New Gear Alert: PreSonus’ Studio One 5, Backbone Drum Re-Synthesizer by Steinberg, Dual Expression from EHX & More

PreSonus Studio One 5 has arrived.

PreSonus’ Studio One sees scores of crucial updates in the highly-anticipated version 5.

Studio One 5 introduces a powerful, fully integrated, live performance environment capable of running complete shows from a single computer. Composers and arrangers will appreciate Studio One 5’s new dedicated Score View for the Note Editor. Studio One’s Native Effects plugin set has a well-earned reputation for exceptional sound quality, and now they’re even better. Producers will be delighted with the expanded mixer scenes in Studio One 5. You can now capture snapshots of the entire mixer at any time, and can recall snapshots in a variety of different ways, with an assortment of recall options.

Studio One 5 includes many more new features, such as audio Clip Gain Envelopes, which provide an additional layer of gain control applied directly on an audio clip. Aux inputs now allow external audio sources to be fed directly into the mixer without requiring an associated track, so external instruments can be used like virtual instruments.

Version 5 also adds support for key switch articulations, chasing external timecode (MTC), MPE and MIDI Poly Pressure support, recording in 64-bit floating-point WAV format, and cross-platform support for hardware-accelerated graphics. Studio One Artist also now has built-in support for VST and AU plugins, ReWire, and PreSonus’ Studio One Remote control software for iPad and Android tablets.

Check out an introductory video to Studio One 5 here.

Studio One 5 Professional is available now for an anticipated street price of $399.95; updates from Studio One 4 Professional are $149.95. Studio One 5 Artist is available now for $99.95; updates from version 4 are $49.95. Studio One 5 Professional is also available as part of PreSonus Sphere.

Steinberg launches the Backbone drum re-synthesizer.

Craft unique drum sounds from scratch with Steinberg’s Backbone drum re-synthesizer virtual instrument.

Backbone is Steinberg’s latest virtual instrument with a well-defined emphasis on creating unique kicks, snares, cinematic impacts, hi-hats, and other percussive sounds.

Backbone offers exclusive tools to design drum sounds from the ground up. Start off by layering up to eight samples and move on to modify individual tonal or noise elements, or re-synthesize individual layers, only to leverage the other easily-accessible audio manipulation tools.

At the core of Backbone is the re-synthesis engine, where samples are transformed into a synthesized version within the spectral domain, allowing you to manipulate samples with the freedom of a synthesizer. And the additional customizable spectral filter provides maximum control for creating new sounds.

Audio decomposition is another extremely powerful tool featured in Backbone. It allows you to separate sounds into their tonal and noise elements, and adjust each of these with re-synthesis and classic subtractive synthesis.

Backbone is available in VST, AU, and AAX formats; it is priced at $149.99.

Electro-Harmonix releases the Cntl Knob static expression pedal.

EHX offers a unique take on expression pedal control with the Cntl Knob stompbox.

The Cntl Knob is an affordable, compact, easy-to-use pedal that delivers static remote control for devices with expression control jacks. It lets you set two preset values that represent two positions of a traditional expression pedal and toggle between them with its footswitch.

The pedal’s EXP 1 knob selects the first expression setting, and the EXP 2 knob the second. On both, fully counter-clockwise corresponds to the heel position while fully clockwise to the toe position. LEDs indicate which knob is active and can be powered by your pedalboard’s power supply or an optional EHX 9.6DC200mA PSU.

To maximize the Cntl Knob’s compatibility with other products, it is equipped with a TRS+/- button that lets you match its expression polarity with the device being controlled. For extra convenience, it comes equipped with a 6-foot TRS cable.

Check out an introductory video to Cntl Knob here.

The Cntl Knob available now, priced at $39.

Roland releases their first “Designer Series” Patch Collection.

Roland kicks off their “Designer Series” Patch Collection in collaboration with Espen Kraft.

The new “Designer Series” of patches for the JUNO-106, JV-1080, and SYSTEM-8 introduces even more ways to access Roland’s instruments on Roland Cloud, kicking off with Norwegian sound designer Espen Kraft.

Roland’s latest ZEN-Core Sound Packs deliver everything from vintage analog to fresh hybrid tones, expanding the sounds of the FANTOM, JUPITER-X and JUPITER-Xm, MC GROOVEBOXES, RD-88, and ZENOLOGY. And Model Expansions for Roland Cloud transform ZENOLOGY into entirely different instruments with their own sonic personalities, features, and preset tones.

All new Model Expansions, Patch Collections, and ZEN-Core Sound Packs are offered with Roland Cloud Core, Ultimate, and Pro memberships, and can also be purchased individually as a Lifetime Key.

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