STUDIO
Oct 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Doug Eisengrein
AES FIRST LOOK
CAKEWALK SONAR 3.0
WORKSTATION/SEQUENCING SOFTWARE (PC)
Cakewalk has long been a name that is synonymous with PC-based music production. The company's latest addition to its product line is the new and totally revamped Sonar 3.0 ($479, Studio Edition; $719, Producer Edition). Designed for Windows XP, 3.0 is more than a simple update: It is a complete rewrite of the original program and boasts a number of improvements. One of the most notable additions to the program is complete VST/VSTi support and an included VST/DirectX plug-in wrapper. The console has also been completely redesigned; some of the most important improvements include adjustable channel views, integrated channel EQs, a new busing architecture and the ability to control four separate effects without toggling through different windows. The package also ships with the VSampler 3.0 DXi, the Lexicon Pantheon Reverb (Producer Edition only) and a host of signal-processing plug-ins (compression, delay, reverb and more).
Cakewalk; e-mail
sales@cakewalk.com; Web
www.cakewalk.com
IK MULTIMEDIA SAMPLETANK 2
SOFTWARE SAMPLER (MAC/PC)
IK Multimedia has launched a complete update to its staple software sampler with Sampletank 2 ($299, L; $499, XL). Sampletank 2's trademark is its three synth engines, which can be switched on the fly. There is a traditional resampling engine; a pitch-shift/time-stretch engine; and the new Stretch engine, which puts full control of tempo, tune and harmonics at your fingertips. IK has released two versions: XL is boxed with 1,500 sounds on eight CDs (more than 4.5 GB of samples); the L version comes with 500 sounds on four CDs for more than 2 GB of rich, realistic samples. Sampletank can also make use of unlimited WAV, AIFF, SDII, Akai, and SampleCell format files, and single banks can be multiformat. Thirty-two award-winning DSP effects — including amp and cabinet simulators, analog phaser, parametric EQ, compressor, limiter and others — are built-in, and you can use a max of five effects per instrument. Sampletank is 16-part multitimbral with layerable parts that can take advantage of the synth-sampler engine control, including filters, envelopes, LFOs and a new portamento feature. Sampletank 2 supports a vast array of platforms and operating systems, including Pro Tools, VST, Audio Units, DXi and MAS in Mac OS 9/OS X and Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP.
IK Multimedia; e-mail
ikm@ikmultimedia.com; Web
www.ikmultimedia.com
EVENT STUDIO PRECISION 8
STUDIO MONITORS
After several years with an almost unchanging product line, Event Electronics is poised to wow once again with the new Studio Precision 8 ($799, passive; $1,499, active) studio monitors. The SP8s have a striking class-act look with their piano-black mirror finish and gold trim. Beginning with the low end, the engineers developed a custom 8-inch polypropylene cone driver with a neodymium magnet, a combination that produces a speaker with ultralow distortion characteristics. The SP8s' new soft-dome neodymium high-frequency drivers possess a broad, flat radiation pattern that delivers an expanded stereo soundstage with incredibly precise imaging. The SP8s produce a huge sweet spot that's even from nearly any angle. The cabinets are constructed from ¾-inch MDF, eliminating unwanted cabinet resonance. The active monitors are 280W biamplified, with 200W going to the low-frequency drivers and 80 to the high, providing tons of headroom. A switchable 80Hz highpass filter makes them surround-sound ready.
Event Electronics; e-mail
info@event1.com; Web
www.eventelectronics.com
KORG EMX-1, ESX-1
DANCE-PRODUCTION GROOVEBOXES
Following up on the most recent generation of the Electribe series, Korg has introduced two new entirely revamped grooveboxes to the family, the EMX-1 and EXS-1 ($850 each). Although each has several noticeable differences, the most prominent is the twin vacuum tubes glowing underneath a little glass window at the top. A Tube Gain knob allows users to adjust the amount of signal that passes through the tubes. The EMX-1 is an all-in-one groovebox that provides nine drum parts, five synth parts and accent parts that allow for dynamic accents to be added, for a total of 16 parts. The EXS-1 is a sampler with 285 seconds of memory (at 44.1 kHz). Both machines allow for as many as 256 patterns to be created and stored in the internal memory. Data can be saved and loaded from SmartMedia, including samples in WAV and AIFF format. The new filter section sports four different types: lowpass, highpass, bandpass or bandpass plus. Three stereo multi-effects processors onboard can be used simultaneously or in a chain.
Korg; e-mail
support@korgusa.com; Web
www.korg.com
YAMAHA 01X mLAN
DAW CONTROL SURFACE
Yamaha — building on the 96kHz DSP technology in its DM2000, DM1000, 02R96 and 01V96 digital mixers — has released the 01X mLAN ($1,699) digital mixing studio. This combination 28-channel digital mixer/DAW remote control surface provides everything needed to turn a small to midsize audio/MIDI hardware and software system into a completely integrated computer music studio. The 01X mLAN combines a stand-alone, total-recall 28-channel digital mixer featuring built-in DSP processing with a dedicated DAW remote control complete with eight knobs and motorized faders. The 01X provides full support for many popular recording and sequencing platforms, including Steinberg Cubase SX and Nuendo, Cakewalk Sonar, Emagic Logic and MOTU Digital Performer.
Yamaha; e-mail
infostation@yamaha.com; Web
www.yamaha.com/proaudio
ROLAND MV-8000
PRODUCTION STUDIO
Although certainly not green to the sampler/beat box/workstation scene, Roland has once again built upon its own technology and outdone itself with the new MV-8000 Production Studio ($2,699). The MV-8000 utilizes Roland's most powerful 136-track audio and MIDI sequencer (128 MIDI tracks and eight stereo audio tracks). You can sample your own sounds; import Roland, Akai, Acid and WAV/AIFF libraries or CD audio; and go to town arranging it all using the 16 velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive pads and real-time control knobs. Add to the fire Roland's notorious COSM effects and onboard professional mastering tools — not to mention the built-in CD-RW drive, the 3.5-inch floppy drive and the USB port — and you've got a complete production studio. The MV-8000 comes standard with a 40GB hard drive for storage and 128 MB of RAM (expandable to 512 MB), providing a total 101 minutes of recording time (in mono). A large graphic LCD makes operation simple, and the sequencer provides complete integration of audio and MIDI. Four dedicated effects processors deliver 24-bit reverb, separate chorus/delay and a versatile MFX (multi-effects) processor, which includes Roland's COSM algorithms — such as microphone, speaker and guitar-amp modeling — and unique effects like lo-fi and slicer. The broad I/O section includes stereo mic/line and phono inputs, stereo analog and digital master outputs; direct VGA monitor support and mouse operation is planned for 2004.
Roland; Web
www.roland.com
M-AUDIO LUNA
STUDIO CONDENSER MIC
With Luna ($249.95), M-Audio makes its first foray into the land of studio condenser microphones. Luna sports a vintage look and sound while employing modern electronics in true M-Audio fashion. This single-pattern, cardioid condenser incorporates a large 1.1-inch evaporated-gold diaphragm housed inside an all-brass capsule and uses Class A FET electronics, making it a versatile mic for capturing vocals, guitar, piano — just about anything. Tests with plotting graphs show Luna to possess an extremely flat response across the entire spectrum, and there is a less than ±1 dB tolerance across the frequency range between multiple microphones, which makes it an ideal choice for stereo applications. Luna comes complete with a shockmount and a hard case.
M-Audio; e-mail
info@m-audio.com; Web
www.m-audio.com
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