This is from their press release....   zplane announces the release of version 3 of the metering plugin PPMulator in the second quarter of 2011. PPMulator will soon be available in two versions, the standard version for peak metering and the XL version for both peak and loudness metering. The new release adds the following features: PPMulator+: true peak metering compliant to ITU-R BS.1770 real time logging of phase correlation support for 64 bit platforms (VST Win, AU MacOS, stand-alone Win & MacOS) free upgrade for existing users   PPMulator XL: functionality of PPMulator loudness metering compliant to EBU R128 real time logging of loudness (as well as peak and phase) offline batch logging for files adjustable hold times for maximum peak and over enhanced adjustment resolution for the reference level   About PPMulator PPMulator is a metering software for exact measurement of peak level (IEC 268-10) and loudness (ITU-R BS.1770/EBU R128). It supports up to 5.1 channels. It allows precise calibration to your studio environment and features different scales and settings for different requirements.   About zplane zplane.development is a research-focused company and provides state-of-the-art technology for music processing and analysis. To find more information about zplane, please visit http://www.zplane.de.   Supported Platforms PPMulator is a level meter available as plugin (VST, AU, RTAS) and stand-alone version on MacOS and Windows for both 32 and 64 bit platforms.   Pricing and Availability PPMulator+ is available for $99/79EUR, PPMulator XL for $149/119EUR at http://products.zplane.de.   zplane offers the following upgrade paths: PPMulator+ 2.x -> PPMulator+ 3.x: free of charge PPMulator+ 3.x -> PPMulator XL 3.x: $70/49 EUR     Save more than 50%              Special Offer until July 31st, 2011 Products registered before April 4th, 2011 can be upgraded for a reduced price of $30 /20EUR

Avid have announced a unified update of all 3 versions of Pro Tools.... We are very happy to announce immediate availability of a Pro Tools service release that, for the first time in Pro Tools history, comes in three different versions simultaneously and demonstrates Avid’s deep commitment to customer success. The following versions are offered as a FREE download: 9.0.2 - for all customers who already upgraded to Pro Tools 9 or 9.0.1 8.1.1 - for Pro Tools HD 8 customers who want to use updated HD I/O interfaces 8.0.5 - for Pro Tools HD, LE and M-Powered 8 customers Each release addresses the top 70 to top 100 customer-driven bugs and issues as they were reported to Avid. All releases increase stability and performance, along with many workflow enhancements that result in less overhead and a much more enjoyable user experience. The updater installers can be downloaded from the following links: Pro Tools 9.0.2 Pro Tools 8.1.1 Pro Tools 8.0.5 Read Me and Release Notes Documents Detailed descriptions of all bug fixes and enhancements are available at the following links: Pro Tools 9.0.2 Pro Tools 9.0.2 Mac Read Me Pro Tools 9.0.2 Windows Read Me Pro Tools HD 8.1.1 Pro Tools HD 8.1.1 Mac Release Notes Pro Tools HD 8.1.1 Windows Release Notes Pro Tools 8.0.5 Pro Tools 8.0.5 Release Notes Links to all of the latest update pages can be found on the main Pro Tools Updates page: www.avid.com/protoolsupdates   I looked at listing the fixes but as the list extends to 70 I will simply point you to the readme files... Pro Tools 9.0.2 Pro Tools 9.0.2 Mac Read Me Pro Tools 9.0.2 Windows Read Me Pro Tools HD 8.1.1 Pro Tools HD 8.1.1 Mac Release Notes Pro Tools HD 8.1.1 Windows Release Notes Pro Tools 8.0.5 Pro Tools 8.0.5 Release Notes However a few points that caught my eye.... Ethernet Control Surfaces and Work Surfaces May Be Unable to Communicate with Pro Tools When Parallels Desktop for Mac is Installed (101232) If you use an ethernet control surface (such as C|24) or work surface (such as D-Command) with Pro Tools, do not install Par- allels Desktop for Mac. If Parallels is installed on your computer, please uninstall it. This is an unsupported configuration. I can report that I have Parallels Destop for Mac v6 and it isn't affecting my Euphonix MC Control.   The Pro Tools 9.0 installer replaced a previously installed Structure Full plug-in with Structure Free and deleted the Structure library. (PTSW-134827, PTSW-134887) The Pro Tools 9.0.2 installer leaves any previously installed Structure Full plug-in untouched and does not replace it with Structure Free. If you already installed Pro Tools 9.0, you will need to reinstall Structure Full to replace Structure Free. I wish I had waited to do my change to Pro Tools 9 because I fell foul of this one.    

After VPre released their voice plug-in bundle back in June, which I reviewed here, Wave Arts have released their Dialog plug-in which is part mashup of components from other plug-ins and part new modules. This is what they have to say...   Dialog combines in one plug-in all the processing needed to clean up, adjust, and sweeten recordings of the spoken voice. It is perfect for voice-over, film/tv recordings on location or sound stage, and broadcast. Dialog includes brickwall filters, de-hum and de-buzz processing, broadband noise reduction, de-ploding, de-essing, 10-band equalization, compression, and limiting. Separate presets for each section allow you to get results fast. The brickwall filters have variable rolloff slopes and can be used to cutoff low or high frequency ranges. The de-hum processor uses notch filters to eliminate 10 harmonics of either 50 Hz or 60 Hz hum. The de-buzz processor squelches nasty line frequency buzzes. The de-noise processor is the stellar sounding MR Noise algorithm with a simplified interface. De-plode and de-ess are custom processors; use de-plode to tame plosive sounds and use de-ess to adjust the amount of sibiliants. The EQ section is the powerful and easy to use TrackPlug equalizer, with 10 bands of equalization, 11 different filter types to choose from, and a variety of presets. The compressor is the TrackPlug Vintage compressor, with presets tailored to voice processing. Dialog is available in all major native formats- Audio Unit, VST, RTAS, MAS and DX, and priced at $249.95. For more information and to try the free demo please visit wavearts.com   As some of you will know I rate Wave Arts' noise reduction so it is good to see the de-noise de-hum and de-buzz elements from their Restoration bundle as well as the TrackPlug EQ and vintage compressor modules. Also two additions, that will hopefully be good, are the de-plode and de-ess sections. I hope to review this plug-in so look at for that in due course.  

Last year I posted several posts about video problems including two on a video compendium here and here based on an Avid Audio Forum (Digidesign Uer Conference) thread which you can find here. Sonny Keyes has just posted an update which I thought would be worth adding here too. Sonny said...   After reading all these posts and talking with some colleagues, I decided to get a Blackmagic Intensity Pro for my new Dual Quad-Core Power Mac. I was really looking forward to being able to use H264 video without having to convert to .dv first, but when I hooked it all up, it still wouldn't play back anything but .dv and DVCPRO50 files.  After some relatively unsatisfactory communication with Blackmagic and Avid, I finally tried using HDMI out instead of the Composite out (cables were installed a long time ago into conduits in the wall, so adding an HDMI cable is a major headache) and...presto! H264 plays back, as do other formats I couldn't get working before. It turns out that the Blackmagic card doesn't play other formats out the Composite out.  Just thought I would post a warning for potential users who only have a Composite in on their monitors.   "tom_lowe" also asked...   Does the downscale HD to SD option not work with H.264?     "reichman" responded....   Sonny: I think it's a little more complicated than that.  I used the BM IT Pro card with composite and then component out to an SD screen.  H.264 does work, but it depends on the resolution.  Occasionally, I have to convert HD H.264's to SD H.264 and it plays fine. Tom: I can't get the card to convert these files on the fly- not sure why. Anyway, I'm long overdue to replace the SD screen in my studio...   Hope that helps folks.

I came across this on The Digidesign Users Conference and thought it would be worth mentioning here. "pan4ama" asked.... Hi there, is there any shortcut to do this: 2 regions on the same track with a little empty space between them. With the first one selected, press *magic key stroke* to expand the first region's end to the start of the second! (Or second region selected, expand 2nd one's beginning to 1st one's end.) So you don't have to take the Trimmer Tool and drag it by hand. No time-stretch wanted.   "Mundoz" responded.... With the first region selected (highlighted), Shift & TAB - Extends the selection to the boundary of next region. (tab to transients off). Then Command & (+) fills the selection. If the second region is selected (highlighted),  Option & Shift & TAB: Extends the selection to the boundary of the previous region. Then Option & (-) fills the selection.   But do remember to select the region first or this trick doesn't work. Although there isn't a magic key stroke to do this in one go, for anyone with Quickeys it wouldn't take long to do a shortcut for this.  

Our Mike Thornton writes the Pro Tools Notes, Techniques and Workshop articles for Sound on Sound as well as reviewing many of the new Pro Tools related products. Note that you will need to be a subscriber to view the recent articles or you can choose to Click & Buy individual ones.   Sampling With Structure To get the most from Avid’s Structure sampler, you need to work with your own sounds. Here’s how.