New Products
Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Asher Fulero
Remix’s New Products for February 2008
PIONEER SVM-1000
AUDIO/VIDEO DJ MIXER
In Remix’s November ’07 Digitial DJ column, we hinted that Pioneer was working on the next big thing in live audio/video mixing. This is it. Simply crammed full of features, the Pioneer SVM-1000 ($5,999; www.pioneerprodj.com) audio/video DJ mixer is an attempt to tear down the walls between DJing and VJing. To begin with, each of the SVM-1000’s four channels can operate as a video input (with or without audio) or an audio-only input. Pioneer’s new Multiple Video Blending Technology with full A/V effects section is controlled via the gorgeous 11-inch LCD touch screen at the center (not multitouch, but it’s still very cool). Effects include 12 AV Beat Effects that synchronize to bpm, 12 AV Touch Effects that allow Kaoss-like use of the touch screen to manipulate visuals directly as they appear on the panel and Text Effects that display and manipulate messages entered via the touch screen or a USB keyboard, all in sync to bpm. What’s more, a JPEG viewer allows using effects, looping or mixing with as many as eight still images. The audio system uses 24-bit/96 kHz A/D conversion and operates internally at 32-bit DSP resolution. The extensive back panel offers video inputs and outputs for S-Video, component and more. More features include full MIDI integration, AV Sync, Video Trim and Video EQ controls, a talk-over microphone input and full crossfader section with curve adjust. The SVM-1000 is an exciting new tool in the fight to help creative people cross the boundaries of media.
DYNAUDIO AIR 12
SMART MONITORS WITH DSP
The latest in Dynaudio’s line of “smart” monitoring systems is the AIR 12 ($TBA; www.dynaudioacoustics.com), a 200W biamped two-way near-field speaker with an 8-inch woofer and 1.1-inch soft-dome tweeter that includes built-in room-adapting DSP. The high-precision amp/driver system delivers all the well-known Dynaudio sonic fidelity for stereo or surround settings while an internal wireless network between speakers manages audio and control information, including an automatic level calibration system, Acoustic Placement Compensation, bass management, on-the-fly simulations, central level control, preset setup recall, speaker solo/mute and full control of all features via the included remote control. Each speaker contains integrated parametric EQ, offset delay and optional digital and/or analog inputs. When used in conjunction with more AIR units or a dedicated AIR Base Subwoofer, a single remote can control them all thanks to the inter-speaker network. Stop the endless speaker placement arguments and discover the ease of a smart monitoring system.
IMAGE LINE MAXIMUS
MULTIBAND MAXIMIZER PLUG-IN
In the seemingly never-ending loudness game, many players have come and gone. Image Line Maximus ($189; www.image-line.com) aims to stick around a bit longer by combining multiband peak limiting and maximization with overall dynamic control, including compression, noise gating, expanding, ducking, de-essing and more. Four definable compression curves with brightly colored visual analysis offer separate settings for low, mid and high bands, as well as a fourth wide-band Master control. Each of the four bands sports custom look-ahead settings, two saturation types, parallel-style mix control and a stereo separation control for really dialing in the specifics of how each part interacts in the mix. Currently supported under only Windows XP/Vista as a VSTi 2.4 or FLStudio plug-in, Image Line says Mac OS X compatibility is coming soon. Whether on individual tracks or across the whole mix, Maximus can help you in the fight to be heard amidst the bevy of loud music out there.
M-AUDIO FAST TRACK ULTRA
USB 2.0 AUDIO/MIDI INTERFACE WITH DSP
Once again M-Audio raises the bar for mobile recording interfaces, this time by tying together the slightly faster-than-FireWire USB 2.0 protocol with dedicated DSP cores inside the hot new Fast Track Ultra ($449.95; www.m-audio.com) 8-by-8 audio/MIDI interface. Offering complete 24-bit/96 kHz operation simultaneously on all of its six analog inputs and six analog outputs—and on the stereo S/PDIF connections—the real “ultra” element is the powerful MX Core software mixer, which uses the hardware’s eight DSP chips to offer near-zero latency and a deeply flexible routing matrix with a 16-by-8 mixer. That makes it easy to create multiple setups for all sorts of uses, including sending to the two stereo headphone outputs (each with dedicated volume knobs). And helping it earn the Fast Track name, the DSP chips also offer onboard reverb and delay programs for use on the headphone outputs, so you never have to choose between making processing power available or tracking dry. The four mic preamps on the front panel borrow M-Audio’s Octane technology for low noise and high gain, and come complete with 48V phantom power and a redesigned pull-out gain knob that activates a 20 dB pad. Fast Track Ultra is bus-powered via USB 2.0 and PC/Mac compatible for all ASIO and Core Audio-compliant applications.
MAREK DESIGNS KS3
TUBE CONDENSER MIC WITH AMP
The Marek Designs KS3 ($TBA; www.md-mics.com) is a hand-built condenser microphone with a built-in tube amplifier. Using a true pressure transducer for perfect impulse and phase response, the 1-inch diameter aluminum diaphragm uses an Omnidirectional polar pattern with a slight proximity effect and a small-but-even gain-curve rise above 2 kHz. Offering both line- and microphone-level outputs, the use of an outboard mic preamp is entirely possible but not necessary; the line-level output can happily drive recording devices or A/D converters as far as needed without receiving a helping hand. Superlow self-noise and a wide dynamic range make it great for just about any instrument in the orchestra, and the ability to accept sound-pressure levels as high as 173 dB makes it amplifier- or drum kit–friendly. Said to be surprisingly warm and 3-D, the units are made within Marek’s labs in Germany using hand-selected NOS (new old-stock) tubes and milled high-grade steel. The KS3 also comes with an integrated shockmount for minimizing handling and environment noise.
DAVE SMITH INSTRUMENTS PROPHET ’08
8-NOTE POLYPHONIC ANALOG SYNTHSIZER
Heavy synth heads, start your drooling now. With the original Prophet-5 designer (Sequential Circuits founder Dave Smith) at the helm, the DSI Prophet ’08 ($2,199; www.davesmithinstruments.com) is a fully future-ized version of Sequential’s classic analog beast that boasts its own 100-percent analog signal path with eight notes of polyphony, each with two VCOs and a Curtis lowpass filter. The five-octave keyboard has semiweighted action with Velocity and Aftertouch (lacking in the original), a spring-loaded pitch wheel and an assignable mod wheel. The 16-by-4 gated sequencer, powerful arpeggiator, three envelope generators (ENV3 can loop) and four LFOs offer a multitude of ways to animate sounds. MIDI In, Out, Thru and Poly Chain are all offered on the rear, as are sustain pedal and CV/expression pedal inputs, a headphone output and a pair of stereo ¼-inch outputs for sending patch layers to separate places. With a sound clearly resembling the original, the Prophet ’08 offers significantly more control and power, and will certainly be one of the collector’s pieces of the year.
CME M-KEY
PORTABLE USB MIDI KEYBOARD
At only 2.2 inches tall, the CME M-Key ($100; www.cme-pro.com) MIDI keyboard is possibly the thinnest USB bus-powered keyboard to offer full-size, full-action keys. Based on the popular ringtone-making keyboard the U-Key, the M-Key loses the LED display, the ringtone sound module, the trigger pads, the knob controllers, the U-CTRL and the speaker. In fact, the only things to remain are the 49 Velocity-sensitive keys and flexible joystick controller. Simple MIDI I/O, two pedal connections and a single USB port appear on the back (the device is class-compliant with Windows XP and Mac OS X), and the whole package is designed to work fluidly and in a straightforward way without a lot of setup. The M-Key also ships with the CME MusicPack, which contains free versions of Magix Samplitude SE, Arturia Analog Factory SE, Waldorf Edition LE, Keytosound Remedy VST and more, for a package that’s ready to provide portable-yet-playable control for players on the move.
OLYMPUS LS-10
PORTABLE LINEAR PCM RECORDER
Better known for its cameras, Olympus also has made handheld audio recorders for a while now, and the new SL-10 ($399; www.olympusamerica.com) brings much of that knowledge to the crowded field of pro-audio contenders. The palm-size aluminum unit can record audio through its built-in stereo microphones or via the 1/8-inch Mic In and Line In jacks, all in MP3, WMA or high-resolution 24-bit/96 kHz WAV. Audio records either to the built-in 2 GB flash memory or to the removable SD card slot on the side. Anything in the internal memory or on the SD card may be played back through the built-in stereo speakers on the back or the 1/8-inch headphone jack. You can transfer audio to and from a computer via USB, and the package comes bundled with Cubase LE. A Record Level knob, tripod socket on the bottom and side buttons for mic sensitivity and auto gain control (AGC) all show off how the design is optimized for active users who want flexibility and fidelity in a portable recorder.
PRESONUS ADL 700
HIGH-GAIN CLASS A TUBE CHANNEL STRIP
The PreSonus ADL 700 ($TBA; www.presonus.com) marks the company’s second “partnership product” designed by Anthony DeMaria but manufactured by PreSonus. Taking one of the channels from the popular ADL 600 2-channel tube preamplifier (which features a balanced input transformer, three vacuum tubes with 600V power rails and no op-amps or integrated circuits), the single-channel ADL 700 adds a discrete FET-based VCA compressor and a discrete Class A 4-band parametric EQ to the preamp’s high-gain architecture. The Preamp section features instrument-, line- and mic-level inputs with selectable impedance, as well as gain, pad, phase and lowpass filter controls; the compressor provides variable threshold, ratio, attack, release and gain. The EQ has a switchable high/low Q control for each band, and there is a large VU meter in the center that can display either input level or compression amount. If you’re looking for a high-quality channel strip to record those important tracks, the ADL 700 is a good bet.
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