Thanks to a joint agreement with Acoustica, MXL Microphones will be shipping select USB microphones with a free version of Acoustica Mixcraft 4 LE Virtual Recording Studio software (Windows XP / Vista / 7).

The free version of Mixcraft 4 LE software (valued at $40) will be included with the following USB mics: the MXL Studio 24, the MXL USB.009, the MXL USB-77, and the soon to be released MXL UR-1 USB ribbon microphone. Other microphones will be added to the list at a later date.

About the mic and software bundles, Roy Harper, product specialist with MXL, said, "When we analyzed who was buying our USB microphones, it became apparent that Mixcraft 4 LE would be the perfect product to bundle with our microphones. With Mixcraft 4 LE and MXL USB microphones, you have a true ‘plug and play’ virtual recording studio at your disposal ready to record and produce professional music."

Mixcraft 4 LE features:

• Custom loop library with hundreds of royalty-free sounds in dozens of musical styles
• Clear, colorful, and intuitive interface
• Works with Acid and GarageBand software loops
• Record and play back up to 8 audio tracks or unlimited MIDI tracks simultaneously
• Piano roll view to inspect and edit MIDI
• Built-in effects: Reverb, Delay, EQ, Compressor, Flanger, Chorus, Distortion, and more
• Includes support for unlimited VSTi instruments as well as VST and DirectX effects (including plugin delay compensation)
• Mix down to WAV and other audio file types
• Included virtual instruments:
  - "MinimogueVA" classic analog synthesizer
  - VB3 virtual tone wheel organ with rotary speaker
  - Impulse polyphonic analog synthesizer
  - Large collection of Acoustica multi-sampled instruments organized in general MIDI format

MXL will begin including Mixcraft 4 LE software with its USB microphones on June 1, 2011. For more information, please visit mxlmics.com.