New Gear Alert: Steinberg’s Dorico 2.2, Peak v1.2 Update from Novation, Waves’ Flow Motion FM Synth & More

Steinberg launches Dorico 2.2.

Steinberg’s Dorico 2.2 sees major upgrades in MIDI functionality, along with improvements to jazz articulations.

Dorico 2.0 introduced a suite of features aimed at helping composers, orchestrators, and copyists working in media music for film, TV, and games, including support for composing to picture, timecode, markers, MIDI controller automation, and more. Dorico 2.2 adds further powerful MIDI-centric features for media musicians, including realtime MIDI recording, improved MIDI transcription, and import and export of tempo tracks from and to MIDI files.

Dorico 2.0 also broadened the capabilities of the software for musicians working in jazz, rock, pop, and other commercial music with best-in-class bar repeats and rhythm slashes. Dorico 2.2 builds on this with comprehensive support for jazz articulations—scoops, falls, plops, and doits—and sophisticated support for complex repeat structures involving D.C., D.S., Coda, and Fine.

Dorico 2.2 is available immediately as a free update for existing Dorico Pro 2 and Dorico Elements 2 users. New customers buying Dorico for the first time will automatically receive Dorico 2.2 when they install.

Dorico 2.2 is priced at $559.99. Students and teachers can purchase Dorico at a discounted price of $349.99. Users of Finale and Sibelius can buy a Dorico crossgrade at a special price of $279.99, and a further educational discount is available for students and teachers for $179.99.

Novation introduces the Peak v1.2 firmware update.

Users requested, and Novation responded; the Peak v1.2 firmware update offers scores of improvements across the board.

Firmware v1.2 adds a number of the most requested features from Peak users around the world, as well as all-new presets.

Massively increasing the range of Peak’s sonic palette, 43 new wavetables have been added to the Oscillator Wave menus. Peak v1.2 also adds two freely assignable, non-voice-specific LFOs (bringing the total to four) to the Mod Matrix and new FX Matrix. Pitch-Bend is now also available as a modulation source, with Up (BendWhl+) and Down (BendWhl-) assignable as separate signals if required.

Workflow is greatly accelerated with Peak v1.2’s updated Mod Matrix design, as sources and destinations are presented on the same page—no more toggling between them to make and edit assignments. And as an added benefit, the Page button now enables quick access to all 16 modulation slots.

Peak v1.2 now also lets you route non-voice-specific modulation sources to Peak’s FX parameters in the new four-slot FX Mod Matrix. Now you can, for example, expand and contract a reverb with a rhythmic LFO, or automate delay time changes using an envelope.

Peak’s v1.2 firmware update will be available on December 19th as a free download in the Components content manager.

Waves introduces the Flow Motion FM Synth.

Go deep into frequency modulation with Waves’ new Flow Motion FM Synth.

The Flow Motion FM Synth is Waves’ newest addition to their expanding line of virtual instruments. Design deep basses, screaming leads, rich pads, and growling FX with this hybrid FM synth, featuring an innovative 16-step snapshot sequencer, and an intuitive graphic interface that makes FM synthesis playful and easy.

Flow Motion combines the best elements of FM (frequency modulation) and analog-style subtractive synthesis in one powerful instrument. The Flow screen eases your way into FM synthesis, with a uniquely designed graphic FM modulation matrix that connects four powerful mono/polyphonic oscillators with independent waveform and pan controls. You can easily modify assignments between the oscillators, using four independent floating LFO/envelope modulators with intuitive drag-and-drop manipulation.

With an additional 16-step note sequencer/arpeggiator and built-in FX, this hybrid synth will let you take your ideas to new sonic territories. Huge on tweakability, but light on the learning curve, Flow Motion will advance your creative flow whether you’re a beginner or an expert synthesist.

Check out an introductory video to Flow Motion FM Synth here.

Flow Motion FM Synth is on sale now for $39 (reg. $99).

Propellerhead releases the Quad Note Generator rack extension for Reason.

Propellerhead’s new Quad Note Generator can help further your composition process, whether offering basic variations or entirely new ideas.

The Quad Note Generator rack extension will help you create bass lines, leads lines, or other musical phrases to fit your music, based on scale and your preferences for rhythm and variation. Far beyond just random notes, Quad Note Generator can make slight variations to your music, or completely improvise—it’s up to you.

You can use Quad Note Generator in several ways. It can be the starting point to help you set off in a new direction with your song, or you can use it to spice up something you are already working on. If you like, you can record the Quad Note Generator performance into Reason’s main sequencer for final editing. And with the freeze function, you can create phrases that are part repetitive and part improvisational in nature.

Check out an introductory video to Quad Note Generator here.

Quad Note Generator is available for immediate download via the Propellerhead Store, priced at $69.

The Dante/AES67 expansion card from NTP Technology and DAD is now shipping.

The Dante/AES67 expansion card from DAD and NTP Technology can take your channel count into the stratosphere, offering resolution up to 48kHz.

The AD/DA/DD converter and audio-routing devices by NTP Technology and Digital Audio Denmark come with support for 64 channels of Dante IP Audio right out of the box, but in an effort to meet demand for an even higher channel count, the company now introduces an optional expansion card that adds another 128 channels to the digital audio routing matrix. Further, with eight slots available for expansion cards, you could ultimately have up to 1,088 Dante/AES67 channels, including the 64 channels that comes as standard, at 48kHz.

The new Dante expansion card also offers sample rate conversion as well as dual redundancy network ports in order to maximize reliability, reducing the risk of losing valuable production time.

The Dante/AES67 expansion card is available now, priced at €1,480.

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