NEW PRODUCTS
Oct 2, 2007 2:53 PM
LIVID INSTRUMENTS CELL
PERFORMANCE VJ SOFTWARE
Cell ($99; www.lividinstruments.com), the new VJ software from Livid Instruments, is a lot like Ableton Live but designed and optimized for video use. It focuses clearly on live performance; computer keyboard and MIDI assignments are a snap and can be assigned on the fly without stopping the video. You can easily capture the output to video; there is no ÒhorizontalÓ sequencing side to Cell, but the Clip Bank can save and replay performances. Powerful OpenGL effects, a fast, flexible file browser and bpm integration are all designed to operate effortlessly. The crossfader fades between the A and B channels for previewing, fade control, live performance and automation. While Cell comes bundled with 36 video clips, Livid Instruments offers sets of 36 Clip Bank Refills for $29 each on its Website. Hopefully this creative and well-conceived software, available at such a low price, will inspire many young video artists into new realms of performance.
ELECTRO-HARMONIX STEREO MEMORY MAN WITH HAZARAI
ANALOG TIME-BASED EFFECT PEDAL
Well-known pedal maker Electro-Harmonix (EH) has been upgrading and rereleasing its classics for a while now, making each more flexible and usable while retaining the classic fidelity and tone. The latest, the Stereo Memory Man With Hazarai ($286; www.ehx.com) is no exception, featuring a multitap delay, tape echo effect, a reverse echo, a performance looper with tap tempo and more. The word ÒHazaraiÓ is apparently a Yiddish word meaning something like Òall the bells and whistles.Ó ItÕs no surprise that EH would choose it to describe this little pedal. With real stereo inputs and outputs and true bypass, this small blue box is packed with features. The five black knobs control Blend, Decay, Filter, Repeats and Delay Amount; the sixth knob, Hazarai, is actually a push button and switches between the nine presets. There is even a bpm-driven LED for seeing the tempo, and the whole thing can run on 9V battery or the included power supply.
UNIVERSAL AUDIO & AMS NEVE UAD NEVANA X2
DUAL PCI DAW DSP SYSTEM
For mix-in-the-box situations of any sort, producers who desire the very best will undoubtedly anticipate the Nevana X2 System ($1,499; www.uaudio.com) from Universal Audio (UA) and AMS Neve. Two of the most well-respected names in analog sound have come together harmoniously. The Nevana X2 comprises two PCI cards for double the power and a plug-in collection that offers all seven of the UA/Neve Classic Console plug-ins, as well as all 14 UA Mix Essential plug-ins. The system can operate (at lower track counts) at 192 kHz or create a virtual Neve 88RS console with as many as 26 mono or 18 stereo channels at 44.1 kHz. Add more UAD PCI or PCI-e cards to expand the system (as many as four per system). The package also includes a UAD $200 voucher to spend on more plug-ins on UAÕs Website. The system is compatible with Mac OS X and Windows XP/x64/Vista on VST, RTAS and Audio Units formats.
AMERICAN AUDIO MX-1400 DSP
DJ MIXER WITH EFFECTS
There are a lot of DJ mixers out there, but each has a slight variation and a unique style to its setup. American AudioÕs MX-1400 DSP mixer ($599; www.adjaudio.com) has a few features that set it apart. Perhaps the most powerful is the matrix input selector, a small, simple knob at the top of each channel that allows any one of the two Phono, four Line or four Aux inputs to appear on that strip. No longer must the DJ swap cables in the back until the inputs appear on the correct channel. Two independent vocal channels with faders, EQ, XLR inputs and the ability to route them to the eight internal beat-synced effects means much more onstage flexibility, and a third mic channel offers a Talk Over function that mutes the rest of the sound when in use. In addition to the XLR Main and Booth outputs, an S/PDIF output gives you a digital option, and there is a fourth RCA input on the front panel for quick connection of MP3 devices or laptops. The fader Q-Start is compatible with most American Audio CD players for triggering playback using the long-life crossfader, and the bright display shows bpm, effect settings and other feedback.
ROLAND SP-555
PORTABLE CREATIVE SAMPLER
Ever since the original SP-202 battery-powered sampler, RolandÕs SP series has provided fun, easy-to-use sampling for artists of all abilities. The SP-555 ($699; www.roland.com) continues the tradition of packing lots of function in very little space with masses of new features alongside an expanded and updated SP operating system. New elements include an XLR mic input (as well as the return of a built-in mic for sampling anytime) and a CompactFlash card slot that can handle as high as 2 GB cards for large sample times. The new USB interface allows pad sampling from a computer input, transferring of audio clips to and from the computer and best of all, basic audio-interface functions that allow the SP-555Õs converters to act as a front end for your DAW.
The infrared D-Beam can adjust the filter, trigger samples or play an internal synthesizer, and the V-Link plug can sync between the SP-555 and V-Link enabled video devices. An expanded effects section includes new programs such as the Super Filter and DJFX Looper, as well as a new Effect Memory, which creates no glitches or artifacts during effect switching. Many users may first notice the powerful new Live Loop Capture, which can quickly grab a piece of incoming audio or capture pad-performance into a bpm-synced loop slot. Once captured, the live loop may be routed to the effects or even assigned to one of the 16 pads for use in a later performance.
ILIO PLECTRUM
UNUSUAL REAL-WORLD VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTS
Plectrum ($299; www.ilio.com) is a virtual instrument for Windows designed to simulate plucked, strummed, tapped, scraped, flicked and otherwise unusual but untreated real-world sounds. Operating in VST, RTAS or stand-alone versions, Plectrum contains 185 instruments ranging from stretched strings, glass vessels and water-filled cups to breaking twigs and thousands of other bizarre-yet-usable sounds, all at high 24-bit/96 kHz resolution and all carefully pitched and mapped for fast keyboard control. Round-robin playback of multiple unique samples per key means slight variation when repeating a note, and the very high polyphony of the Tascam GVI streaming audio engine means no cut-off samples; both factors are important for making convincing takes. The library of fast-loading instruments is divided into nine categories: Strummed Strings, Struck Strings, Plucked Strings, String Harmonics, Glass, Ceramics, Metals, Found Objects and Habitats. Simply select a category, select an instrument and start playing to discover the otherworldly in the real world.
YAMAHA N-SERIES
DIGITAL MIXERS
They may look like straightforward analog mixers, but YamahaÕs N8 and N12 Digital Mixing Studios ($1,299 and $1,799; www.yamahasynth.com) are anything but. Under the elegantly simple hood is a complete digital studio, dialed to run in tandem with the included Cubase AI4 software (48 audio and 64 MIDI tracks). Offering eight or 12 analog input channels, the mixersÕ FireWire connections also offer 12 or 16 channels of computer I/O; each of the channel strips may be switched between its analog input or its DAW return while its analog input is streamed into the computer for recording. A DAW Stereo Return bus, Master-to-DAW bus and DAW-to-Aux bus make audio integration complete, offering a flexible layout that can be quickly adapted to shifting needs. Each mono channel features a class-A discrete mic pre, YamahaÕs Sweet-Spot Morphing Compressor, well-tuned Òeffective musical EQÓ and high-resolution Rev-X digital reverb. With a ÒCubase-readyÓ light, transport control, DAW track select, wet/dry monitoring and several other well-chosen features, the N-series mixers will let you combine your analog and digital worlds in an elegant and user-friendly way.
DIGITECH GSP1101
GUITAR AMP SIMULATOR MODULE
The GSP1101 ($699; www.digitech.com) guitar preamp/processor from Digitech attempts to be flexible enough to work for any guitarist without interfering with their tone. Capable of simply plugging into a power amp and rocking, the GSP1101 can also discretely merge with an existing setup to help expand and control it. With 120 amp, cabinet, preamp and effect models, including stompbox and pickup modeling, patches may be created using the front panel or the included editor/librarian software via the USB connection (which can also serve as a stereo audio interface for recording to a computer) and then saved into one of 1,600 memories. An included Chromatic Tuner and Bypass system complements the easy-access Instrument input and Headphone output on the front panel, and high-quality XLR and -inch outputs are provided, along with a flexible stereo effects loop that can go anywhere along the internal signal chain. Preset changes are artifact-free, and the single-rackspace unit accepts MIDI, footswitch and expression pedal input.
OPEN LABS TIMBALAND SPECIAL EDITION MIKO LX
PC-BASED AUDIO WORKSTATION
The Timbaland Special Edition MiKo LX ($3,899; www.openlabs.com) from Open Labs and producer/artist Timbaland is both a computer system and an instrument; the Windows XP-based system features a 2.1 GHz Intel Core2 Duo system with 4 GB of RAM. The sporty white color and chrome wings make it indelibly Timbaland, and the artist himself chose a lengthy list of high-quality sound packages to includeÑ24 GB of Tim-approved sounds and presets. The built-in 15-inch color touch screen also has a VGA port for extra monitors or a video projector. The 2-button track pad, dual-layer Superdrive, 250 GB hard drive (at 7,200 rpm), Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports, two FireWire ports, two available PCI slots and the 24-bit/96 kHz 4-in/6-out audio interface with two phantom-powered mic pres and S/PDIF really do make it a full-fledged computer system. But itÕs the rest that makes it an instrument: a 37-note semiweighted Fatar keyboard with pitch and mod wheels, full QWERTY keyboard, the Alpha Control ModuleÑwhich has faders, buttons and transport controlsÑand the DJ Module, which features a Penny and Giles crossfader, seven assignable knobs and 12 assignable buttons.
| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
