Cycling ‘74 have updated Max 5’s pricing and streamlined a bit in the new release. (That means Max for MIDI and basic data crunching, MSP for audio, synthesis, and signal processing, and Jitter for video, 3D, and advanced data processing.) Since this impacts a number of our readers, it’s worth going over this.

Updated: The story now reflects a clarification from Cycling ‘74 over which Jitter objects work in Max/MSP.

We first took a look at the Pacemaker DJ when it was announced in May. The idea is interesting: it’s a mobile 120GB hard drive with touch controls for internal mixing/cross-fading, effects, a separate cueing output, and pitch control, along with rich format support (even OGG, FLAC, AAC). That’s all well and good, but the device will apparently cost US$700.

Barb Dybwad at Engadget optimistically offers that “it’s a relatively low-cost convenient practice setup for DJs on the road or an attractive option for aspiring amateurs.” Hmmm … I normally agree with Barb, but in this case, let’s make that:

• relatively high-cost
• DJs would normally practice with real decks or software, not this
• aspiring amateurs have much more attractive options. (A laptop and Deckadance, for one. Assuming you’ve got the laptop, that’ll set you back US$99 - 179. And you could pick up a basic M-Audio controller for about US$100, and it’ll be easier to control than this.)

Not that you need me to tell you any of that. I’d still like to get my mitts on one to see what they’ve done; I just can’t imagine who this is for. If you know, write in.

Beatportal goes way over the top and asks if this is “a revolution for DJ and youth culture.” Let me answer that question: no. Youth culture? Dude, I grew up in a generation for which Garbage Pail Kids and slap bracelets revolutionized youth culture. Kids don’t really need that much for entertainment. The ones who really define culture tend not to blow a grand on mobile gadgets. And as far as something that is “set to revolutionize the way we think about DJing and mixing,” didn’t laptops do that already?

Still, since I was one of the people arguing for a “pro-level” iPod way back in 2001, I have to admire the idea. It just seems to lack some meat, like recording capabilities, or the ability to really integrate into a DJ setup. Of course, in 2001 I was much more innocent and immature. I’ve been working out, and now I can lift big boy hardware.

Speaking of things you probably don’t want: Dr. Dre-branded headphones manufactured by Monster Cable. I don’t know, maybe they’re great.

We’re just counting the hours until next week, when the NAMM show hits and we get really cool music stuff. Those gadget bloggers in Vegas at CES don’t know what they’re missing.

As we expected, we’ve been tipped off that despite leaked information on the Tenori-On from last week, potential buyers are unlikely to get a price break on the Tenori-On when it (hopefully) ramps up to full production after its limited edition trial run in the UK. If would-be Tenori-On buyers weren’t hungry enough for the first run as it is, that should help. This is a “marketing trial,” but based on what I’ve heard so far, I expect it’ll be very successful.

There are two launch events today and tomorrow, one from Apple tomorrow, and of course the Tenori-On press event and launch party today in the UK. Apple has what appears to be a music-related announcement, though my guess is any updates to their pro products (read: Logic) are likely to happen later in the month, closer to the AES show — that’s the timeframe used for Logic 7. This is almost certainly iPod/iTunes/Beatles-related. If there is anything of interest to musicians, of course, we’ll let you know. We’ve got our team covering Tenori-On, though, and if any of you make it, be sure to send links to photos, blog entries, and such!

More from me soon — deep in programming here in Pittsburgh. Updated: So busy, in fact, I don’t quite know what day it is — those of you sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for what Apple has in store, their event is tomorrow. Me, I’d be happy if Apple would quit breaking camera capture support, among other things. Not as exciting as a shiny little portable something or the ability to buy the White Album again, but important nonetheless.

It’s time to make sense of brand names / bundles / pricing / feature sets again! Today’s victim: Ableton Live. Here goes; let me know if I make this make sense.

If you bought an M-Audio or Digidesign interface with Ableton Live Lite and haven’t upgraded to the full version of Live, Ableton has a free upgrade offer for you. “Lite Enhanced” (erm, Diet Live? Live Rite? Tab?) has some pretty serious features in it from the full-blown Live:

Plug-in Delay Compensation, MIDI remote control, full ReWire support, high-definition recording and rendering (up to 32-bit), Mackie Control support, Track Freeze, and the “Complex� warp mode for high-fidelity, on-the-fly time stretching.

Okay, rewind: one feature there is very important. Live Lite previously didn’t allow MIDI control, so that you could use your knobs on your new M-Audio keyboard (or any other MIDI device) to control the software. That’s well worth downloading the upgrade. With the more advanced features, this is a pretty terrific deal for a freebie (more so for many users, I would think, than M-Audio’s homegrown entry-level app Session).

So why does Ableton still think you’ll upgrade to the full version? As with previous versions of Lite, you’re limited in number of tracks and scenes. This should still be more powerful enough to play around with and use in your music, but naturally Ableton would save something for the full Live experience. Keep in mind, as well, Live 5 Lite lagged pretty far behind Live 5, and Ableton told us at NAMM in January we’d see Live 6 later this year. All that aside, we love freebies:

Grab it, M-Audio customers (including Live Delta users), or Digidesign users

How about you: are you using software you got via a hardware bundle? Or did you buy your software a la carte? (Sorry, we don’t talk about five-fingered / one-hook discounts round these parts.)

Native Instruments KORE is a new product a lot of us can’t wait to get our hands on. By providing a unified interface for working with soft synths and effects, KORE promises to create a whole new product category: it’s a universal catalog for all your sounds, a universal host, a universal control mechanism for adjusting sounds, in performance and in the studio. But it’s also likely to be a tough sell for Native Instruments, since it isn’t quite like anything previously in the marketplace, and it doesn’t do much if you don’t already have a library of plug-ins. NI has been slowly teasing out some of the specific details through the month on their Website, but this week they finally released what we all want to know: how much does it cost?

How does this sound? 8 channel strips, 8 mic preamps (so you can record your whole band with individual drum mics, for instance), motorized faders and buttons, and compatibility with all major Mac and Windows audio tools from Ableton Live to Pro Tools, all for about US$1000 street. Sounds like a great deal, right? That’s how it sounded to all of us when we saw the ProjectMix I/O from M-Audio at AES.

Only one catch: M-Audio is messing around with the price. Now they’re calling the US$1299 price, the one they quoted everyone, an “introductory price.” On January 15, that price gets jacked up $300 to $1599. To make matters more confusing, if you buy January 15, M-Audio will throw in a full copy of Ableton Live — at least at first. Then when they run out, the gear is $1599 without software. CDM’s W. Brent Latta wisely notes that at the new price, the M-Audio kit costs the same as a Tascam FW-1884, which some might argue is a better choice.

Maybe the cost of injection-molded plastic is fluctuating? Can’t tell you. Has anyone actually gotten one of these units in their hands yet? Store are showing it in-stock, but I haven’t talked to anyone who’s tested it yet.

M-Audio ProjectMix I/O

Brian Moore doesn’t yet have a product page for the iGuitar.USB, but there are some details on their What’s Happening page.

First off, it is Mac and Windows-compatible. And you’re not just limited to running audio through USB; via an optional RMC jack as featured on their other iGuitars, you can hookup to a Roland GI-20 or other similar box, you can output MIDI, too. USB isn’t the whole story, either: these are high-quality guitars with excellent hex pickups, which are expensive to add to other instruments. I know many people will keep an RMC-equipped iGuitar in addition to their other instruments so they can, for instance, quickly switch to a MIDI-triggered soft synth.

More specs and pricing from Brian Moore . . .

Okay, I’m behind on Steinberg. But the summer lineup from them is just making me yawn, I’m afraid:

Steinberg Studio Case II: Status: just announced. US$299, Windows/Mac September, watered-down versions of everything Steinberg makes. For entry level users, this could be a decent deal: Reason, by comparison, costs $450 and has a lousy sequencer and no audio recording. Ableton Live costs around $400 and doesn’t have as many instruments. But there’s nothing here to write home about: stripped-down versions of everything? Spend the extra couple of hundred bucks and get what you really need.

HALion String Edition: Status: just started shipping. This one appeals a little more to the snob in me: 9 GB, nothing but strings. Haven’t heard it yet, but it sounds like it could be first-rate. Of course, you’ll be missing several sections of the orchestra, but . . . wait . . . that’s kind of a problem, isn’t it? Then again, strings are usually the hardest to sample, so if you need some violins to supplement your existing sample library, maybe this is for you.

The Grand 2: Status: shipped in July. I missed this because I was busy with Native’s new product, Akoustik Piano. The Grand has a strong reputation, but also a lot of competition: aside from Native’s virtual piano, there’s the renowned PMI libraries, cheap offerings from M-Audio, Ivory, and basically a zillion sampled pianos everywhere from Logic to Kontakt to MOTU Mach Five. What’s cool here: key click, pedal and hammer sounds and four-channel surround implementation. Upgrades are just US$99, and the whole thing runs US$299, so it’s bargain priced, and unlike some Steinberg products, it supports VST, DXi and AU (though Digi fans, you’re stuck with ReWire — no TDM/RTAS). Only time will tell: I want to get The Grand and Akoustik Piano and others together and see which sounds best.

Bottom line:

Studio Case II: Diet Steinberg? Ho-hum.

HALion String Edition: Why not a full orchestral edition?

The Grand 2: Verdict reserved until the Akoustik Piano shootout.