NEW PRODUCTS
Jun 1, 2000 12:00 PM, Remix Staff
SG20 TONE MODULE A clip-on General MIDI synthesizer module for Palm handheld computers, Swivel Systems' SG20 ($200) turns a Palm organizer into a portable music studio. The SG20 offers 128 instrument and 140 drum sounds, up to 24 16-bit, 44.1 kHz voices, and built-in chorus and reverb. It includes a stereo headphone jack, and a MIDI/audio cable provides full-size MIDI In and Out jacks and a pair of RCA audio outputs. The SG20 runs MIDI software from miniMusic, including the BeatPad pattern-based sequencer. The unit can also import and play back Standard MIDI Files. About half the size of a Palm computer, the module runs on a pair of AAA batteries.
Swivel Systems; tel. (415) 474-7446; Web www.swivelsystems.com
Infader DIGITAL DJ MIXING SYSTEM Featuring the unique new Tri-Fader module, which has three crossfaders assigned to low-, mid-, and high-frequency bands, Red Sound's Infader ($599) is a professional-quality digital DJ mixer with a plug-in, modular design. The Tri-Fader expands the single-crossfader concept, allowing DJs to mix and crossfade the frequencies of two different tracks separately. The module includes a three-way/single-crossfader selector, a reverse function, and a center-off switch. The Infader's main mixer section features 2-channel input with 3-band EQ and a selectable microphone and line-level input section with 2-band EQ. You can also use the unit's effects send/return loop as an auxiliary stereo line-level input. Other standard features include balanced master outputs, a crossfader curve control, and a comprehensive monitoring section.
Several optional single-crossfader Infader modules are available. These include a bpm module with two bpm readers and audio/MIDI sync, a bpm Sync module with 2-channel beat-matching capabilities and effects, a bpm Auto-Sync module with a 2-channel CD/turntable speed control for automatically locking bpm, a bpm FX module with several effects and two bpm readers, and a Filter module. Red Sound; tel. 44-1628-819-191; Web www.redsound.com
Virus Indigo ADVANCED SIMULATED ANALOG SYNTHESIZER Access announces the Virus Indigo ($1,895), the latest addition to the Virus virtual analog synth family. A sleek-looking synth with aluminum side panels, blue LEDs, and a 37-note keyboard, the Indigo offers the features of the Virus 4.0 operating system. This 24-voice, 16-part multitimbral synth offers four oscillators, two independent resonant filters, and two independent distortion/lo-fi modules per voice, as well as three LFOs, and two ADSTR envelopes for creating complex sounds. The Indigo can simultaneously produce up to 82 effects, including reverb, retro phaser, chorus/flanger, groove delay, ring modulation, 32-band vocoder, and analog boost. It also has a built-in Surround Sound feature, 16 independent arpeggiators, six outputs, and two inputs for processing external sound sources through the synth's filters and effects. Access has also introduced the Virus Rack ($995), a 16-voice, 8-part multitimbral 1U synth module with three oscillators per voice, four outputs, and a mono input on the front panel in addition to stereo inputs on the rear. Access/GFS Agency (distributor); tel. (310) 452-6216; Web www.access-music.de
Phat Trak DJ TURNTABLE CARTRIDGE Numark's Phat Trak ($99.99) is the first DJ turntable cartridge to have a self-powered light that makes it easy to cue tracks. A switch attached to the underside of the cartridge's arm lift triggers the light to turn on for 30 seconds whenever the DJ lifts the tone arm. The cartridge's diamond-tip stylus is designed for optimum tracking and offers a 20 to 20,000 Hz frequency response. The cartridge comes in a carrying case containing an extra stylus tip. Numark; tel. (401) 295-9000; Web www.numark.com
Cubase VST 5.0 MUSIC RECORDING AND EDITING SYSTEM Steinberg's Cubase VST 5.0 software ($399) for Windows and Mac offers a digital recording engine with scalable recording modes-up to 32-bit floating-point resolution on 128 channels of audio in the top-of-the-line, professional version, Cubase VST/32 ($799). System resolution of up to 15,360 ppqn and a real-time Groove Control make it easy to create natural-sounding performances. The software includes a wide variety of effects processors and VST instruments, such as reverb and a sound module packed with more than 70 MB of sounds. New features include a Folder Track function, which lets users tuck away any number of MIDI or audio tracks to streamline the display, and a MIDI Track Mixer, which provides VST-style control of connected MIDI equipment. In addition to these features, VST/32 offers 96 kHz recording, a mixing desk with up to 128 channels of digital audio, eight effects sends, four channel inserts, and four master inserts. TrueTape mode simulates analog tape compression, and you can use it on any track. Updates to 5.0 from any version of VST are $129. Steinberg; tel. (818) 678-5100; Web www.us.steinberg.net
MS2000 ANALOG MODELING SYNTH Inspired by Korg's classic MS-10 and MS-20 modular synthesizers, the Korg MS2000 ($1,099) accurately re-creates the analog sounds of the past using DSP technology. Available with a 44-note keyboard or in a 4U rack-mount configuration (the MS2000R, $799), this 4-voice synth includes two multiwaveform oscillators and a noise generator that provides 70 possible waveforms, including 64 DWGS (PCM) waves that you can sequence with the synth's Mod Sequencer. Filters include 12 dB and 24 dB lowpass filters, a 12 dB bandpass filter, and a highpass filter, each with variable resonance adjustable to self-oscillation. The arpeggiator and both LFOs sync to MIDI. The MS2000 has 35 dedicated knobs that allow users to access important editing and performance parameters instantly, and a virtual patch system emulates the hardware patching of the original MS-series synths. Other features include a 3-part effects section and 16-band vocoder. Korg USA; tel. (516) 333-9100; Web www.korg.com
SU200 LOOP FACTORY SAMPLING UNIT Yamaha's SU200 Loop Factory Sampling Unit ($499.95) is a portable, battery-powered desktop phrase sampler and effects unit loaded with features for making dance and loop-based music. The unit offers up to 24 samples at rates of 44.1, 22, 11, and 6 kHz, providing from 41.6 seconds of mono sampling at 44.1 kHz to 333 seconds of mono sampling at 6 kHz. Each sample can have its own sampling rate. Users can import and export WAV files with a SmartMedia card, and the SU200's flash memory retains all samples stored in it even when the power goes off. Like the SU700, the SU200 offers a Loop Track Play mode that synchronizes loops to a desired bpm or MIDI Clock without changing the loop's pitch. A resampling function combines several loops into a single sample and records sounds the unit's internal effects processor generates. The sampler's built-in filters and effects can process an external audio source. Yamaha; tel. (714) 522-9011; Web www.yamaha.com
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