Saffron is specifically designed to build tension and make your instruments sound more dramatic. The XY pad makes it possible to blend, and layer orchestral sounds to create unique, atmospheric soundscapes with woodwinds, strings, synths, and more. Whether you are new to composition, or a pro, Saffron offers tons of variety through randomization and over 120 presets.

Key Features

• 16 sound sources to choose from
  • Use the XY Pad to blend between 16 hybrid sound sources, effects, and sound controls, including woodwinds, strings, synths, and more
• Built-in effects
  • Transform textures with a range of effects presets, including reverbs, delays, and modulation
• Aftertouch-enabled
  • Polyphonic aftertouch compatibility gives you hands-on control of parameters like volume, tuning, and motion
• Lightweight & low-cost
  • An install size of around ~1GB and an affordable $29 price tag make Saffron an accessible option for composers.

Scene: Saffron is available now for $29. You can purchase it here.

The post Native Instruments New Saffron Cinematic Instrument Pack Is Made For Composers appeared first on Major HiFi.

What Makes InDelay Different From Other Delay Plugins?

InDelay aims to bring new dimensions to your delays with its special effects powered by Sound Particles’ legendary 3D audio engine. You can Particle-ize your delays with just one click, and add Air simulation that ensures realism. It allows you to customize 16 independent channel sources, With support for all major output formats from Stereo to Ambisonics or Dolby Atmos, inDelay will open new doors to your artistic domain.

Nuno Fonseca, founder and CEO of Sound Particles, reveals: “A delay is one of the most used plugins by sound professionals, so we had to create something that could fit this daily need, but keep pushing the boundaries of creative expressiveness. So we decided to create our modern take on a classic delay, with plenty of new features never done before inside a delay. We’re sure that it will captivate a lot of musicians and sound designers and that they’ll find tons of inspiration on inDelay.”

Advanced Features:

• Dynamic Particles System: Enjoy Sound Particles’ 3D engine, loved by Hollywood,
  running in your delay. Add a touch of magic to your sounds.
• Up to 100 Delays: Create up to 100 delays simultaneously. You can never have too many Particles.
• Delay Movements: Bring life to your mixes by adding movement to your delays.
• Intuitive Time Editor: Click and drag on the visual time editor to effortlessly change
  multiple parameters with a single click. Shape upcoming delays while keeping an eye on
  the past & present delays.
• Air Simulation: Get the most natural sounding delays with air absorption, a feature that simulates the depth and distance of each delay particle.
• Soundscape Mode: Discover the secrets of crafting the perfect soundscape with inDelay, turning your audio into an immersive experience.
• Delays in Space: Get maximum spatial control by positioning your delays precisely
  where you desire in your room.
• Random Presets: With a click of a button, get the creative gold mine in your search for
  “happy accidents”.
• Craziness: Achieve astounding delay transformations with only one knob, turning your
  mix into a rich delay or lush reverb with a single twist.
• 30+ output formats: Acquire complete flexibility by supporting all major output formats, from mono to stereo, 5.1, High Order Ambisonics, Sony 360, or Dolby Atmos.

InDelay from Sound Particles is available now for $149 from their website. A 30-day demo is also available.

The post Sound Particles Releases Groundbreaking InDelay Plugin appeared first on Major HiFi.

Enhanced Analog and Digital Performance

The original MADIface XT set the standard as the world’s first USB 3.0 audio interface, renowned for its high channel count, extensive connectivity, and compact design. The MADIface XT II elevates this standard with significant improvements in analog and digital performance. Key upgrades include a higher signal-to-noise ratio and lower THD during AD conversion, along with an increased maximum balanced line output level from +15 dBu to +24 dBu. The stereo headphone output now delivers an impressive +19 dBu with an output impedance of 1 Ohm, ensuring more power and versatility.

Comprehensive Connectivity for Versatile Applications

The MADIface XT II continues to offer extensive connectivity options, including:

• Two mic/line preamps (XLR/TRS combo inputs)
• Two balanced XLR line outputs
• A stereo line headphone output
• Various digital signal options (MADI coaxial and optical, MIDI/AES, word clock)
• An additional PCI Express connection

Advanced Digital Circuitry

The new digital board features an ARC USB remote port. This replaces the previous analog mini-DIN socket for enhanced remote control capabilities. Additionally, the MADIface XT II integrates the renowned Room EQ from the Fireface UFX III. It provides nine parametric bands for surround setups with up to 20 mono output channels.

Cutting-Edge Clocking Technology

Equipped with RME’s latest SteadyClock FS technology, the MADIface XT II ensures optimal clock and jitter rejection performance. SteadyClock FS, based on a femto clock, minimizes intrinsic jitter and efficiently filters clock jitter from as low as 1 Hz, delivering unparalleled audio precision.

Upgraded Hardware and Class Compliant Mode

Focusing on USB 3.0 connectivity, the MADIface XT II has significantly upgraded its Class Compliant Mode. It now allows all 394 channels to be transmitted simultaneously without a driver. Various formats and settings for channel sequencing have been introduced to maximize the potential of Class Compliant operation.

RME’s MADIface XT II intends to redefine the audio interface market with its exceptional performance and comprehensive connectivity. 

The RME MADIface XT II will be available at Audio46.

The post RME Unveils the MADIface XT II: Next-Gen 394-Channel USB 3.0 Audio Interface appeared first on Major HiFi.

Lossless Audio Over Bluetooth

The new DAC uses the latest Bluetooth 5.4 and the aptX Lossless codec, and Hi-Res 96kHz via LDAC and LDHC/HWA. aptX Lossless falls under the ‘aptX Adaptive’ codec, which houses multiple codecs with different transmission speeds and bit rates within it.

For audio connoisseurs, this means the ZEN Blue 3 allows you to stream lossless CD-quality music from your mobile phone to your Hi-Fi system. Home cinema lovers can also enjoy high-quality audio with Hi-Res Bluetooth headphones while watching movies at home, and much more.

Switchable Low Latency For Gaming

For those using the ZEN Blue 3 in transmission mode for watching video content or gaming, there is a low latency button on the front of the unit. Perfect for intense gaming sessions or relaxing movie nights, low latency mode resolves the delay issue between the video and audio, meaning audio is in sync with video content.

New Wired & Wireless Modes

The iFi ZEN Blue 3 is more versatile than ever, with three new function modes to suit any listener. These modes include:

• RX mode which receives Bluetooth from a source device
• TX mode which transmits Bluetooth to a device
• Wired DAC mode
• ZEN Blue 3 can now act as a traditional wired DAC via USB-C or S/PDIF inputs. ZEN Blue 3 has true audiophile-grade, Hi-Fi circuitry and is not just a System on a Chip solution by using separate Bluetooth, DAC, and Op-Amp chips for superior sound.
• With so many Hi-Res audio options available to the ZEN Blue 3, making balanced circuitry available to users is more important than ever. By including a balanced line output, users with a balanced audio setup can look forward to significantly reduced signal noise and crosstalk between channels, bringing all the clarity with none of the audio clutter.

Signature ZEN Series Design 

Following the redesigned aesthetic of the ZEN 3 product series, the ZEN Blue 3 showcases an eye-catching two-tone front panel design to stand out among hi-fi ‘black boxes’. Similarly, the ZEN Blue 3 exudes character and personality with its smile-like button layout.

The iFi ZEN Blue 3 will be available soon at Audio46.

The post Unleash High-Fidelity Bluetooth Audio with ifi’s Zen Blue 3 appeared first on Major HiFi.

According to Tidal, they will be replacing all MQA tracks with the highest quality FLAC version beginning on July 24th, 2024. It’s not clear what the exact streaming quality of these MQA tracks will be replaced with. Right now, Tidal’s hi-res selection can reach a maximum of 24bit/192kHz. What this could mean is that these MQA tracks will be replaced with any FLAC streaming quality above 16bit/44.1kHz, which is standard CD-quality lossless audio.

What’s come as even more of a surprise is the added announcement Tidal ditching Sony’s 360 Reality Audio. This means that you will no longer be able to listen to Sony’s spatial audio with headphones like the WH-1000XM5 or the ULT WEAR. However, this doesn’t mean that Tidal is getting rid of spatial audio completely. Tidal already has a selection of Dolby Atmos tracks for you to choose from, and will now be their main format for spatial audio moving forward. Dolby Atmos is also the format that Apple Music is using for its spatial audio tracks. This leaves Amazon Music, and Deezer as the last remaining music streaming services to offer 360 Reality Audio. It will be interesting to see if that format goes the way of MQA as well.

If you’re still interested in MQA, it was reported last week that a new music service is in the works from Lenbrook Media Group and HDtracks. This new digital storefront will feature both FLAC and MQA tracks just as Tidal has been doing for a year now.

The post Tidal Announces Major Changes – Ditches MQA & 360 Reality Audio appeared first on Major HiFi.

“We have wanted to launch an HDtracks streaming service for some time. In Lenbrook we have a partner with global reach to help us launch a service ensuring quality and consumer choice,“ says HDtracks co-founder David Chesky, who has been a leader in high-resolution audio alongside his brother Norman. “Fans will get to choose their format – either PCM/FLAC or MQA – in a service that will ensure high-resolution audio streaming whether you are in your home or on-the-go.”

AIRIA By MQA Labs

This unnamed service will be the first to incorporate a new wireless hi-res CODEC developed by MQA Labs. It promises a data-efficient solution to lossless streaming from the cloud or wirelessly from a device. You can expect low latency and a format-agnostic CODEC, with reliable audio quality and scalability.

“Our industry has been built by providing discerning music enthusiasts with choices while using innovation to advance digital music delivery,” explains Lenbrook’s Chief Strategy Officer, John Banks. “As audiophiles ourselves, it’s an exciting prospect to bring a service to life for the millions of global audiophiles that care so passionately about the quality of the music they listen to.”

Mike Jbara, VP and GM of Lenbrook Media Group adds, “Norman and David are the perfect partners for Lenbrook. Their experience and understanding of the high-end audio fan is unique and their history with quality and innovation speaks for itself. We are ready to embark on this journey with them and think music fans are going to love it.”

The service will be available across platforms. In addition to its own applications for mobile, the service will find its way into many of the world’s leading high-end audio ecosystems, apps, and brands, that count on service providers for their content.

For more information, you can check out Lenbrook Media Group’s website here.

The post A New Hi-Res Music Streaming Service Is On The Way From HDTracks & Lenbrook Media Group appeared first on Major HiFi.

Susvara Unveiled 

With this new version of the Susvara, HiFiMAN has developed a completely grille-less open-back design. This separates the Susvara Unveiled from all of HiFiMAN’s other open-back headphones, which usually have prominent metal grilles. The veil in question is the Susvara’s new removable back panel that aims to help the drivers avoid damage while the headphones are idle. It’s a way to combat the driver’s deterioration, commonly caused by absorption in magnetic objects.

What this removable panel is protecting is the Susvara’s newly developed nanometer-thick diaphragm, which incorporates HiFiMAN’s Stealth magnet technology. The basis for the Susvara’s driver configuration and grille-less design is to create an effective way to avoid acoustic reflections and refractions that the grille could cause. In effect, this is meant to let the diaphragm breathe, allowing for more opportunity for detail and openness.

Shangri-La Mini

The Shangri-La Mini is an electrostatic headphone/amplifier combo that promises a complete audiophile-grade system. Like the new Susvara Unveiled, the Shangri-La Mini will also feature a nano-thickness diaphragm that looks to enhance its sound with its light vibration properties. It also uses a nanoparticle coating that is meant to ensure accuracy through its conductivity and stability. Environmental protection is another one of the Shangri-La Mini’s concerns. It looks to tackle humidity, dust, and other pollutants with its nanometer protection layer.

Both the HiFiMAN Susvara Unvield and the Shangri-La Mini will be available at Audio46.

The post HiFiMAN Announce Two New Audiophile Headphones appeared first on Major HiFi.

What The RX Suite Does

There aren’t a lot of plugins that can do what the iZotope RX Suite does. It offers a set of tools that help restore and polish your audio with strong visual indicators and spectral editing. Common issues that RX is known to handle are noise removal, clipping repair, and reverb reduction. These plugins come in handy for sound mixers dealing with compromised dialogue in need of repair. The RX suite makes this process easy to approach and makes the results you need more achievable. These results are also processed with great speed, thanks to RX’s Repair Assistant, which can accurately recognize specific issues and adjust them with user-friendly dials.

What RX 11 Adds

RX 11 has three tiers, Elements, Standard, and Advanced. You’ll be able to access most of RX 11’s new features with Standard and Advanced tiers, with iZotope’s next-generation Repair Assistant only available through Elements. Here is everything that RX 11 changes compared to previous versions.

• Dialogue Isolate [Standard, Advanced]
  • The Dialogue Isolate module has been overhauled with a new neural network and now includes Dialogue De-Reverb, allowing you to control noise and unwanted reverb in real-time. Available in RX Standard for the first time, with the highest-quality mode and multi-band processing reserved for RX Advanced.
• Loudness Optimize [Standard, Advanced]
  • Get the most out of your masters with the new Loudness Optimize module, an unprecedented approach for controlling the LUFS algorithm to maximize your music’s perceived loudness for streaming platforms. A smart Learn function analyzes every opportunity to optimize your song to sound its loudest and best.
• Streaming Preview [Standard, Advanced]
  • The new Streaming Preview module lets you hear how different services like Spotify, Apple Music, etc, will adjust your music, so there are no surprises after release.
• Music Rebalance [Standard, Advanced]
  • A new, cutting-edge neural network allows you to easily create instrumentals and vocal stems from a full mix, prep for a remix, or make changes when you don’t have access to the stems.
• Repair Assistant [Elements, Standard, Advanced]
  • The next generation of Repair Assistant includes upgraded machine learning for improved quality and speed and additional controls for more flexibility.
• Mid/Side mode [Standard, Advanced]
  • Visualize and manipulate the center and side components of your audio in the RX app, so you can apply processing from any module to the center and side components of audio, separately. This opens up greater flexibility for repair tasks, making it possible to address issues only present in the mid-channel or just the sides individually.
• Dialogue Contour [Advanced only]
  • The new Formant and Variation controls let you adjust the character and expressivity of a voice, ensuring your dialogue edits are delivered seamlessly, no matter how many takes are stitched together.
• Spectral Editor ARA [Standard, Advanced]
  • Use the spectrogram to find and fix issues without ever leaving your DAW. Spectral Editor now includes Gain, De-click, and De-hum processing, along with Spectral Repair. Currently available for Apple Logic Pro (in Rosetta mode) with additional host support coming in a free update this summer.
• Audio Devices Refresh [Standard, Advanced]
  • Quickly refresh audio devices in Preferences, without restarting the RX app.

RX 11 is available directly from the iZotope shop and select retailers.

RX 11 Elements – $99, with $49 introductory pricing
RX 11 Standard- $399, with $299 introductory pricing
RX 11 Advanced – $1199, with $799 introductory pricing
Post Production Suite 8- $1799, with $999 introductory pricing

Introductory pricing is available through June 13, 2024.

The post iZotope Adds RX 11 Suite To Their Definitive Audio Repair Toolkit appeared first on Major HiFi.

Both of these products are new versions of products they’ve launched in the past. The headphones are called the 105 AER, and they follow the design of the 109 Pro. Their new IEMs also follow a previous model, as the new ALBA follows the ADVAR. These new products also aim to be less expensive versions of the items they’re following.

105 AER

Meze Audio listened to a lot of community feedback when the 109 Pro launched. The 105 AER hopes to address that feedback, offering a more affordable companion to the 109 Pro. At $400, the 105 AER is Meze’s most affordable open-back headphones to date. While it shares a similar structure to the 109 Pro, the 105 does modify its design a bit. The V-shaped double headband and velour earpads are unchanged, but it’s the driver that will sport the biggest differences. It’s a similar 50mm dynamic unit, but the 105 forgoes the beryllium coating of its surround. Instead, the surround is made of PEEK polymer, and the frame is made of ABS instead of aluminum.

These new driver properties are sure to influence the headphone’s sound signature quite a bit. Meze’s engineering team aims to achieve an emotionally engaging sound in their tuning process. One that also pairs easily with any device, so you won’t have to worry about supplying the headphones with enough power. A big soundstage and good spatial imaging will be a focus of the 105 AER, as well as slightly relaxed high frequencies and increased bass.

Specs

•Transducer: Dynamic, 50 mm diameter
•Impedance: 42 Ohm
•Frequency Response: 10 Hz – 25 kHz
•Sensitivity: 112 dB SPL at 1KHz, 1 mW
•Earcups: ABS plastic
•Weight: 336 gr

ALBA

Translating to the Romanian phrase for “The First Light,” Meze looks at the ALBA as the perfect entry point for their sound. This is now one of their most budget-friendly products, sitting at a $149 price point. It shares many similarities to the ADVAR, but the ALBA uses new materials like zinc alloy and anodized aluminum. It also switched the connectors from MMCX to 2-pin. The new color finish also makes the ALBA resemble the look of a lustrous pearl. Some new accessories, like a custom-made USB-C adapter with its own DAC/Amp, will also be included.

Specs

•Driver: 10.8 mm Dynamic Driver
•Frequency Range: 15 Hz-25 kHz
•Impedance: 32 Ω at 1kHz
•SPL: 109 dB SPL/V at 1kHz
•Distortion: <0.1% at 1kHz

The Meze Audio ALBA and 105 AER will be available this summer from Audio46.

The post Meze Reveals New Headphone & IEM At High-End Munich appeared first on Major HiFi.

Battalion is a flexible new drum machine that delivers the color and control of iconic drum synths, with a modern drum machine’s sampling features and approachability. No matter what music genre you’re working in, Battalion is designed to generate beats quickly. You can even use it for fine-tuning completely original arrangments as well.

Anything from Native Instruments can usually ensure that your audio is studio quality. If you’re making beats then there’s no doubt you’re striving for pro-level quality, and Battalion offers plenty of tools to achieve that. Part of what will help provide that studio quality is its selection of synths. They’re built from the ground up, and offer 20 distinct synthesis engines that deliver essential drum synth sounds for drum production – from iconic 80s drum machine sounds to otherworldly synth sounds.

Battalion contains a vast sample library where you can load, play, and modify sounds in specific modes. Some of these available modes are Classic, Phase Warp, Cloner, and Granular. Using these tools, you can even shape your original sounds into something new. It also offers an onboard BLEND slider that assists with creating unique combinations of sounds helped by effects and modulation. A graphic sequencer is also provided to help create new arrangments either from presets or from scratch.

If you’re a DJ, Battalion will allow you to prepare for sets and live performances through performance mode. With these tools, you can trigger, loop, and manipulate sounds on the fly with ease and flair.

Other Key Features

• 20 synthesis engines with unique controls
• Eight voices with advanced mix interaction controls
• Unfiltered Audio effects: SHATTER DELAY and HEADSPACE REVERB
• Channel Strip with DELAY, REVERB, PAN, VOICE GAIN
• Multi-mode filter and non-linear distortion
• Filter algorithms including Low-Pass, High-Pass, Band-Pass
• Distortion algorithms including Bitcrush, Rate Crush, Wavefold, Phase, Tape, and Tube
• Performance mode
• Controls for EQ and pitch
• CLIPPING MODE selector for managing signal clipping behavior

Battalion is available now from Plugin Alliance for $199.

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