Checking out the new Plugin Alliance website this morning, and very happy to see some of my favourite Brainworx and SPL plugins are now available in 64-bit versions – and finally without the dreaded iLok!

Those of you into mastering really should check out the Brainworx M/S processing plugins – they are a very different approach to mastering but can achieve some really fine results in Studio One Pro. Highly recommended.

I’m sitting in a big room at PreSonus HQ in Baton Rouge, Louisiana watching the super-smart Jonathan Hillman juggle two StudioLive 24.4.2 desks, three computers and a jungle of cables while we set up rehearsals for what will be easily the biggest live show we’ve ever put on at NAMM. And we’ll be live streaming it too, if we can pull it all off…

The Cajun All-Stars are currently jamming on an old Tears for Fears song while we fine-tune stuff. I just programmed a Roland FC-300 MIDI foot pedal to control Ampire XT in Studio One and Chris LeBlanc is using that system as his entire guitar rig – and it sounds really good. Now I’ve got a KMI SoftStep on my desk and figuring out how we can integrate even more live control stuff with that… This is shaping up to be a killer show.

Did you get any new gear for the new year? The kind folks over at TMRZoo.Com did, in the way of an AudioBox 22VSL, and subsequently smothered us with their particular brand of digital flattery.

Interested in the full review?  Of course you are, click here.