Today's Top Stories:

  Digidesign's Mbox 2 Goes Positively Pro
When you have a best-selling product like the Mbox 2 that has a reputation for superb performance, the only thing left is to give it a high-end makeover. That's exactly what Digidesign did when they announced the Mbox 2 Pro, their new portable, high-definition audio/MIDI production system that provides high-speed FireWire-powered connectivity, up to 24-bit/96 kHz audio, analog and digital I/O, MIDI Time Stamping support, word clock I/O and dedicated studio monitor outputs. (By the way, the original Mbox2 isn't going anywhere; it will remain available along with its Pro sibling.) Check out a few of the Mbox2 Pro's features:

• Award-winning Pro Tools LE recording, editing, and mixing software
• Comprehensive Pro Tools Ignition Pack software and audio tool collection
• Stunning sound quality
• Powered by FireWire connection or via included power supply
• Supports up to 24-bit/96 kHz resolution
• Four analog inputs (two XLR/1/4" TRS combo jacks, two 1/4" TRS jacks)
• Six analog outputs
• Two channels of S/PDIF digital I/O (RCA)
• Two instrument DI inputs on the front panel
• Built-in phono preamp input (RCA) for turntable connection
• MIDI input and output (16 channels in/16 channels out)
• Low-latency monitoring
• Two headphone outputs
• Support for two independent headphone mixes
• 48V phantom power for condenser microphones

  Cakewalk Reveals New SONAR Recipe
If your studio is built around a PC running Windows, Cakewalk is about to make your day! According to the company, their brand new SONAR 6 Producer Edition is "the definitive choice for audio production, designed to take you from inspiration to masterpiece faster than ever before." Considering all its high-end features, you'd be hard-pressed to argue with that statement. SONAR 6's innovative new Active Controller Technology (ACT) has been designed from the ground up to make recording and mixing easier than ever. Enhanced audio quality comes courtesy of SONAR's VC-64 Vintage Channel and its industry-leading 64-bit double-precision mix engine. Here are just some of the new features:

• Record and edit unlimited tracks live through professional effects like the VC-64 Vintage Channel, Perfect Space Convolution Reverb, Lexicon Pantheon Reverb, Sonitus:fx Suite, and more.
• 31 audio and MIDI effects.
• Use AudioSnap to non-destructively fix audio timing, lock multiple tracks, or make instant tempo changes to an entire project.
• Clean up vocals with the Roland V-Vocal Editor, providing pitch correction, phrasing, dynamics, and even vibrato.
• Make music with nine instruments: Session Drummer 2, two sample playback engines with genuine Roland sounds, analog and subtractive synths plus REX, SFZ and groove samplers.
• Control virtual instruments, effects, and mixing from your MIDI controllers and control surfaces with Active Controller Technology (ACT).
• Create backing tracks fast with MIDI groove clips, ACID-format loops, and the RXP REX player.
• Expand your setup with integrated support for VST, DirectX, and ReWire instruments and effects.

  Guitar of the Day
Seems to us that Gibson has really been putting a lot of effort into making their high-end professional line of acoustic guitars some of the most breathtaking in the industry, both in terms of sound quality and drop-dead good looks. A great example is this utterly stunning Limited Edition J-200 Custom Vine in a special Cherry Red finish. This is the kind of acoustic most of us only dream about. In fact, only one other J-200 Custom Vine was crafted with this particular cherry finish, making it a rare bird, indeed! The original 1937 J-200 Super Jumbo has long been called the "king of the flat top guitars" for good reason. Finding an original in playable condition is almost impossible and the few that remain are priced through the stratosphere. This Limited Edition J-200 starts with a solid Sitka spruce top with weight-relieved, hand-scalloped top bracing and a special dovetail neck-to-body joint. The neck, back, and sides are all crafted from the finest Eastern curly maple. To allow all the pieces to resonate freely, Gibson developed a special violin-like lacquer finish that is thinner than polyurethane and is also more porous, which allows the wood to "breathe" - just like the legendary violins built by Stradavari in the 17th century. To complement the woodworking, Gibson chose the finest materials to create the intricate, hand inlaid pearl and abalone accents, which include a spectacular vine inlay on the ebony fingerboard, an abalone soundhole rosette and body trim. The tortoiseshell pickguard is hand-engraved with a matching vine design and naturally, Gibson added that trademark "moustache" bridge. The J-200 Custom Vine ships in a plush-lined Custom Shop case with certificate of authenticity. Truly a one-of-a-kind work of art!