Today's Top Stories:

  All the Reverbs You Ever Wanted
Back in April, IK Multimedia gave us a tantalizing peek at the upcoming release of their Classik Studio Reverb (also known as CSR), a suite of four reverbs modeled after the most sought-after classic studio reverb hardware. Needless to say we were drooling heavily at the time. The CSR plug-ins deliver Hall, Room, Ambience, and Inverse reverbs that are meticulously modeled after popular classic reverbs usually only found in high end studios. We can't name names for legal reasons, but if you're as into reverb as we are, you can guess which units the CSR Suite is going to model. CSR has been designed for ease of use with editing features in two modes: Easy and Advanced. CSR will be shipping soon and we'll keep you posted right here. CSR will support all the most popular plug-in platforms in both WindowsXP and Mac OSX including VST, RTAS, AU, and DX. A TDM version for Pro Tools systems is also under development.

  Tape Tone!
It sometimes seems like everyone recording to digital media is looking for ways to emulate the kind of warmth we usually associate with high end analog audio gear from top manufacturers like Ampex, Studer and MCI. McDSP's Analog Channel LE should be ready to ship in about 30 days, so you might want to start saving all your loose change, because this plug-in is as affordable as it is powerful. The Analog Channel can emulate any or all of the components of high end analog gear, including analog tape recorders, analog tape and analog channel amplifiers. By meticulously recreating the frequency responses and compression curves from Studer, Otari, MCI, Ampex, Sony, and TASCAM, nearly any "reproducer" ever made is only a menu selection away.

  New in Stock At Sweetwater

• Zoom SB246 StreetBoxx - Drum machines? Ho-hum, we've heard it all before, right? While it's true that drum machines seem to be vanishing like the last few dinosaurs just before the Ice Age, the people at Zoom have introduced the StreetBoxx SB-246, the first truly innovative drum machine to come along in a very long time. There are over 500 Smash Hit Sounds always available - with no load time! There are plenty of multieffects available for a cool studio sound like Compressor, EQ, Rez Filter, Lo-Fi, Chorus, BPM Flanger, BPM Delay, and Reverbs. There are 13 touch-sensitive pads for super realistic recording and jamming. Then there's the 8 full hours of battery operation - just jack in to make beats anytime, anyplace.
  br>
• Focusrite OctoPre LE B-Stock - Imagine what would happen if studios all around the country were able to add a Focusrite OctoPre preamp to their setup? The original OctoPre carries a $999 list price - the company didn't cut corners when they built the new OctoPre LE. Easy to use, OctoPre LE helps to save session time and engineer heartache. Auto switching front and rear panel inputs and total control of the digital I/O from the front panel allow the unit to remain racked and patched, with every I/O solution available at the flick of a switch. We have special "B-stock" pricing now on a limited number of OctoPre LE units. B-stock means they have been fully checked out and brought up to factory specs, but at special savings. Don't wait on these!

  Guitar Of The Day
Gretsch White Falcon - Our own Jim Miller (Tech Notes Online) wrote about Gretsch guitars a few months ago and he's still getting tons of e-mail on the topic. Seems like some guitarists will always have a soft spot in their hearts for these unique instruments. Any discussion of Gretsches will ultimately lead to the players who made them famous, as well as those rare models that most people have only seen in books. Models like the White Falcon were typically reserved for the true professionals back in the 1960s and 1970s. But today, thanks to modern production techniques, each and every White Falcon is precision crafted right down to the tiniest detail and priced for us "mere mortals." If you've never played a Gretsch, you're in for a real treat, because these instruments have a distinctive sound and feel that's all their own, not to mention the cool looks which include the spiffy gold sparkle trim on the Falcon. They're so popular that it's hard for us to keep them in stock, so we'd suggest you talk to your Sweetwater Sales Engineer right now.

  Tune In Tomorrow!
Beginning tomorrow, check back on all the latest and greatest new products from the AES show, held this past weekend in New York City. The inSync team was at the show, and we've got the lowdown on the newest and coolest drool-worthy items from the show. In the meantime, check out our online report!