This video says it all… Pre-order now!

DP Control™ is an iPhone app now available as a free download at the Apple app store. DP Control allows you to operate Digital Performer over a WiFi network using your iPhone, iPad or third-generation iPod Touch. Built specifically for use with Digital Performer (Version 7.2 or later), DP Control gives you easy access to the most important transport and mixer functions for tracking, mixing, and live performance.

One-handed operation
Designed with large, touch-friendly buttons and other UI elements, DP Control works in both landscape and portrait orientations. In portait mode, you can hold your iPhone or iPod in one hand, and comfortably operate DP Control by pressing buttons and swiping to new pages with your thumb.

Multi-touch mixing
Wireless, multi-touch mixing with Digital Performer is now a reality. You can control multiple on-screen Mixing Board faders simultaneously with several fingers. For two-handed mixing, you can turn your iPad sideways and mix with fingers from both hands at once — from the couch across the studio. Faders and other controls are large and easy to grab. You can quickly swipe left and right to access more faders as you mix.

Bidirectional communication
If you make a change from DP Control on your remote device, such as renaming a take or adding a marker, the corresponding DP project on the host Mac is immediately updated, and vice versa. This two-way communication makes DP Control a seamless extension of DP.

Watch the DP Control movie
In this short video, MOTU’s Dave Roberts shows you how easy it is to set up and operate DP Control. You’ll get a brief overview of DP Control features, and you’ll see it in action.

Feature highlights

• Real two-way communication: changes made in DP Control are immediately reflected in DP, and vice versa.
• Editable time counter with selectable format (including real-time, SMPTE time, samples, and marker names).
• Main transport control and many other transport-related Control Panel functions (click, countoff, memory-cycle, etc.)
• Page-controlled, scrollable mixer with animated, recordable pan knobs and volume sliders, plus level meters and peak indicators.
• Solo, Mute, Record-enable, Play automation, Record automation and automation mode settings for each track.
• Track list for the host DP project, complete with collapsable nested track folders and dynamically linked track organization that matches the currently open DP project on the host Mac.
• Infinite undo, with the ability to step through the next and previous tasks in the host DP project undo history.
• Marker creation and naming.
• New Take, Previous Take, and Next Take functions that operate on all of the record-enabled tracks at once (essential for tracking drums).
• Take selection, by name, for individual tracks. Also New Take, Delete Take, and Rename Take for the current take on any individual track.
• Save function for saving changes made to the DP document.

Availability
DP Control is now available as a free download from the Apple App store. It is compatible with any iPhone, iPad, and third-generation iPod Touch, and it requires Digital Performer 7.2 or later running on a Mac on the same WiFi network as DP Control.

From 1 August to 30 September 2010 when you buy any of the Allen & Heath XONE products listed below you are eligible to claim a Cashback of up to $200! PLUS if you add a pair of XONE:XD-53 headphones to that purchase you can claim an additional $50 Cashback!

Full details and redemption form >>

MOTU are now shipping Digital Performer 7.12. Owners of Version 7 can download the free Version 7.12 updater from MOTU’s website. This maintenance release includes expanded control surface and MIDI device configuration options, improved waveform overview construction, and more, as well as features and enhancements first introduced in DP 7.1 and earlier. Improved control surface configuration options enable the use of applications such as Saitara Software’s AC-7 applications for iPhone and iPad.

Learn more about DP7

MOTU are now shipping Ethno 2.0.1 and Electric keys 1.0.3. If you own either one (or both), you can download the free updaters (for Mac or Windows) from MOTU’s website. These maintenance updates provide numerous enhancements and are recommended for all registered owners to download and install.

For complete details about each update, refer to the download description and update Read Me documentation.

Professional recording and mixing that fits in your pocket

The MicroBook turns your Mac or PC computer into a personal 4×2 recording studio with all the audio I/O and mixing you need for professional-quality recording and playback.

Plug in your mic, guitar and keyboard (or other instrument) and record up to four inputs simultaneously. You can even connect your iPod for rehearsing or sampling. Mix your tracks with on-screen CueMix FX software and apply DSP-powered effects such as multi-band EQ and compression.

Read more…

Surely you’ve been there.. Mad plugging and unplugging, tracing cables back to the mixer, who’s is this? What is that plugged into? Where’s my line out cable? Hmm, this one *pop* – *…silence …* guess not! Dude, I AM hurrying!! Etc etc.

What if it was all easymode? The house decks stayed connected, you walk up and plug in your scratch amp along side the previous act’s scratch amp, have a quick chat, flick a switch and start your set! REVOLUTIONARY And did I mention NO CABLE HELL?

Well, Allen & Heath’s new Xone:PB solves SO many common hassles it’s a marvel of simplicity. The Xone:PB is a patchbay – patchbays aren’t a new concept in the music biz by a long shot, but DJ patchbays?? I can safely say I have never used one! This neat little invention is worth its weight in gold (or ice cold imported beer at the very least). Rack mountable in a standard 19″ format, the Xone:PB will drop nicely into the space above any 19″ club mixer, and takes up very little space alongside a desktop format DJ mixer. This passive interface unit is “designed to simplify the task of connecting encoded vinyl replay systems to installed mixers without the need to re-patch, providing a quick and easy solution to set changes in busy club line ups.”, and it does it brilliantly, with well thought out features for real world DJ applications.

The outputs from up to four audio sources and the inputs to the mixer channels are connected to RCAs on the rear panel of the unit. The front panel connections echo the outputs from the audio sources on the left side, while connections on the right provide inputs to up to four external sources. Switches on the front panel select whether the mixer inputs are connected directly to the audio sources or diverted to the external sources, allowing very quick and simple interfacing to scratch amps or computer soundcards. The audio source connections on the front panel are duplicated, enabling two scratch amps to be connected to the same audio source for simple DJ handovers.

Additionally, two switchable inverse RIAA filters are available to enable line level sources to be connected to the phono preamplifiers of the mixer, there is common mode noise attenuation filtering on all external inputs to help reduce laptop power supply noise, and an earth lift switch helps prevent ground loops.

So, in summary:

• Pure genius for clubs, festivals, parties with multiple DJs in the lineup.
• Great for connecting laptops, scratch amps and other decks
• The only cables you’ll need to see / touch are the ones YOU are connecting
• Noise filtering for dealing with noisy laptops
• Easy switching between house sources and external sources
• RIAA filters allow connection of line sources to PHONO inputs on the mixer (nice feature for purely digital setups)
• How the hell did we get by without one??
• Every club in the world should have this!

You can read more about the Xone:PB from Allen & Heath here.

Allen & Heath’s new pro series headphones now shipping

Building on the XD-53 legacy: Joining the flagship XD-53 monitoring headphones, Allen & Heath introduces the Xone XD-40 headphones, offering excellent audio fidelity in a compact, lightweight format.

Read the press release…

Allen & Heath’s Xone:XD-53 DJ monitoring headphones – We love them, and so do the crew at skratchworx.com. Check out what they had to say as they put them through their paces in their headphone lineup earlier this month.

Read the review here…

Major Music are now distributing the amazing range of music software by Notion Music. These software packages bring new life to composition and scoring on a computer, and more importantly make your compositions sound GREAT. Notion 3 has redefined what a scoring program can be, and is designed around the premise that you want your music to SOUND good as well! Progression is a revolutionary songwriting and composition software for Guitar, Bass and Drums, offering easy guitar tab, lead sheets and sheet music, and instant playback using real sampled instruments. Conducting (as the name implies) is a unique conducting teaching solution for with realtime tempo control of a virtual orchestra. And finally Protégé is an intuitive entry level composition program ideal for beginners who want to develop their compositional skills.

More info…