PRODUCTION
Jul 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Doug Eisengrein
RME FIREFACE 800
FIREWIRE AUDIO INTERFACE
RME, a German company that is gaining a solid rep for top-quality audio interfaces, introduces the newest member of its family, the Fireface 800 ($TBA), a whopping 56-channel; 24-bit,192kHz FireWire audio interface. The Fireface starts with eight balanced ¼-inch line I/Os switchable via software (-10 dBV, +4 dBu, HiGain). On the front panel, the Fireface 800 sports four discrete balanced XLR microphone inputs that feature Class A 48V phantom power. Alongside the XLR inputs are ¼-inch jacks that can be used as additional line inputs. A hi-Z instrument input is also provided and features a soft limiter for A/D-converter overload protection. As if that weren't enough, twin ADAT I/Os and S/PDIF I/O are provided; all inputs and outputs can be used simultaneously; and all operate at sample rates as high as 192 kHz and play back with a dynamic range as high as 119 dBA. The DSP-based TotalMix mixer is borrowed from RME's trademark Hammerfall DSP soundcard series, allowing all inputs and outputs to be freely mixed, distributed and routed.
RME; Web
www.rme-audio.com
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS B4D
DRAWBAR CONTROLLER FOR B4 ORGAN
Native Instruments, creator of the esteemed B4 (a virtual version of the classic Hammond B-3 organ), is offering up the perfect custom companion for its software: the B4D ($449), a hardware drawbar controller. The B4D includes nine mechanical drawbars, 22 buttons and two knobs to provide hands-on control of key B4 parameters. With the nine drawbars, users can control any of B4's three drawbar banks, and additional B4D units can be daisy-chained for more extensive simultaneous tone control. Switching between drawbar banks is instantaneous with switches for Upper, Lower and Bass, and LEDs indicate the current position of the buttons. Users can also recall B4 presets on the fly, and changes made on the B4D or in the B4 software are immediately communicated between the computer and controller via MIDI. The rear of the B4D sports MIDI I/O connectors, as well as connectors for one sustain pedal and two footswitches. The chassis of the B4D is made of rugged metal and wood.
Native Instruments; e-mail
info@nativeinstruments.com; Web
www.nativeinstruments.com
TC ELECTRONIC POWERCORE ELEMENT
PCI DSP CARD FOR DAWS
A few short years ago, TC Electronic unleashed the PowerCore system — an excellent PCI-based DSP solution — for computer studio producers who could afford it. Now, the company is back to address those who need the CPU-saving power of an external DSP system but don't have such deep pockets. The new PowerCore Element ($645) is not a lite version of the PowerCore PCI; rather, it is the same PCI card with the same set of TC plug-in processing essentials — including reverb, dynamics, EQ, amp simulation, synthesis and more — with just one exception: MasterX3. With a PowerCore Element retrofitted in an available computer PCI slot, you can run effects and dynamics at 24-bit, 96kHz, and you can simultaneously run multiple reverbs, compressors, delays and synths with minimum strain on your CPU — and on your wallet. Current owners of a PowerCore PCI or FireWire can expand the power of their system by adding a PowerCore Element and combining the two to run hefty plug-ins, such as Master X3, easily. In addition to TC's own top-shelf plug-ins, third-party plug-ins for PowerCore are expanding into the market from companies such as Sony, D-Sound, Waldorf and Access.
TC Electronic; e-mail
infous@tcelectronic.com; Web
www.tcelectronic.com
ABLETON LIVE 4
LIVE SEQUENCER
Ableton, a company whose software has literally transformed the way that many producers work, is set to release Live 4 ($499, boxed; $119-$149, upgrade). The new version is receiving a major overhaul and will now feature MIDI recording, overdubbing and looping with the same drag-and-drop, nondestructive elastic audio-clip functionality of the previous versions of Live. Ableton is adding support for VSTi and Audio Units instruments, as well as both VST and AU effects. For a final touch, two sampler instruments will be introduced, Simpler and Impulse. The beauty of Simpler will be its, um, simplicity. You will be able to drag and drop in any audio clip, and Simpler will instantly map it across a MIDI keyboard. Simpler will provide the ability to adjust the start, loop and end points of a sample, and filters, envelopes and an LFO are included in the goodies. Impulse is aimed at percussion and allows you to drag in a set of samples for instant drum-kit creation to be used inside Live.
Ableton; e-mail
contact@ableton.com; Web
www.ableton.com
VIRSYN CANTOR
VOCAL-SYNTHESIS SOFTWARE
Okay, the machines are taking over, for sure, and VirSyn's newest brainchild, Cantor ($TBA), is a testament to that. Cantor is vocal-synthesis software that takes on the monumental feat of re-creating the human voice and “mapping” it to MIDI. Even more remarkable, using its English phoneme dictionary with a vocabulary of 120,000 words, Cantor allows users to enter song lyrics in plain English and then “sing” them back by playing the desired notes on a standard MIDI keyboard. It gets better: You can input expression in real time to control vocal characteristics such as vibrato rate and depth. You can instantly change the voice from male to female or even go way beyond creating realistic human-type voices. Using the voice editor, you can alter the character of the “singer” by defining different spectra for vowels and consonants. With the Phoneme editor, you can customize the formant structure and even the noise characteristics of every phoneme of the vocal engine. Cantor runs on Mac OS 10.2 or Windows XP in stand-alone mode, or it can run as a plug-in via VST2, Audio Units, ReWire and RTAS interfaces.
VirSyn; e-mail
info@virsyn.com; Web
www.virsyn.com
CLAVIA NORD MODULAR G2X
MODULAR SYNTH
Clavia has beefed up the Nord Modular series by two octaves and many other new goodies with the Nord Modular G2X ($TBA). The velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive five-octave G2X incorporates all of the features of its older three-octave sibling while adding some substantial new features, such as the polyphony-doubling G2 Voice Expansion board, which now comes standard. Two additional user-assignable mod wheels have been retrofitted on the G2X for extensive modulation possibilities, and each wheel now features an LED that displays the current mod amount. An included gooseneck microphone can be plugged in directly to the new XLR input jack on the front; this is cool for use with the onboard vocoder. In addition, the G2X features a uniquely ergonomic pitch stick and several rotary encoders with circular LED graphs for accurate real-time bliss. The new Nord ships with G2 Patch Editor software and features simple USB plug-and-play two-way functionality. Patching is made simple in the software with user-customizable coloring of modules and color-coded module groups, and the Patch Editor comes preloaded with more than 100 different modules.
Clavia; e-mail
info@clavia.se; Web
www.clavia.se
STEINBERG WAVELAB 5
AUDIO EDITOR
Steinberg showed off the latest incarnation of its audio-editing and mastering application WaveLab 5 ($699.99) at the Musikmesse show this year. A major upgrade, version 5 includes a full suite of DVD-mastering and -authoring tools, in addition to its enhanced stereo audio tool set. New features include multichannel surround audio support; metering and analysis (as many as eight audio channels); DVD-Audio burning capabilities, including video data; DVD playlist editing; video-menu design and picture-slide-show tools; DVD text tools; and DVD-Audio extraction, conversion and archiving tools. New enhancements to stereo and multichannel audio include Smart Video Thumbnail Track editing and support for track-based insert effects and Steinberg's own Surround Edition plug-ins. Surround-to-stereo mixdown tools are also included. File-format enhancements include the ability to export to WMA Pro 5.1 and 7.1 and the ability to import AVI audio.
Steinberg; e-mail
info@steinberg.net; Web
www.steinberg.net
GEMINI GXA-750, GXA-1600
STEREO POWER AMPS
Gemini steps up into the midpowered-amp arena with its new GXA-750 ($532) and GXA-1600 ($616) models. As the names imply, the GXA-750 pushes a healthy 750W while the GXA-1600 boasts — you guessed it — 1,600W total (4 ohms mono bridged). Both models operate in a variety of setups, including 8, 4 and 2 ohms in stereo, mono or bridged. Frontmounted LEDs indicate the current operation mode (stereo, parallel mono and mono bridge) and display signal clipping. The amps keep their cool via dual aluminum heatsinks and two-speed front-to-rear airflow fans. The amplifiers are housed in two-rackspace, steel-reinforced chassis. The I/O configurations include active balanced inputs on XLR and ¼-inch jacks and additional inputs for daisy-chaining amps. Outputs are provided on Speakon connectors. The GXA amps also feature heavy-protection circuitry with short, overheat, DC, subsonic and RF filters, as well as turn-on delay. Speakers are also protected with relays that guard against heavy currents.
Gemini; e-mail
sales-usa@geminidj.com; Web
www.geminidj.com
TECHNICS SL-DZ1200
DJ CD PLAYER
Since the late '70s, it is no secret that Technics turntables have been the overwhelming favorite of clubs and DJs around the world, but with the advent of CD mixing, Technics has been largely absent — until now. The new Technics SL-DZ1200 ($1,199.95) single DJ CD players have a very straight aim: to closely simulate the look and feel of the classic SL-1200MK2 turntable and to apply the old-school taste of spinning wax to the modern digital formats of CD, MP3 and AAC. The main difference is that the SL-DZ1200 uses a 9-inch platter, instead of the traditional 12-inch platter, to control CDs. With the platter, you can set manual cue points, assigning the start of a sample to a user-specified point on the platter. The SL-DZ1200 features pitch control and pitch lock, a brake with speed control and a control for on-the-fly reverse/forward switching. Along with the application of the classic direct-drive feel to CD-Rs and MP3 CD-Rs, the SL-DZ1200 allows you to save, play back, scratch and even loop samples with the use of removable, nickel-size SD memory cards.
Technics; Web
www.technicsusa.com
JBL E-SYSTEM 10, E-SYSTEM 15
COMPLETE P.A. SYSTEMS
For people who don't want the fuss of cherry-picking through endless choices of gear and desire a quality, inexpensive P.A., JBL comes to the rescue with two new portable, all-in-one systems: the E-System 10 ($1,979) and the E-System 15 ($2,579). The two systems include all of the required basics; the smaller System 10 includes a pair of JBL EON10 10-inch powered speakers, two AKG microphones, a Soundcraft E6 mixer with six mic inputs and two stereo line inputs, and Soundcraft E6 XLR cables. For larger venues, the System 15 comes complete with JBL EON15 15-inch powered speakers, a Soundcraft E8 mixer with eight mic pres and a pair of line inputs, two AKG D2000S mics and four 25-foot XLR cables for connecting the whole bit.
JBL Professional; e-mail
info@jblpro.com; Web
www.jblpro.com
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