In today’s installment, Editorial Director Mitch Gallagher wraps up his picks for the coolest products at last weekend’s Summer NAMM.
TASCAM GigaPulse VST
Okay, it’s not a newly announced product, but TASCAM’s GigaPulse for VST has been on my wishlist for a while, and as of the NAMM show, TASCAM says it’s officially shipping. GigaPulse uses convolution to recreate the sound of real rooms. You can emulate any room, EQ, or microphone, even move the sound source to any of 18 locations in the room. I love my digital reverbs as effects, but the new generation of convolution reverbs has brought realism to simulated room ambience that can’t be beat. And now you can have it for VST on Windows!
Sony Hi-MD
There’s a lot of folks out there who love their MiniDisc recorders. My friend and long-time partner-in-crime at EQ, Craig Anderton, is one of those MD-lovers. Now Sony has revitalized the MD format. Before you tune out, we’re talking about full-bandwidth PCM, not data-compressed audio. (Data-compression is also supported.) The Hi-MD format uses 1GB discs for long recording time. There are two models, the MZ-M10 and the MZ-M100. The only real difference between them is the display. The MZs can do 1.5 hours of full-bandwidth stereo PCM or up to 34 hours of data-compressed audio. There are mic and line (which also support S/PDIF) ins, USB for connection to a computer, MP3 playback, and much more. The recorders come with a stereo mic, headphones, USB upload software, rechargeable battery, and a 1GB Hi-MD disc. There’s also a bundle that includes Sound Forge 8. These things are about 3″ square and 3/4″ thick – easily small enough to stuff in a pocket for location recording. It seems to me you could add a top-quality A/D converter connected by S/PDIF and have a pretty rockin’ portable stereo recording rig.
Line 6 Variax 600
Variax has taken the world by storm – is there an easier way to get an authentic-sounding collection of guitars for your studio or stage rig? Now Line 6 has the Variax 600, which sits in the middle of the line price-wise, and has a Fender-style feel and set-up. The same models are offered as in other Variaxs, and digital I/O is provided for connection to a Vetta II, Pod XT Live, or Workbench. If you need a lot of guitar tones in one convenient package, and like a Fender feel, go for this one.
And last, but absolutely not least….
Hosa PWD-402 Power cables
Sometimes it’s the little things that matter the most, and at this year’s Summer NAMM show, my favorite product showed up in a tiny corner of the Hosa booth. The company has these new, 2′ chainable jumper IEC power cables that are designed to go from box to box in a rack. Think of the advantages: No more need for power strips. Very short power cables reduce excess cable mess and the EMI problems caused by coils of wires. Everything looks much tidier on the back of the rack. They’re inexpensive and they solve problems. I love it! You can bet a pile of these will be heading to my studio.