New Gear Alert: Avid S1 Control Surface, Bitwig Studio 3.1, Steinberg’s Cubasis 3 For iOS & More

Avid announces the S1 control surface is now available.

Don’t be fooled by the compact footprint of the Avid S1—underneath its tiny hood lie many of the features seen in its larger siblings.

The Avid S1 audio control surface is designed for music mixing, audio-post, and video production artists. It delivers the unparalleled speed, rich visual feedback, and software integration of Avid’s high-end consoles in a portable, slimline surface that’s an easy fit for any space or budget.

Avid S1 gives audio specialists the hands-on speed, precision, and software integration needed to deliver better-sounding mixes faster. From recording and editing tracks to mixing and monitoring in stereo or surround, Avid S1 provides the comprehensive control and visual feedback to accelerate any music workflow. Like the industry-standard Avid S6 and Avid S4, Avid S1 is powered by EUCON to offer deep integration with Pro Tools and Media Composer, plus native support for third-party audio and video applications like Logic Pro, Cubase, Premiere Pro, and more. You can even switch between multiple applications—and workstations—at the touch of a button, providing the most fluid editing and mixing experience.

Avid S1 tightly integrates with the free Avid Control app for iOS and Android tablets and smartphones, providing rich visual feedback to enhance workflows, ergonomic efficiency, and Avid S6-style metering and processing views so you can navigate large sessions quickly, mix more intuitively, and produce better sounding mixes. From touch-sensitive motorized faders and knobs to fast-access touchscreen workflows and soft keys for completing complex tasks with a single touch, Avid S1 provides the speed and versatility to accelerate any music, audio-post, or video project.

The Avid S1 is available now, priced at $1,295.

Bitwig Studio 3.1 is now available.

With a focus on pitch manipulation and workflow improvements, Bitwig Studio 3.1 has arrived.

The first half of 2019 saw the release of Bitwig Studio 3, which delivered a new modular sound design environment, The Grid. As Bitwig Studio 3 was about expressing new sound design ideas, Bitwig Studio 3.1 extends the idea of pitch, a fundamental part of music that often goes untapped.

In addition, the developers at Bitwig have included various workflow improvements that make editing and understanding easier, all while staying in a music creation mode. Micro-Pitch is a new Note FX device for re-tuning note streams in a variety of ways. By making the world of tuning accessible, a world of sounds can be loaded or crafted.

In addition, new editing and workflow improvements include: Quick Draw, Quick Slice, Slice In Place, and Interactive View Help. Further additions to version 3.1 include cue volume and mix control, wavetable WAV file importing, note chase, new Grid modules, further controller support, and more.

Check out an introductory video to the Micro-Pitch device here.

Bitwig Studio 3.1 is out now and available for all customers with a Bitwig Studio license and an active upgrade plan.

Steinberg Cubasis 3 is now available for iPad and iPhone.

Steinberg’s popular Cubasis 3 software can now travel with you wherever you go, via iPad or iPhone.

Gravitating toward its desktop equivalent, Cubasis provides the same look and feel as Steinberg’s Cubase music software, and sports similar tools to perform, mix, and share music productions.

Cubasis 3 is more performant than ever before, offering great new features and enhancements that enable you to get results quickly and easily. Group Tracks is one of many highlights that Cubasis has to offer; it combines multiple tracks so that they can be processed and mixed as though they were a single track—a special capability that is extremely useful when using the app on the limited real estate of an iPhone’s screen.

The mixer in Cubasis 3 has been revamped, now taking advantage of the entire display. It includes useful zoom modes and an eminently accurate level metering for as many tracks as are needed. Also new in Cubasis 3 are the eight rearrangeable insert and send effects. You can add up to eight insert and eight send effects from the many already included in Cubasis, or choose to use third-party effects via Audio Unit, Inter-App Audio, and Audiobus 3. The insert effects can also now be placed before or after the fader. Cubasis 3 is also packed with many more user-requested new features and highlights.

Cubasis 3 is available for purchase through the App Store, and is not available for free to existing customers of previous versions of Cubasis; it is priced at $49.99.

BOSS introduces the Waza-Air wireless personal guitar amplification system.

Who says you need a guitar amp? Your neighbors will thank you for choosing the new BOSS Waza-Air wireless personal guitar amplification system.

The Waza-Air wireless personal guitar amplification system is a new wearable, over-ear sound system for guitarists. In BOSS Waza tradition, Waza-Air combines decades of expertise with cutting-edge innovation to present a breakthrough musical product that truly pushes the envelope. Melding BOSS’ premium amp, effects, and wireless technologies with dynamic 3D sound and natural “amp-in-room” tone, Waza-Air delivers a unique guitar amplification experience that’s never been available until now.

Waza-Air’s advanced ambience setups provide three realistic environments to play in. Surround mode places the amp in a virtual room, providing an immersive experience like playing in a recording studio. Static mode provides natural spatial localization, where the combined amp and room sound continually changes depending on where you move your head. Finally, “Stage Mode” places you at center stage, with the amp sound coming from a virtual backline behind you.

Waza-Air features tones and controls from the stage-class Katana amplifiers, with full customization available using the free BOSS Tone Studio app for iOS and Android. Five amp types deliver tones from classic clean to high gain, plus a full-range voice that’s ideal for bass or acoustic-electric guitar. Over 50 effect types are available as well, including mod, delay, and reverb effects optimized for Waza-Air’s unique spatial experience. And with six onboard memories, you can store your favorite setups and recall them with dedicated buttons.

The BOSS Waza-Air wireless personal guitar amplification system is available now, priced at $399.99.

Martinic releases the Lem Echo Music tape delay plugin.

Harness the vintage, sought-after grit and authentic tape quality of the Lem Echo Music, presented in plugin format by Martinic.

The Lem Echo Music plugin recreates the nostalgic tones of the vintage Italian tape delay effect from Lem. This authentic emulation simulates the classic sound of three playheads on one strip of tape, with all the wonderful wow, flutter, and degradation of the original.

Martinic has also added enhanced features not found on the original effect to make this plugin even more customizable when crafting your sound.

Check out an introductory video to Lem Echo Music here.

A free trial of Lem Echo Music is available now; there is a special introductory price of $19.50 (reg. $39) currently on offer.

Please note: When you buy products through links on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission.