in the know
Jun 1, 2001 12:00 PM
Cycloops
DJ LOOP SAMPLER
Red Sound's Cycloops DJ loop sampler ($399) combines the company's V2 bpm engine and cyclic sampling technology to synchronize sampled loops both internally and along with the original track. By sampling on the fly, the Cycloops allows DJs and musicians to create spontaneous remixes during live performance. Sample-length parameters are 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 beats. The unit includes a bpm display and a headphone monitor and is covered by a three-year warranty.
Red Sound (distributed by E-mu); tel. (831) 438-1921; Web www.redsound.com
Battery
DRUM MACHINE SOFTWARE
With the ability to play more than 54 instruments at once, Native Instruments' Battery ($199) is a powerful software-based drum machine. Each instrument has separate sound parameters, including Volume Envelope, Pitch Envelope, Bit Reduction, Shaper, and MIDI Transposable Pitch, all of which can be adjusted in real time. Each instrument also has flexible effects-loop routing that can repeat a selected area of a sample a given number of times to create unusual sound effects like time-stretching and granular synthesis, as well as innovative rhythmic effects. Battery ships with 20 high-quality Native Instruments sound sets and also reads samples in any resolution from 8 to 32 bits in Akai, SF2, LM4, WAV, and MAP file types. The Battery drum machine works on both Macs and PCs. It is accessible via MIDI as a fully automated VST plug-in, or it can run as a standalone application.
Native Instruments; tel. 49-30-611-0350; Web www.native-instruments.com
EMI 2/6
USB AUDIO INTERFACE
Emagic's new EMI 2/6 USB audio interface ($499) features six playback outputs and two recording inputs — all capable of 24-bit audio quality — as well as built-in coaxial S/PDIF connectors and a headphone amp. Its USB connectivity allows true plug-and-play capability, with no additional power cord needed. The compact, videocassette-size interface is easy to set up for laptop use and mobile recording. The EMI 2/6 is equipped with Emagic's low-latency technology, which enables users to play software instruments (such as Emagic's ES1, EVP88, and EXS24, and VST 2.0-compatible instruments) in real time with no perceivable latency. EASI, ASIO, MME, Direct Sound, and Mac OS 9.0.4 drivers ship with the unit.
Emagic; tel. (530) 477-1051; Web www.emagic.de
Electribe-M
SOUND MODULE AND SEQUENCER
Korg's Electribe-M ($499) offers a variety of expressive effects, a batch of new sounds, and the same motion-sequence functionality as the company's other Electribe units. The Electribe-M's distinguishing features are its powerful pattern- and step-sequencer functions. The unit ships with preprogrammed patterns in techno, trance, house, two-step, drum ‘n’ bass, R&B, and big-beat styles. New sounds include 144 vintage-style drum waves, 50 synth waveforms (including deep bass and analog synths), and moving modulation timbres. A total of 11 insert-effect choices are available, including Reverb, Flanger/Chorus, Phaser, Compressor, Pitch Shifter, Decimator, Resonator, Ring Modulator, and a new Overdrive effect. The Electribe-M syncs with the three other Electribe models (A, R, and S) via MIDI, and you can use the unit as an external tone-generator module.
Korg; tel. (516) 333-9100; Web www.korg.com
Pulsar XTC
DAW EXPANSION SYSTEM
Creamware's Pulsar XTC ($999) is a software-and-hardware package designed to expand the digital audio workstation (DAW) environment by adding processing power, RAM, effects, instruments, and sampling, as well as seamless support software to enhance VST integration. The multifaceted software includes a high-quality effects library and several virtual instruments you can use with Steinberg's Cubase VST and Nuendo, Emagic's Logic Audio, or the DAW software of your choice. Virtual instruments include three analog synths (U KNOW 007, Miniscope, and Inferno), a drum emulator (EDS 8i), and a vector synthesis engine (Vectron Player). Its full-fledged sampler (Volkszämpler) samples up to 96 kHz at 32 bits and is compatible with SF2, WAV, AIFF, and Akai S-series file formats. Pulsar XTC's hardware component contains six 32-bit floating-point SHARC DSPs and will work with any audio card. Like Creamware's Pulsar and Pulsar II DSP systems, Pulsar XTC is built on the SCOPE platform, which is compatible with a wide variety of software plug-ins (several dozen are included). Users can expand Pulsar XTC by adding I/O cards, DSP cards, or even a full Pulsar II system.
Creamware; tel. (800) 899-1939; Web www.creamware.de
Ineko
EFFECTS PROCESSOR
Alesis's Ineko DJ and recording effects processor ($199) comes with 48 high-quality 24-bit reverbs, delays, and filters. All of the effects feature variable parameters selectable through the Ineko's self-explanatory user interface, which consists of three knobs, dedicated select keys, status LEDs, and a 6×8 grid. A signal LED lets you know if the Ineko is receiving an input signal. The unit has ¼-inch stereo I/O, an adjustable trim control, and an Alesis P-3 power supply.
Alesis; tel. (310) 255-3400; Web www.alesis.com
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