Catching up...

Sorry I've missed the odd update here and there.  I'm in the process of shipping out pre-orders for my new album and I'm happy to say, there have been enough that it makes getting anything else done.  Here's some interesting info you may have missed:

• Bias, Inc.  Closing
Bias, Inc., mainly known for their well-loved Mac audio editor Peak, made an abrupt announcement at the end of last week that they were ceasing operations immediately.  The BIAS Authorization Manager Server is functioning "at this time", take that as you will.  Create Digital Music did a nice round-up of some of the alternatives that remain for Mac users in need of a good audio editor...

• The Sound of Ridley Scott's Prometheus
Here's a nice profile on the sound of Ridley Scott's Alien prequel done by the good folks at Soundworks Collection.  Thanks to Synthtopia for posting this!

SoundWorks Collection: The Sound of Prometheus from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.


•  Apple to Stay Pro for Now?
Last week came the news that software developers Redmatica had been purchased by Apple.  Given how in-depth Redmatica's editors and utilities for EXS-24 are, it seemed to be an indication that Apple was not going to go the Final Cut X mistake of dumbing down a flagship product for the consumer market.  They, yesterday, Apple announced specs for a new Macbook Pro, which includes the serious spec of quad-core 3.2 gHz processor, am ultra hi-res Retina Display, an SD card reader, USB 3 ports, Thunderbolt ports, and upgrades available for pretty huge amounts of RAM and hard-drive space.  Of course, Apple is a difficult company to predict, but at least for now, it seems, professional users are still valued by Apple.

• Sugar Bytes Releases Cyclop Synth
Although it seems aimed at the dubstep market, Sugar Byte's new softsynth for Mac and Windows, called Cyclop, looks to have some innovative features that should draw the approval of any synth head, including the very interesting effects sequencer.