NEW PRODUCTS
Sep 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Doug Eisengrein
SOUNDCRAFT LX7ii
FRONT-OF-HOUSE MIXING CONSOLE
One of the audio world's great consoles, the Soundcraft LX7, gets a specification upgrade and a facelift and emerges as the LX7ii ($1,899-$2,999). The new console takes a lesson in looks from its popular siblings, the MH3 and MH4 desks, while adding a new frame, module ID graphics and end cheeks. Soundcraft's founder and guru engineer, Graham Blyth, designed a new mic preamp and EQ section for the LX7ii, again taking quality design cues from the larger and more expensive MH3 and MH4 consoles. The 4-band EQ section features adjustable mid with steep slopes on the fixed LF and HF sections for elimination of midfrequency smearing. The LX7ii series offers 16-, 24- and 32-channel designs, and standard features include four stereo inputs/returns, four groups, six auxes, a stereo main output and a dedicated mono output. The first 16 inputs feature direct outputs, making the LX7ii series well-suited for both live P.A. and multitrack recording use, all at a nice price.
Soundcraft; e-mail
info@soundcraft.com; Web
www.soundcraft.com
RANE C4
QUAD COMPRESSOR/LIMITER
What every live-sound or studio rig needs is Rane's new C4 ($999), a 4-channel compressor/de-esser/limiter housed inside a solid 2-rackspace chassis. The unit includes independent compression/de-essing and limiting. Next on the list of goodies are internal and external sidechain options, which boast full parametric EQ for frequency-dependent compression or de-essing. The external sidechain features TRS inputs for balanced or unbalanced connections, as well as a fully parametric filter and modes for compress, de-ess and listen. The C4 features an oversampled brick-wall limiter that functions independently of the compressor. All inputs and outputs are auto-balanced or unbalanced on XLR and TRS connectors, and there is a stereo-link feature on adjacent channels for use with stereo lines.
Rane; e-mail
info@rane.com; Web
www.rane.com
GEMINI CDJ-01, CDJ-02
PROFESSIONAL DJ CD PLAYERS
Gemini dishes out a pair of goodies for CD-toting jocks with the release of its CDJ-01 ($279) and CDJ-02 ($409) single CD players. The CDJ-01 is an inexpensive, top-loading version full of features, such as instant start play; choices of 4, 8 and 16 percent variable pitch adjust; frame-accurate search and cueing; single auto-cue and continuous play; and loop in, loop out and reloop. The CDJ-01 is well-suited to low-light club conditions with its large backlit, soft-touch buttons and blue LCD. The bright-blue illuminated, front-loading CDJ-02 steps it up a few notches. Features that the CDJ-02 shares with its sibling include seamless loop in, out and reloop; 4 to 16 percent variable pitch; frame-accurate search and cue; LED-illuminated buttons; and blue LCD. The CDJ-02 adds a large top-mounted jog wheel with a soft rubber surface, complete with finger grooves for precise hands-on CD cueing.
Gemini; e-mail
sales-usa@geminidj.com; Web
www.geminidj.com
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