Music 3 unveiled

Jester Interactive has today released the first information on Music 3, the sequel to 2777068MTV Music Generator 2 , which was released in May last year.

The program, which Jester Interactive will publish itself rather than through Codemasters, as was the case with both previous Music titles, promises to offer an unprecedented level of control to console users through the implementation of numerous new features.

The most exciting new feature as far as most users are concerned is sure to be the USB sampler, which will allow them to incorporate samples from microphones, musical instruments, and even from their own music collections. Music 3 is also the first console title to incorporate Voice 2 Melody (V2M) technology, which allows users to sing a tune into a microphone and then have Music 3 play it back to them as if it had been played by one of the many instruments available rather than sung.

For those interested in facts and figures, Music 3 uses a VEKTEK software mixing engine and is capable of supporting no fewer than 64 simultaneous song channels--a particularly impressive feat since the PlayStation 2 itself is designed to support only 48. There will be 20 megabytes of space available for samples and sounds for each song created, which equates to over three and a half minutes of pure sample space, and the program's sample rate of 48KHz is actually superior to that of a CD, which is only 44.1KHz. It's also worth noting that while it's possible to create entire tracks from scratch, Music 3 will incorporate more than 16,000 instrument samples and hundreds of musical riffs in various styles to get users started.

Music 3 is scheduled for release in time for Christmas in both Europe and North America. We'll bring you more information on the program as it becomes available.