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As we approach the end of the year, the time has come not only to celebrate some of the best new synths, drum machines and Eurorack gear of 2023, but also to question the whereabouts of the products we were told would be released before the end of December but haven’t yet materialized.

Which brings us to Suzuki’s new version of the Omnichord. We were initially told that this was “scheduled to be released around the Autumn/Fall of 2023” in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of Suzuki Musical Instruments Manufacturing.

Unfortunately, this time slot has been missed: in fact, in a recent statement on its website, Suzuki confirmed that the Omnichord OM-108, the name given to the new instrument, has officially been postponed. “We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to customers who have been eagerly looking forward to the release,” the company adds.

Not to worry, though, because the good news is that the OM-108 is on track to be exhibited at the 2024 Winter NAMM Show, which takes place between January 25 and 28, 2024. The company says that it will also confirm a new release date at the event.

Played using a combination of chord buttons and a touch-sensitive strum plate that you can either tap or slide across, the Omnichord made its debut in 1981, and various different models were released up until 1999. The instrument was thrust back into the spotlight earlier this year when Gorillaz’ Damon Albarn revealed that the beat for Clint Eastwood, one of the band’s biggest hits, is powered by one the machine’s auto-accompaniment presets

The OM-108 looks set to feature this and other classic Omnichord beats, and also to revisit some of the original sounds. There will be new ones, too, and it will be possible to layer two sounds on the strumplate for additional expression. New sus4 / add9 chord options will be here, too.

Check out some audio-only preview videos of the Omnichord OM-108 below in preparation for ‘setting your plates to strum’ early next year.

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Native Instruments’ holiday giveaway is a $49 Play Series instrument packed with free vocal samples for pop, hip-hop and R&B.

“It’s the most… wonderful… time… of the year,” they say, and they say it because it has become the season of free music software. Yes, over the last few years it has become a tradition for some of the biggest software companies to give us all a present at Christmas, and this one is no exception. Thank you for the Glaze.

Hot on the heels of Cherry Audio’s Christmas giveaway – the Synthesizer Expander Module (based on an Oberheim synth) – Native Instruments is upping the freebie stakes with its $49-value Glaze Christmas gift.

Glaze is a Kontakt instrument in the company’s Play series, and was originally designed specifically for pop, hip-hop and R&B vocals. It was developed in collaboration with engineers Curtis ‘Sauce’ Wilson and Rochad Holiday, who have worked with Ne-Yo, Ariana Grande, Will Smith, and Dr Dre.

The instrument uses vocals recorded by a diverse selection of singers, and can provide everything from upfront vocals for pop to processed vocals for trap. It comes with 148 presets across a range of folders to demonstrate just how diverse it can be.

Among these you get wide stacked chords, pads, leads, bass timbres, and more that can be used to provide backing for the vocals. You can even create vocal runs with combinations of samples mapped to a scale using Glaze’s Riff & Run presets.

Hands-on controls include Warmth and Saturation effects, and there are several edit pages that enable you to adjust layers and dig deeper into the vocal tract of the instrument.

All in all, that’s a pretty good offering for your Christmas stocking of a hard drive this year. Glaze is under a couple of gigs in size and you can grab it for free, for a limited time (so be quick).

To get Glaze, simply head to the Native Instruments Glaze download page and follow the instructions.

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Audulus LLC developer Taylor Holliday let us know that Audulus 4.3 is now available for iPadOS and macOS, delivering performance gains up to 400%, 36 new or updated modules, and more.

What’s new in Audulus 4.3:

• Enhanced Performance through Multi-Core Audio Processing – The highlight of Audulus 4.3 is the implementation of multi-core audio processing, resulting in a 2x to 4x performance boost for most patches. “It took new OS features, and a bit of computer science to make this happen,” notes Holliday. “These days, CPU performance is mostly improving through more cores instead of faster individual cores, so as new chips come along, you can do more and more with Audulus.”
• Updated and Expanded Module Library – Audulus 4.3 includes an updated module library, with 20 updated modules and 16 new modules. New modules include Super Saw oscillator, SVF Multimode Filters, Multi-channel Waveform Meter, and Spectrum Analyzer, among others. “Audulus 4 blew the door open with scripting for DSP and vector graphics. We’re just getting started,” said Jerry Smith, Audulus Sound Designer. “The module library is a super fun playground for modular synthesis and sound design.”
• A More Inclusive Free Version, and a powerful “Audulus Pro” – With this release, Audulus opens up more features in its free version, providing users with access to the expanded module library and the ability to construct entire modular synths free of charge. The full feature set, “Audulus Pro,” including the option to build custom modules, is now offered through a subscription model. “Audulus Pro is a user-friendly development environment for synths and effects, with programmable DSP and graphics,” said Holliday. “You can build your dream synth without delving into C++ programming.”

Audulus 4.3 is available now for free on iPadOS and macOS. Audulus Pro is available for $4.99 monthly or $29.99 annually, with a 7-day free trial.

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