WHAT A MESSE!
May 1, 2003 12:00 PM
The big buzz at this year's Musikmesse conference in Frankfurt, Germany, seemed to center around the integration of external DSP, signal processing and synthesis components with computer-based workstations.
TC Works unveiled the PowerCore FireWire DSP/plug-in bundle. An upgrade on the PowerCore PCI card, the new FireWire version houses nearly twice the amount of DSP power in a 1U chassis and will work with any FireWire/IEEE 1394-equipped Mac (G3 with OS 10.2 or better) or PC (PIII with XP or better). Creamware finally delivered the long-awaited Noah, an open-system synthesis platform. The 2U system ships with a number of synthesizer emulations, including a near-perfect copy of the Sequential Circuits Pro-One. Waldorf showed off a unique product, the AFB 16 Analog Filter Bank. The AFB 16 houses 16 analog filters in a 2U box; the filters can integrate into any computer-based recording environment via USB 2.0 for a totally new signal-processing experience.
Further blurring the line between hardware and software, Novation showed off the V-Station. Based on the K-Station hardware synth, the V-Station is essentially a software copy that can instantly integrate with its hardware counterpart or work within any PC-based VST or Mac Audio Units environment.
For the DJ sect, Stanton debuted the SMX-401 3-channel DJ mixer. Geared toward house, techno and trance DJs, the SMX-401 includes three phono inputs, six line inputs and two mic inputs with independent EQ.
Native Instruments rolled out Absynth 2.0. The new version includes numerous refinements and new features including conventional sampling, greater MIDI control and improved plug-in implementation. Propellerhead added some excellent new signal processors and routing utilities to the updated Reason 2.5. And finally, Magix Samplitude returned to the fold with version 7.0. The new version delivers multitrack recording, real-time plug-ins, VST/ASIO support and Red Book Mastering to PC platforms.
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