It’s about time for us to get caught up on all the new stuff that’s been arriving at Sweetwater lately. Today’s inSync will be devoted to that purpose, and we’ll return with our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.
Antares’ new AVP rackmount Vocal Processor is an excellent tool for the home or project studio owner who needs a basic, affordable complement of vocal processing functions at the lowest possible cost. The AVP combines Auto-Tune Pitch Correction and TEC-Award-winning Microphone Modeler technologies with state-of-the-art vocal processing modules. It’s one of the best values you’ll find in a “basic” voice processor.
Paul Reed Smith just sent us one of their visually beautiful and sonically gripping McCarty electric guitars. Named after Ted McCarty, who ran Gibson back in the days when the Les Paul and other distinctive models were just beginning to conquer the world, the McCarty is a sweet-sounding guitar made with PRS’s most resonant woods.
The Nord Electro 73 keyboard from Clavia arrived recently and impressed us all with its ability to perfectly emulate the sounds of classic electric keyboards. You’ll find no less than four keyboard legends in the 73-key Electro – the Rhodes Mk II Stage Piano, the Wurlitzer 200A, the Clavinet D6, and the CP-80 Electric Grand. But that’s not all. There’s also an organ section based on a digital simulation of the mechanical tone wheels of the mighty B- 3. No matter what section you’re playing, the sounds are stunning, just like the originals, with all the playability and feel of the originals, too. The only thing that’s missing is the size; the originals were awkward monsters, while the Electro 73 is a relatively compact, easy to maneuver instrument that makes an excellent choice for live performance.
MIDIMAN’s newest addition to its MIDI keyboard controllers is the Oxygen 8, a cool 25-key controller that can be plugged into and self-powered by a USB equipped Mac or PC computer using MIDIMAN’s USB MIDI interface technology. The Oxygen 8 features eight rotary knobs that can be programmed to transmit any MIDI control value on any MIDI channel. It’s great for tweaking any software synth, software mixing console, or any device that responds to MIDI control.
AKG’s high quality D-409 is a very cool clip-on mic with incredible sound reproduction. It’s excellent for wind instruments, drums and percussion instruments, and can be used with AKG Wireless body pack transmitters.
Aphex’s 204 brings two of their most popular processing devices in one unit. The 204 is a revitalized version of the Aural Exciter, plus the Optical Big Bottom. In case you haven’t heard of the Aural Exciter before, it’s a “sound enhancer” that restores a little natural high-end brilliance to sound that may have been marred somewhere in the process. The Big Bottom does something similar to the low end, adding a more distinctive punch.
Glyph sent us an enhanced version of their M Project storage drive. The M Project Plus – the only drive recommended by Mark of the Unicorn for use with their 828 firewire drive, in case you needed reminding – includes a built-in 4-port Firewire hub. While they were at it they also sent us a bunch of 9 gig UltraWide drives (both 10,000 RPM and 7,200 RPM models). What’s so great about these are the prices. You can get in to the 10,000 RPM model for well under $300!
Synth Tek just dropped off a shipment of their special instructional CD-ROM for the Kurzweil 2600. It’s actually a complete interactive training course for Mac or PC that teaches you all the ins and outs of the mighty Kurzweil K2600. It’s extremely well organized and incredibly easy to use. How easy? The CD-ROM even has a section called “How To Use This CD.” Given how powerful the K2600 synth is, this CD-ROM is a very smart investment and an invaluable reference guide.
Epiphone’s Fat-210 Electric guitar Gig Rig is just in. It’s a very cool all-in-one package that offers an ebony Fat-210 electric guitar, a studio 10 amp, a Quick Tune quartz tuner, plus essentials like a gig bag, cable, strap, picks and the Epiphone “Guitar Essentials” instructional video.
Line 6 just sent us two great new pieces of gear. First up is the Filer Pro, an awesome new addition to their Studio Modeler Series. Like the other Studio Modelers (the Echo Pro and the Mod Pro), the Filter Pro is a sort of rackmount version of the Line 6 guitar stompers, and features MIDI clock sync, tap tempo, and revolutionary tempo controls that translate between milliseconds and BPM. The Filter Pro models a huge range of fantastic filter effects. Next up is the FBX, a pedal board for their Vetta amp. It includes dedicated channel switches, dedicated effects on/off switches, large name display, and much more, plus volume and WAH pedals.
Synchro Arts’ new VocAlign Project is an entry-level version of their award-winning VocAlign automatic audio alignment software. Project includes a wide range of time-saving and powerful VocAlign facilities and a new web-based authorization scheme.
If you’ve been waiting for a great remote control for your Mackie HDR or MDR hard disk recorders, you’ll be happy to learn that a big shipment of Mackie’s Remote 48s just arrived at our doorstep. The Remote 48 duplicates the entire front panel of the HDR24/96 Recorder/Editor and MDR24/96 Recorder, making operation quick and easy. Plus, it includes a host of unique features not found on the front panel of either unit, like a weighted wheel for Jog/Shuttle transport operations and data entry, Autolocator with numeric keypad, Current/Locate time display with visible Cue numbers, and much more.
MIDIMAN is playing middleman to Ableton, distributing their highly-acclaimed Live audio sequencer software. Have you heard about Live yet? It’s an amazing audio sequencer that you can play like an instrument, letting you improvise in real-time with a palette of audio clips. The clips can be turned on/off, manipulated, looped, reordered, combined, effected, and re-recorded on the fly. All the samples used are adjusted to the tempo of the song in realtime and without changing the pitch. Live records 24-bit audio, in addition to all actions made during a session so that everything can be saved and post-edited in detail. All clips and parameters within Live can be triggered via MIDI, computer keyboard or mouse… It’s tough to do justice to Live with limited space, but it really is remarkable.
The PreSonus ACOUSTI-Q just arrived. It’s a very affordable tube-based preamp/blender for acoustic instruments. The ACOUSTI-Q gives you the choice to use a single (piezo pick-up) or dual (piezo pick-up & mini- internal microphones) source.
…and last, but not least…
Steinberg has delivered the B4 plus plug-in. The B4 plug-in received a lot of great acclaim for its dead-on accurate, detailed reproduction of the classic B3 organ sound. The B4 Plus is the much-loved B4 plug-in , plus an amazing Tonewheel Set, which allows you to expand your sound palette beyond the B3 and take on the sounds of other vintage organs like the Vox Continental, the Farfisa Compact, and more!