• Focusrite Liquid Mix
• Lexicon Reverb
• BEHRINGER 802 Mixer

And the offence, not having a power switch. Instead the only way to turn them off one at a time is to pull the power supply from the unit. OK the BEHRINGER is low rent so perhaps I should expect that, but Focusrite and Lexicon? Come on, I'd rather pay a $10 tax for a switch than go through this silly ritual.

I know I could attach them to one power board and switch that on and off, but I shouldn't have to.

Anyway, rant over, perhaps it's just me, but I wish when manufacturers were trying to shave a buck they would sit and use the stuff they expect us to use before deciding if it's worth it.

Users have reported speaker damage and also concern for the hearing of those who have had this through their headphones.

AVID are yet to comment officially on the reports, however our advice is roll back to 8.01 until AVID make a categorical assurance that this issue is cleared up. Some forum users are seeking compensation for their speaker damage, although the chance of that happening is unlikely as AVID would have protected them self from these kind of claims within the licence agreement. Again, this is not about doing the legally correct thing, but if there is even the smallest chance of damaging hearing, then any responsible vendor would pull the release until this was dealt with through a duty of care.

Software bugs which cause crashes are annoying, but this issue, if found to be true, has the potential to damage speakers and hearing, let alone AVID's reputation.

• Watch it here
• iPhone version here

• Download it here

I wanted to know what the fuss was about, because I know there are a lot of people who have been working with it, some of them people who I respect.

So what is the fuss about? It's this:

• Tiny installer, on my Mac the whole programme came in at 7mb.
• Tiny price - for most mere mortals $60!
• You don't need special hardware to use it, it runs from you internal soundcard if that's all you have!
• Unlimited track count.
• Automatic delay compensation.
• Efficient plug-in handling, with VST, AU compatibility.
• Offline bounce and track render.

So I spent some days seeing if the reality matched the hype.

Simply put it's bloody amazing, it would be great at £200 but at £35 it's incredible.

I couldn't get it to fall over, it just takes what you throw at it. The most amazing thing was the sheer efficiency of the engine. A couple of nights ago I decided to throw the kitchen sink at it and set up a session with an instance of Stylus, Trillion and several instances of Omnisphere, the processor barely woke up and came in at around 8%! If that had been a Pro Tools session it would be maxing out and doing it's normal buffer error warning dialogue - but Reaper would have none of it, it just kept giving.

So why am I not switching? Simple, I can't use any of my beloved AIR Virtual instruments, no Structure, Transfuser, Hybrid, Velvet or Strike and I can't live without them; they are so musical and indispensible.

So my advice to AVID, take heed, the AIR VI's are the golden handcuffs, but they shouldn't be. If Reaper can do what it does, then it's a travesty that a company who virtually invented the DAW should be missing some of the sheer wonder that Reaper has to offer!

Stop telling us about the bloody AVID transformation - no one cares. Instead get on with making the best products - that's why Apple is the biggest brand in the world, take care of the products and the brand takes care of itself.

Whoever made that T-shirt was right - AVID was Digidesign!

An excellent addition to your library, perfect for orchestral scoring, soundtracks and excellent for sequencer lines.

• Listen here
• Download from the Structure library here

I did write to AVID last October to express my concern that to charge existing Structure full users could be both a potential PR and possible legal disaster. I also had several off the record conversations with key players within AVID. Sadly, AVID failed to respond to my concerns officially, so right now the official line is silence, so make what you will out of that. Right now AVID have no comment for those that invested in Structure originally and for their loyal dealer network who are facing the wrath of the customers wanting to know what the heck is going on.

It would seem fair and an act of goodwill to offer existing Structure Full users a free copy of the new version. Bundling it in with the new Pro Tools Instrument Expansion Pack could be seen by some as cynical and a way to avoid this issue, I'd like to think the best of them on that one, but not everyone would see it in such a positive light. However Spectrasonics gave Trilogy users a free copy of Trillion as compensation, for something that wasn't really their fault, when Apple went to Intel, so there's a precedent been set there. Eric who runs Spectrasonics is a very good man with deeply held personal convictions, which I can guess is why he did it. I think it's both honorable and smart business practice at play.

Even if AVID did not wish to admit liability to the issues with the current version of Structure, then there's enough smart lawyers out there for them to be able to do this without them having to admit any liability. Setting the lawyers aside they should do this simply because it's the right thing to do.

If existing Structure users pay to upgrade then it's as good as saying you're happy with what happened and once you do that then any way to get AVID to make a concession is probably impossible.

My advice would be to wait and see what AVID have to offer with the release of the new Pro Tools Instrument Expansion Pack, they may come good and do the right thing, if not then there are a number of ways that existing Structure users can take recourse. I do hope the new AVID realise that they should do what the majority of the Structure community think is the right thing.

It's sad because the new Pro Tools Instrument Expansion Pack is a brilliant package, the guys at AIR have worked hard and sweated blood over this. It would be a shame if AVID let down the AIR team on this one, but this one issue still remains unresolved for lots of Structure users who feel aggrieved.

Come on AVID do the right thing!

This month with our friends over at Groove3 we are giving away a 1 year All-Access Pass worth $199.00. 

The "All-Access Pass" gives you instant online access to every single video tutorial currently on the site and any ones that get added while your an account is active.

You can watch any video as many times as you want, anytime you want. Just login and visit any Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton Live, Reason, Auto-Tune etc product page and watch their videos. If it's on this site, you can watch it. This is THE best value on the net and it gives you the chance to become a master on all the software you can lay your hands on.

To win simply click here and answer the question, how many tutorials are included in the new Structure Explained Series from Groove3?

Things that will need to be cleared up first are:

• Is there going to be an interface to get audio and MIDI in and out the iPad? If not then that's killed it, unless of course you want to wifi audio in and out, but that would be laborious at best and crap at worst.
• How powerful the Apps will be. If I was Apple I'd be porting an iPad version of Logic across and if I was Reaper, whose entire desktop version weighs in at a tiny 7mb, I'd be cracking on with that now. If I was AVID I'd be throwing everything I could at doing something before everyone else has made a land-grab for the iPad.

People may want to dimiss the impact of the iPad, but it's perhaps the same people who dimissed the iPhone. Now the people running the mobile phone party before the iPhone, like Nokia and Sony Ericcson, are trying to get their name on the guest list! There are no dead certs when it comes to market leaders any more.

I'm excited about the possibilty of editing audio and MIDI on an iPad.

As yet the jury is out, but let's see what happens, this could be very exciting.

• Get it here