 to their well regarded Studio One DAW. Studio One 6 boasts all manner of upgrades, tweaks and additions – some 50 major enhancements in total. The main theme of the update is customisation, and this stands out in the all-new Smart Templates that feature a custom UI. This also extends to the overall UI, with the Customization Editor letting users edit everything they wish to see (or hide) on screen. Presonus have also added lyric support so you can add words to your compositions, from initial scratchpad ideas to performing songs. A new video track has been included thanks to user demand, and new plugins include Vocoder, De-Esser and ProEQ. Studio One 6 will be available as Artist and Pro versions (starting at $99.95) and as part of the Sphere subscription ($14.95/month).
Finally Avid don’t often give big point update news on Pro Tools as it is continuously being updated, but they have just announced a new free version of the pro DAW which looks and feels just like the ‘real thing’, and features eight MIDI, audio and software instrument tracks. Other details are sketchy as we go to press but this is significant news so we’ll have more on it, plus a hands-on guide, next month.
www.izotope.com, www.avid.com, www.presonus.com
Finally, a quartet of apps from Guido Scognamiglio (AKA GSi) who has been busy porting some of his desktop releases. These include the Krill synth (£9/£10), which is designed for “quick and dirty” sounds; the sample-based GenuineSounds Vol I Piano Edition (£30/$35); Echo B2 (£12/$14), which emulates the Binson Echorec, a classic Italian tape machine; and VariSpeed (£9/£10), a reboot of the WEM Copicat IC-400 Belt Drive VariSpeed tape delay. Both of the effects require an AUv3 host, but the instruments will run standalone. www.genuinesoundware.com