Normally, I don't like to cover 'point-one' releases, but MOTU's Digital Performer 4.51 is a major upgrade for users of this popular Mac-only digital audio workstation: Dynamic CPU Management frees up the CPU when plugins are idle. All MOTU plugins have been updated; third party MAS and AU plugins have to be updated by the […]

Musical instrument giant Yamaha will acquire 100% of Steinberg GmbH, including Steinberg USA, in a closed competitive bidding deal announced yesterday. Steinberg is developer of software products like Cubase and Nuendo. The purchase isn't a surprise: Steinberg and Yamaha collaborated on integrating Yamaha gear with Steinberg software via Studio Connections, integration that's likely to deepen […]

Apple's Airport Express is about to become a must-have. Rogue Amoeba's Slipstream Mac OS X application will let you use any Mac application with the Airport, not just iTunes. Pick an application source, choose the Airport you want to send to, and you've got instant audio streaming over Wi-Fi. The application is coming in early […]

Sometimes the best interface for music is no interface at all. The international S.S.S. trio (Sensors Sonics Sights) has adopted three different gestural interfaces for their work: ultrasound, traditional Theremin, and EMG electrical 'bio-signals' that measure muscle contractions. None of these are unique in themselves, but seeing the visual artist, Theremin virtuoso, and electronic music […]

Okay, it's a stretch. Despite its name, the Wetronome covered yesterday by Gizmodo is intended for pacing strokes in swimming, not music. But given the innovations in portable music covered here alone, why couldn't your next instrument be — waterproof? The Wetronome is a model of aquatic design, completely sealed and programmed with a magnetic […]

Rogue Amoeba's Audio Hijack has a new rival for recording audio from any Mac app: Ambrosia has announced its new audio recording utility WireTap Pro (US$19). WireTap Pro boasts a one-button interface, direct AIFF, MP3, and AAC recording support, iCal integration for scheduled recording of radio, and even sharing of recording scheduling packages with other […]

As I speculated yesterday, Apple's lawsuit was most likely over the rumored Asteroid audio interface. Apple has subpoenaed AppleInsider, PowerPage, and Think Secret to try to determine the source of the leak, reports Engadget. It's not clear from Engadget's tip whether Apple is seeking a subpoena or has gotten one already. Since a subpoena is […]

Reuters reports that Apple sued "unnamed individuals" on December 13 over a recent product leak. Additional unnamed parties may be added to the suit once their identity is known, says Reuters. While Reuters notes flash iPod rumors have spread through the Web and some sites have speculated that Motorola-Apple phone stories could be behind the […]

Rosegarden, the flagship digital audio workstation for Linux (see an interview with the developers), has hit 1.0 PR1, making this the first release on the road to the final 1.0 release. This version is mostly bugfixes, but there's a significant addition: latency compensation for plugins, a feature Apple's Logic still lacks. Rosegarden is the most […]

Open source Linux drum machine Hydrogen has made its way to Mac OS X; Johnathan Dempsey has created binaries for easy installation (10.3 required). Hydrogen is still in development, but this is worth trying, and you can bet you'll see many more Linux audio tools on the Mac. Install Jack first if you haven't already, […]