NEW PRODUCTS

Dec 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Doug Eisengrein and Robert Hanson

ACCESS VIRUS TI

VIRTUAL ANALOG SYNTH

The name Access has long been associated with some of the finest modern synthesizer products available, and the latest addition to company's product line is bound to be no exception. The new Virus TI, which is short for Total Integration, boasts a new level of sophistication and computer-integration possibilities. The new TI is available in three different configurations: the tabletop or rackmount version ($1,995); the Keyboard model ($2,695); and the arctic-themed Polar version ($2,695), which sports a shortened keyboard and a silver-and-white motif. All three models are based on new dual-DSP core architecture and high-speed local busing. The original Virus oscillators are now supplemented with the addition of wavetable synthesis and new Hypersaw oscillators. Every other section of the unit, from the effects to the display, has also undergone serious redesign. Perhaps the most important addition is the new Virus plug-in, which works as an Audio Units or VST instrument inside most DAWs, allowing the Virus TI to work as a multichannel virtual instrument with full latency compensation for rock-solid timing. A USB connection also allows the unit to be used as an audio and MIDI interface and for file exchanges, backups and OS updates.
Access; www.virus-ti.com

M-AUDIO O2

USB MIDI KEYBOARD CONTROLLER

How do you follow up an übersuccessful product like the M-Audio Oxygen8? Well, by the looks of the new O2 ($179), it would seem that you make it half the size and add some slick new features. The O2 is a two-octave, half-action keyboard controller housed in an ultraslim chassis. The unit can be powered via USB or external 9V power and is compliant with most Mac and PC protocols. The O2 includes eight MIDI-assignable buttons and rotary encoders, pitch and mod rocker switches, a sustain jack, a MIDI Out, internal USB MIDI I/O, five nonvolatile memory locations for preset storage and more.
M-Audio; www.m-audio.com

DENON DN-X100, DN-X300

DJ MIXERS

Denon brings the bare-bones, professional essentials to DJs with a pair of 2-channel performance mixers, the DN-X100 ($299) and DN-X300 ($499). The DN-X300 is aimed at scratch DJs whereas the portable DN-X100 weighs in as the smallest pro DJ mixer on the market. The mixers share many features, including a wide selection of input/output jacks, crossfader and channel-fader contour adjustment, crossfader and channel-fader hamster switching, program channel reverse, microphone input with level control and talkover, and a 3-band knob-style EQ. The DN-X300 adds a three-way frequency kill switch for special effects and 45mm Penny+Giles faders. Both units feature a unique gain control, which allows all input levels to be readjusted to match the output level meter, creating smoother mixes. Turntablists will like the eight-position toggle transformer switch found on both mixers, and the powerful headphone amps of the mixers will be appreciated in loud clubs.
Denon; www.denon.com

DIGITAL AUDIO WAVE DAWin 6400

DAW-SPECIALIZED LAPTOP COMPUTER

Is your Windows machine not powerful enough for your audio needs, or are you fed up with all of the unused extras crammed into your Mac? Digital Audio Wave comes to the rescue of you oh-so-picky ones with the DAWin 6400 (price TBA), an optimized-for-multimedia mobile computer system. The DAWin 6400 is a 64-bit — capable laptop with a large 17-inch LCD designed specifically for high-end digital audio processing, editing and mastering tasks. The brain of the DAWin 6400 is a 32- and 64-bit AMD Athlon 64 processor, and the heart is an ATI Mobility RADEON 9700 (M11-P) graphics accelerator chip driven by 128MB DDR video RAM. The maximum resolution of the 17-inch display is a wide 1680×1050 pixels. The features of this beast are too many to list, but some highlights are a maximum memory capacity of 2 GB; a choice of hard-drive types, with the top being a 133GB Ultra DMA drive; a combo 4× DVD+/-R/RW optical drive; a quad-direction scroll button; and more.
Digital Audio Wave; www.digitalaudiowave.com

BOSS DR-880

DRUM MACHINE

Even in these constantly changing days of everything software, some things never change, including the desire for good old drum machines. Boss offers you old-school types another generation of its famous DR-series beat boxes: the DR-880 ($549). The 880 is chock-full of drum, percussion and bass sounds derived from Roland's high-quality SRX-series library, and it houses its own original sounds along with some Roland drum-machine classics. The DR-880 can be used dry or fattened up with built-in independent compressors and EQs for each of the pads or the available compressor and COSM amp modeling for bass. Speaking of bass, the DR-880 boasts a dedicated Guitar/Bass Input jack, and in addition to amp modeling, multi-effects such as chorus, delay, reverb or the Acoustic Processor can be applied. Drum sounds range from electronic and acoustic to exotic world percussion, and microscopic programming and editing is possible with this machine. The 880 features analog audio I/O, a S/PDIF output, MIDI I/O and a USB port.
Boss; www.bossusa.com

ELECTRO-HARMONIX POG

OCTAVE GENERATOR

For adventurous guitarists out there who seek to seriously fatten up their tone, Electro-Harmonix has just the ticket with its new POG ($690), short for Polyphonic Octave Generator. The POG can take an incoming guitar tone and output it one octave up, two octaves up, one and two octaves up detuned, and one octave down, all along with the original dry signal. The POG expands the horizons of a typical six-string guitar by creating a 12-string sound or by simulating the unreal, such as the sound of an 18-string guitar. You can simulate subtones such as bass or organ or any combination of the aforementioned. The POG is effective on single notes, arpeggios or chords, rendering it useful for other mono instrument sources, such as synths. Mix controls are built in for users to customize the balance of the various sounds.
Electro-Harmonix; www.ehx.com

ARTURIA MOOG MODULAR V 2

SOFTWARE SYNTH (MAC/PC)

Arturia's Moog Modular V 2 ($329; free upgrade for registered users) celebrates its second birthday with version 2, and it contains all of the original features along with some major upgrades. For those who don't know, Arturia's Moog Modular is a software replica of the cult-status hardware synth of the same name. Version 2 is easier to view on a small screen, as it features a new scrollable view. A boatload of new modules have been added to cover new Arturia originals as well as reproductions of rare classics. Some of the rarities included in the bunch are the 1630 Bode Frequency Shifter and the 928 Sample and Hold. A few of the more common modules added are the 912 Envelope Follower (aka Schmit Trigger) and the Moog 12 Stage Phaser. The two new modules developed by Arturia include Formant Filter, which filters sounds according to the five English vowel formants, and a metallic Ring Modulator. Probably the coolest new feature of version 2 is the ability of the modules to be interchanged, allowing custom configurations in the true modular spirit.
Arturia; www.arturia.com

SONIC REALITY SONIC REFILLS, VOLS. 16-20

REFILLS FOR PROPELLERHEAD REASON

Sonic Reality has released five new volumes of Sonic Refills ($49.95 each) for Propellerhead Reason users; the titles include Vol. 16: Triple Bass, Vol. 17: Triple Guitars, Vol. 18: Synths 3, Vol. 19: Vocal Textures and Vol. 20: Mello-T. Distributed by M-Audio, the libraries are custom-made for Reason and feature a diverse selection of instruments per title. The Triple Bass volume covers acoustic-upright and electric-bass samples as well as tons of synth-bass patches for Subtractor and Malström. Triple Guitars covers three distinct guitar types: electric and acoustic steel-string samples, nylon-string samples and synthetic guitar synth patches. In Synths 3, you get lots of moody pads and atmosphere patches for NN-XT, Subtractor and Malström. The Vocal Textures volume boasts colorful human vocals, choirs, single vowel sounds and pad samples from the likes of Jason Scheff and Roger Manning. Finally, the Mello-T volume revisits the vintage, classic sounds of the Mellotron and Chamberlin tape-loop keyboards. This collection is a must-have for old-school heads who use Reason.
Sonic Reality (dist. by M-Audio); www.sonicreality.com

ART TCS

2-CHANNEL DUAL-TYPE COMPRESSOR

Applied Research and Technology has released its aptly named TCS ($299), short for Twin Compression System, a 2-channel dual-type compressor. The only thing single about it is its single-rackspace design. The TCS functions as both an opto-isolator-style and a VCA-style compressor; users can select between the two or work with them in combination. Sixteen different compression presets are available via a rotary encoder. Manual control of all settings is also available. Instrument or microphone sources can be equally processed with TCS, making it useful for both studio and live situations. Typical controls on each channel include Attack, Release, Threshold, Ratio, Output Level and Stereo Link. Less typical features include a Noise Reduction Threshold and Variable Noise Reduction Shelf EQ, Tube Control for variable tube harmonics, and a front-panel-mounted hi-Z instrument input jack.
ART; www.artproaudio.com

VESTAX CDX-05

DESKTOP CD AND MP3 PLAYER

Vestax is poised to please the high-tech crowd of turntablists and DJs with the release of its newest tabletop CD and MP3 player, the CDX-05 ($750). The CDX-05 is capable of reading CD-R and CD-RW disks and MP3 files with the tactile feel of vinyl scratching. DJs who prefer the feel of real vinyl should be happy, too: The CDX-05 features the TT-Link accessory socket, which, along with an optional accessory wheel by Tascam, allows users to control the CDX-05's CD functions from any turntable. In addition, the Analog Filter function allows seamless mixing between the CDX-05 and real vinyl, as it lends the sound of vinyl to any CD or MP3 track. The CDX-05 is future-proof; it boasts CD-updatable firmware architecture for future software upgrades. A Master Tempo function enables users to change tempo without affecting pitch, and adjustable pitch control spans ±6, ±10, ±50 and ±100 percent. An eight-second sampler is onboard, as are digital effects and digital outputs.
Vestax; www.vestax.com

TASCAM CC-222MKII

COMBINATION CD AND CASSETTE RECORDER

Tascam has refined and released the next generation CC-222, the first rackmountable combination CD and cassette recorder that the company released a few years ago. The CC-222mkII ($949) is the reincarnation of the essential stereo recording deck and has been enhanced with several new features. Among the new additions is the Sync Rec feature for cassette-to-CD recording, which senses more than six seconds of silence and automatically pauses the CD recording; when audible sound is once again sensed, CD recording resumes. The analog inputs now feature digital attenuation control, and the A/D converters for the CD deck have been updated to 24-bit. The CC-222mkII keeps all of the features of its predecessor, including a 12 percent pitch control for the cassette, digital I/O for the CD deck on both coaxial and optical connectors, separate analog I/O on RCA jacks for each deck, a front-mounted headphone jack with dedicated volume control and a dedicated phono input for turntables.
Tascam; www.tascam.com

ALESIS PHOTON 25, PHOTON X25

USB MIDI CONTROLLER/AUDIO INTERFACE

Alesis enters the game of portable, small-format controller keyboards with the Photon 25 ($249) and the Photon X25 ($299). The Photon 25 is a miniature desktop USB/MIDI controller, and the Photon X25 expands upon that by adding audio and I/O interface to the package. Both units share the features of 20 customizable, storable banks and the ability to be powered by USB, an optional AC power adapter or four C batteries. Both units come with user-customizable face overlay templates for various DAWs and virtual instruments. The Photon 25 features an x-y joystick for pitch bend and modulation or other assignable parameters; high-res controller knobs; and a multipurpose, four-character LED. The X25 steps it up by adding 24-bit, 44.1 or 48kHz audio I/O via balanced stereo inputs and outputs. The uniquely Alesis Axyz controller dome adorns the top panel along with 10 360-degree knobs and separate pitch and mod wheels for extra tactile control. The X25 also features a velocity-sensitive keyboard, and both controllers are Windows- and Mac-friendly.
Alesis; www.alesis.com

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