TC PowerCore 1.5, an open DSP hardware platform for any VST or MAS recording application, will begin shipping this week. Version 1.5 introduces a new "PowerCore Instruments" format, allowing for virtual instruments to run on the card and also adds a hots of new plugins and tools. Updates to registered users of TC PowerCore will be available beginning tomorrow and it will be in stores on December 7th, 2001.

TC PowerCore 1.5 also includes TC VoiceStrip, a complete channel strip for voice sound processing, formerly part of the VoiceTools package for Pro Tools. The plugin includes Vintage Compression, DeEssing, a special 3 Band Voice-EQ, Gate, Lo Cut EQ TC SoftSat saturation for analog emulation.

Version 1.5 also includes the TC VintageCL, which employs a different compression algorithm from TC VoiceStrip. It emulates the behaviour of industry-standard analog compression for general purpose applications.

The package also include the yet-unfinished, TC POWERCORE 01, a monophonic virtual analog synth. It will be available to registered users as a free download by end of December and is "the first of a new kind of virtual instrument plugins," interfacing with VST but running the DSP code on the card.

The company is bundling MasterX3, the virtual version of the industry standard Finalizer mastering processor, through March 1st, 2002. The $1300 PCI-based PowerCore card requires VST or MAS-compatible recording software such as Logic, Cubase, Nuendo, Digital Performer or Spark.

by MacNN Staff