Roland dropped off their TMC-6, a nifty trigger-to-MIDI converter for acoustic drum sets or V-Drums. It uses the super-fast triggering technology found in Roland’s V-Drums, so acoustic drummers can tap into a wide variety of electronic sounds. If you already use electronic percussion, the TMC-6 can expand your selection of sounds. One of the coolest qualities is that you can use it to trigger sounds from synths like the Fantom, the XV-5080, or any number of synths and sound modules.
Royer Labs has added a bunch of MP3 recordings to their website to demonstrate the sound of their ribbon mics. Their mics have some truly unique qualities to them that are quite apparent in live side by side tests. Whether any or all of these are noticeable on MP3’s will be up to you, but we assume it’s audible if they put them up. You can order a copy of their demonstration CD there as well. Sweetwater also has these CD’s for you if you’d like to keep it simple and order one from us. If you’re a fan of great mics you really should check out the Royer stuff.
Roland has released version 2.0 software for their VS-2480 workstation. If you own a 2480 you HAVE to get version 2.0 software. It’s absolutely incredible. If you’ve considered buying a 2480 you need to check it out again in its 2.0 form. It adds a whole new dimension to what can be done with the workstation – rivaling some of the most powerful DAW systems – and makes it an unbelievable value in recorders. The free software download is available at the Roland website. Any units purchased from Sweetwater will automatically come with 2.0.
