New Gear Alert: Bitwig Studio 3, Abbey Road Headphones Plugin by Waves, Focusrite x Auditory & More

Bitwig releases Studio 3.

Bitwig Studio 3 has arrived, and comes armed with the highly-anticipated full implementation of “The Grid.”

Bitwig Studio 3 opens a new window for working with sound: The Grid. The Grid is a modular sound-design environment. With a library of 154 modules, an assortment of editing gestures, and interactive assistance always on hand, modular patching is now easier for the professional and completely accessible to the newcomer.

A particularly helpful feature of The Grid is that documentation of each module is built into the program. Every module in The Grid has an interactive help view that both describes every parameter on the module and allows you to manipulate the settings. Beyond being a platform for new content creation, Bitwig Studio 3 also comes with 200+ Grid presets. These show the diverse possibilities of The Grid to create production-ready content.

Bitwig Studio 3 also features a redesigned Instrument Inspector, automatic project backups, a realtime ruler, VU meters in routing choosers, a general UI overhaul, and much more.

Bitwig Studio 3 is available for purchase now, and comes as a free update for all customers with a Bitwig Studio license and a valid upgrade plan.

Waves and Abbey Road Studios introduce the Abbey Road Studio 3 plugin.

The Abbey Road Studio 3 plugin enables you to mix in a fully-immersive headphones simulation of this famous room via Waves’ Nx technology.

The Waves Abbey Road Studio 3 plugin brings the impeccable acoustics of the legendary Abbey Road Studio 3 control room to any set of headphones. For the first time ever, thanks to Waves’ Nx technology, the complete acoustic response of Abbey Road Studio 3 has been captured for immersive use on headphones.

The Studio 3 control room is Abbey Road’s flagship mix room, designed by the world’s greatest acousticians to provide the ultimate music production and mixing environment. This unique control room is home to music’s greatest legends. From modern classics by Radiohead, Amy Winehouse, and Kanye West, to contemporary mixes of the Beatles and Pink Floyd: all were recorded, mixed, and perfected at Abbey Road Studio 3.

With Abbey Road Studio 3 inside your headphones, you can now trust your headphone mixes like never before, and you can produce and mix with greater confidence. In addition, this plugin also delivers full 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound, modeled after the studio’s original surround setup.

The Abbey Road Studio 3 plugin is on sale now for $99 (reg. $199).

Focusrite offers two free Auditory plugins & additional savings.

Up next in Focusrite’s Plug-In Collective in an attractive offer with Auditory, including 2 free plugins and steep additional discounts.

Focusrite has announced the latest free software giveaway for members of the Plug-in Collective community: Audiority’s Deleight and Distortion 1 plugins, along with a 50% discount on any single plugin in the Audiority store, or 15% off the company’s Effects Plugin Bundle.

Deleight is a stereo multi-tap delay, based on late 90s digital hardware, with four taps per side, discrete left/right and feedback channels, LFO modulation, and a looper mode. Distortion 1 models an iconic Japanese stompbox from the late 70s, capturing every nuance of the original hardware and making it supremely quick and easy to bring edge and bite to your guitar tones.

To take advantage of this offer, simply register your Focusrite hardware; details of the deal then land in your account. Offer is available until September 5th, 2019.

UJAM releases version 2 of Virtual Drummer series.

UJAM’s Virtual Drummer 2 offers three distinct playing styles and improvements to feel, pocket, and groove.

The brand new 2.0 version of Virtual Drummer is comprised of three titles: SOLID – the all-around reliable session drummer, suitable for most popular styles; HEAVY – covering hard and heavy; and PHAT – injecting an urban and funky style.

With this update, UJAM added significant features requested by users while keeping the fail-proof spirit of simplicity. Even with an increased number of controls and much more detailed editing and mixing options, the one-page interface stays nice and clean while easy to operate. The update also boasts 30 new styles with 690 rhythmic phrases and up to 150 new presets for each Virtual Drummer, all created with extra emphasis on natural feel and musicality.

Virtual Drummer 2 is priced at $99 per title; the Bundle of all three is priced at $199. UJAM is offering a special introductory discount of 50% until July 14th, 2019. Upgrade pricing for existing customers is available, details can be found here.

Alesis releases the Strike Amp 12 powered drum amplifier.

The new Alesis Strike Amp 12 is powerful, portable, and expandable.

Strike Amp 12 delivers great sound, fully in keeping with the Alesis Strike Series drum tradition. Its 2-way design features a specially-voiced, long-excursion 12-inch woofer and a 1- inch high-frequency compression driver in a computer-optimized waveguide. This accurately reproduces the kit’s sound with all the clarity and lifelike detail that any drummer would need.

Strike Amp 12 has all the hookup versatility needed to meet virtually any use-case scenario, such as two XLR/TRS 1/4″ combo inputs with independent volume controls and a special EQ switch to tailor the sound to the drummer’s exact needs. The XLR output enables the signal to be sent to another Strike Amp 12 for double the output. The enclosure is a lightweight, angled cabinet that can be used in either vertical upright or horizontal tilt-back position. The Strike Amp 12 can even be pole-mounted with its threaded inserts. Regardless of the usage situation, Strike Amp 12 will fit.

Strike Amp 12 will be available in Summer 2019, priced at $299.

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