NEW PRODUCTS
Mar 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Doug Eisengrein and Markkus Rovito
KORG PADKONTROL
TACTILE MIDI CONTROLLER
Direct from the Winter NAMM 2006 show comes Korg's poppin' fresh MIDI drum-triggering PadKontrol ($299). With its 16 Velocity-sensitive, illuminated trigger pads, the PadKontrol should put aspiring Dr. Dres on the fast track to a Ph.D. in beat science. Korg also throws a hint of Kaoss into the mix with an x-y touchpad. The surface is hardwired either to add expressive flams and rolls to the sounds of the pads or to alternatively control any two MIDI parameters at one time. Another two control knobs are also fully MIDI-assignable. Each PadKontrol trigger pad can control any MIDI note and also transmit on its own MIDI channel, so the device can control several software instruments at once. Each pad can also be set to one of eight dynamic curves or to its own overall level. The PadKontrol stores as many as 16 instantly recallable user scenes and 30 preloaded scenes, and within each scene, each MIDI control is configurable.
PadKontrol comes bundled with the Creative Kontrol Pack Volume 2, which includes specialized Korg versions of Ableton Live Lite 4, IK Multimedia SampleTank 2, Propellerhead Reason Adapted and Ultimate Sound Bank UVI. Best of all, however, is the Toontracks DFH Superior drum-kit plug-in exclusive to the PadKontrol. It includes 260 MB of sounds across 2,700 samples — many recorded at multiple levels and from a variety of mic positions.
Korg;
www.korg.com
APPLE GARAGEBAND 3
ENTRY-LEVEL DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATION
What was already the greatest bang for the buck for beginning-to-intermediate musicians has added a whole new wing to its toolshed. Apple GarageBand 3 ($79 as part of iLife '06) does little to enhance its pure music-making abilities, but it does add a movie track for scoring to video and powerful tools for producing and publishing podcasts. For the first time, GarageBand 3 includes a media browser for dropping audio files, photos and movies from the other iLife '06 applications — iPhoto 6, iMovie HD 6 and iTunes 6 — into the new podcast artwork track in the timeline. Interviews conducted in iChat can be recorded straight into GarageBand 3 with a separate track for each speaker. The new Speech Enhancer tool also has presets for reducing background noise, enhancing male and female voices, simulating pro mics and more. Hundreds of new foley sound effects, radio “stingers” and jingles come packaged for use in podcasts and scores. GarageBand 3 exports videos with their soundtracks to QuickTime files and can publish completed podcasts straight to the Internet complete with artwork, URL link and RSS feeds with the help of a companion iLife '06 application, iWeb.
Apple;
www.apple.com/garageband
NUMARK HDX
CD/MP3 HARD-DRIVE TURNTABLE
DJs, prepare for some gear lust. You may think you dig your CD player, but how does a deck that plays CDs and digital files from an 80GB removable hard drive sound? That's what you're looking at with the Numark HDX ($1,899). You can rip CDs to the hard drive from the slot-loading CD drive or connect the HDX to a PC or a Mac via the USB 2.0 port and transfer music in a flash. Once the drive is loaded, all those digital files will be putty in a DJ's hand courtesy of the HDX's high-torque, motorized 12-inch platter, which comes with a user-replaceable vinyl record for controlling and scratching digital music with a true vinyl feel. The hard drive supports MP3, WMA, Ogg Vorbis and FLAC audio formats and includes an onboard Gracenote CD database for easy tagging of CD audio tracks. The HDX can search the hard drive for music by artist, album, genre, title and bpm. Turntable controls include a forward/reverse toggle switch, several scratching and looping modes, auto beat matching, ±100-percent pitch control and several effects with a tweakable control wheel. With analog audio inputs, the HDX can record the output of a DJ mixer to its hard drive for easy archiving of live sets.
Numark;
www.numark.com
NUSOFTING MODELONIA
PHYSICAL MODELING SOFT SYNTH
NUSofting, a relative unknown in the more commercial audio circles, has steadfastly churned out some unique and unusual VST and DX software instruments for Windows. The company's latest offering is Modelonia ($145), an interesting, physical-modeling-based synthesizer that pairs a plucked-string model with a blown-bore (trumpetlike) model to create something totally new and intriguing. Modelonia includes a bank of 96 presets, along with a Sound Wizard to assist in new-sound sculpting. The two models of Modelonia can be played simultaneously, and cross-modulation is possible for the creation of complex, harmonic tones. Modelonia is not designed to be a simple emulation of acoustic instruments; its sound engine relies solely on physical modeling and is not enhanced by multi-effects or filters. A limited-functionality demo version of the soft synth is available via download, and registered users of several of the company's other products are eligible for a reduced price of $99.
NUSofting;
http://nusofting.liqihsynth.com
KORG TR61, TR76
KEYBOARD WORKSTATIONS
Drawing on the Hyper Integrated (HI) synthesis technology made famous by the company's Triton family of keyboards, Korg has launched its latest, lower-priced animals, the TR Music Workstations, which include the 61-key TR61 ($1,599) and the 76-key TR76 ($1,899). Aimed at studio and stage use, the new boards feature 64 MB of PCM ROM that consist of 518 drum and 470 multisamples; those combine to create 512 programs, 384 combination patches (eight programs deep) and 24 drum kits. Also onboard are 128 General MIDI (GM) programs and nine GM drum kits. Like the Triton family, the TR boards feature an integrated 16-track MIDI sequencer that can step sequence or record in real time. The sequencer accommodates as many as 200 songs and a total of 200,000 notes. There are 89 effect types, accessible via two master effects buses and one stereo insert effect. A stereo 3-band master EQ rounds things out.
Korg;
www.korg.com
NADY SYSTEMS RSM SERIES
RIBBON MICROPHONES
Nady has expanded its desirable-yet-inexpensive RSM family of ribbon mics with the new RSM-1 ($199.95), RSM-3 ($359.95), RSM-4 ($399.95) and RSM-5 ($379.95). Each model features unique styling and has an intended application. The RSM-1 is designed as a general-purpose mic, the RSM-3 is suited for ambient and vocal miking, the RSM-4's target is miking instruments and guitar cabs, and the RSM-5 is designed for instruments in small spaces or where an unobtrusive mic is desired. All four models join the RSM-2 in housing internally shockmounted, low-tension aluminum ribbon engines, but the figure-8 ribbons of each mic are of different thicknesses and lengths to impart a unique color to each model. As goes with most ribbon mics, the RSM series boasts fast transient responses and high SPL capabilities.
Nady Systems;
www.nady.com
SCANDYNA THE DOCK
IPOD DOCk/AMPLIFIER
Scandyna, makers of some of the most interesting-looking speakers you've ever seen, adds Apple iPod accessories to its growing résumé of audio products with The Dock (price TBA). Combining form with function, this tiny unit docks, plays, amplifies and recharges an iPod, and is available in Apple pearl white or black. The tiny chassis has a 2-by-15W RMS amp under the hood, along with a sub output onboard for powering a subwoofer. The Dock features overload and overheating protection and a universal power supply (115 V, 230 V). It outputs to the extremes of the frequency spectrum with a range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz and boasts a distortion rating of less than 0.1 percent per watt. Its dimensions are 1.6 by 4.7 by 4.8 inches, and it weighs in at a mere 0.77 lb. For the sofa-bound out there, The Dock also includes a remote control.
Scandyna;
www.scandyna-speakers.com
SENNHEISER HD 205
DJ/STUDIO HEADPHONES
Sennheiser has crossed the line between DJ and studio use with its latest dynamic headphone offering, the HD 205 ($59.95). These new cans combine padded, rotating ear cups; excellent passive, ambient-noise attenuation; ultralightweight-yet-sturdy construction; and a single-sided cable with high output power and superthick bass response for balancing the needs of vinyl jockeys, mobile users and studio cats in one very wallet-friendly package. The cable is outfitted with an ⅛-inch minijack, with a gold-plated, ¼-inch screw-on adapter included. A head pad provides comfort for long listening sessions. Sennheiser is known for extended warranties, and the HD 205 delivers with a two-year warranty. DJs should be pleased with the HD 205's medium size and the included protective transportation pouch.
Sennheiser;
www.sennheiserusa.com
APOGEE ROSETTA 800
8-CHANNEL A/D-D/A CONVERTER
Apogee's fame for digital-to-audio converters (DACs) is unparalleled, and it has just made one of its top-shelf products even better. The new Rosetta 800 ($2,995) DAC features eight channels of A/D-D/A conversion but now comes standard with sampling rates as high as 192 kHz. Previously, the Rosetta 800 required a $995 upgrade for 192kHz operation. The new Rosetta 800 features Apogee's much-hyped SoftLimit, UV22HR and Intelliclock technologies as standard, and options include a FireWire card for direct connection to Apple OS X (native — no drivers required) and Windows XP. Other expansion cards can connect to Pro Tools Mix and HD systems. More standard features include eight channels of ADAT Lightpipe and AES/EBU digital I/O; word-clock I/O; and an external, universal (100-240V) power supply.
Apogee;
www.apogeedigital.com
DISC MAKERS PICO
CD/DVD DUPLICATOR
How does a major CD and DVD manufacturer compete with the proliferation of home disc burning? It provides its own inexpensive home duplicator. That is what disc-duping giant Disc Makers has accomplished with its latest product, Pico ($699), a single-drive, 25-disc capacity automated CD/DVD duplicator that comes with an attractive price tag. The duplicator is capable of a full 16x DVD burning speed and a very respectable 48x CD burning speed. The drive is housed in a small chassis that weighs a mere 6.6 lb. and measures 15.75 inches at its deepest. Pico handles as many as 25 discs at a time and can burn up to six full 4.7GB DVD±Rs or a maximum of 12 full 700MB CD-Rs per hour. Pico is capable of burning and copying data discs as well as playable CDs and DVDs, and it works with Windows XP machines over a USB 2.0 connection. A 3-inch disc and CardDisc adapter is built in. Lifetime free technical support is included, along with a choice of 100 Disc Makers Ultra 52x CDs or 50 16x DVDs.
Disc Makers;
www.discmakers.com
BEHRINGER F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
FIREWIRE AUDIO INTERFACE
Behringer, abundant maker of just about everything audio, has been conspicuously absent from the audio/MIDI interface department, but no longer. Stepping up to the mobile recording scene is Behringer's first compact FireWire audio interface:
F-Control Audio FCA202 ($99.95). A bargain for laptop users who need a better audio I/O solution than those pesky built-in ⅛-inch jacks, the FCA202 offers stereo or dual-mono inputs and outputs on ¼-inch jacks, 24-bit/96kHz A/D and D/A converters and a front-mounted ¼-inch headphone jack with a dedicated volume pot. Two 6-pin FireWire slots keep users connected, and a small, sturdy metal chassis is outfitted with a Kensington lock slot, an excellent feature for use in live venues. The FCA202 can receive power via a FireWire bus or from an included external adapter. Ableton's Live Lite 4 comes bundled, along with the Kristal and Audacity audio recording and editing programs.
Behringer;
www.behringer.com
WAVE ARTS PANORAMA 5
3-D VIRTUAL ACOUSTIC PLUG-IN
Engineers, forget your pan pots: the Wave Arts Panorama 5 ($199.95) plug-in churns out 3-D “audio scenes” with the use of regular stereo sound. In the vein of map-making and other spatial programs, Panorama provides tools for positioning and moving sounds not only horizontally, but also in 3-D: up and down, left and right, near and far. Panorama can be fully automated for the creation of 3-D motion sounds. It also includes acoustic environment modeling that covers such goodies as reverberation, the Doppler effect, distance (room size) modeling and floor-, ceiling- and wall-reflection control. Though designed especially with headphone listening in mind, Panorama 5 makes use of a crosstalk canceller for proper results when used in conjunction with stereo speakers. Panorama 5 provides support for a maximum of 192kHz audio and is compatible with Audio Units/VST/MAS/RTAS in Mac OS X and DX/VST/RTAS in Windows.
Wave Arts;
www.wavearts.com
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