WORLD OF MUSIC ; PORTABLE KEYBOARD - Latest Portable Music Keyboards, Synthesizers and Music News

Developer Marcos Alonso has released Samplr 1.5, an update that adds MIDI control to the pioneering iPad multitouch sampling instrument.

An example of the update in action:

Samplr 1.5 is out with full MIDI support! Use Samplr with your MIDI Keyboard or Controller.https://t.co/slB4PEvSnb pic.twitter.com/Td8P4xhI5D

— Samplr (@samplr) February 13, 2024

Features:

• 8 play modes: Slicer, Looper, Bow, Tape, Scratch, Arpeggiator, Keyboard and Loop Player
• Gesture recorder for sequencing
• Audio input recording and resampling
• 6 sample slots (x16 voices)
• 5 effects per sample: Distortion, Filter, Amplitude Modulator, Feedback Delay and Reverb
• Ableton Link
• MIDI Keyboard, Controller and Sync input
• IAA (Inter-App Audio)
• Audiobus Input and Output
• Dropbox import
• Export to AudioShare
• WAV and AIFF file support

Samplr is available now for $19.99.

British boutique electronic instruments company Analogue Solutions let us know that they’ve sold out of the first batch of their $28,000 Maximus AS300 megasynth – but they’re making more.

When Analogue Solutions announced the Maximus a few months ago, creator Tom Carpenter described it as new “mega-polysynth” with a design ethos “from the dawn of analog synths.”

“When you think of polysynths,” says Carpenter, “you think of flat synths, with one set of controls that control all voices equally.

“By giving Maximus independent controls for every voice, you have more freedom to create unique styles of poly sounds impossible on traditional polysynths, whether they are hardware or software. You can dial up ‘traditional’ poly sounds (pads etc) or have something unimaginable different,” notes Carpenter. “Because you can never dial up each voice completely identically, standard polys pads will sounds superbly vintage.”

The Maximus AS300 is available to pre-order, with the following pricing:

• AS300 main unit £22500 (about $28,354).
• AS400 optional keyboard £1900 (about $2,394).

excluding crate, shipping and tax (all if applicable).

UVI has introduced Aurora, a ‘textured piano’ virtual instrument that combines the sound of a concert grand with textures and atmosphere, designed to create a modern and emotive piano sound.

The sounds of Aurora are made up of 3 discrete sonic signatures; a concert grand piano, a dual-layer texture engine, and an atmosphere layer. Each layer is deeply editable, offering unique components that can be sculpted, to create evocative new sounds.

Aurora’s piano sound is based on a world-class concert grand recorded at the renowned Guillaume Tell sound stage in Paris. This sampled piano offers a natural playing experience, thanks to a combination of deep-sampling and advanced scripting.

Aurora expands on the piano’s distinct sound with a selection of textures and atmospheres. You can use dozens of unique augmentations and custom-made sonic reinforcements, arranged in categories including: Attack, Keys, Machines, Material, Nature, Orchestra, Electronic, Keyboard, and World.

Each of Aurora’s 3 discrete sound engines offers its own editor, giving you control over source, amplitude, pitch, dynamics, and tone, while a dual LFO modulation engine and integrated Motion designer let you add movement.

Lastly, Aurora offers three customizable effect slots, which can be outfitted with any combination of Drive, Tone, Grains, Flanger, Chorus, Phaser, Redux, and Convolver, with dedicated multimode Delay and Reverb, EQ, and Limiter effects to finalize your sound. Over 50 creative preset chains are included, arranged in categories including: Cloud, Echo, Experimental, Lo-Fi, Phase, and Room.

Official overview:

Aurora is available now, with an intro price of $79.00 (normally $129.00).