NEW PRODUCTS
Oct 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Doug Eisengrein
CAKEWALK SONAR 4
DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATION (PC)
Cakewalk continues to keep things interesting on the PC front. Following the releases of Project5 and Kinetic, the company has switched its focus back to its chief product, the new and improved Sonar 4. Available in two versions, Producer Edition ($959) and Studio Edition ($479), the new revision boasts nearly 100 new refinements — some are major additions and others are under-the-hood-type tweaks. Some of the bigger advancements in the Producer Edition are centered around surround applications. The program now supports 30 different surround configurations and includes Lexicon Pantheon Surround Reverb and Sonitus Compressor 8.1. Also included is the new SoundBridge, which allows stereo plug-ins to be used in surround. Both the Producer and the Studio versions now support Track Folders, Freeze Tracks, enhanced comping and editing of multiple takes, and more.
Cakewalk; Web
www.cakewalk.com
APPLE MAC OS 10.4 TIGER
MACINTOSH OPERATING SYSTEM
All of you Mac users out there get ready for Apple's new operating system, Mac OS 10.4 Tiger (price TBA). This update contains more than 150 new features, including Spotlight (a brand-new search feature), Safari RSS (a major upgrade to Apple's Web browser), Dashboard (an interface full of new applets called widgets), QuickTime (which now supports advanced video compression with MPEG-4 Part 10 technology) and 64-bit memory addressing to support both 64-bit and 32-bit applications. Spotlight searches the entire computer and displays results of not only files and folders but also mail messages, address-book contacts and iCal calendars. Dashboard spreads a semitransparent layer across the desktop with just a single hotkey, enabling faster access to your most commonly used apps and info, including its own widgets. And for you naughty kids and conspiracy theorists, the new Safari includes a privacy feature that ensures that any personal information you enter or pages you visit on the Web are not cached.
Apple; e-mail
info@apple.com; Web
www.apple.com
PROSONIQ ORANGEVOCODER 3
VOCODER PLUG-IN (MAC/PC)
First released in 1998, Prosoniq's OrangeVocoder was one of the earliest and best popular effects plug-ins. Now, its protégé has returned as OrangeVocoder 3 ($249). Version 3 adds a healthy dose of new features, including a built-in synthesizer with advanced MIDI control, infinite polyphony, freely assignable filter bands, real-time 24-band analyzer control, capability for loading sound files and a mono mode with glide for emulation of classic R&B talkbox sounds. Version 3 also features five basic sound modes for various styles, a formant freeze function, filter bank sample and hold and a voiced/unvoiced detector. On top of that, the new “phoneme dial” provides vocal synthesis without the need for external speech signals. Phonemes are the building blocks of speech and include vowels, consonants, semivowels and diphthongs; with OrangeVocoder 3, they can be played from any MIDI keyboard.
Prosoniq; Web
www.prosoniq.com
ALLEN & HEATH MIXWIZARD3 SERIES
ALL-PURPOSE ANALOG MIXING CONSOLES
Allen & Heath has redesigned and rereleased its popular small-format project-studio and live consoles with its next-generation MixWizard3 series: WZ 16:2, WZ 14:4:2+ and WZ 12:2DX (price TBA). All new models start with a new look and slimmer body, and, now, in addition to the stereo main output faders, all three include a mono output fader with an aux feed mode for dedicated output control to subs. In addition, all models have upgraded mic preamps with an advanced grounding scheme and individual phantom-power switches, a rare feature for consoles in this price range. Also rare for consoles in their class, the new MixWizards boast internal pluggable jumpers for user-configuration of channel aux sends and direct outputs. Lamp sockets are present on the new MixWizards, and Allen & Heath is also introducing its own brand of 4-pin XLR-style 18-inch console lamps that include built-in dimmers and a cooler white light that requires less current draw. Dual redundant power-supply connectors are onboard for backup power capability.
Allen & Heath; e-mail
marketing@allen-heath.com; Web
www.allen-heath.com
BLUE ROBBIE
TUBE/SOLID-STATE MIC PREAMP
Blue, highly regarded for its hand-constructed studio microphones, draws the curtain on its new Class-A discrete tube mic and instrument preamplifier: Robbie ($1,299). The Robbie features an electronically balanced, fully discrete input stage and top-quality discrete components throughout, resulting in circuitry that boasts an ultraquiet rating of -131 dB EIN at 50 Hz. The unit is also unique in that it features both a tube gain stage and an electronically balanced solid-state output stage. The rear panel includes a single XLR mic input and a balanced XLR line-level output, a polarity switch, a -20dB pad, a mic/instrument input selection switch and a switch for +48V phantom power. Finally, the ¼-inch instrument jack is conveniently located on the front panel, alongside a large backlit gain pot.
Blue; e-mail
support@bluemic.com; Web
www.bluemic.com
TERRATEC MIDI HUBBLE
MIDI INTERFACE/USB HUB
Terratec has solved one little problem with the computer add-on-device tangle with the MIDI Hubble ($99). With its catchy name, the MIDI Hubble acts as both a 2-by-2 USB MIDI interface and a three-way USB 1.1 hub. The space-saving, port-expanding device houses two MIDI Inputs and two MIDI Outputs while turning a single USB port on your computer into three ports. The front face of the compact box features status LEDs that indicate activity for each individual MIDI port, as well as all three USB ports. The MIDI Hubble and its USB ports can be bus-powered, providing a total 440 milliamps of current. An optional power supply can boost each port's power for a total of 1,500 milliamps. With or without the optional power supply, the MIDI Hubble provides an electronic current limiter that protects the unit against port overload. The main USB port connector can be fitted to either USB version 1.1 or 2.0 on a Mac or PC, and drivers are available for Windows 2000/XP and Mac OS X.
Terratec; e-mail
briefkasten@terratec.de; Web
www.terratec.net
APOGEE X-HD
PRO TOOLS/APOGEE A/D/A CONNECTION CARD
Apogee, a company known to many as providing A/D/A converters that are the industry's benchmark, is sure to make its fans, as well as users of Digidesign Pro Tools, happy with the new X-HD ($595) card. The X-Series-HD card provides direct connectivity between Pro Tools|HD systems and a few of Apogee's newer conversion and clocking standards: the Rosetta 800, the AD-16X, the DA-16X and the Rosetta 200. The current batch of cards includes firmware optimized only for the Rosetta 800 series, but support for the AD-16X and DA-16X is coming soon to Apogee's Website. A primary port on the X-HD cards is for connecting directly to compatible Digidesign cards — such as the 96 I/O, 192 I/O and Prism Dream ADA-8 — and a second port is for connecting multiple Apogee A/D/A devices in the aforementioned family. The X-HD cards are compatible with all of the latest versions of Pro Tools, including HD systems.
Apogee; Web
www.apogeedigital.com
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GUITAR RIG
VIRTUAL GUITAR AMP/EFFECTS SIMULATOR (MAC/PC)
The ever-prolific Native Instruments has released yet another cool software package with Guitar Rig ($499). For guitar players, Guitar Rig turns your computer into the rehearsal studio of your dreams, complete with a large selection of different virtual amps, cabinets and effects that you can mix and match into a custom rig. The software runs on Mac OS X and Windows XP either in stand-alone mode or as a plug-in via VST, RTAS, DXi and Audio Units. The full version includes Rig Kontrol, a combination hardware footpedal and DI box that you plug your guitar into. The pedal provides control of various freely assignable software parameters and works entirely with standard ¼-inch cables — no USB, MIDI or FireWire connections are necessary. The software features a modular design of four popular tube-amp emulations; more than 20 different effects, including emulations of vintage pedals; and 14 different speaker types that integrate with five different microphone selections and four mic positions.
Native Instruments; e-mail
info@native-instruments.com; Web
www.native-instruments.com
BEHRINGER HPX4000
DJ HEADPHONES
Like it has done with many of its other products, Behringer has released a bang-for-the-buck option with its new HPX4000 ($39.99) DJ headphones. The HPX4000s are closed-type phones that feature round swivel-jointed ear cups, a padded headband for long-wearing comfort and a single-sided 1-meter-long cord that is extendable to 2.5 meters. The HPX4000s are constructed with oxygen-free copper wires and efficient cobalt capsules for high-quality sound separation and an extended dynamic range with high-definition bass. The large capsules have a diameter of 40 mm to ensure sufficiently loud output. The frequency response of the cans is 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and they carry a sensitivity rating of 113.5 dB at 1 kHz.
Behringer; e-mail
support@behringer.com; Web
www.behringer.com
STEINBERG CUBASE SX 3
DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATION (MAC/PC)
Not one to let its products get long in the tooth, Steinberg has kept things rolling with the latest revision to one of its flagship products, Cubase SX 3 (price TBA). The program includes a dizzying list of new features; some of the highlights include Audio Warp, Acid-file support, Play Order Track, the Inplace Editor, Extended Freeze and more. The new Audio Warp function allows for real-time time stretching and pitch shifting of audio. The Play Order Track allows users to change and reorder arrangements without extensive cutting and pasting. For MIDI users, the new Inplace Editor allows for step editing within the Project page. And, finally, the Extended Freeze function helps to free up CPU cycling by freezing any instrument or audio track that contains plug-ins. Cubase SX 3 is available for both Windows XP and Mac OS X.
Steinberg; e-mail
info@steinberg.net; Web
www.steinberg.net
APEX APEX-SP2
STUDIO MICROPHONE KIT
If you need to begin your mic locker or supplement one with a few new additions, check out the Apex-SP2 (price TBA), a complete set of four microphones. Included in the package are two matched Apex185 small-diaphragm pencil condenser microphones with interchangeable screw-on omni and cardioid capsules for each, one Apex460 nine-polar-pattern tube condenser with an external power supply, one solid-state Apex415 tri-pattern large-diaphragm condenser and one 25-foot 7-pin XLR cable for connecting the tube condenser to its power supply. All four mics have their own shockmounts included, as well as windscreens for each, and the entire package is neatly wrapped in a foam-lined box for neat storage and on-the-road use. The tube mics' plethora of polar patterns is selectable via the power supply, and the Apex415 model features cardioid, omnidirectional and figure-8 polar patterns. Both the 415 and the Apex185 pencil condensers have -10dB pads and low-frequency rolloff switches onboard.
Apex; e-mail
info@apexelectronics.com; Web
www.apexelectronics.com
| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
