The new Maestro 2 software offers integral control of Symphony I/O with a new interface that makes workflow easier by removing the guesswork from routing, mic pre adjustment, input and output calibration and hardware control. Lastly, connect Symphony I/O to the Symphony 64 PCI or Symphony Mobile Express/34 card for low latency with Apple Logic, and all Apple Core Audio applications.

Features:
» The latest in Apogee conversion and clocking technologies
» Current I/O Modules include:
— 8 Analog I/O + 8 Optical I/O
— 8 Analog I/O + 8 AES I/O
— 8 Mic Preamp
— 16 Analog IN + 16 Optical OUT
— 16 Analog OUT + 16 Optical IN
» Audio Interface Mode (AIM): Easily configure Symphony I/O from the front panel for these modes:
— Symphony (connect to Symphony PCIe card or Symphony Mobile
— Express/34 card for ultra low latency use with Logic or any Core Audio application)
— Pro Tools HD (connect directly to Pro Tools PCIe card)
— USB (connect to high-speed USB 2.0 port)
— StandAlone (I/O inputs routed directly to I/O outputs)
» Front panel control including two encoder knobs for selectable input gain and output level adjustment and sixteen (16) high-resolution meters, audio system and clocking indication
» Two (2) studio quality headphone outputs
» Four (4) word clock connections
» Available with feet for desktop use or rack ears for rack mounting

Apogee’s Symphony starts at $3690 and will begin rolling out on August 1st. More information on Apogee Symphony.

[via futuremusic.com]

The Music Challenge brief

Get your mates together and create a legendary music video for a track of your own.

The video that gets the most votes will win £20,000 and recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios!

If you and your mates want to become true music legends, you need to create a music video to one of your own tracks that other people will want to vote for.

You need to be entertaining and surprising. So before you get the camera out, think how you can make your music video different from everyone else’s. Here are a few hints and tips…

• We love great music by itself, but to give yourselves the best chance of getting the most votes you need to give a great performance as well

• Think about what you can add to your video to make it stand out from the crowd. Think about interesting props you could use. Or perhaps you could film yourselves playing in a weird location

• Music stars whether they are into rock, R&B, rap or pop are notorious for dressing to impress – how can you and your mates stand out from the crowd?

• Do you have other skills you can showcase that could make your video really special? What about dancing to your track, creating an animated video or using puppets to represent your band members?

• Use our print out poster (it’s in the Music Challenge area on the site) at the end of your video to tell everyone your team name and the name of your video on the site or YouTube. The poster is part of the download pack so before you do anything else print it out and get your details on it

Stuff you need to know

No matter how good your video is, if you don’t follow the rules you and your mates are never going to be music legends.

So in a nutshell here’s the really important info you need to know:

• You’ve all got to be UK residents and over 16 years old

• Your video must be uploaded between 14 June – 8 August 2010

• The track has got to be your own

• It cannot be a cover of someone else’s track

• The video also has got to be all your own work. No copyrighted content please!

• Please bear in mind that the video you upload can’t be bigger than 100Mb and needs to be one of these file types – .mpg, .mp4, .mov, .flv, .avi or .wmv

• For a full list of Terms & Conditions visit here.

Get started!

So that’s it! All that’s left now is to get your mates together and have a crack at becoming legends.

Click here to enter the Pepsi Max It Legends Music Challenge – and good luck!

Cubase 5.5 is more efficient thanks to its reworked audio engine that provides better low-latency performance on multiple core systems. The plug-ins REVerence* and LoopMash* now offer a better CPU efficiency and the VST Bridge technology not only works faster, but also features enhanced compatibility with the majority of bridged 32-bit VST2.4 plug-ins.

The 5.5 update also speeds up mixing and video editing. The automation panel has been redesigned and is now equipped with additional automation functionality, while the convenient Quick Control system has been expanded. Cubase 5.5 comes with a new Open GL accelerated video engine with full HD support* and scalable performance.

But that’s not all. Beat production is getting even better with Cubase 5.5. The Sample Editor has witnessed massive refinements when it comes to working with slices and AudioWarp editing. New functions have also been added to the beat specialists LoopMash and Groove Agent ONE, the latter featuring 19 brand-new and exclusive vintage drum kits.

There are further improvements such as the redesigned MediaBay, an overhauled scrubbing function and new channel batch export features. Please visit the Cubase 5.5 product page for detailed information on all new features.

The update is available as a free download for all registered customers of Cubase 5 and Cubase Studio 5.

Download Cubase 5.5 Update

Download Cubase Studio 5.5 Update

*Feature included in Cubase 5.5 only