November 7 - 4:40pm EST  Nova Media has announced it has dropped the prices of its wireless modem products by about 16 percent, as part of preparations for the 2008 holiday season. The modems offer users up to 7.2 Mbit per second download speeds, and include a full version of Launch2net, a internet connection wizard for global wireless cell tower connectivity. Nova Media's lineup of modems require Mac OS X 10.4.11 Tiger or later to function. Native Instruments has launched a variety of Holiday Values promotions, offering users a "substantial" discount or extras with many of its audio plugins. Among the offerings are a bundle with Guitar Rig 3 Kontrol Edition, a free copy of Absynth 4, FM8, Massive, or Pro-53 with ... [full story]

September 2 - 4:40pm EDT   Native Instruments has announced a new software version of KORE 2, alongside price reductions and a KORE soundpack bundle. KORE 2 Software Edition offers musicians and producers the chance to combine KORE 2 with their existing MIDI controller. The Software Edition provides the full functionality of the KORE 2 application, but leaves out the dedicated KORE hardware controller in favor of a more affordable price point. All owners of this application will also be provided with the option to add the KORE controller later on as a separate purchase. [full story]

June 2 - 7:40pm EDT   Native Instruments has announced that Guitar Rig Session and Guitar Rig XE3 are are now available. Session is a new recording solution for guitarists, bass players and songwriters that provides studio-quality results at an entry-level price. Rig 3 XE software is the heart of the suite, which offers a selection of five true-to-life tube amplifier models and 12 cabinet types, as well as 21 stomp boxes and effect units. All components can be freely combined in the virtual Guitar Rig rack, allowing musicians to create sounds ranging from signature tones to unique sonic flavors. A library with over 150 instantly playable tones from different musical eras and genres is included, ... [full story]

May 7 - 2:05pm EDT   Native Instruments on Wednesday introduced Guitar Rig Session, a new recording solution for guitarists, bass players and songwriters that provides studio-quality results at an entry-level price as well as announced Guitar Rig 3 XE, a new version of its entry-level software for computer-based guitar recording. Equipped with a specially designed audio interface and additional recording software, Guitar Rig Session is a versatile toolkit that can be used to create guitar-driven music of any style. The solution features the new Guitar Rig 3 XE software -- also available as a standalone solution -- which delivers a selection of five true-to-life tube amplifier models and ... [full story]

March 10 - 5:50pm EDT   Native Instruments today unveiled Traktor Scratch 1.2, a free software update to its professional digital DJ system, adding a number of features, as well as improved performance. Traktor Scratch uses digital turntables and CD-based DJ systems to alter digital music tracks. The new version also features tighter integration with iTunes, and enhanced time code tracking. New users can purchase Traktor Scratch for $700. [full story]

March 6 - 10:50am EST   As promised, Native Instruments has released KORE Player, a scaled-down companion to its KORE 2 platform. The software lets musicians or producers play material from KORE Soundpacks through their host sequencer, or else as a standalone instrument. Because Player is based on the same six components of KORE 2, including ABSYNTH, GUITAR RIG and REAKTOR, all Soundpacks are supported; the software further comes with a basic library in order to get started. The app is a free 590MB download, and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher. [full story]

January 18 - 9:15am EST   Native Instruments has given word of two new pieces of software in its KORE line. The first of these is the KORE Player, a greatly simplified version of its KORE 2 suite. Player is based on the ABSYNTH, FM8, GUITAR RIG, KONTAKT, MASSIVE and REAKTOR sound engines, but is designed solely to play material from KORE Soundpacks in a host sequencer, or as a separate instrument. It retains features such as preset browsing, but sound alteration is generally limited to paramater knobs, which tweak factors such as cutoff and morphing. These can be linked to a MIDI controller for easier use. [full story]

December 11 - 11:10am EST   Native Instruments has released the demo version of KONTAKT 3, its latest pro sampling software. The program is said to have "universal" file import ability, and incorporates a wave editor which goes beyond standard functions such as looping, slicing and tempo sync. Users can draw envelopes directly within the waveform, and apply 18 different effects, such as amp and cabinet simulations. The full version of KONTAKT 3 also has over 33GB of stock samples, with 1,000 instruments in categories such as Orchestral, World, Band and Urban Beats. [full story]