Montréal-based Applied Acoustics has announced a new physical modeling
synth at NAMM, as expected. String Studio models the interaction of
picks, bows, hammers, fingers, frets, dampers and soundboards for more
realistic recreations of real instruments like guitars, basses, harps,
clavinets, bowed sounds and percussion, as well as to create wild new
sounds of imagined instruments using the same physical-acoustical
principles. I've been working extensively with Apple's own Sculpture
and have fallen in love with the approach, so I look forward to trying
a new instrument and seeing how Applied Acoustics' engine and
parameters differ.

At press time, no screenshots or online product info was available.

Availability: End of Q1 2005
Cost: US$249
Compatibility: Mac OS X, Windows (apparently standalone; no info on plugin versions yet)