NEW PRODUCTS
Mar 1, 2005 12:00 PM, By Doug Eisengrein
ECHO LAYLA3G
PCI AUDIO/MIDI INTERFACE
A long seven years ago, Layla was one of the first renegade multichannel digital audio interfaces for the PC to provide high-end audio quality for humble wallets; now, Echo is back with the third generation of the venerable interface: the Layla3G ($629). The newest Layla starts out with dual mic/guitar/line preamp-inputs and follows with six TRS analog line inputs, eight TRS line outputs, ADAT Lightpipe I/O, S/PDIF I/O (both coax and optical) and MIDI I/O. A front-mounted stereo ¼-inch headphone output with a separate volume control is also standard. The unit supports a total of 16 simultaneous channels in each direction. The Layla3G PCI card is compatible with PCI-X 3.3V or 5V motherboards, Apple Mac G5s and older PCI systems. A 15-foot-long cable gives the breakout box the freedom to stay clear of the computer. The analog inputs and outputs feature an impressive 113 and 114 dB dynamic ranges, respectively, and the A/D/A converters are in the box, not on the card.
Echo;
www.echoaudio.com
SE ELECTRONICS GEMINI
DUAL TUBE CONDENSER STUDIO MIC
Low-cost, mid-to-good-quality studio mics have flooded the market during the past few years, but few will turn as many heads as the Gemini ($1,499) — a dual-tube, large diaphragm condenser microphone — from SE Electronics. Lovers of sonic warmth, you read that correctly: Gemini boasts two (different, no less) vacuum tubes, a 12AU7 and a 12AX7, and houses them inside a transformerless design with a cardioid polar pattern. The impressively flat frequency response of this unit specs out at a healthy 20 Hz to 20 kHz and carries a max SPL rating of 130 dB at 1,000 Hz. The 35mm diaphragm is gold, and the impedance is rated at less than or equal to 200 ohms. The mic comes with all of the requisite goodies, including a box, a power supply for the tubes and a shockmount.
SE Electronics;
www.seelectronics.com
EOWAVE EOBODY
ANALOG-TO-MIDI CONVERTER
Eowave, a quirky newer company that some might know through its partnership with Cycling '74, releases the next level in theramins: The Eobody ($495) is an analog-to-MIDI converter that turns analog information into MIDI data. Eowave developed the Eobody in conjunction with IRCAM, and the unit sports 16 10-bit analog inputs, three assignable potentiometers and four assignable switches. The entire unit is MIDI-programmable via System Exclusive messages and comes with a software Eobody editor for Mac OS X and Windows XP. Each input features discrete assignable settings that include scaling, resolution, zoom, offset and MIDI messages. For an additional $165, Cycling '74 is offering an introductory package — which includes sensors for picking up pressure, light, movement and position — and extra sensors will be available for individual purchase. This weird creature is designed with real-time interaction between body or robotics and music or video in mind, lending a new dimension to live music, video and performance art.
Eowave;
www.eowave.com
ULTRASONE PROLINE 750
CLOSED-BACK STUDIO HEADPHONES
Ultrasone, a company that has made quite a name for itself with some of the finest headphones on the market, has released one of its best models to date with the PROline 750 ($399) closed-back headphones. The 750s are the top of the company's new PROline series, which also includes the 2500, 650 and 550. The 750s are built around a titanium-plated driver derived from the Ultrasone edition7 headphones. They incorporate the company's trademark S-Logic technology, which reduces EMF emissions by 98 percent while reducing SPLs by 40 percent without compromising sound quality. The housing is foldable, and the phones come with plenty of handy accessories, including two detachable cables (one straight, one coiled), an extra pair of ear pads and a carrying bag. Forty millimeter titanium-plated drivers pump out an impressive 8 to 35,000 Hz frequency range with an SPL rating of 94 dB and an impedance of 40 ohms. Ultrasone headphones are made in Germany and weigh in at a slight 295 grams.
Ultrasone;
www.ultrasoneusa.com
CYCLING '74 PLUGGO 3.5
PLUG-IN COLLECTION (MAC/PC)
Your Apple envy is officially over, PC people: Cycling '74 has announced the release of Pluggo 3.5 ($199) for Windows, and it should be on the streets by the time you read this. Version 3.5 is compatible with VST and RTAS host applications running on Windows XP; and the collection is also Mac-compatible (but you knew that, did you?). This nifty, highly unusual package of plug-ins will up the version 3.1 ante to more than 100 effects, synths and samplers, and best of all, you can create your own plug-ins for RTAS and VST. All the original classics of earlier versions of Pluggo are still here, including Feedback Network, Granular-to-Go, Swish, Rough Reverb, Pretty Good Synth and Pluggo Bus. From the most basic to the absolute most bizarre effects and synths, Pluggo is the undisputed bang-for-the-buck champion for hard-disk recording and sound design. For less than 2 bucks per plug-in, you can have effects to burn for the next several years. For the Mac, Pluggo can run as Audio Units on system 10.2 or later, and a G4 or better processor is recommended.
Cycling '74;
www.cycling74.com
IK MULTIMEDIA T-RACKS VS
MASTERING PLUG-IN FOR ROLAND VS SERIES
For those of you who own a Roland VS hard-disk recorder, IK Multimedia brings one of the finest mastering plug-ins home with T-RackS VS ($299). Physical modeling of rare, analog vintage hardware mastering equipment, including those with tubes, is the key to the T-RackS sound. The T-RackS VS system is actually two mastering plug-ins in one, and it works with the Roland VS8F-3 expansion board. The T-RackS Mastering Equalizer offers a high-quality 6-band parametric EQ whereas the Mastering Dynamics is actually three processors in one — there is a Tube Stereo Compressor, a Multiband Stereo Limiter and a Stereo Soft-Clipping output stage, which rounds out and warms up the final product. T-RackS is convincingly analog-sounding, and it should be a welcome addition to anyone's VS workstation.
IK Multimedia;
www.ikmultimedia.com
MICROBOARDS DX-2
CD/DVD PUBLISHER
Microboards has stepped up its media-duplicator machines with the new CD/DVD publisher the DX-2 ($3,495). The DX-2 features a 100-disk input/output capacity and utilizes HP-based inkjet printing technology for full disk coverage at 4,800 dpi. The unit comes with SureThing and PrassiTech Zulu 2 software packages for label-graphics editing and automated disk recording, respectively. Unlimited batches of jobs can be queued and run without the need for attendance, and the software can save batch jobs for future runs. The DX-2 boasts two recording drive bays and is available as a CD-only burner or as a combo CD/DVD burner. The DVD version is capable of burning DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, audio CD, CD-ROM, CD Extra and Video CD. The CD-only version burns and supports audio CDs, CD Text, CD Extra, Pre-Gap, UPC and ISRC. Microboards has kept the number of moving parts on the DX-2 to a minimum for reliable performance.
Microboards;
www.microboards.com
STEINBERG NUENDO 3
DAW/MULTIMEDIA WORKSTATION (MAC/PC)
Focusing in on higher echelons of audio production, postproduction and surround recording and mixing, Steinberg has released Nuendo 3 ($1,999), the latest version of its multimedia production software. For postproduction, the tool set gets a nice face-lift, especially for DVD and video authoring, with support for import and export of a wide variety of file formats, including AAF, OMF, OpenTL and AES31. Improvements in file categorization, batch file naming and search functions have been integrated as well as the Warp to Picture feature, which links real-time audio time stretching to real-time tracking of video tracks. Several new surround-mixing features have been added, including Linked Panning and Audition Channel. Another cool new function is the 10-minute prerecord function, which automatically and temporarily records all audio passing through Nuendo for absolute error protection.
Steinberg;
www.steinberg.net
AURALEX TRUTRAPS GENESIS
SOUND ABSORBERS/DIFFUSERS
Auralex saves your neighbors once again with TruTraps Genesis ($329), a dual room-sound treatment system that combines absorption and quadratic diffusion into eight panels that cover a max of 46 square feet. The system includes four 3-inch TruPanels, four Q'Fusors and a collection of 3-inch TruSpacers that utilize an air gap behind a passive absorber. The TruSpacers introduce wide frequency absorption, including a 50 percent increase in absorption at 125 Hz when extra TruPanels are installed diagonally in room corners. Q'Fusors diffuse sound in the room, effectively expanding your monitors' sweet spot. TruPanels get busy trapping the low to mid ranges. Included in the TruTraps Genesis system is Auralex's TubeTak Pro adhesive, which makes a professional acoustic treatment and room decoration a simple operation.
Auralex;
www.auralex.com
PRESONUS FIREBOX
FIREWIRE AUDIO INTERFACE
Hot on the heels of its Fireface, ADL-600 and Eureka comes the Firebox ($499.95), a pint-size FireWire-based audio interface and software combination. Despite its tiny size, the Firebox is capable of an impressive simultaneous track count: six inputs of recording and 10 outputs of audio playback are capable at 24-bit, 96kHz. The unit's front face sports dual PreSonus combo mic/instrument preamps, each with discrete gain pots, alongside a ¼-inch headphone output with its own level control and a master volume control. The rear panel features two TRS line inputs, six TRS line outputs, dual 6-pin FireWire jacks and a DB9 port for a breakout cable that provides the digital interface: MIDI and S/PDIF I/O. The package also includes a copy of Steinberg Cubase LE software. Finally, the unit can be bus powered and is compatible with Windows XP and Mac OS X.
PreSonus;
www.presonus.com
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