NEW PRODUCTS
Feb 1, 2002 12:00 PM, By Markkus Rovito
SLIDEMATE
MIDI CONTROLLER
Encore Electronics presents Slidemate ($249), a programmable MIDI controller with eight sliders that can control up to 120 parameters with 15 banks of settings. The parameters can be assigned to any MIDI channel and can send any MIDI message. Slidemate operates in conjunction with Windows or Mac programming software, which can program it to work with hundreds of hard and soft synths, effects processors and software programs; Encore's Web site stores a continuously updated list of MIDI device libraries for Slidemate. Once programmed, the unit doesn't need to be connected to a computer to function. The 2.5-pound Slidemate is constructed solidly, with steel shafts for its 60mm faders and a rubber base to hold it in place. Four Group buttons allow the selection of 15 fader banks. The unit also has a Scene/Panic button, MIDI-activity LED and MIDI In and Out jacks. The controller's memory is nonvolatile, so the battery never needs to be replaced. A power supply is included.
Encore Electronics; tel. (925) 229-8875; e-mail
sales@encoreelectronics.com; Web
www.encoreelectronics.com
SURFACE ONE
VIRTUAL CONTROL SURFACE
The one-of-a-kind Surface One ($799.95) from Midiman uses touch-sensitive, fiber-optic faders and buttons to send MIDI messages to any MIDI-controllable hardware instrument or software program. The unit employs Tactex, a “smart fabric” that can simultaneously read up/down, left/right and pressure information, thereby sending multiple MIDI messages at a time.
Each of Surface One's 16 rotary knobs, eight faders and eight virtual buttons are user-configurable, so anyone can send any MIDI message, including volume changes, parameters changes, program changes and more. A Shift function provides quick access to an entire second set of parameters. Different types of motion, such as a double-tap, will trigger different commands. For example, applying pressure to the top or bottom of a fader serves as a fade in or fade out. Users can also copy and paste to new location settings for individual controls or entire presets. Surface One links to hardware through either the USB port or the two sets of MIDI I/O. The unit's flash memory also accepts operating-system upgrades.
Midiman; tel. (800) 969-6434; e-mail
info@midiman.net; Web
www.midiman.net
DIGI-PRO
DUAL-CD SYSTEM
American DJ has created a system allowing users to control the scratching of CD audio with a vinyl record. The Digi-Pro ($1,149.95) includes a professional dual-CD player, a Scratch Box and a special vinyl record that carries the CD player's signal. Besides that innovative attraction, the Digi-Pro's CD player is filled with features. Onboard digital effects include two filters, reverse play, a stutter effect called Bop and two Coast effects. Coast creates the effect of turning off a turntable's power and comes in three- or five-second lengths. With tempo lock, you can change a track's speed without altering its overall pitch. Also on deck are seamless loop creation; instant start; 20 seconds of antishock memory; S/PDIF digital output; four programmable cue points; a manual beat counter; 30 programmable tracks; a pitch display; and pitch ranges of ±8, ±12 or ±16 percent for the Auto Cue function.
American DJ; tel. (323) 582-2650; Web
www.americandj.com
DPH-X1 and DWG-X1
HALF-RACK PROCESSORS
The Vestax DPH-X1 (price TBA; pictured) 12-stage stereo phaser and DWG-X1 (price TBA) dynamic wah filter are the first two units of the Effector series of effects and dynamics processors for DJs and remixers. With 12-step phase-shifting circuitry, the DPH-X1 can produce a range of phase shifts, from slow waves to extreme modulation. The effect crossfader blends the dry signal with the effected sound or instantly bypasses the effect. Bias, Depth and Speed knobs for the phaser's LFO are present; a Phase Mode knob selects the number of steps to the phase shift. The DPH-X1 accepts both ¼-inch and RCA inputs.
The DWG-X1 has a 5-band graphic EQ to control filter color and Gate and Speed faders to control the auto wah. It also has effects-mix and effects-level crossfaders. Filter changes are controllable by a trigger switch, by an external footswitch or by the input signal itself. Each machine is a 1U half-rack processor with a depth shallow enough to use vertically in a coffin setup. Vestax also makes a 19-inch rack frame to store one or more Effector units.
Vestax; tel. (562) 623-9881; Web
www.vestax.com
D-CODER
VOCODER/SYNTHESIZER PLUG-IN
German synth manufacturer Waldorf has had success with its VST instruments, the PPG Wave wavetable soft synth and the Attack drum synth. Its latest software creation is the D-Coder ($299), a vocoder/synthesizer plug-in for the TC Works TC PowerCore audio card and any VST-compatible audio application for Mac or PC. The first synth plug-in for the TC PowerCore card, the D-Coder has algorithms based on the synthesis and processing of Waldorf's Q and MicroQ synths. Because the TC PowerCore handles the digital signal processing of the D-Coder's operations, the plug-in won't sap significant CPU power.
The D-Coder's synth can function as the carrier signal for the vocoder or as a stand-alone two-oscillator synth. The vocoder section contains 3-band EQ with sweepable mids and a chorus effect. D-Coder requires an Apple Macintosh G3 or G4 or a Windows PC with a Pentium II/300 MHz or better.
Waldorf; tel. 49-264-299-400; Web
www.waldorf-gmbh.de
or
www.tcworks.de
Z4 and Z8
SAMPLERS
Akai's S- and MPC-series samplers are ubiquitous in the audio world and have made the company name synonymous with sampling. The new Z-series launches with the Z4 ($1,499) and the Z8 ($1,999; pictured). Each is built around the new Akai Z-96 LSI sampling engine and an Intel CPU for enhanced sample processing. Audio resolution of Z samplers is 24 bits with a sampling rate up to 96 kHz. They also include a standard 20GB internal IDE hard drive and 512MB RAM capacity. Q-Link knobs allow for real-time control of parameters. The knobs are separately assignable to amplitude, effect send, tune and more. The samplers have 26 filter types; 192 filters are available at a time, with a max of three filters per voice. Dual LFOs are controllable internally or externally. Complete software control of the samples is possible through the USB connection and ak.Sys Control and Networking System software.
Key new features include IntelliSample and Quick FX. Intellisample uses audio thresholds to automatically start, stop, normalize, name and assign samples. Quick FX requires the optional internal 24-bit, 96kHz 4-channel effects processor to process and resample sounds according to presets such as Dirty, Squash, Stretch and Fat. Out of the box, Z-series samplers have resampling as well as waveform-editing features such as sample insert, section delete, zone reverse, pitch shift, fade, normalize, time stretch, bpm match and more. The chief difference between the two samplers: the Z8 has eight knobs instead of four, and the Z8's knobs (as well as the LCD and other controls) are on a wired remote panel that detaches from the unit. Both samplers have balanced analog I/O with 24-bit, 96kHz AD/DA conversion and digital I/O with a built-in sampling-rate converter.
Akai; tel. (817) 831-9203; Web
www.akaipro.com
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