NEW PRODUCTS
Apr 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Markkus Rovito
YAMAHA MO6
MUSIC PRODUCTION SYNTHESIZER
Bent on bringing the sounds of its flagship Motif workstation synth to more musicians, Yamaha introduced the MO6 ($1,499) 61-key synthesizer. The MO6 has the same 175 MB of ROM sounds and synth engine as the Motif boards but at a lower cost. The sound library includes a multitude of acoustic-instrument and drum-kit emulations, as well as a huge array of synth sounds for basses, pads, leads and stabs. The synth architecture provides four oscillators per voice and multiband filters and envelopes. A built-in song/pattern sequencer — including the Phrase Factory — is designed to be a quick musical scratch pad. The MO6's sequences can transfer directly into a DAW through one of its two USB ports. There's also a DAW remote control mode that gives users direct control over plug-ins and their host programs. Finally, with a Yamaha technology called Studio Connections, MO6 settings can be saved within a Steinberg Cubase SX 3 or Nuendo 3 session.
All of the special computer compatibility doesn't keep the MO6 from being a lightweight, road-worthy keyboard. The extensive onboard DSP includes 16 individual Part EQs; insert effects; essential effects such as reverbs, delays and choruses; and special effects like lo-fi, digital scratching and slicing. Also available is the 88-key MO8 ($1,999) with the same balanced hammer action as found on the Motif ES8.
Yamaha;
www.yamaha.com
MOTU DIGITAL PERFORMER 5
DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATION
Mac users may be bummed about the first Mac OS X virus that showed up recently, but they can take consolation that everyone's favorite Mac-only DAW is still going strong. MOTU has announced Digital Performer 5 ($795), and the major update adds track folders, a meter bridge, new input monitoring modes and much more. Exciting new audio-editing technology includes four new tools: Trim, Slip, Slide and Roll, which allow for moving an audio waveform within the fixed edges of an audio region, moving the left and right audio region edges at the same time while the audio stays anchored, dragging the border between adjacent audio regions together and more. DP5 also adds clip-based automation, which copies automation data along with a clip's audio.
Six new virtual instruments come bundled with DP5: Bassline, a monophonic virtual analog bass synth; PolySynth, a polyphonic synth styled after the classic Roland Juno 106; Modulo, a 2-oscillator subtractive synthesizer; Model 12, a 12-part drum module; an FM synth called Proton; and a basic sampler called Nanosampler.
Composers scoring to visual media should be pleased with DP5's many new music-for-picture features. Those allow composers to add streamers, punchers and a visual click directly on the video track. DP5's full set of scoring features gives computer-based composers for the first time the same kind of tools that conductors on a Hollywood soundstage have.
MOTU;
www.motu.com
M-AUDIO SPUTNIK
LARGE-DIAPHRAGM VACUUM-TUBE CONDENSER MIC
Vintage tube-mic sound at a proletarian price — that's what M-Audio claims to offer with Sputnik ($699). A multipattern, large-diaphragm studio condenser microphone, Sputnik is built with a military-grade vacuum tube, an evaporated gold Mylar diaphragm and a solid-brass body with a polished nickel finish. Its sound was styled after the lush classics of the Cold War era, such as the Neumann U 47 and AKG C 12. With selectable cardioid, omni and figure-8 polar patterns, Sputnik will suit recording a variety of instruments, as well as male and female comrades. Sputnik's frequency response is 20 Hz to 20 kHz with a close tolerance of ±1.5dB across the entire frequency range, making two Sputniks a good matched set for stereo recording. Each mic comes with a professional shockmount, dedicated power supply, 7-pin mic cable, grounded IEC power cable, custom briefcase, cloth carrying bag and owner's manual.
M-Audio;
www.m-audio.com
SSL XLOGIC X-RACK
MODULAR ANALOG DYNAMICS PROCESSOR
When some people consider splurging on the finer things, they think Lexus or Armani. But studio geeks think Solid State Logic (SSL). The legendary console manufacturer has a new modular rack system called the XLogic X-Rack ($2,425 for the empty rack) with three available modules: Mic Amp, Dynamics and Channel EQ ($815 per module). All three feature SSL's SuperAnalogue processing from the company's XL 9000 K series mixing console. Mic Amp includes a mic pre with 75dB of gain, variable impedance control, phantom power and phase reverse. It also has a front-panel instrument input with level control, highpass and lowpass filters. The Dynamics module includes compression, limiting, expansion and gating with options for hard- or soft-knee operation. With SSL's twin-curve E- and G-series EQ plucked from large-format consoles, the Channel EQ module offers 4-band parametric EQ with variable Q on the two mid bands and shelf/bell control on the high and low bands. The entire XLogic X-Rack system benefits from the Total Recall capability. That lets the settings for all pots and switches be stored in and recalled from the X-Rack's internal memory, from a software sequencer or from an SSL AWS900 console.
Solid State Logic;
www.solid-state-logic.com
CYCLING '74 UPMIX
SURROUND-SOUND PROCESSING SUITE
In theaters, living rooms and cars, surround-sound keeps creeping into everyday life. And while your stereo tracks may be all that on your studio monitors, they're going to need some help when converting them for film, DVD, HDTV, video games or any of the surround-music formats. That's where UpMix ($495) comes in. A surround-sound processing package from Cycling '74, UpMix consists of six plug-ins for VST and RTAS formats on Mac OS X and Windows XP platforms. The marquee component, also named UpMix, helps to repurpose stereo mixes for 5.1 applications. It has an integrated mixer and some serious number-crunching algorithms for ambience generation, LFE generation, spatial positioning and other enhancements.
Five other utilities supply typical surround-mixing tasks. Rotator moves a 5.1 mix circularly to follow the onscreen action, ReRoute can change the audio-output channels to match your system's internal routing, FoldDown reduces the gain of the center and surround channels for checking the surround mix in stereo, ReBalance supplies level controls for each of the surround channels, and LFE-6chan is a low-frequency generator/adjustor. UpMix still requires a knowledgeable engineer, but it speeds the upmixing process and has quick buttons that instantly compare the original and surround mixes, play the surround mix as stereo and play the stereo source doubled in surround channels.
Cycling '74;
www.cycling74.com
STANTON M.505FX
DJ CLUB MIXER
Sporting the kind of ultramodern, industrial design that is sure to set off an excessive-drool alert, Stanton's M.505FX ($799) 12-inch club mixer picks up where the previous M.505 left off and adds 24-bit internal effects and sampling. Effects include Flange, Filter, Echo, Delay, Vocoder, Pitch Shift and LFO. Users can assign the wet/dry mix for those effects to the Penny & Giles crossfader with dual curve adjustment for innovative control. Effects are previewable in headphones, with wet/dry split or stereo cueing. Dedicated Trigger In, Trigger Out and Reloop buttons add sampling/looping to the feature set. Additionally, an external FX loop can route effects to the headphone cue, crossfader or master output.
A true 5-channel mixer, the M.505FX has five phono inputs, five line inputs, two mic/aux inputs with combination XLR/¼-inch jacks and a separate mic channel on the top surface with a combination XLR/¼-inch jack and 2-band EQ. The five input channels all have 3-band EQ with complete band kill and 60mm faders. The M.505FX incorporates Stanton's Superior Sound Technology and XLR, quarter-inch and RCA master outputs; quarter-inch and RCA booth outputs; and an RCA record output.
Stanton;
www.stantondj.com
NUMARK VJ01
DVD/MP3/CD MEDIA PLAYER
VJs have come a long way since Martha Quinn and Adam Curry, but the flood of gear that will address their needs has only just begun. Numark's VJ01 ($799) multidisc player targets DJs looking to add some DIY visuals to their sets. The DVD/CD/MP3 player includes a full-color, 5.6-inch LCD tilt screen for monitoring video and still images. With an interface based on Numark's previous CD players, the VJ01 is a full-featured music player, but its controls can also set cue points and adjust the playback speed of the video. Other video effects include zoom, angle and slow motion, and nonseamless looping of video is possible. With the VJ01, users have full DVD-menu control and all standard DVD features. There are S-Video and RCA video outputs, and RCA and S/PDIF audio outputs. In all, the VJ01 supports DVD, DVD±R MP3 DVD, VCD, SVCD, CD, CD-R/RW and MP3 CD.
Numark;
www.numark.com
EJAMMING STATION
ONLINE COLLABORATION SOFTWARE
There are many reasons why you may want to play music with people who aren't in the same room: A songwriting partner moved away; your bandmates blow, and you want to rock with people more on your level; you live in L.A., and driving to rehearsal would be a twisted act of masochism; or maybe you just think it would rule to jam with strangers in another country. All of that is possible with eJamming Station software, a MIDI instrument and a broadband Internet connection. The software connects other eJamming users together and lets them talk and play music with as little latency as possible. The latency depends on the physical distance between all the participants and ranges from 10ms to 90ms. It's important to note that eJamming Station sends only MIDI notes, not actual audio of the music, so everyone must be playing a MIDI keyboard, guitar, drums and so on. The latest update of the software adds a General MIDI soundset, so if all remote parties use it, they'll all be hearing the same sounds. Performances are recordable as MIDI files. The software requires Windows XP or Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. It is available as a free download, but actually participating in online jams costs $4.95 for 24 hours, $19.95 a month, $100 for six months or $180 for a year. Players can join people they know, set up and invite people to their own Stages or join a Venue based on skill level.
eJamming;
www.ejamming.net
JBL LSR4328P
INTELLIGENT STUDIO MONITORS
Despite all the miracle diets and supposed fat-burning pills, the only sure way to lose weight is with diet and exercise. Along those same lines, despite any clever work-arounds, the only way to attain an accurate monitor sound is through proper speaker placement and room acoustics, a situation detested by home-studio musicians restricted by space, budget and lease agreements. That crew will be hoping that the JBL LSR4328P ($1,699 a pair) is the miracle pill to cure its monitoring blues. This biamplified monitor uses JBL's Room Mode Correction (RMC) technology to automatically analyze and correct the response of each speaker in the room for accuracy. The monitors also have built-in network intelligence, so it doesn't matter if it's a 2-speaker setup or a full 5.1 system; the responses adjust for each unit to accommodate accurate mixing. To achieve that setup, you place an included microphone at the mix position and the system send frequencies for the mic to pick up; the mic then sends corrective data back to the speakers. The LSR432P is an 8-inch monitor, and the 6.25-inch LSR4326P is also available for $1,399 a pair. Both have amplification of 150W (low frequencies) and 70W (high frequencies). On their front sides, they have a tri-color meter display and illuminated controls for input selection, EQ settings, speaker solo, RMC calibration and system volume. Each speaker has S/PDIF inputs, analog inputs and a USB port for connecting to a computer using the bundled LSR4300 Control Center Software. An LSR4300 Remote Control is included as well.
JBL;
www.jblpro.com/lsr
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