STUDIO
Nov 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Doug Eisengrein
ABLETON LIVE 3
AUDIO-SEQUENCING INSTRUMENT (MAC/PC)
When Ableton's new approach to loop-based audio production hit the streets, people went nuts for its simple interface, excellent time-stretching capabilities and intuitive functionality that was geared specifically to live use. The newest incarnation, Live 3 ($399), will surely please once again. Much of the basic interface remains; a large part of the upgrade is centered around how the programs deals with audio files, which Ableton has dubbed “animating your samples.” For example, clip envelopes allow you to create endless variations from just a single sample. Independent envelopes offer the ability to custom-draw warp markers — as well as pitch, volume, mixer and effect parameters — on any portion of your sample. Another addition to version 3 is the ability to play samples across a MIDI keyboard. You can now improvise melodies with any sample while Live does all of the beat synchronization automatically. And like any good MIDI sequencer, Live is velocity-sensitive; you can also create custom MIDI key ranges and play in Legato mode. New effects have been added, including a 5-pole resonant filter and a 3-band parametric EQ. Like previous versions of Live, all sample editing is nondestructive and performed in real time with remarkably small CPU drain.
Ableton; e-mail
info@ableton.com; Web
www.ableton.com
GLYPH GT SERIES
FIREWIRE STORAGE FOR AUDIO AND VIDEO
Digital audio and video cats have three big hard-drive needs when it comes to storage: large, quiet and fast. The people at Glyph have made a business of attending to those needs, and they now step it up several notches with their GT Series (prices vary) of FireWire-based storage solutions for serious professionals. The GT Series was developed to meet the need for large content portability and expandability, and features two tabletop and two rackmount versions. The family comprises the GT 050 fixedmount tabletop; the GT 051 hot-swap tabletop; the GT 103 single-rackspace, three-bay unit; and the granddaddy, the GT 308, a three-rackspace, eight-bay unit. For the tabletop, the GT 050 is available in FireWire or SCSI-fixed, and the GT 051 features a FireWire hot-swap bay. For the rack, the GT 103 holds any combination of three FireWire and SCSI-fixed or FireWire hot-swap drives; the GT 308 handles a whopping six hot-swap FireWire drives, plus any combination of two DVD/CD-RW, tape and SCSI hot-swap drives. The GT Key storage cartridges work across the entire line and are available in 80GB, 120GB and 180GB capacities.
Glyph Technologies; e-mail
tech@glyphtech.com; Web
www.glyphtech.com
M-AUDIO TRANSIT
USB AUDIO INTERFACE
There is no question that high-quality studios have been shrinking in size, along with the prices of much of the gear that makes them tick. That is good news for project-studio owners, and M-Audio seems to be leading the fray of high-quality, low-cost studio goods. The company is at it again with the pocket-size Transit ($129.95), a simple yet crucial audio-interface upgrade for any laptop used for professional quality audio on the go. Transit pipes 24-bit, 96kHz audio in and out of any laptop running Mac OS 9/OS X or Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP. This cute little box includes inputs on ⅛-inch stereo analog and optical digital, and its outputs are ⅛-inch stereo line and Toslink digital. The digital output also routes AC3 and DTS from the computer to external decoders such as surround receivers.
M-Audio; e-mail
info@m-audio.com; Web
www.m-audio.com
FURMAN PRO PLUGS
POWER-SURGE STRIPS AND BLOCKS
Furman has introduced the Pro Plugs ($20-$49) product line, catering specifically to power-hungry studio and recording folks, including laptop musicians. The Pro Plugs line ranges from three- to six-outlet capacity power-surge strip/blocks (four models total), plus one three-outlet laptop-oriented model that sports a retractable phone cable for traveling musicians. Also available in the series is a rugged 25-foot power cord that features a three-prong grounded wall plug running into three grounded female outlets on the other end. All Pro Plugs in the series offer EMI/RFI filtering to eliminate interference and distortion, all provide circuit breakers to protect against power spikes, and all are UL/CUL-approved for use on any stage or in any studio environment. Backlit on/off switches make Pro Plugs easy to identify in the dark, and extra-long power cords make them essential for use in long-reach circumstances. All Pro Plugs are housed in metal and extra-durable-plastic casings.
Furman; e-mail
info@furmansound.com; Web
www.furmansound.com
WAVE ARTS POWER COUPLE
DSP PLUG-IN BUNDLE (MAC/PC)
Wave Arts, a relative newcomer to the world of audio software, makes a splash with the Power Couple ($199.95), a two — plug-in bundle for VST, MAS, Audio Units, RTAS and DirectX host applications. Included in the bundle are two of Wave Arts' headliners, TrackPlug and MasterVerb. Both are hailed as delivering sound quality that competes with or outdoes that of more famous plug-ins while operating with extreme CPU efficiency. TrackPlug is an all-in-one channel strip with a 10-band, fully parametric 64-bit EQ with filters and a compressor/gate with adjustable look-ahead and soft, medium and hard characteristics. MasterVerb is a processor-friendly, true stereo reverb that sports size and time controls on an x-y axis, as well as controls for wet/dry, predelay time, early and late damping and more. According to performance graphs, both plug-ins in the bundle clock in at roughly twice as CPU-efficient as leading industry competitors, which translates into more simultaneous plug-in use. All controls in the plug-ins can be automated through compatible hosts. The Power Couple bundle is compatible with Mac OS 9/OS X in MAS/VST/AU/RTAS host formats and DirectX/VST formats for Windows 98/2000/ME/NT/XP. Free 30-day fully functional demo downloads are available for the bundle, and each plug-in is also available for sale and demo download individually.
Wave Arts Inc.; e-mail
info@wavearts.com; Web
www.wavearts.com
PRESONUS EUREKA
CHANNEL STRIP
PreSonus recently revealed Eureka ($699.95), the company's new Class A mic preamp/channel strip. The handsome, single-rackspace device sports blue anodized knobs, blue glowing function lights and a true VU meter. The Eureka's mic-pre section is transformer-coupled and features a variable impedance control, making it ideal for use with vintage and high-impedance mics. There is also a saturation-control knob for tube emulation. The Eureka's compressor includes all of the usual controls: variable threshold, attack, release and makeup. It also features a soft-knee mode, as well as sidechain functionality with a highpass filter, making it useful as a de-esser. The fully parametric 3-band EQ is complete with overlapping frequencies and can be switched with the compressor in the signal-path order. Connections include instrument, line and microphone inputs, and outputs include both TRS and XLR, which can be used simultaneously. Eureka can be fitted with an optional digital output card that adds 24-bit, 96kHz digital outputs on AES/EBU or S/PDIF. Phantom power (+48V) is provided along with an 80Hz rumble filter, a -20dB pad and a phase-inversion button.
PreSonus; e-mail
webmaster@presonus.com; Web
www.presonus.com
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