STUDIO
Jul 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Markkus Rovito
MOTU DIGITAL PERFORMER 4
AUDIO/MIDI SEQUENCER (MAC)
It's been a long time coming, but loyal MOTU Digital Performer users finally have the greatest reason to upgrade to Mac OS X: Digital Performer 4 ($795). The popular program is the last of the big digital audio sequencers to come out for Mac OS 10.2 Jaguar. DP4 includes a surprise feature called Freeze Tracks that can temporarily “freeze” audio and virtual-instrument tracks to free up additional processor power. Frozen tracks still play back as they were and can be unfrozen at any time to be changed. The program fully supports OS X's integrated music services, such as CoreMIDI and CoreAudio, but that's not all: Menus have been improved to encourage faster operation. The QuickScribe notation transcriber displays and prints music scores and lead sheets from MIDI tracks. There are also several improvements to the QuickScribe Arrangement palette and to the playback cursor. DP4 is also fully compatible with ReWire 2.0, so it can directly input Propellerhead Reason or other ReWire instruments as virtual sound modules. MOTU promises a free DP4 update soon that will add support for Audio Units plug-ins and for Pro Tools|HD and TDM.
MOTU; e-mail
info@motu.com; Web
www.motu.com
TECHNICS SL-1200MK5J
DIRECT-DRIVE TURNTABLE
Music is constantly evolving, so it's fitting that music gear should, too. Technics rests not on the laurels of its reigning SL-1200MK2 turntable, instead introducing improvements and innovations on the SL-1200MK5 with the SL-1200MK5J ($849.95). A newly modified, low-mass tonearm reduces skipping, and the unit features a built-in antiskate adjustment. The high-torque motor achieves full turntable speed in 0.07 seconds from startup, and braking speed is user-adjustable. Additional conveniences include an LED pop-up work light and a heavy rubber base that helps absorb annoying vibrations from its surroundings. The SL-1200MK5J also features a Quartz-Lock button, a pitch range of ±8 percent and a tonearm scale for quick weight setting. Weighing 26.4 pounds, the turntable comes with a Technics U-1200 cartridge, a slipmat and a removable hinge-free dust cover.
Technics; e-mail
musicalinstruments@panasonic.com; Web
www.panasonic.com
VESTAX FADER BOARD
DJ INSTRUMENT
If it were Christmas in July, the top toy on any DJ's list would likely be the Vestax Fader Board ($1,599). Essentially a sampler, it provides dynamic new dimensions in on-the-fly sample manipulation. It has 30 seconds of total sample time and can store a total of 10 samples that are either recorded from external sources or imported from the SmartMedia memory card slot. Once loaded, the Fader Board's 10 curve-adjustable faders control the volume of a specific note of the sample, so users can mute or adjust the level of each pitch within the sample. A user could also assign any major or minor scale to the sample, as well as a mode, such as blues or Arabic. An octave control can transpose the sample's pitch one octave up or down. Control of a sample's melodic and percussive aspects is also possible. To further transform the samples, choose from 12 effects: wah, reverb, flanger, phaser, ring modulation, pitch shifter, compressor, distortion, decimator, resonator, filter and delay. A parameter knob edits the active effect, and a 2-band master EQ is on hand. Also present is a reversible master fader laid out horizontally like a DJ crossfader. Vestax has built the Fader Board with three inputs: a ¼-inch mic, a stereo RCA phono and a stereo RCA line. There is also a stereo RCA output, a headphone output and a MIDI Out. The Fader Board reads WAV and AIFF samples and weighs 9.3 pounds.
Vestax; e-mail
vestaxsupport@korgusa.com; Web
www.vestax.com
ELEKTRON MONOMACHINE SFX-6
SEQUENCING SYNTHESIZER
You gotta love those European boutique companies making wicked-cool electronic-music gear. Elektron first stepped up with the weird, wonderful Sidstation synth. Its new Monomachine SFX-6 (price TBA) takes a more straightforward approach to music making with a 37-note keyboard and a 6-track sequencer. Six synthesizer parts — one for each sequencer track — use the Monomachine's dual-DSP engine and creative algorithms that employ synthesis types that Elektron has dubbed FM+, SuperWave, Ensemble, VO, Step and Sync. Each synth part has a dedicated delay engine and three LFOs. Total polyphony is 24 voices, and there are 24 available effects. Polyphony can be fully exploited in Poly mode, or to stack oscillators, users can activate the monophonic Multi Trig mode.
Elektron; e-mail
info@elektron.se; Web
www.elektron.se
MACKIE CONTROL C4
MIDI CONTROL SURFACE
Hardware is still in. Even the most virtual-synth-savvy studio rats' mouths will water over the Mackie Control C4 ($1,099) MIDI controller. When a mouse or even a set of eight knobs doesn't cut it anymore, this plug-in and virtual-instrument controller can step in with four banks of eight V-Pots each, giving instant access to 32 separate software parameters. Each row of V-Pots has its own backlit LCD on which the arrangement of parameters can be selected from the C4's function and shortcut buttons. This means an end to constant bank switching, and the C4 can also act as a fader/pan surface for 32 virtual mixer channels. The C4 will initially work with MOTU Digital Performer and Emagic Logic Audio, with further software support to follow.
Mackie; e-mail
productinfo@mackie.com; Web
www.mackie.com
BIAS PEAK 4
AUDIO EDITOR (MAC)
BIAS Peak 4 ($499), the latest upgrade to the dedicated stereo waveform editor, runs exclusively in Mac OS X, thereby taking advantage of the audio perks that OS X has to offer, including support for Audio Unit plug-ins and multiprocessors. It will also directly burn Red Book — compatible audio CDs from the Playlist or directly from the audio document window. Peak 4's streamlined graphic user interface adopts the brushed-metal look of many Apple OS X programs, as well as the pull-out drawers for containing data. In Peak 4, a drawer holds a library of markers, loops and regions associated with a file, and renaming the elements in the drawer updates the audio file. Several improvements to the DSP processing within Peak have been made, as well. Time Compression/Expansion can now perform dynamic envelope control. Furthermore, the program comes bundled with ImpulseVerb, a new sampling reverb that applies a vast library of impulse responses and supports real-time preview. Upgrades to Peak 4 are $149 or free to those who purchased Peak 3 after April 1, 2003.
BIAS; e-mail
sales@bias-inc.com; Web
www.bias-inc.com
CLAVIA NORD MODULAR G2
SYNTHESIZER
Truly versatile electronic instruments play equally important roles onstage and in the studio, and that is what Clavia shoots for with the Nord Modular G2 ($2,199), a major retooling of the well-regarded 1998 Nord Modular synthesizer. Its hardware has been remodeled to focus on live performance without the need for a computer and to provide direct access to 80 patch parameters on the front panel. It also connects to a computer via USB for instant, extensive editing of the more than 100 synthesizer modules with the Modular G2 Patch Editor software. The three-octave, velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive keyboard provides not only an abundant amount of hands-on control but also generous visual feedback by way of five separate LCDs and programmable rotary knobs that always show the correct values on their circular LEDs. In Performance mode, users can set up multipatches from the G2's four synthesizer slots. Four audio inputs, including an XLR mic input with preamp, complement the four audio outputs on the back of the G2 keyboard. It has 24-bit, 96kHz internal processing, as well as 24-bit, 96kHz A/D/A converters. A 19-inch, 1U rackmount Nord Modular G2 Engine ($999) is also available.
Clavia; e-mail
info@clavia.se; Web
www.clavia.se
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