NEW PRODUCTS
Sep 1, 2001 12:00 PM
MPX 200 EFFECTS PROCESSOR
Lexicon's MPX 200 true-stereo multi-effects processor ($399) is a step up from the company's popular MPX 100. It features 24-bit A/D/A conversion, a new digital compressor, a wealth of front-panel parameter LEDs, an expanded 64-program User Bank, and an internal power supply. The MPX 200 lets you edit and store as many as four compression and four program parameters for each of the 64 user presets. You can configure input and output levels, effects routings, and all program and compression parameters from the front panel, and you can enable and disable the compressor instantly with a front-panel button. All the program parameters that are accessible from the front panel can also be controlled through MIDI.
The MPX 200's 240 factory presets include “classic” ambience, plate, chamber, and reverse reverbs, as well as chorus, flange, tremolo, rotary, pitch, detune, echo, and delay multi-effects, including up to 5.5 seconds of delay. Like Lexicon's MPX 100 and 500, the new unit allows you to cascade (combine) two independent effects or operate in Dual Stereo (parallel), Mono Split, or Dual Mono routing configurations. The compressor can be used in any program, along with up to two effects.
The unit samples at 44.1 kHz and can be placed in true Bypass mode for dry digital recording using the unit's S/PDIF I/O. It responds to MIDI Program Change and MIDI Clock. Tempos for the delay and modulation parameters can be controlled by audio input, an optional footswitch, the front-panel Tap button, an external MIDI controller, or MIDI Program Change messages. Connections include MIDI In and Out/Thru; ¼-inch stereo analog audio inputs and outputs; coaxial S/PDIF I/O; and a ¼-inch stereo headphone output. The analog audio inputs can accept line- or instrument-level signals.
Lexicon; tel. (781) 280-0300; e-mail info@lexicon.com; Web www.lexicon.com
XLT509 SUBWOOFER
Double-low and lovely, Community's XLT509 subwoofer ($949) contains two 15-inch ferrofluid-cooled transducers that deliver up to 130 dB SPL (40-150 Hz) — more than enough to shake the club floor. Maximum power handling is rated at 400W RMS and 1,000W program (into 4 ohms); sensitivity is 96 dB SPL at 1W/1m.
The XLT509 is enhanced by two of Community's “smart” technologies: PowerMeter and IntelliSense, a circuitry-monitoring feature. PowerMeter's green LEDs flash when a signal is detected; yellow LEDs warn about possible system overloads; and red LEDs alert you that Community's IntelliSense protection has kicked in to automatically reduce (attenuate) input signals to an acceptable level.
The XLT509's cabinet is made of lightweight sandwich-core plywood, measures 20 inches wide by 34 inches tall by 18 inches deep, and weighs 70 pounds. It has three external mounting points, and Community provides a pole attachment for stand mounting. Inputs include dual ¼-inch jacks and an interlocking connector, rear-mounted on a cast-metal plate. All XLT500-series products are backed by Community's five-year warranty.
Community; tel. (610) 876-3400; e-mail info@loudspeakers.net; Web www.loudspeakers.net
STR8-100 HIGH-TORQUE TURNTABLE
Stanton's STR8-100 (pronounced “straight 100”) deck ($799) offers a virtually skip-free, height-adjustable straight tonearm; S/PDIF digital output; manual pitch bend of up to 6 percent; 3.5 mm line input for CD, MD, and MP3 players; and the company's newly developed “superhigh-torque” motor. Key Adjust allows DJs to stick the record's pitch at zero while changing the platter speed with the pitch fader, and the reverse-playback feature lets you play forward or reverse with the same amount of torque, even at 78 rpm. You can select between the phono and line output, providing a hotter output and allowing you to connect directly to a sampler or mixer that lacks a phono input.
The unit's selectable pitch adjustment (fader) can move ±25 percent at selectable speeds of 33, 45, and 78 rpm. Both the STR8-100 straight-arm unit and the ST-100, which features an S-shaped tonearm, sport a smart-looking brushed-aluminum chassis, an aluminum platter, blue LEDs, a blue strobe indicator, and a target light. A slip mat and a headshell are included.
Stanton Magnetics; tel. (954) 689-8833; e-mail info@stantonmagnetics.com; Web www.stantonmagnetics.com
FM4 FILTER MODELER EFFECTS PEDAL
Easily distinguished by its bright purple housing, Line 6's fourth stompbox modeler, the FM4 ($349.99), offers 16 models of classic vintage filters. Devices modeled include the Oberheim VCF, Mu-Tron III, and various Moog, ARP, Korg, and Roland synth filters.
Users can choose from a mild auto-wah, crazy ring modulators, subtle envelope filters, and more. The frequency, Q, speed, mode, and mix of each model can be edited with knobs. You can use an expression pedal (not included) with the FM4 to manipulate several controls at once, creating effects that would have been impossible to achieve with the original vintage filters.
The FM4 has ¼-inch L/R audio inputs and outputs and a true bypass. You get 16 factory presets and 4 user presets. Batteries are included; an AC adapter is optional.
Line 6; tel. (818) 575-3600; e-mail info@line6.com; Web www.line6.com
Magenta MAC VST PITCH RESYNTHESIZER
Prosoniq's Magenta ($199) resynthesizer VST plug-in for the Mac analyzes any VST audio track or live input signal, breaks it down into basic waveforms, and resynthesizes it using spectral filters you control with a MIDI keyboard or a mouse. That process gives you extensive control over the sound and lets you create pitch-shifting and spectral effects in real time. You can even automate changes in timbre, pitch, and harmonic development of the input signal using VST mixer/effects automation. The sound's original formant can be retained if desired.
Magenta serves as an effects processor, a software synthesizer with live audio input, and more. Create melodic choruses from single vocal lines; pitch-shift voices, instruments, or loops in real time; design atmospheric soundscapes, voice stacks, and ambient textures; and double vocal tracks for a fatter sound. You can play and control the resulting instruments in real time using any MIDI controller.
To achieve this advanced processing, Prosoniq employs proprietary Multikernel Spectrum Resynthesis Engine (MSRE) technology, which is optimized to take advantage of the Macintosh G4's AltiVec vector processing. On a standard G4/400, you can play up to 20 multitimbral, monophonic, and polyphonic instruments at once, giving you innumerable options.
Prosoniq; tel. 49-02-6369-7640; e-mail info@prosoniq.com; Web www.prosoniq.com
SX-1 INTEGRATED AUDIO PRODUCTION STATION
Tascam's SX-1 digital-audio workstation ($8,999) integrates a 16-track, 24-bit, 48 or 44.1 kHz hard-disk recorder; a 32-channel, 8-bus, 8-return mixer with touch-sensitive 100 mm faders; and a 128-track MIDI sequencer. As with many such systems, you get half the number of tracks and mixer channels when operating at 96 or 88.2 kHz.
The SX-1 is designed for 5.1 Surround Sound mixing and can record a full 5.1 mix to its internal drive in addition to the original 16 channels. Its BeIA operating system is a version of BeOS optimized for multimedia production. DSP plug-ins from Tascam, TC-Works, and Antares are bundled with the unit, and the company expects to announce additional third-party plug-in support soon. The unit can even author MP3 files.
The new DAW features 16 of Tascam's best microphone preamps with phantom power and both XLR and ¼-inch inputs, and you get TRS insert points on each analog input. Digital I/O includes an 8-channel ADAT Optical interface and two stereo S/PDIF I/O pairs (with sampling-rate conversion). You can add 24 more channels of optional digital I/O (including multichannel AES/EBU, TDIF, and ADAT Optical) using the expansion slots.
The sequencer offers real-time and step-record modes, and Tascam claims that its timing, derived from the internal sample clock, is highly accurate. You can map each of the 64 MIDI output channels to channel strips on the console, and you can assign the channel faders and knobs to user-defined MIDI messages. The unit's Jog/Shuttle wheel can scrub audio and MIDI data simultaneously.
An onboard LCD screen shows waveforms, automation data, and much more, and for even better visual feedback, you can connect a computer monitor to the XVGA output. You get separate studio and control-room monitoring and an onboard speaker switcher.
The SX-1 ships with a CD-RW drive and an internal 40 GB IDE hard drive; recording time can be expanded with additional IDE and SCSI hard drives. In addition to two MIDI inputs and four independent MIDI outputs, the SX-1 has a SCSI port, two USB ports, and 100 Mbps Ethernet for FTP transfers. Synchronization features include word-clock in, out, and thru ports as well as internal SMPTE/LTC, video sync, and Sony P2. The SX-1 can be cascaded with Tascam's DM-24 digital mixer, greatly expanding its capabilities.
Tascam; tel. (323) 726-0303; Web www.tascam.com
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