Sound Technology News Blog

Propellerhead release ReCycle 2.2

2012-02-01T23:38:00.001Z

Propellerhead has released ReCycle version 2.2 for sale—an update to the industry standard tool that creates REX files. Sporting a completely overhauled graphical user interface, ReCycle 2.2 adds new key commands, workflow enhancements and a new Online Help system—making Recycle even faster and easier to use. Version 2.2 is a 64-bit compatible application with full support for Windows 7 and Mac OS X Lion operating systems.

About ReCycle An industry standard, ReCycle is the fastest way to make sampled material your own. ReCycle lets you do with sampled loops what you can do with beats programmed from individual drum sounds—like alter the tempo, or replace sounds and process them individually. Producers use Recycle for making loops tempo-independent, for quick editing of sampled parts, chopping up riffs, remixing and doing mash ups

Load any loop or musical phrase into ReCycle. The program will look at the file, analyze it, and slice it up into its rhythmic components. The file can then be rearranged, pitched or have its tempo freely adjusted. Artists have full control over the individual slices and can alter the timing or even quantize the groove, keep the feel of the loop and replace the sounds with their own. Or load the file into a software sampler and trigger the individual parts from a MIDI keyboard to turn the sampled material into a completely new performance.

A favorite among sound designers and producers, ReCycle’s REX file format is supported by all major music software titles including applications such as Apple Logic, Avid Pro Tools, Steinberg Cubase, Cakewalk Sonar, Ableton Live, MOTU Digital Performer and Propellerhead Reason, as well as software instruments such as Native Instruments Kontakt and Spectrasonics Stylus RMX.
www.propellerheads.se/recycle

Stuff showcases Randall's valves

2012-02-01T17:18:00.001Z

The Randall RT100H receives fantastic exposure in the latest edition of Stuff, the leading UK lifestyle and technology magazine. Please see the attached scan* from the 'Analogue' design feature in the March 2012 cover-date edition.

"Ah, vacuum tubes. A rare sight in today's transistor-driven world, but still found huddled together for warmth in guitar amps. Here, their ability to create smooth, warm overdrive is revered above digital's precision. This Randall has an armoury of tone options to suit all tastes: three preamp channels can be selected with a stomp of the footswitch, with EQ controls on hand for extra snarl. Not that your audience will notice - they'll be too absorbed in the RT100H's mesmerising blue glow."

Stuff is the world's best-selling gadget magazine and has 27 international editions, including China, France, Germany, India, Middle East, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain and Sweden. It has three million readers worldwide, including an ABC of 85,370 in the UK – where it is the 7th best-selling men's lifestyle magazine.

For more information please contact Randall's UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000 or visit www.soundtech.co.uk

Propellerhead Releases Ryan Greene Alt Drums ReFills for Reason

2012-02-01T11:40:00.000Z

What do Megadeth, Jay-Z, Alice Cooper, Gladys Knight, NOFX, Lagwagon, No Use For a Name, Patty La Belle, Tower of Power have in common with Rock Band and Guitar Hero? Legendary punk rock producer and mixer Ryan Greene. And now anyone can be on that list, with three new drum ReFills featuring Ryan Greene’s signature sound. Propellerhead today released the latest installments in its ReFill Creator Series: Ryan Greene Alt Drums.

Ryan Greene Alt Drums comes as three separate volumes, each containing three drum kits with several microphone setups and alternate snares. Each of the three ReFills comes with preset patches for Reason's Combinator device, with three different microphone setups: close mics, no ambience mics, and all mics; Producer Combinator patches with dry, overhead, and room microphone setups; Individual Kit Pieces for the NN-XT sampler; effects patches; as well as 100+ drum track MIDI files created by Ryan Greene. The sounds are fully produced; finished drum kits with kick drums with big bottom and snare drums with punch. Thanks to the premade patches using different microphone setups and production techniques, no additional mixing is required from users to get a great sound that sits right in the mix.

“All the sounds have been tested in real applications throughout the recording process to make sure they hold up under heavy fire, which basically means up against huge guitar and bass sounds,” says Ryan Greene.

www.propellerheads.se/products/refills/altdrums/

Ryan Greene Alt Drums ReFills Series:

- Alt Drums I
The first Alt Drums ReFill features Ryan Greene’s own Pork Pie kit, used on a lot of Greene’s Punk/Fat Wreck Chords productions throughout the years, as well as a versatile Gretsch kit and a deep sounding vintage Leedy kit. An additional three snares are included, ranging from classic rock sound to heavier punk.

- Alt Drums II
The star of the Alt Drums II ReFill is a 1964 Ludwig Liverpool kit — recorded and produced as if it was played by the Mötley Crüe, bringing a sound like no other. This pack also has a vintage Leedy kit customized by the John Covington and a Tama kit played by Troy Luccketta of the band Tesla. Added are three more snare drums, including a Leedy from the 1890’s (!)

- Alt Drums III
For Alt Drums III Troy Luccketta from multi-platinum rock band Tesla played a one of a kind Camco kit. The aggressive and warm sound of this kit built in 1956, and all the power that Troy brings when he hits a drum makes it a go-to kit for punk and rock productions. Included are also a wooden Ayotte kit, and a big and powerful Leedy kit with a 28-inch kick drum. Three extra snare drums come with the pack, among them the rare Yamaha Vinnie Colaiuta, and the Dave Weckl signature model.
Pricing and Availability

Ryan Greene Alt Drums Volume I, II and III are available immediately exclusively as downloads from the Propellerhead online shop for $99.00 USD and €89.00 EUR (including VAT) each.

www.propellerheads.se/go/0897D5BA

About Ryan Greene

In his teens Greene turned from playing drums to recording them and has since gained reputation as a major producer in the punk, rock and metal genres. He has worked with names such as NOFX, Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Lagwagon, No Use For a Name, Good Riddance and many more. Co-founding the studio Crush Recording, Greene boasts an impressive career with over 300 records to his credit in addition to doing work for the video games “Guitar Hero 3”, “Rock Revolution” and “Rock Band”. In 2011 he was awarded “Producer of the Year” at the Los Angeles Music Award. Recently Greene has returned to his original stomping grounds — relocating back to Los Angeles and opening a new recording complex Validus Recording located in the NoHo art district of North Hollywood.

Nord Drum video and Sound Cloud audio demo

2012-02-01T11:33:00.000Z

http://youtu.be/bZt7ZUqzOkc

Nord Drum Audio Demos on Sound Cloud
http://snd.sc/yF9rPz

Nord Drum video and Sound Cloud audio demo

2012-02-01T11:32:00.001Z

http://youtu.be/bZt7ZUqzOkc

Nord Drum Audio Demos on Sound Cloud
http://snd.sc/yF9rPz

AED Rent Becomes First Adopter of HARMAN’s JBL Professional VTX VT25 Line Array Loudspeakers

2012-01-31T22:10:00.001Z

NORTHRIDGE, California – HARMAN’s JBL Professional today announced that Belgium-based AV rental system provider AED Rent has signed on as the first adopter of JBL’s next-generation VTX V25 line array loudspeaker and as a Strategic Partner in the VTX Network. AED Rent is known throughout Europe as a market leader and a total system provider, making the company an ideal candidate to help introduce the revolutionary VTX Series to the industry.

“Our mission statement is quite simple: To develop and maintain a flexible group of companies on a Pan-European base that offers a total solution for the professional in the AV industry,” said Glenn Roggeman, CEO of the AED group. “AED Rent is not just a rental company but an equipment bank, not only in sound, but also in lighting, rigging and video equipment. What makes this business quite unique is large quantities, industry standards, state-of-the-art products, and a young rental fleet with fast and accurate service.”

The VTX V25 is a revolutionary product that builds on the company’s 65-year heritage of loudspeaker design innovation and groundbreaking technology development. Designed for portable and fixed-venue system operators alike, the VTX Series features JBL’s legendary sound quality coupled with the most advanced sound reinforcement technology and support available.

“We chose to purchase the JBL V25 because I think JBL has it spot-on for the future,” Roggeman said. JBL has always been known as the best component builder. Today, thanks to Paul Bauman, they not only have the components, but also the speaker boxes to make a terrific system.”

The VTX V25 is a full-size, 3-way, high-directivity line array element. The VTX V25 features two 2000W, 15-inch Differential Drive® woofers mounted in die-cast aluminum baffles, with four 8-inch Differential Drive mid-range transducers and three of the revolutionary new D2 Dual-Diaphragm Dual-Voice-Coil Compression Drivers mounted on a 3rd generation waveguide and patented RBI Radiation Boundary Integrator® assembly.

“The technology JBL is using in the V25 is on the cutting edge,” Roggeman added. “If you see how much power the system is driving, it’s way above any competition. If you see the weight of the cabinets—82 kg—this is another attractive element, because in the future, environmental issues will play a bigger role in our business. A cabinet of 110 kg that needs to be transported will be more expensive than a cabinet of 82 kg.”

“We are thrilled that AED Rent has chosen to support the groundbreaking VTX V25 product,” said Paul Bauman, Senior Manager, Tour Sound, JBL Professional. “AED Rent’s technical expertise and leading position in the industry will be tremendous assets in our introduction of the V25 to the market.”

For more information on AED Rent, please visit www.aedrent.com

SSL AWS 948 and Nucleus both win at the 27th annual TEC awards

2012-01-30T15:13:00.001Z

Two Outstanding Technical Achievement awards for Large and Small Format Console Technology

Solid State Logic, the world’s leading manufacturer of professional analogue and digital audio consoles, is pleased to announce that it has won two Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards.

SSL's AWS 948 won the Outstanding Technical Achievement award for ‘Large Format Console Technology’ and the company's Nucleus won the same award in the ‘Small Format Console Technology’ category.

Several hundred industry professionals gathered at the Hilton Anaheim for the sit-down awards ceremony, emceed by bass player Will Lee. Funkmeister Bootsy Collins presented the Nucleus award to Jim Motley, Head of Business, Workstation Partner Products at SSL and legendary audio engineer and producer Eddie Kramer presented the AWS 948 award to Dan Duffell, SSL’s Head of Marketing.

“We are honoured to receive these two awards,” says Piers Plaskitt, CEO Solid State Logic, Inc. “Our engineers and product designers work hard to create music production tools for our customers and it’s always reassuring when people tell us they like what we’ve made! It’s also great to see the Tec Awards reach its 27th year and we heartily support the work of Hillel Resner and his team in encouraging excellence in the audio industry.”

Nominations for the 16 categories of Outstanding Technical Achievement were made last year by a panel of more than 100 industry veterans and voting was then open to members of industry organisations APRS (Association of Professional Recording Services), CAS (Cinema Audio Society), GANG (Game Audio Network Guild), MPSE (Motion Picture Sound Editors),P&E Wing (Producers & Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy), SPARS (Society of Professional Recording Services) as well as subscribers to publications MIX Magazine, Pro Audio Review, Pro Sound News and Pro Sound News Europe.

SSL a double winner in the 2012 Sound On Sound awards

2012-01-30T15:08:00.001Z

Nucleus is voted ‘Best Hardware Controller’ Duality wins ‘Best Mixer’ by SOS readers worldwide

Solid State Logic, the manufacturer of the world’s leading analogue and digital audio consoles, is delighted to have won two categories in the 2012 Sound On Sound Awards.

Nucleus was voted ‘Best Hardware Controller’ and Duality was voted ‘Best Mixer’ by readers of Sound On Sound. The awards were presented to SSL at the 2012 NAMM show.

Every year the Sound On Sound editorial team nominate twelve products in each of the main categories, and invite readers of SOS to vote for their favourite product in each category.

“We are really delighted to win these two awards, and the fact that they have been voted for by readers of Sound On Sound around the world makes it very special,” says Jim Motley, Head of Business, Workstation Partner Products at SSL. “Having Nucleus and Duality recognised as the hybrid workflow centerpieces that producers and engineers would love to have in their studios is a real compliment to SSL’s design team.”

For more information please visit www.solidstatelogic.com or contact Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000.

Nord Piano 2 arrives in UK stores

2012-01-30T13:11:00.001Z

Announced at NAMM less than two weeks ago, the Nord Piano 2 has arrived in the UK and is in stores now.

The new Nord Piano 2 HA88 lets you easily play, split and layer stunning Grand, Upright and Electric Pianos from the Nord Piano Library with sounds from the versatile Nord Sample Library. All this in a streamlined portable package with 88 Hammer Action Weighted keys.

The Nord Piano 2 comes with a wide range of quality acoustic and electro-mechanical instruments from the Nord Piano Library, all with their own unique character. The included Nord Triple Pedal features a dynamic sustain pedal that can also recreate the mechanical “stomp” and “sizzle” noises that occur when the lifting or releasing the dampener in an Acoustic Grand or Upright Piano. The Advanced String Resonance feature simulates the subtle phenomenon that occurs when piano strings cause other un-dampened strings to resonate, further adding to an amazing level of realism.

The Nord Sample Library offers more than 1000 high quality sample-instruments ranging from Strings, Brass, Synths and Basses to the legendary vintage sounds of the Mellotron and Chamberlin.
Both the Nord Piano and Nord Sample libraries are continuously updated and are available as free downloads for all Nord owners.

We think technology should be transparent to the user, which is why the Nord Piano 2 has dedicated buttons and knobs for all functions the performing musician needs instead of confusing menus.
We’ve made it amazingly simple to layer and split sounds, and there’s a volume pedal input for sneaking in those strings while you keep playing.

The Nord Piano 2 also sports an extensive effects section, covering everything from Phaser, Wah-wah, Flanger, Chorus and Delay effects to a 3-band Equalizer, Amp Simulations, Compressor and Reverb.

The Nord Piano 2 is available now priced at £2249 RRP inc VAT.

For more information please call UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000 and visit www.nordkeyboards.com and www.facebook.com/nordkeyboardsuk

Washburn AB10 revisited in Bass magazine

2012-01-27T12:19:00.001Z

"...the AB10 sounds particularly good in an acoustic setting, but there's plenty of scope here for using this bass in all sorts of situations, from folk and jazz to reggae and unplugged rock. Oh, and for practice without earplugs".

Acoustic magazine decide to get 'acquainted with a trusty stalwart' this month where they review the Washburn AB10 acoustic bass.

"The Washburn AB series has been around for years, and has long been among the best of this type of instrument available".

"First impressions are of a really handsome bass. The black finish is flat and glossy and the workmanship appears to be of top quality..."

"Before plugging in, I tried the AB10 acoustically and I have to say it's pretty impressive. Out of the box the instrument was very well set up with no rattles and good intonation over the whole length of the neck. It's loudish too - and for such a shallow-bodied instrument it produces a useful amount of bass frequencies".

"Playing around with the Equis on-board preamp is well worthwhile, and everything from a zingy, almost dobro-type sound to a fat, warm and mellow woody one is there".

"As well as the standard jack socket, the XLR balanced out is a useful feature, and given the low noise and high quality of the preamp, this would no doubt make a great recording instrument straight into the desk".

The full review can be found in the February issue of Bass magazine (Issue 75)

Further Links

Washburn RX30 wins new TG Head to Head

2012-01-26T15:55:00.001Z

"When you push these pickups into the red they've got a napalm punch that belies the cultured looks".

The new issue of of Total Guitar magazine features a head to head of two of the best doublecut humbucker axes under £300. The Washburn RX-30 is put up against a Charvel Skatecaster SK-3ST and the outcome? Well "...the Washburn wins by a nose while the Charvel leaves with its just a little out of joint".

"Respect to Washburn. Even when the Chicago giant is manning the bandsaw for Nuno Bettencourt, it has one eye on the working musician with the Nando's loyalty card".

"And it's said musician who's in the sights of the RX30: a double cut that sails worryingly close to the financial cliff-edge, beyond which electrics often turn to driftwood, yet packs a spec with no obvious achilles heel".

"...the cutaway is stellar, the unfinished neck works wonders for sweat monsters, and the widening radius is solid for chords and leads".

"Ultimately the deciding slam-dunk comes from those aftermarket pickups. Twangy and woody when played raw, they offer three distinct voices when you clunk between settings - the neck is warm and full; the bridge lean and mean - and it's a relief to be able to tailor this superior voice".

The full review can be found in the February issue of Total Guitar magazine on sale now. The Washburn RX30 is also available now at £210 RRP.

Further Links

Ace from Skunk Anansie talks Larrivée in new video interview

2012-01-24T11:48:00.001Z

UK Larrivée distributor Sound Technology Ltd recently caught up with Larrivée endorsee Ace from Skunk Anansie to discuss, amongst other things, why he chose Larrivée Guitars, what he loves about his Traditional Series D-50E, where it is being used and the future of Skunk Anansie. Front woman Skin is also a Larrivée endorsee and the proud owner of a D-05E.

Prior to the interview Ace told us that, “My Larrivée just sounds better and better everyday that I play it. It has a beautiful dark body tone as well as a top end sparkle that puts the icing on the cake for me. From delicate soft passages to hard hitting ringing chords, it delivers in all areas without choking or buzzing. The feel and action is superb and it is the most comfortable neck I have ever experienced on an acoustic guitar”.

“It has already become 'an old friend' and I look forward to a lifetime of songwriting, recording and travel with this beautiful instrument. Skin is also just as pleased as myself and relishes the thought of the songwriting inspiration this new guitar will bring to her as we travel together and get into the studio for our new LP”.

The full HD video can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXG8inKbMWI

For more details on Larrivée Guitars please visit www.welovelarrivee.com. For more information on Skunk Anansie please visit www.skunkanansie.net

Washburn Guitars release Stu Hamm Electric Bass series

2012-01-24T10:38:00.001Z

Stu Hamm has partnered with Washburn Guitars to present the Stu Hamm Electric Bass Series. The series includes three models, the SHB30, the SHB40, and the SHB60. Stu was hands on in the design and creation of these instruments. They will debut at NAMM 2012.

The SHB30 features a basswood body with passive pickups and a rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays. The SHB40 has a mahogany body with active pickups and Stu Hamm’s signature yin-yang bass clef inlays. The SHB60 features an alder body, with active pickups and piezos, offering a full sonic palette of tones to choose from. All models come with bolt-on maple necks and black die-cast tuners.

The basses are also available in a wide range of finishes including silver sparkle and black for the SHB30, red sparkle and tangerine for the SH40, and natural matte and tobacco sunburst for the SHB60.

For more information on Washburn Guitars, visit www.washburn.com

DigiTech Introduces The iStomp: The World’s First Effects Pedal That Can Be Programmed With Any Sound

2012-01-23T17:39:00.001Z

HARMAN’s DigiTech today announced the introduction of the iStomp pedal, an entirely new concept in guitar stompboxes that allows musicians to program the effect pedal with any sound they want – and change it at any time. Offering almost limitless sonic possibilities, the iStomp connects to an iPod Touch®, iPhone®, or iPad® enabling musicians to load the effect of their choice into the iStomp.

“The iStomp ushers in a new era in effects pedal functionality,” said Rob Urry, vice president, HARMAN Professional Division and general manager of Signal Processing and Amplifier Business Units. “Until now, guitarists and musicians had to buy a separate pedal for each effect they wanted and a separate pedal for different tones of the same effect. Now, musicians can buy an iStomp and configure an effect exactly the way they want, and later, they can simply download a different tone of that same effect or download an entirely different effect if they want to try something new.”

The iStomp pedal connects to an Apple iOS device using the DigiTech Smart Cable that comes with the iStomp. Once connected, the DigiTech Stomp Shop provides two of the most popular requested effects, the DigiTech Total Recall Delay and the DigiTech Redline Overdrive with the initial purchase. The app also offers access to additional effects that iStomp owners can browse, try out, and purchase for their stompbox. The iStomp pedal has four knobs to control effects parameters, which change their function according to which effect is loaded.

iStomp makes trying out new sounds easier than ever. Instead of having to go to a music store or look for online demos that might have been done with unfamiliar gear, a guitarist can try any pedal in the iStomp online store for free for up to 10 minutes – in their own home, using their own guitar and amp. Approximately 24 pedals will be offered initially, and the selection will expand to include exclusive pedals from DigiTech, officially licensed pedals from other manufacturers and classic legacy DigiTech and DOD products.

Every musician wants to create his or her signature sound, and many buy, sell and trade pedals constantly in their quest for the ultimate tone. With iStomp, users simply pay the cost of a download if they want to get something new. Multiple iStomp pedals can be authorized to the same iTunes account, allowing customers to purchase an effect once from the in-app store, and then load it into any iStomp pedal registered to them. All purchases are saved within the app, making it easy to build up a wide ranging effects collection.

You can download the DigiTech Stomp Shop App from iTunes for free now which includes audio demos of all pedals. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/digitech-stomp-shop/id481957668?mt=8

The DigiTech iStomp will begin shipping in the UK late January 2012 priced at £159 RRP inc VAT. The iStomp pedal comes with an iOS authorization cable, power supply and the two initial downloads. Additional downloads are available currently priced between £2.99 and £6.99 each.

For more information please contact DigiTech's UK/ROI distributor Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000 or via www.facebook.com/digitechuk / www.soundtech.co.uk/digitech

Ends

Washburn Guitars announce new B7 banjo

2012-01-23T17:18:00.001Z

Washburn Guitars have been producing high quality banjos since the late 1800’s. The new entry-level Washburn B7 Banjo is a perfect example of this, offering a stellar sound at an expected UK RRP of £192 inc vat.

The open-backed mahogany build gives a warm, mellow sound with a cast aluminum tone ring and 18 tension brackets. It's perfect for fans of old-time banjo and clawhammer style. As with all Washburn banjos, the instrument comes with a Remo head. The bridge is made of a maple base with an ebony tip. The B7 also features chrome hardware and tailpiece.

For more information on Washburn Guitars, visit www.washburn.com

Washburn announce new HB36 'vintage' hollowbody

2012-01-23T15:32:00.001Z

Washburn is proud to announce the new HB36 hollowbody guitar. This instrument is packed with modern features, yet aged and coupled with distressed hardware to give musicians the feeling of playing a guitar that is broken in and well played.

The HB36 has flame maple back and sides, a spruce top, and features a hard maple neck with an ebony fingerboard and a stoptail bridge. The HB36 also features distressed dual humbucking pickups.

This model will debut at NAMM 2012 with an expected UK RRP of £516 inc vat.

For more information on Washburn Guitars, visit www.washburn.com

New colour options for Washburn HB35 guitars

2012-01-23T15:12:00.001Z

Washburn Guitars are proud to announce the addition of more colour options to the HB35 hollowbody series. The new HB35’s will debut at NAMM 2012.

The HB35 will now be available in white, black, and tobacco sunburst, along with the previous options of natural and wine red. These colors are paired with gold-plated hardware and black pickguards.

The HB35 still features a maple body; 24.75” maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard; and flame maple top. This semi-hollow body guitar also comes with a Washburn 621 neck pickup & 623 bridge pickup and a three-way toggle switch.

For more information on Washburn Guitars, visit www.washburn.com

Washburn release new HB17CB hollowbody

2012-01-23T13:18:00.001Z

To add to Washburn’s reputation of making fantastic hollowbody guitars, Washburn are proud to announce the new HB17CB.

Featuring a modern look highlighted by a florentine cutaway, this guitar offers a fresh take on the hollowbody guitar with the same great sound that is synonymous with Washburn.

The HB17 is made with a mahogany top, back, sides and neck with a rosewood fingerboard. The body is finished in matte black and features all black hardware including Grover® 18:1 tuners.

The HB17CB features active humbucker pickups, giving players a wide range of modern sounds, while maintaining the feel of a classic hollowbody. The HB17CB will debut at NAMM 2012 with an estimated UK RRP of £384 inc vat.

For more information on Washburn Guitars, visit www.washburn.com

HARMAN’s Soundcraft Si Compact Takes Giant Leap With V2

2012-01-23T11:05:00.000Z

HARMAN Soundcraft’s popular small-format (but big-hearted) digital console Si Compact has received a major upgrade with the V2 software release.

The new free upgrade provides more than 23 major new features, updates and enhancements; the first welcome addition being eight additional DSP channels expanding the Si Compact 16 and Si Compact 24 to 32 and 40 inputs to mix, respectively.

Of particular note is the new user configurable fader layers allowing input channels to be reassigned anywhere on either input layer and any bus master reassigned to either master layer. Now an engineer can put the inputs and returns where he or she most needs them, for example, having the main vocal or presenter always in position 1 on both input fader layers, or mixing aux and matrix masters on a single bus layer to reduce the number of layer changes.

Another particularly useful function introduced in V2 is D.O.G.S (Direct Output Gain Stabilisation). A common frustration for engineers is when two consoles (FOH and Monitors) share the same source such as a mic on stage; the mix balance on the second (slave) console can be overridden if the engineer at the master console changes the mic gain and in some environments this could also result in feedback in the slave system. Using a connection topology where the slave console is fed from a pre-fade direct output of the master, DOGS can compensate for the gain adjustment maintaining original system gain between mic in and direct out. One of the unique advantages of DOGS is since stabilisation occurs ‘locally’ in the master console only this component requires the DOGS system and all other equipment connected to the master can benefit from the feature.

Selective Copy & Paste is now implemented allowing all or part of a selected channel or bus to be copied and pasted elsewhere. This basic functionality is augmented with the ability to copy and paste individual bus or matrix mixes and copy/paste FX presets between Lexicon processors. Enhanced MIDI control allows snapshots to be recalled from any external devices capable of sending simple program change messages.

A new security mode prevents unauthorised access to key functions; as well as ‘total lockdown’ security can be tailored for different ‘operator access’ levels for example locking out house EQ and processing for guest engineers whilst allowing access for in-house operators.

Other enhancements include additional information displayed in the Function Focus window on the touch screen, improved matrix mix facilities, show file & folder management, better navigation, improved default settings, HPF settings, added EQ curve graphics and much more.

For more information and to download v2 software please visit www.soundcraft.com

HARMAN’s HardWire™ Expands Its Product Line With New Gold-Plated Pedal Couplers and 5-Pedal Adapter Cable

2012-01-23T11:00:00.001Z

HARMAN’s HardWire today announced that it is expanding its footprint by introducing a new line of accessories built to complement the HardWire pedal line and provide the same high-quality construction for durability and performance. The accessories can be used to power HardWire and other compatible effects pedals for use on guitarist pedalboards and gear racks. This new accessory line is launching with two new products: the HardWire Gold-Plated Pedal Couplers and HV-5 Power Adapter Cable.

The HardWire Gold-Plated Pedal Couplers are 1/4-inch-to-1/4-inch adapters that connect from the output of one effects pedal to the input of another. The premium-quality adapters are gold-plated to ensure maximum signal transfer and performance, and their shorter length enables more pedals to fit in a smaller space, reducing the size of a pedalboard.

The HardWire HV-5 5-Pedal Power Adapter Cable can power up to five effects pedals. One end of the HV-5 plugs into a 9-volt DC output of an effects pedal, such as the HardWire HT-6 Polyphonic Tuner, and the five additional connectors plug into the 9-volt power adapter inputs of other HardWire effects pedals, or other brands of pedals with a compatible 9-volt center-negative power adapter input.

“Our HardWire Gold-Plated Pedal Couplers and HV-5 5-Pedal Power Adapter Cable help ensure that there are no weak links in your pedalboard,” said Rob Urry, HARMAN Professional vice president and GM, of Signal Processing and Amplifier Business Units. “Lesser-quality couplers or cables can degrade your signal and tone, which is why using high-quality connectors like our Gold-Plated Pedal Couplers is important. In addition, our HV-5 Power Adapter Cable can save guitarists from spending their money on batteries or additional power supplies.”

The HardWire Gold Plated Pedal Couplers are sold in pairs at an MSRP of $19.95 per pair and are currently available. The HardWire HV-5 Power Adapter Cable carries a suggested retail price of $24.95 and will be available in February 2012.

HARMAN’s JBL Professional Introduces Next Generation VTX Line Array Series

2012-01-23T10:56:00.001Z

HARMAN’s JBL Professional today announced the introduction of the VTX Line Array Series—a revolutionary product that builds on the company’s 65-year heritage of loudspeaker design innovation and groundbreaking technology development. Designed for portable and fixed-venue system operators alike, the VTX Series features JBL’s legendary sound quality coupled with the most advanced sound reinforcement technology and support available.

“Of all the achievements JBL has made over the years, the VTX Series stands as a milestone in the practical application of creative engineering,” said Paul Bauman, Senior Manager, Tour Sound, JBL Professional. “VTX truly represents the next generation in line arrays—an evolution of JBL’s industry-standard VERTEC® that heralds a new era in performance, system integration and user-friendliness.”

The first product from the VTX Line Array Series is the VTX V25—a full-size, 3-way, high-directivity line array element. The VTX V25 features two 2000W, 15-inch Differential Drive® woofers mounted in die-cast aluminum baffles, with four 8-inch Differential Drive mid-range transducers and three of the revolutionary new D2 Dual-Diaphragm Dual-Voice-Coil Compression Drivers mounted on a 3rd generation waveguide and patented RBI Radiation Boundary Integrator® assembly.

At the heart of VTX is the D2 Dual Driver, a revolutionary device developed by JBL that dramatically improves the sound and performance of high frequencies. D2 overcomes the limitations of conventional compression driver technology: limited high frequency extension due to mass of the diaphragm and voice coil, and distortion characteristics that arise due to dome breakup modes.

JBL’s patented Radiation Boundary Integrator combines the high frequency and mid-range sections of the VTX V25 so the transition across each band is uninterrupted, undistorted and seamless. A patent-pending, tuned resonant absorption chamber (TRAC) is integrated into the waveguide itself, effectively eliminating throat-related cancellations due to back pressure from the mid-range section. VTX’s refined RBI waveguide implementation provides improved horizontal coverage—broader and more stable.

The VTX Series draws from the expertise and integration of the entire range of HARMAN Professional audio technologies. As a result, in addition to the best sound possible, setup, tuning, networking and controlling the VTX Series is efficient, intelligent and truly a system solution. For example, the VTX Series features Crown Audio VRack DSP and amplification. VRack is a rugged touring rack fitted with three Crown I-Tech HD Series power amplifiers, power input panel, and custom-engineered input/output panels that is available in two configurations: VRack 12000 and VRack 4 x 3500 are loaded with three IT 12000HD and three IT 4 x 3500HD amplifiers, respectively.

Apart from the performance advantage of a standard package ensuring that VTX Series enclosures are optimally powered and processed, VRack ensures compatibility for cross rental between VTX Network Partners. Since VRack is supplied with all components installed and internally connected, there is also no need for laborious rack building; no chance that a component might be improperly connected; and a dramatically lower chance of connection failure.

The patented workflow paradigm of the Performance Manager interface guides the system designer through the complete system design, configuration and control process and, in many ways, the entire process feels and acts like a simple step-by-step wizard.

Using HARMAN’s JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ control software and with reference to measured spatial response, circuit level gain and JBL Line Array Control Panel tapering adjustments are performed as a first step in system tuning with the VTX V25. Once SPL and frequency response has been optimized on a circuit level, global equalization can then be applied to the entire array to compensate for room-related effects. This patented approach to system tuning has been specifically designed into the workflow of Performance Manager.

VTX’s patented SAFE suspension system is streamlined for speed and efficiency with improved hardware for faster setup with fewer pinning operations and greater security. A custom-designed protective cover and dolly makes transport easy and the suspension process fast, efficient and safe.

All suspension hardware is integrated into the enclosure and strategically positioned for fast and secure operation. Front flip hinges and captive rear hinge bars utilizing a unique Angle Stop Mechanism (ASM) allow for efficient assembly that is not only secure, but anti-rattle. Also included is provision for mounting a Laser Sighting Module accessory for greater ease and precision in array focus and system tuning.

The VTX Series complies with HARMAN’s GreenEdge initiative, combining environmentally friendly design with dramatic energy savings without compromising the excellent performance for which HARMAN products are known.

Like all JBL Professional products, the VTX Series is comprehensively tested in JBL’s power testing facilities. Unique in the industry, during the design phase JBL power testing submits each component and system to 100 hours of continuous, high level input, ensuring that your system will deliver extraordinary sound even after years of hard use and thousands of hours of performance.

“The VTX Series is a result of JBL’s continued effort to deliver more powerful, more compact, lightweight and flexible sound reinforcement systems,” Bauman commented. “JBL has invested heavily in the tools necessary to design, measure, evaluate and refine components throughout the development cycle. In addition to state-of-the-art CAD systems, we have developed proprietary R&D tools unique to JBL. With these tools, we are assured of meeting each product’s intended design goals, able to find opportunities for even better performance, and perhaps most important, have the resources to develop technologies that never existed. The VTX System is a premier example of this.”

For more information please contact Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000, info@soundtech.co.uk or www.soundtech.co.uk/jbl

HARMAN’s JBL Professional Revolutionary D2 Dual Driver at the Heart of new VTX Line Array Series

2012-01-23T10:53:00.003Z

With today’s introduction of HARMAN’s JBL Professional VTX Line Array Series, JBL is also unveiling the D2 Dual Driver—the revolutionary device that makes the VTX Series’ dramatic improvements in high-frequency sound and performance possible.

The D2 Dual-Diaphragm Dual-Voice-Coil Compression Driver overcomes the limitations of conventional compression driver technology: limited high frequency extension due to mass of the diaphragm and voice coil, and distortion characteristics that arise due to dome breakup modes. Merging two compression drivers into a single, compact transducer with a single acoustical output, the D2 Dual Driver utilizes two voice coils, each with its own lightweight, polymer, annular diaphragm, its own magnet assembly, and its own specialized phasing plug. Instead of the large and ‘heavy’ single voice coil metal dome diaphragm of conventional compression drivers, D2 is driven by two light but strong voice coils, two motive “forces” instead of one, acoustically connected to a single exit chamber.

“With two smaller diaphragms and voice coils working on the same acoustical load, the VTX Line Array Series provides high efficiency and SPL, plus increased extreme high-frequency reproduction due to the smaller moving mass of each diaphragm and voice coil,” said Paul Bauman, Senior Manager, Tour Sound, JBL Professional. “The D2 Dual Driver is a radical departure from traditional compression drivers and represents a monumental breakthrough in loudspeaker system design!”

The two annular polymer diaphragms have the same radiating area as a conventional single dome, and overall output and power handling are dramatically increased due to the lower moving mass and enhanced heat transfer obtained with two separate voice coils. The result is a compact compression driver with dramatically improved efficiency, power handling, smoother, extended high frequency response and significantly lower levels of nonlinear distortion.

Well-validated by objective measurements, D2’s performance has also gone through exhaustive subjective listening tests, demonstrating its superior sound quality compared to traditional metallic, mono structure drivers. D2 provides an extreme output advantage over conventional systems allowing significantly higher array power density.

Compared to a conventional system, the D2 has double the number of voice coils and more than double the power handling, but with a 30 percent reduction in weight. This results in a dramatic increase in pure high frequency sound pressure levels in the same physical footprint. The power handling of the three D2 drivers used in the VTX V25 are each 200 watts per AES standard.

HARMAN’s JBL Professional Revolutionary D2 Dual Driver at the Heart of new VTX Line Array Series

2012-01-23T10:53:00.001Z

HARMAN Now Offers Public Beta Version of Its JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ Sound Reinforcement System Design Software

2012-01-23T10:50:00.000Z

HARMAN Professional today announced that its JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ sound reinforcement system design software is now available to users as a public beta version. JBL HiQnet Performance Manager had been previously available to a closed group of 60 worldwide beta testers.

JBL HiQnet Performance Manager is a highly refined user interface that facilitates the design of touring and live performance venue sound reinforcement systems. Created especially for touring and theatrical sound engineering, Performance Manager is an application-specific iteration of the category-leading HARMAN HiQnet System Architect™ configuration and control software application for professional-grade audio system integration.

“JBL HiQnet Performance Manager is a powerful tool that makes the design, setup and tuning of a JBL VERTEC loudspeaker system a lot faster and more efficient,” noted Adam Holladay, Market Manager, HARMAN System Development and Integration Group.

“The response from our beta testers has been extremely positive,” continued Holladay. “In venue after venue, JBL VERTEC system engineers have been able to achieve consistently higher levels of performance than before. They note that they are also able to set up a system more quickly, saving time and money. Now that we are making it available in a public beta version, many more users will have the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits of Performance Manager as a free download.”

The public beta version of Performance Manager is available at http://hiqnet.harmanpro.com. The beta version is functional except that users will need to apply for a license key in order to go online and access the online operate modes of certain system devices. An in-depth series of training videos can be viewed at http://hiqnet.harmanpro.com/training/. The full version of JBL HiQnet Performance Manager will be available in early 2012 at a suggested retail price of $399.

Winner of a 2011 PLASA Innovation Award and a finalist for the upcoming EMEA 2012 InAVation awards for which voting is currently open, JBL HiQnet Performance Manager provides a comprehensive, step-by-step workflow that directly corresponds to real-world system configuration, taking the workflow paradigm introduced in System Architect 2 to a higher level of functionality for any live performance audio application. It is fully integrated with JBL’s Line Array Calculator II loudspeaker configuration and acoustic modeling software.

The user begins by loading templates of the speaker arrays used in the system, and then runs Line Array Calculator II for each array as part of the initial sound design task of determining how many and which type of loudspeakers are required to cover a given venue. For each array, Performance Manager automatically loads the passive VERTEC or powered VERTEC DrivePack DPDA line array configuration into the main application workspace – the first of many automated design processes native to the software application. Loudspeakers can also be manually loaded into the templates if desired.

Once the user defines the required amplifier parameters for the passive loudspeakers within the arrays, Performance Manager automatically loads the correct number of Crown Audio VRACK or other user-determined amplifier racks into the audio system. The software then associates the amplifier outputs with the bandpass crossover inputs for the selected array and programs the amplifiers with the correct JBL preset data, as well as gain shading and JBL Line Array Control Panel equalization parameters that are determined in JBL’s Line Array Calculator II as part of the modeling process to optimize sound pressure level and frequency response over the defined audience geometry.

Representations of the bandpass inputs for each loudspeaker section are overlaid onto the arrays, enabling the user to easily visualize the array configuration, whether JBL DrivePack-powered or driven by external Crown power amplifiers. Performance Manager software also significantly simplifies system-networking configuration – the user can simply drag and drop devices discovered on the network onto the pre-configured devices within the Performance Manager workspace to synchronize all addressing and parameter values.

In addition, the Performance Manager graphical interface provides embedded control panels for array calibration, time alignment and system EQ which utilize input section digital signal processing resources available in either Crown I-Tech HD power amplifiers or JBL DrivePack-powered loudspeakers with DPDA digital audio input modules. Input attenuation, equalization, delay settings and bandpass controls are all readily accessible directly within the main application workspace along with flexible grouping and comprehensive solo/mute functionality for system testing.

Once system tuning is complete, Performance Manager’s Show Mode display is optimized for the actual live performance, offering appropriate adjustment control ballistics for equalization and dedicated monitoring interfaces for levels, speaker loads, thermal conditions and AC power requirements. The workspace for all stages of Performance Manager’s workflow has a common design motif, with monitoring functions overlaid on top of the same loudspeaker bandpass representations within the workspace, making visualization easier and more consistent across various workflow screens.

HARMAN HiQnet™ is the world's first connectivity and control protocol that integrates all product categories in the signal chain for professional audio systems of all types, size, and applications. HARMAN HiQnet no longer requires the user to manage multiple disparate operating systems or be responsible for programming individual signal processors, speaker controllers, wireless microphone systems, and mixing consoles. HiQnet was developed by engineers from across HARMAN’s Professional Division and is coordinated by the System Development and Integration Group (SDIG), a team of dedicated systems specialists based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

HARMAN’s Crown Audio Introduces Its New Flagship I-Tech 4x3500HD DriveCore™ Series Multichannel Power Amplifier

2012-01-23T10:47:00.001Z

In a move that redefines the performance capabilities of professional multichannel power amplifiers, HARMAN’s Crown Audio announced the introduction of its new flagship I-Tech HD Series 4x3500HD DriveCore™ Series 4-channel power amplifier. The 4-channel I-Tech 4x3500HD incorporates Crown’s sixth-generation Class I engine with DriveCore™ technology to deliver 3,500 watts per channel burst into four or two ohms, and offers a host of Crown’s most advanced features including a 4.3-inch TFT LCD with capacitive touchscreen, exclusive HARMAN HiQnet System Architect™ 2.0 control functionality and Version 5 DSP preset support for JBL Professional’s newly-launched VTX Series V25 plus VERTEC® Series line array loudspeakers.

The I-Tech 4x3500HD offers an unprecedented degree of operational flexibility. The 4.3-inch front-panel LCD touchscreen provides amplifier monitoring and access to key functions with color-keyed visuals that are similar to the at-a-glance FaderGlow™ indicators used on Soundcraft and Studer mixing consoles.

The Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD delivers 1,900 watts per channel into eight ohms, 2,000 watts per channel into four ohms and a massive 4,000 watts into four ohms bridged with all channels driven at full bandwidth all from an amplifier that measures just 2U rack spaces high. This remarkable power to size ratio is made possible by Crown’s exclusive DriveCore amplifier IC chip. The DriveCore chip combines the amplifier driver stage into the power output stage (along with additional audio-signal functions), to dramatically reduce overall size and power-consumption requirements and yield energy-efficient operation that conforms to HARMAN International’s GreenEdge™ environmental initiative.

DriveCore technology also gives the I-Tech 4x3500HD the ability to better control and more quickly recover from high-voltage transients, for a highly accurate reproduction of the input signal and better low-frequency response.

A common concern among tour and installed sound professionals is the relative lack of inputs and outputs on DSP-enabled power amplifiers. The I-Tech 4x3500HD provides an ideal real-world solution with its four analog inputs, four AES3 digital inputs and four AES inputs over VDrive and the ability to select four CobraNet® inputs. The amplifier also includes SpeakON or banana plug speaker connectors, as well as a Neutrik® PowerCON AC input connector to prevent the power cord from coming loose in transit.

The Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD provides more DSP sound-tailoring capability than any other amplifier on the market. Its proprietary BSS OmniDriveHD processing engine employs 32bit/192kHz A/D and D/A converters for superb sonic clarity and the ability to precisely tailor the amplifier’s audio output. Crown’s exclusive linear phase FIR and IIR filters provide optimized loudspeaker crossover points with improved midrange clarity and off-axis loudspeaker response.

The amplifier is compatible with the HARMAN HiQnet System Architect and JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ sound reinforcement system design software. JBL HiQnet Performance Manager is a highly refined user interface that facilitates the design of touring and live performance venue sound reinforcement systems. The inclusion of JBL VERTEC Version 5 DSP preset tunings for VERTEC Series loudspeakers interface with the I-Tech 4x3500HD’s FIR filters to improve the loudspeakers’ sound quality and horizontal coverage performance. For enhanced control and monitoring capabilities the amplifier is also compatible with the Powered By Crown iPad/iPhone application.

“The I-Tech 4x3500HD DriveCore Series offers control, connectivity, DSP and system interfacing capabilities that have never been available in a professional high-power multichannel amplifier before,” said Brian Pickowitz, Market Manager, Tour Sound for Crown. “We designed it entirely without compromise to be the most flexible and useful multichannel amplifier on the market today.”

“The I-Tech 4x3500HD will be an integral part of our turnkey system package for the newly-released, VTX Series V25 flagship fullsize enclosure as well as a powerful, versatile platform that allows VerTec to achieve it’s full performance potential with V5 processing”, added Paul Bauman, Senior Manager, Tour Sound for JBL Professional.

The I-Tech 4x3500HD incorporates a host of additional useful features including Crown’s innovative LevelMax™ limiter technology that combines the operation of the amplifier’s Peak, Thermal and RMS limiters for more effective protection; a front-panel USB port that enables users to load preset amplifier settings or device files and update firmware.

Power per channel with all channels driven for two seconds is as follows: 1,900W at eight ohms; 2,000W at four ohms; 2,000W at two ohms; 3,800W at eight ohms bridged; 4,000W at four ohms bridged.

The Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD DriveCore Series will be available in February 2012.

For more information please contact Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000, info@soundtech.co.uk or www.soundtech.co.uk/crown

HARMAN’s AKG IVM4500 IEM In-Ear Monitoring System Debuts At NAMM, Offers Audio Quality Without Compromise

2012-01-23T10:42:00.000Z

Following the success of its predecessor the IVM4, HARMAN’s AKG proudly launches its IVM4500 IEM In Ear Monitoring System at NAMM. Building on a leading global reputation in professional wireless audio solutions and monitoring, IVM4500 IEM supports users with high quality audio and radio performance, with reliable reference capability. Users in the tour and installed sound markets will find the easy-to-use technology ideal for onstage monitoring.

Designed, developed and manufactured in Austria, with the experience and skill of AKG’s engineering team, the IVM4500 IEM offers a highly diversified system, which includes high-end radio electronic and a manual radio signal attenuator for more RF dynamic; enhanced frequency setup to show the number of free channels and supported TV channels and quick frequency change functions to support monitors, all within a rugged housing. Battery life for the IVM receivers has been tested up to 10 hours.

“AKG’s IVM 4500 IEM in-ear monitoring hardware raises the bar for audio quality, as the user becomes more in-tune with their own sound,” stated Wolfgang Fritz, product marketing manager – tour sound, AKG. “AKG continues to set the standard of high-quality, reliable performance, while IVM4500 IEM adds another groundbreaking, performance-enhancing technology to the industry.”

IVM4500 IEM features antenna diversity, with two matched antennae and a new reference radio electronic design, all of which provide stable signals for the receiver. IVM4500 IEM’s audio quality boasts a high-end and powerful headphone amplifier, ultra linear frequency response and dual mode for individual mix. The quick frequency change functions support monitor engineers throughout performances to make their projects easily adjustable.

“The in-ear monitoring market has become far more mature over the years,” continued Fritz. “Artists demand, and rightfully so, an in-ear monitor that combines reliability, performance, power, comfort and quality audio – traits we’ve worked tirelessly on to ensure the IVM4500 IEM meets the standards of the performer.”

Included in the IVM4500 IEM system are the SPR4500 IEM diversity receiver, which automatically shows the number of free channels and supports TV channels with pre-programmed preset frequencies; the SST4500 IEM transmitter, which is adjustable to 10, 20, 50 and 100 mW depending on country laws; and the IP 2 ear-channel headphones, providing excellent acoustics and low impedance. The SPC4500 antenna combiner, the SRA2 W directional antenna and the RA4000 W omni-directional antenna complete the package.

For more information please contact Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000, info@soundtech.co.uk or www.soundtech.co.uk/akg and http://www.akg.com.

HARMAN’s BSS Audio Brings AVB to Soundweb™ London With Introduction of BLU-805 and BLU-325 Processors

2012-01-23T10:38:00.001Z

HARMAN’s BSS Audio today introduced AVB (IEEE Audio Video Bridging) functionality to its acclaimed Soundweb London family of digital signal processors with the addition of two Soundweb London devices. The new Soundweb London BLU-805 and BLU-325 devices are AVB versions of the BLU-800 and BLU-320 CobraNet™ siblings from which they are derived.

The BLU-805 offers the same configurable signal processing capability as the existing BLU-800 device. Both new devices offer configurable inputs and outputs, compatibility with all Soundweb London input and output card options, logic processing capability, the 256-channel Soundweb London digital audio bus and GPIO.

Each device offers up to 16 inputs and outputs, configurable in banks of four. Card options include analogue mic/line inputs with Phantom Power, analogue outputs, digital inputs (AES/EBU and S/PDIF), digital outputs, the Soundweb London AEC Input Card and the Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Card.

The BLU-805 and BLU-325 devices allow 64 incoming AVB channels and 64 outgoing AVB channels at 48kHz, or 32 incoming AVB channels and 32 outgoing AVB channels at 96kHz. Configuration, control and monitoring is provided by HiQnet™ London Architect.

Iain Gregory, Marketing Lead for Installed Sound at Harman Signal Processing stated, "Combining the proven and respected Soundweb London platform with the industry-supported AVB transport is a very natural evolutionary step for Soundweb London. It gives access to the incredible flexibility of Soundweb London and contemporary transport technology, all in a familiar environment.”

The BLU-805 and BLU-325 along with the other members of the Soundweb London family provide the building blocks of the perfectly tailored system solution.

For more information please contact Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000, info@soundtech.co.uk or www.soundtech.co.uk/bss

HARMAN’s AKG WMS 40 MINI 2 Dual Wireless Microphone System Launches At Winter NAMM

2012-01-23T10:36:00.001Z

The latest addition to the successful line of HARMAN’s AKG WMS 40 MINI series now features a dual channel receiver. The AKG WMS 40 MINI 2 Dual wireless system, launched at Winter NAMM, offers high-definition audio performance, with efficient body pack and cardioid mic transmitters, ensuring advanced, reliable and quality sound for performances.

The WMS 40 MINI 2 Dual Package is available in three sets – the Vocal, Instrumental and Mix sets. The Vocal set features two HT 40 MINI dynamic cardioid microphones and the SR 40 MINI DUAL receiver. AKG’s Instrumental set includes two PT 40 MINI body packs - the smallest transmitters in its class that lasts up to 30 hours on one AA battery –the SR 40 MINI 2 and two guitar cables, while the Mix set offers one HT 40 MINI, a PT 40 MINI and the SR 40 MINI 2.

With swivelling antennae, easy-to-read LED meterings, volume control and the on-off switch on the front of the receiver, connecting and calibrating the plug-and-play system ensures engineers and musicians spend more time playing than worrying about the wireless technology itself.

“AKG’s WMS Series has proven to be very popular in the live sound industry and we are happy to continue offering reliable equipment to better serve musicians and engineers looking for their ultimate sound with minimal equipment,” stated Thomas Umbauer, product marketing manager – PPA, AKG. “Expanding the capabilities of WMS 40 in the new Dual system exceeds the industry standards for smaller, quality wireless systems. Our engineers continuously work to ensure our products offer the best in signal transmission and sound and WMS 40 MINI 2 Dual follows AKG tradition in every sense.”

The WMS 40 MINI 2 Dual system is available in February 2012 priced at an expected £199 RRP inc VAT.

For more information please contact Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000, info@soundtech.co.uk or www.soundtech.co.uk/akg

HARMAN Professional To Debut Crown HiQnet Band Manager™ 2 At Winter NAMM: Next Generation Connectivity And Control System For Portable PA

2012-01-23T10:32:00.001Z

In an introduction that provides audio professionals, musicians and enthusiasts with advanced system set up and design capabilities coupled with a highly intuitive user interface, HARMAN Professional today introduced Crown HiQnet Band Manager™ 2 at the 2012 Winter NAMM Expo. In doing so, the company is providing the broad community of musicians, DJs, venue owners and managers with access to better sound through sophisticated system integration and optimization technologies but also via a highly evolved user interface that is reliable, comprehensive and easy to navigate. According to Andy Flint, Business Segment Manager Portable PA, Crown Audio, today’s introduction will make DJs, engineers and audio rental professionals more efficient and effective at their job and will enable musicians, venue owners and managers to enjoy better performance — and better value — from their systems investment.

“If you’re going to invest in an audio system and you’re genuinely interested in getting the best possible sound for your business or performance, then HiQnet Band Manager 2 is a must-have,” Flint said today. “HiQnet makes great systems sound even better without the hassle, without the programming and without the requisite setup time that traditionally comes with preparing for a gig!”

HARMAN HiQnet Band Manager is an iteration of HARMAN’s industry-leading HiQnet system configuration and control protocol. The core systems integration and connectivity capabilities of HARMAN HiQnet have been customized and packaged for the systems integration, tour sound and MI markets respectively in HiQnet System Architect™; HiQnet London Architect™, JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ and Crown HiQnet BandManager 2.

Band Manager 2 will include control and monitoring for Crown Audio’s XTi 2 product line. Users will be able to manage up to eight XTi 2 amplifiers via quick and simple USB interface. Crown will also have a brand new set of JBL presets for the XTi 2 product line that take full advantage of the enhanced processing and Peakx Plus™ limiters. HiQnet Band Manager 2 will also include presets for all the JBL JRX, MRX, SRX, and VRX product families and continued support for the original XTi Series, now discontinued.

It’s not surprising, therefore, that HiQnet Band Manager 2 boasts the performance firepower of highly evolved systems but Flint is quick to point out that this in itself presented a considerable challenge in making HiQnet Band Manager 2 usable for the broadest community of users. “Our first challenge in making HiQnet Band Manager valuable was first to make it accessible,” Flint notes. “We worked closely with target end-users and also modeled it on a browser paradigm and some good ideas from consumer interfaces to make Band Manager 2 easy to understand and quick to learn. We put this front-end on a powerful, scalable engine and we’re offering it for free. This adds up to a very accessible, attractive proposition and I encourage NAMM goers and interested parties everywhere to download Band Manager 2 and try it for themselves.”

“No other manufacturer can offer this scale of integration, system performance or price leadership,” Flint adds. “In today’s challenging economy, we’re not simply giving more — we’re also empowering MI customers everywhere to demand more of their systems and system manufacturers! In meeting with customers and dealers around the globe, I am consistently told that the investment that HARMAN made in developing HiQnet has paid a considerable efficiency dividend to our end-users in how they do their job and craft their art. We’re equally grateful for their input, ideas and adoption and we look forward to Band Manager 2 extending the franchise and usefulness to new communities going forward.”

For more information please contact Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000, info@soundtech.co.uk or www.soundtech.co.uk/crown

HARMAN’s JBL Professional Debuts PRX400 Series Portable PA Loudspeakers at Winter NAMM 2012

2012-01-23T10:27:00.001Z

HARMAN’s JBL Professional today introduced its PRX400 Series of passive portable loudspeakers, designed to bring true professional-quality performance, power handling and durability to more affordable price points. The new JBL PRX400 Series includes the 15-inch PRX415M, 12-inch PRX412M and dual 15-inch PRX425 loudspeakers, as well as the 18-inch PRX418 subwoofer.

The PRX415M and PRX412M can be used as either mains or monitors, and when used with the PRX418 subwoofer, provide a sat/subwoofer system capable of delivering 135dB of full-range, high-quality sound. The PRX425 dual-15-inch, 2-way speaker is ideal for DJs and bands that require powerful low-frequency extension from the convenience of a standalone cabinet.

“Since their introduction, our PRX600 Series portable PA loudspeakers have been tremendously popular with touring musicians, DJs and in a variety of live performance venues,” said Richard Ruse, Senior Director of Worldwide Sales, JBL Professional. “Our new PRX400 Series models offer the same exceptional sound and rugged reliability in a passive loudspeaker format, at pricing that offers outstanding value in its category.”

JBL PRX400 loudspeakers are designed to work hand in hand with Crown Audio’s powerful and innovative XTi2 Series amplifiers. Crown XTi2 amplifiers incorporate enhanced pre-set performance tunings for PRX400 Series loudspeakers, including crossover points for a sat/subwoofer setup, and optimized parametric filter that bring out the full potential of PRX400 Series loudspeakers. JBL PRX400 tunings will also be available in the dbx DriveRack® PA+ signal processor/complete loudspeaker management system.

JBL PRX400 Series loudspeakers utilize extremely high-quality, tour-tested drivers and components to deliver clear, detailed and dynamic sound for bands, DJs, nightclubs, schools, houses of worship or other professional touring and installed sound applications. They feature Neutrik® SpeakON combination connectors and are built from lightweight, yet extremely tough 18mm birch/poplar multi-laminate hardwood covered in JBL’s resilient DuraFlex™ covering. All PRX400 Series models feature rugged 16 gauge steel grilles.

JBL PRX400 Series loudspeakers offer versatile installation options. All full-range models incorporate twelve M-10 suspension points and hardened steel eyebolts for safe hanging in light-duty installations. Built-in dual-angle pole-mount sockets enable the PRX415M and PRX412M to be mounted either straight out or at a 10-degree downward angle to deliver the best audience coverage pattern. With a 10-degree down angle, the speakers can be aimed down at the audience, keeping sonic reflections off the back wall for better clarity and more efficient coverage. In addition, all PRX400 models feature ergonomic handles made from road-tough, lightweight glass-filled nylon.

In common with all JBL Professional products, PRX400 Series loudspeakers have survived JBL’s 100-hour power test, in which they are submitted to 100 hours of continuous, high-level input. The speakers also go through a barrage of unforgiving environmental and strength tests including harsh temperatures and humidity, ensuring they will perform perfectly anywhere. All PRX400 models incorporate JBL’s Sonic Guard speaker protection circuit that automatically attenuates the signal going into the high-frequency section of the speaker if too much input signal is detected, and restores normal operation when the overload condition passes.

The JBL PRX400 will be shipping in Q2 2012 with a price to be confirmed.

For more information please contact Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000, info@soundtech.co.uk or www.soundtech.co.uk/jbl

Clavia releases Nord Drum Virtual Analogue Drum Synthesizer

2012-01-17T07:21:00.000Z

The Nord Drum is a revolutionary 4-channel drum synthesizer that is the result of a creative collaboration between Clavia and drum/music technology enthusiasts Bruniusson & Berg. With an amazingly vast sonic palette and an astounding level of playability it is guaranteed to change your perception of what’s possible with synthetic, sample-free percussion.

The Nord Drum lets you create classic retro-futuristic percussion with analogue waveforms or use the harmonically complex waveforms together with different colours of noise for results that both sound and respond stunningly organic.

The Nord Drum is designed with the performing musician in mind and its extreme dynamic range and super-fast triggering add to the feeling of playing a real instrument.

4 high-sensitivity inputs and MIDI lets you play the Nord Drum with a wide range of Electronic Drum Pads, Acoustic Drum Triggers and MIDI-pads/Sequencers for easy integration into any existing drum-kit or the starting point for something completely new…

The Nord Drum will be shown at the AM&S Nord Booth #6464 at NAMM Show 2012.

Nord Drum will ship in the UK in March 2012 with an estimated selling price of £399 RRP inc VAT.

For more information please contact Nord UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000, email info@soundtech.co.uk or visit www.norddrum.com and www.facebook.com/nordkeyboardsuk

Clavia releases Nord Piano 2 HA88 at NAMM Show 2012

2012-01-17T07:19:00.001Z

The Nord Piano 2 HA88 lets you easily play, split and layer stunning Grand, Upright and Electric Pianos from the Nord Piano Library with sounds from the versatile Nord Sample Library. All this in a streamlined portable package with 88 Hammer Action Weighted keys.

All of the sounds in the Nord Piano 2 HA88 are replaceable, making it an instrument that is built to evolve with you. It’s even possible to create your own sample instruments using the Nord Sample Editor.

We think technology should be transparent to the user, which is why the Nord Piano 2 has dedicated buttons and knobs for all functions the performing musician needs instead of confusing menus.
We’ve made it amazingly simple to layer and split sounds, and there’s a volume pedal input for sneaking in those strings while you keep playing.

The Nord Piano 2 also sports an extensive effects section, covering everything from Phaser, Wah-wah, Flanger, Chorus and Delay effects to a 3-band Equalizer, Amp Simulations, Compressor and Reverb.

The Nord Piano 2 will be shown at the AM&S Nord Booth #6464 at NAMM Show 2012.

The Nord Piano 2 will ship in the UK this month, January 2012, with a price to be confirmed.

For more information please contact Nord UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000, email info@soundtech.co.uk or visit www.soundtech.co.uk/nord and www.facebook.com/nordkeyboardsuk

Please click on any image for a high-resolution version.

Clavia releases Nord C2D Combo Organ at NAMM Show 2012

2012-01-17T07:14:00.000Z

Complete with 2 sets of physical drawbars per manual the Nord C2D is the ultimate portable organ for musicians that play with their drawbars as well as the keys. The new left-hand preset sections offer an unsurpassed level of hands-on control and the upper manual and panel has been tilted for better ergonomics. An LCD-display has been added for easier access to programs and settings.

The Nord C2D features a redesigned simulation of the characteristic mechanical key clicks that are an essential component of the classic tone-wheel experience. Furthermore, the redesigned percussion model offers increased control over the percussion levels when playing near-legato.

The Nord C2D also includes a redesigned Rotary Speaker simulation of a vintage 122 unit.

Naturally, the Nord C2D also includes both the Vox and Farfisa transistor organ simulations and the sampled Baroque Pipe Organ from the acclaimed Nord C2 Combo Organ.

The Nord C2D will be shown at the AM&S Nord Booth #6464 at NAMM Show 2012

Handmade in Sweden by Clavia DMI AB, the Nord C2D will ship in the UK in February 2012, with a price to be confirmed.

For more information please contact Nord UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000, email info@soundtech.co.uk or visit www.soundtech.co.uk/nord and www.facebook.com/nordkeyboardsuk

Please click on any image for a high-resolution version.

Hands on with SSL solutions at Alchemea Pro Tools 10 event

2012-01-13T11:39:00.001Z

SSL will be exhibiting our latest music production solutions alongside ProTools 10 at a free Pro Tools 10 Expo at Alchemea on Friday 27th January 2012.

The free event hosted by Alchemea, Avid & education specialist academiamusic will see AVID training and demonstrations through the day with selected partners, including SSL, demonstrating software and hardware technologies working alongside Pro Tools 10.

Alchemea
The Windsor Centre
Windsor Street
London, N1 8QG

Click here for further information and to register.

'Superb' Larrivée SO-03 WL reviewed in Acoustic

2012-01-12T14:38:00.001Z

"A superb fingerpicker for the appreciator of walnut over mahogany".

Previously unavailable outside the Traditional Series, the Larrivée SO body shape (or OOO as it is more commonly known) is now available in the -03 series for a limited time. Available with either Walnut or Rosewood back and sides, Acoustic magazine this month review the SO-03 WL (Walnut).

"Knowing how ornate their guitars can be made, it's always interesting to see how much attention has gone into a comparatively simple-looking guitar..."

"The minimalism here includes the attributes of the single-piece mahogany neck, which is equally as smooth to the touch, employing a shallow C cross section, making it immensely playable".

"The clinical characteristic is emphasised with flawless fretting of the narrow frets, small dot position markers and consistently grained African ebony fingerboard aesthetics. Here you will get more smoothness and satin under the fingertips".

"...walnut also generates great tones, rich with wave-like pulsing sustain and mid-range detail. It also has a reasonable degree of tightened bass without being too open, and at the same time lots of top-end detail and harmonic qualities ring out...In this guitar it is really at home - focused, linear and clear".

"Depending on how much sustain you actually desire from a fingerpicker, you may like to think about this, as this guitar has great merit in this area and the pulsing quality we spoke of engenders liveliness in your playing".

"This is for someone who appreciates wood, playability, and something that is a little different without being a departure into the unknown".

The full review can be found in the February issue (Issue 62) of Acoustic magazine on sale now. The Larrivée SO-03 WL (OOO-03 WL) is also available now at £1699 RRP inc VAT.

Further Links

Propellerhead Balance review in Time Out Chicago

2012-01-11T11:59:00.001Z

"All in all, Balance is a godsend for Reason users new and old: a portable, affordable, bare-bones interface that works seamlessly with the leading electronic software in the industry. Even without all the bells and whistles of its competitors, Balance makes it easy for anyone to capture their music. It’s also easy enough to use if you’re just starting out. If you don’t already own Reason software, Balance comes with a copy of Reason Essentials, a stripped-down version of Reason 6 with plenty of virtual instruments and effects to get you started. In short, solo musicians and home producers, especially those who are space-strapped, would be wise to look into Balance."

Read the full article here:
http://timeoutchicago.com/music-nightlife/music/15078051/music-gear-review-propellerheads-balance-audio-interface

JBL Marquis Dance Series demo event at Ministry of Sound, London

2012-01-11T10:50:00.001Z

JBL and UK distributor Sound Technology are to host a demonstration of the new Marquis Dance Series, JBL's new flagship club sound system, at Ministry of Sound on Thursday 2nd February 2012.

Whether it's a world-class mega club or an intimate lounge, the new JBL Marquis Dance Club Series has been created to drive energy and ensure an electrifying experience. With over six decades of experience, JBL engineers have brought their passion for delivering the soul and depth of music to dance floors since before the disco boom in the 1970’s.

From thumping mega dance floors to tranquil VIP lounges, from eclectic chill rooms to complex sound booths, the Marquis Dance Club Series systematic loudspeaker designs are scalable to smaller venues, ultra lounges, and mega clubs alike.

For the extreme requirements of large and mega-size clubs, the Marquis Dance Club Series comprises eight powerful multi-way systems and subwoofer models that combine JBL’s extraordinary sound, proven reliability and state-of-the-art technology with striking architectural design and versatile configurability.

On Thursday 2nd February 2012 you have a chance to hear the Marquis Series at London's Ministry of Sound. Intended for club owners and technical managers this is an informal listening session from 2pm to 6pm where JBL experts will be on hand to answer any of your questions.

For more information and to register your attendance please call Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000 or register online here.

Related Links

New Randall Diavlo head reviewed in TG

2012-01-04T15:59:00.001Z

"Far from just a one-trick steel-horse, this baby has soul too".

Randall's new Diavlo series features both 50 watt combo and head variants. Total Guitar magazine this month review the Diavlo RD50H head and RD112 (1 x 12 ) cabinet where they receive the highest marks available for 'value for money' and 'build quality'.

"Randall has engineered the Diavlo so you can swap the power valves. It comes with a pair of EL34s, but you can install 6CA7, 6L6, 5881, 6550, KT88, KT77, or 6V6 valves without needing to rebias the amp".

"...the Diavlo steps up with a decent array of clean and crunch sounds. Perhaps it's down to the pure-valve design, but there's more character than the surgical metal cleans Randall has become associated. Because the Diavlo is a 50-watt amp, you can also drive it harder".

"With the Boost engaged, it works wonders with singlecoil and soapbar pickups for a vintage garage sound too".

"Feed it humbuckers and fat rock rhythms or weeping bluesy leads are where it excels. We're glad to see a Randall that doesn't prey solely on metallers."

"It's simple, solid and sounds great".

The Randall Diavlo RD50H and RD112 cabinet are available now at £420 and £168 RRP respectively. The Randall Diavlo RD50C is also available now at £492 RRP. The full review can be found in the January Issue (Issue 223) of Total Guitar magazine.

Further Links

Nord at 2012 NAMM Show

2012-01-04T15:37:00.001Z

The annual NAMM Show exhibition in California takes place 19 - 21 January 2012. Nord will be exhibiting - booth #6464.

Make sure you keep up with our Nord news by following us via the links below!

SSL releases new features for Nucleus, available for download now

2011-12-23T16:49:00.001Z

New DAW profiles for Ableton Live and Propellerhead Reason plus support for Lion & 64-bit for Mac

Solid State Logic, the world’s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and control surfaces, today releases new features for its multi-award winning Nucleus control surface.

Nucleus users can now download dedicated DAW control profiles for Ableton Live and Propellerhead Reason (in addition to existing profiles for Pro Tools, Logic and Cubase/Nuendo and any other DAW applications that support MCU or HUI).

OS X Lion is now fully supported for Nucleus, with a revised Java based Console Browser. The Nucleus soundcard now also supports 64-bit for Mac users.

Sam Counihan, International Sales Manager at Ableton AG says: "We're long time fans of Solid State Logic – a top-of-the-line name for mixing desks, interfaces and other audio hardware. We're therefore pleased to announce a new Ableton Live template from our friends at SSL, for their Nucleus control console. This new template tightly connects the feature sets of both the Nucleus and Ableton Live. Live's unique and dynamic workflow is brought to life through the Nucleus' tactile work surface, and is complimented by the console's high-end audio interface - featuring the same SuperAnalogue technology as found in the company's flagship Duality and AWS consoles. In other words, bring a laptop with Ableton Live to any studio with an SSL rig (you'll find them in the best studios out there), and you're good to go…”

Any registered Nucleus user can download the upgrade bundle by clicking on the Download link on the Downloads tab of the Nucleus product page,www.solidstatelogic.com/music/nucleus. (You will need your serial number to hand.)

The upgrade bundle contains:

Nucleus console software version 1.5
Nucleus browser version 1.06
Mac Soundcard driver 2.00.05
IpMIDI (latest versions for both Mac and PC)

Additional documentation is available via the Documentation tab on the Nucleus product page.

Nucleus has won two awards in 2011 – Best Desk Controller at the Resolution Awards and Best DAW Controller at the MIPA Awards. It has been nominated for a further two awards – Best Hardware the 2012 Sound On Sound Awards and Best Small Format Console Technology in the 2011 Tec Awards. Winners of both Awards will be announced at the annual NAMM Convention in January 2012 in Los Angeles.

More about Nucleus
Launched in 2010, Nucleus re-defines the professional project studio with a perfect blend of advanced DAW control, transparent SuperAnalogue™ monitoring, high class SuperAnalogue™ mic pres, pro quality USB audio interface and bundled SSL Duende Native plug-ins. Nucleus is a compact desktop unit that creates a comfortable, efficient, hands on operating environment for DAW based Music and Film/TV Post production. It provides everything you need to record and monitor audio and to control your DAW quickly and efficiently without resorting to your mouse. Nucleus streamlines your workflow and helps you focus on your sound, not your screen.

Find out more at www.solidstatelogic.com/nucleus

Dean St Studios upgrades Studio 3 with SSL Nucleus

2011-12-23T16:45:00.001Z

"Nucleus restores some of the human qualities that a lot of digitally created music lacks"

Solid State Logic, the world’s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and control surfaces, is pleased to announce that Dean St. Studios has installed a Solid State Logic Nucleus control surface as part of its renovation of Studio 3. The Soho-based studio complex has a long and rich history, hosting artists as iconic as David Bowie, T-Rex, Frank Sinatra and The Smiths. Dean St. today is a thriving and expanding hub of creative audio production.

“Here at Dean Street we pride ourselves on offering our clients the very best,” insists Austen Jux-Chandler, House Engineer at the legendary facility. “In Studio 1 – our flagship studio – we already run an SSL Duality, so installing Nucleus in Studio 3 seemed like the logical choice for those wishing to take a more ‘in-the-box’ approach to music production. Studio 3 is primarily a post production suite that also aims to provide a comfortable environment for recording voiceovers, but Nucleus has also allowed us to promote the space as a full in-the-box mix room. And as a result we’ve furthered our customer base greatly.”

“Having 16 faders of DAW control not only adds to the professional feel of the studio, it also makes for a much fuller mixing experience. There aren’t really any other products in this price range and of this build quality that offer so much hands-on control, so right out of the box Nucleus allows us to offer our clients a much more intuitive environment for their mixes.”

The studios also have a number of clients who travel from overseas, so being able to take sessions with them between various studios is of paramount importance, as Austen explains. “The control that Nucleus allows means that producers and engineers can keep their projects in the digital realm while still being able to physically interact with every aspect of the mix. And if you’re using Nucleus in another studio then it’s so quick and easy to set up your key commands and the like for our Nucleus here, which means you’re up and running with your projects in no time at all.”

“And being able to assume total control over effects parameters with physical pots has also encouraged those same engineers and producers to be more experimental. As a result they’ve become much more creative with their music. It seems that Nucleus restores some of the human qualities that a lot of digitally created music lacks.”

“As a studio we have developed a very strong bond with the SSL team over in Oxford. We previously had an AWS 900 in Studio 1 that’s since been replaced by Duality, which has been a fantastic piece of kit for us. Its flexibility and functionality perfectly suits our style of working and allows us to run sessions in a variety of ways, meaning we can always live up to our clients’ expectations. And now we’re expecting Nucleus to transform Studio 3 in a similar way. Ultimately it comes down to two things: we know we can trust SSL products, and we know SSL is a name that our clients can relate to.”

Soundcraft Si Compact in Audio Media's Gear of the Year 2011

2011-12-21T11:11:00.001Z

Soundcraft and UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd are pleased to announce the Soundcraft Si Compact series has been selected in leading trade magazine Audio Media's 'Gear of the Year 2011'

"The Soundcraft mixing console range oozes quality and the Si Compact is no exception. Soundcraft has incorporated influences from Studer, Lexicon and several more of the Harman companies and produced a flexible, easy-to-use, solid piece of kit for the professional masses."

The Si Compact packs powerful digital mixing facilities along with Lexicon effects into a small footprint console.

For more information please visit:
http://www.soundcraft.com/products/product.aspx?pid=180

Propellerhead Balance review at macprovideo.com

2011-12-20T17:28:00.001Z

Propellerhead Balance has racked up another excellent review, this time at macprovideo.com

"All in all Balance is an extremely attractive interface with all the right buttons in all the right places. Both its output and recordings sounded excellent to my ear (using Dynaudio and Genelec speakers in a treated room) and the design is very cool.

You also get a copy of Reason Essentials bundled with the interface which is basically a stripped down version of Reason 6 and gives you everything you need to get going. You will also get a special offer upgrade to the full version if you want it. As one of the Props wisely said: “Reason Essentials is everything you need, Reason 6 is everything you want.”

The whole package is thoughtfully put together and should cater to a wide range of musicians. And, the fact that Balance works with just about any piece of audio software out there is a definite plus.

If I had to pick faults here I would say that the lack of metering on the unit is a bit of a disappointment and although you can monitor your inputs directly, a mix knob would have been nice. Other units at this price point do have these features.

That aside I have to say this is an excellent product and the fact it is the Props’ first piece of hardware is very impressive to say the least. They seem to have struck a nice ‘balance’ between form and function (Sorry I couldn’t help myself!). "

Full review at:
http://www.macprovideo.com/hub/review-2/review-propellerheads-balance-interface

Propellerhead Balance wins MusicTech Choice award in latest review

2011-12-16T11:45:00.001Z

"A bold and well-executed move into hardware for Propellerhead. Well-designed and easy to use, it's ideal for home producers or those on the move."

Propellerhead's new Balance audio interface is reviewed in the January 2012 issue of Music Tech magazine where it scores 9/10 and receives the Music Tech Choice award.

The review praises its excellent sound quality, minimal set-up, ingenius Clip Safe mode, built in Ignition Key for Reason, Direct Monitoring and easy input selection.

"Balance is an excellent audio interface that's extremely easy to set up and use, plus it has some nifty designm features such as the ability to connect multiple sources and switch between them from the front panel. Although it works with any DAW it is , unsurprisingly, in its element when used with a flavour of Reason 6."

Propellerhead Balance is a high quality 2-in, 2-out USB 2.0 audio interface. Although most home producers will only record one or two sources simultaneously, Balance has 8 inputs (2 mic inputs, 2 guitar level, and 4 line level inputs) so all your devices can stay connected - simply select what you want to record from Balance's front panel - no additional unnecessary software control panels! It has a powerful headphone amplifier with large separate volume control. Balance requires no specific drivers on Mac - its fully Core Audio compliant - and comes with Windows drivers included.

Balance comes with Reason Essentials software included - a cut down version of Reason 6 yet still offering unlimited audio tracks. Reason Essentials can be easily upgraded to the full Reason 6 via the standard Reason 6 Upgrade package. For customers who already own an earlier version of Reason, Balance includes a free upgrade to Reason 6 (worth £139 RRP).

Balance is available now priced at £379 SRP inc VAT.

To read the full review please pick up the January 2012 issue of MusicTech Magazine.

Related Links

Propellerhead Balance wins MusicTech Choice award in latest review

2011-12-16T11:36:00.001Z

"A bold and well-executed move into hardware for Propellerhead. Well-designed and easy to use, it's ideal for home producers or those on the move."

Propellerhead's new Balance audio interface is reviewed in the January 2012 issue of Music Tech magazine where it scores 9/10 and receives the Music Tech Choice award.

The review praises its excellent sound quality, minimal set-up, ingenius Clip Safe mode, built in Ignition Key for Reason, Direct Monitoring and easy input selection.

Balance is available now priced at £379 SRP inc VAT.

To read the full review please pick up the January 2012 issue of MusicTech Magazine.

Related Links

Grammy winning engineer reviews Propellerhead Reason 6 and Balance reviewed at sonicscoop.com

2011-12-16T09:55:00.001Z

"The other major appeal was and still is that I cannot recall a time when Reason has crashed on me. Ever."

Bo Boddie is a Grammy winning engineer/producer and composer who has worked with Santana, Everlast, Korn, Reni Lane, and many others. A user of Reason since version 2 (alongside Logic and ProTools) Bo has reviewed Reason 6 and Balance for sonicscoop.com where he gives them both a glowing review.

"All in all, Reason 6 is a fantastic update to an already great program. I’ve really enjoyed using it on a regular basis over the last few weeks, and have written several songs and pieces of music with it. Now that you can record straight into Reason, I can safely say that you can get very high quality and competitive sonic results working entirely inside this program, using only the tools available within Reason 6."

"Balance will operate at sample rates up to 96 kHz, and plays very well with core audio, as I also used it with both Logic and Pro Tools 9 without a hitch. Balance also ships with a copy of Reason Essentials, which is a scaled down version of Reason ... it sounds very good and operates very well. Although I wasn’t able to test its sonics against similar interfaces in its class, I definitely didn’t find it noticeably lacking when compared to the Black Lion Audio modified interface I use at home (which is excellent). "

Read the full review via the link below:

Propellerhead Reason 6 awarded Editors Choice award in Macworld UK

2011-12-15T15:37:00.001Z

"Finally a unified all-you-can-eat recording environment; great instruments and effects; enormous fun for hardware bunnies; sumptuous mixing desk … Reason 6 is THE way to make electronic music on the Mac. Upgrading is particularly good value."

Propellerhead Reason 6 scores 5/5 and wins the Editor's Choice award in a review in the latest issue of MacWorld magazine.

"For the first time, Reason users can enjoy proper, integrated audio recording to go with all the lovely electronic gubbins"

To read the full review please pick up the latest edition of Macworld magazine or read the full article at macworld.co.uk here

Related Links

Propellerhead Reason 6 wins DAW of the Year 2011 at MusicRadar.com

2011-12-15T15:05:00.001Z

Propellerhead Reason 6 has been awarded DAW of the Year in a round-up of the best gear of 2011 at MusicRadar.com, the website for musicians from Future Publishing.

"This was the year that Reason truly came of age ... "

Related Links

Nord Stage 2 wins "Best Stage Piano" in MusicRadar.com's Gear of 2011

2011-12-15T14:44:00.001Z

MusicRadar.com, the website for musicians from Future Publishing (publishers of Future Music, and Computer Music ), have announced their best music tech gear of 2011. The Nord Stage 2 has won the award for 'Best Stage Piano'.

"If you want to know how highly regarded the Nord Stage pianos are, just go to a few gigs or watch some live music on TV. You’ll see loads of them."

Full review of the Nord Stage 2 HA88:
http://www.musicradar.com/gear/all/keys-synths/pianos-and-personal-keyboards/stage-digital-pianos/nord-stage-2-ha88-486973/review

More information:
http://www.clavia.se/main.asp?tm=Products&clpm=Nord_Stage_2

Academy of Contemporary Music installs Solid State Logic Duality SE

2011-12-13T10:49:00.001Z

The Academy of Contemporary Music, a three-building complex located in Guildford, UK with satellite academies in the United States, South Africa and Italy, has purchased a 24-channel Solid State Logic Duality SE console for its advanced degree program.

The school, founded over fifteen years ago and accredited by Guildford College, Middlesex University and Surrey University, offers degree programs in everything from music production and performance to music business and sound design for new media. The new SSL Studio with Duality will be the flagship facility for the entire franchise.

“The Duality is the best technology out there, it’s the latest kit and that is what we need for our new studio,” says Antony Greaves, head of audio production for the Academy of Contemporary Music. “The Academy here in Guildford has 1,200 full-time and 300 part-time students and all of our studio-based lectures for a degree will be in the SSL Studio classroom. Students will have dedicated lectures on how to use all of the functions on the desk and also will be able to use the studio for their own projects. We believe Duality will be an excellent teaching platform.”

The Academy of Contemporary Music differs from more traditional music academies because of its focus on rock and pop music, and its vocational approach to teaching. It offers diploma, higher diploma, bachelor of arts and masters degree programs and is constantly looking to upgrade its facilities to stay current. The SSL Studio with Duality is the latest example of offering the very best experience for its students.

”Duality is a combination of traditional analogue signal flow with DAW control, so we can offer all aspects of modern recording from one room,” continues Greaves. “Because of Duality’s analogue roots, we can teach the fundamentals of signal routing and that knowledge will apply to any console in the world, helping our students gain employment. Duality also allows us to address newer technology and production methods through its comprehensive DAW control. Combined with Total Recall™ and automation, Duality gives us the tools to keep our students very current while giving them a strong fundamental audio backbone to work from.”

The SSL Studio, the ninth studio at the Guilford location, is purpose-built around Duality for the production degree program. The choice of outboard gear is designed to give students experience with different sonic colors. The primary signal path of mic pre, EQ and dynamics on Duality offers industry standard sound quality. As a teaching platform, Duality gives students the opportunity to understand the nature of good sound, while the SSL pedigree gives the Academy a leg up on the competition.

“Part of the justification in procuring Duality is the marketing advantage it gives us,” states Greaves. “We have a lot of students looking to work on an advanced console. Having the absolute latest technology and a better version of what our competitors offer is a huge advantage to us. Duality is by far the best product out there and that works to help us attract and keep students.”

Propellerhead Balance in CNET's 'Alternative Tech for Christmas' gift guide

2011-12-12T17:33:00.001Z

Propellerhead's Balance and Reason Essentials feature in the 'Alternative Tech for Christmas' gift guide on leading consumer technology website, CNET UK. (5.8 million unique users per month).

Please see the attached screen grab for details, and click on this link to view online: http://crave.cnet.co.uk/gadgets/gift-guide-2011-alternative-tech-for-christmas-50006264/

CNET is one of the UK’s top two technology websites in terms of traffic, with 5.8 million unique users and 28 million page impressions per month. The average user is aged 25-34 and spends £500+ on consumer technology every year. According to the website: “CNET UK (www.cnet.co.uk) is the UK's expert and unbiased authority on consumer technology. It's where people go to discover the latest consumer technology news and reviews, and learn how to enhance their digital life.”

DigiTech iPB-10 features in Stuff magazine

2011-12-12T17:16:00.001Z

The DigiTech iPB-10 receives terrific exposure and a great review in the latest edition of Stuff, the leading UK lifestyle and technology magazine. Please see the attached scan from the January 2011 cover-date edition.

"Axe purists may moan into their Snakebite at this high-tech and self-contained system, but it's a remarkably neat and easy way to program in effects, resulting in some frankly awesome sounds. Foot switching is very flexible, and the tank-like build quality means that the iPB-10 is foot-smashingly robust. It can even be used without the iPad, although it's more effective with it, especially when you can't remember which bank each preset is stored in."

Stuff is the world's most popular gadget magazine and has 28 international editions, including amongst others China, France, Germany, India, Middle East, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain and Sweden. It has three million readers worldwide, including an ABC of 92,959 in the UK.

Find out more about the amazing DigiTech iPB-10 at
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/digitech/news/ipb-10-programmable-pedalboard

Exclusive signed Nord Keyboards and Larrivée guitars to be auctioned for Mencap this week

2011-12-12T12:55:00.001Z

Sound Technology Ltd have been proud sponsors of Mencap's Little Noise Sessions for the past few years. This week Mencap are auctioning exclusive signed items from the Little Noise Sessions which includes Nord Keyboards signed by Elbow and Pet Shop Boys and Larrivée acoustic guitars signed by Coldplay, Paolo Nutini and Lostprophets.

Up for auction are a Nord Stage EX 76 signed by Elbow (as used on their tour this year), a Nord Piano 88 signed by the Pet Shop Boys, a Larrivée L-09 signed by Paolo Nutini, a Larrivée L-03 signed by Lostprophets and an LV-03E signed by Coldplay.

Photo above: Nord Stage EX76 signed by Elbow (used on tour, but immaculate!)

Photo above: Larrivée L-03 signed by Paolo Nutini

All these instruments and other LIttle Noise Sessions memorabilia are being auctioned on eBay from Monday 12 December, with all money raised going to Mencap. Log on to http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/mencapevents/m.html_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686 and start bidding!

For more information about Little Noise Sessions, please visit www.littlenoisesessions.org.uk, follow Twitter @little_noise or on Facebook www.facebook.com/littlenoisesessions.

Related links:

Propellerhead Balance audio interface blind listening test

2011-12-09T15:25:00.001Z

Last weekend Robotspeak did a listening blind test of Balance and three other reputable interfaces to see how it stacks up. Needless to say, the results made us very happy — Balance was favoured on average 68.8% of the time! Although, as you know, we think there are other things to look at when choosing an audio interface rather than just sound quality alone.

"By now most avid followers of Propellerhead Reason are probably familiar with the new hardware audio interface, Balance. Balance is an elegant, 2-channel desktop unit that connects to a Mac or PC via USB and features all of the general connections one would expect from a quality device. There are also Reason specific functions, including Clip Safe control and a button to call up an input monitor/tuner display. Once you’ve moved past the looks and features of the unit, the one question that remains is “how does Balance sound?”

Well.. to answer this question, a group of us got together in San Francisco at Robotspeak to compare Balance with a few other popular devices in an audio interface shootout. "

Read the results here:
http://www.peff.com/journal/2011/12/06/balance-shootout-at-robotspeak/

Guitar Tech Geno Bishop Introduces Queensryche To HARMAN’s AKG WMS 4500 Wireless Microphone System

2011-12-07T12:27:00.001Z

With decades of experience as a guitar tech, working with notable acts such as Prince, Timbaland and Edwin McCain, Geno Bishop has upgraded the progressive heavy metal sounds of Queensryche with HARMAN’s AKG WMS 4500 wireless microphone system. Working with the band’s lead guitarist Michael Wilton, Bishop integrated AKG’s wireless solution into the band’s equipment rack after numerous technical issues stemming from previous transmitters.

Utilizing two stand-alone WMS 4500 units for Queensryche shows, Bishop keeps the wireless channels busy by assigning one channel for the main feed, one for a backup, one open with a cable and one dead – always ready for anything a performance or venue throws at him.

“When we started having issues with our previous wireless system, we knew we could do better and the AKG WMS 4500 is proof,” said Bishop. “It’s a great piece of technology – perfect for guitar and vocals – and I can’t imaging using any other transmitter/receiver system after the success we’ve seen from the WMS 4500.”

Wilton and Bishop have taken the WMS 4500 all around the world, from Japan and Australia, to Russia and the Middle East and both continue to rave about the sound and reliability. “It’s the pro’s choice,” stated Wilton, who has played guitar and bass for nearly four decades. “I’ve been using AKG wireless from the early days of the 700-series and it never disappoints.”

Currently on its 30th Anniversary Tour, Queensryche continues to be one of the most notable metal bands in the industry, with 11 studio albums, totalling more than 20 million sold and a strong fan base around the world. Ensuring its sound is perfect is a crucial aspect during live shows for Bishop.

“There have been a few times where we’ve forgotten the AKG wireless in racks when we performed and had to use alternate systems,” Bishop continued. “Those nights were definitely not as happening. We have zero issues with the WMS 4500, no matter what venue or country we play. Impressing the fans is the number-one priority and AKG allows us to provide the perfect sound.”

Propellerhead Reason wins MIA Best Music Software award

2011-12-02T10:47:00.001Z

Propellerhead UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd is very proud to announce Propellerhead Reason has won the UK's Music Industry Association's (MIA) Best Music Software of the Year award sponsored by Computer Music / Music Radar as voted for by the public.

The MIA is the UK's trade association for the musical instrument industry. The awards this year are the first MIA awards to be voted for by the public which makes this all the more important to us. Thank you to everyone who voted!

Released late last year Reason 5 was current at the time the shortlisted was created, now been superceded by Reason 6 .

For more information please visit www.propellerheads.se and www.facebook.com/propellerheaduk

For a list of all the MIA Award winners please click here:
http://www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/read/mia-awards-the-product-winners/016017

Nord Stage 2 wins UK's Music Industry Association Best Music Hardware award

2011-12-01T13:57:00.001Z

Nord UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd is very proud to announce the Nord Stage 2 has won the UK's Music Industry Association's (MIA) Best Music Hardware of the Year award sponsored by Future Music / Music Radar as voted for by the public.

This is the first time the MIA awards have been voted for by the public which makes this award all the more important to us! We're very proud to have received this recognition from our customers.

The Stage 2 Series is Nord's flagship instrument line. It utilises Nord's very latest sound generation technology in the three categories of Piano, Organ and Synthesizer combined with a thoroughly thought-out user interface, a choice of top-flight keybeds and an almost obsessive level of quality control. The Stage 2 truly sets itself apart as an instrument for the professional performing musician.

Every Nord Keyboard is hand-made in Nord's factory in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden, and each unit is individually tested and calibrated.

For a complete list of MIA award winners please click here:
http://www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/read/mia-awards-the-product-winners/016017

To see the other awards the Stage 2 has won please click here:
http://www.clavia.se/main.asp?tm=Products&clpm=Nord_Stage_2&clns2m=In_the_press

Music Teacher mag reviews Reason 6 - "ideal for educational use"

2011-11-30T15:11:00.001Z

Music Teacher magazine has reviewed Reason 6 in its latest issue.

They conclude, "Reason 6 is a wonderful and inspiring tool offering a complete and robust recording and music production system. Its self-sufficiency and rock-solid stability make it ideal for educational use."

Reason 6 is available at specially discounted priced for students, teachers and educational institutions. Very cost effective multi-site licencing is available for institutions and includes easy-to-use and flexible networked copy protection for simple administration of even the largest suites of computers.

To read the full review please see the December 2011 issue of Music Teacher.

Related Links

Reason UK Artist Video: Olivia Broadfield

2011-11-30T14:58:00.001Z

Olivia Broadfield would be the first to admit that a common question when people see her name is "Who is she?" But she also realizes that their common follow up is "Why is she outselling everyone but Owl City on the iTunes chart?" Olivia is a self-producing artist who is more than just a gifted songwriter. She's has a gift for music publishing as well.

http://youtu.be/rEm0VQyc89I

Where most bands finish their album, pile into a van, and start touring it around the country, Olivia takes to the modern online social networks to reach music supervisors and publishing companies. She has secured some of the most coveted film, tv, and commercial placements around, reaching audiences of millions with her music in the process. Most recently, Olivia was featured on Grey's Anatomy. It's a music placement which has made household names of artists like Imogen Heap.

We sat down with Olivia to hear about her early songwriting, what inspires her, and see how she's using Reason to create synth hooks from her vocals.

If you'd like to see the song she shows off in this video in more depth, "Say" is included as a demo song in the Reason 6 folder. Even if you don't own Reason, you can still see exactly how it was made and wired up by downloading the demo application from our website:
http://www.propellerheads.se/download/

http://youtu.be/rEm0VQyc89I

Reason Sound Design - how to create a gated delay effect

2011-11-30T14:32:00.001Z

In the first of a new video tutorial series entitled "Reason Sound Design", Propellerhead Software's product specialist Mattias Häggström Gerdt shows you how to great a gated delay combinator in Reason based on the patch "Echodile" from the Reason Factory Soundbank.

http://youtu.be/IqxBd1GJKPo

Reason's modular rack and its Combinator device really does open up enormous creative possibilities for patch creation and sound design. This new Sound Design video series will show useful patches then break them down to show how Reason's instrument and effect devices can be routed and combined. Once you've checked out the videos and got some patch ideas of your own you can submit your own patches to Propellerheads and in the following video they will take a look at some of the best. More information on this in the video itself!

Related links

EBS ships new Classic Session 120 120W tilt-back combo

2011-11-25T13:09:00.000Z

After widely acclaimed success with the smaller EBS Session 60 combo, EBS and UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd are pleased to announce immediate UK availability of its bigger brother – the EBS Session 120, 120 W RMS tilt-back bass combo.

The Session amps character is based on the EBS Classic 450 head scaled down to fit this mid sized bass combo perfectly and tailored to match the physics of the cabinet and the carefully selected speaker and tweeter. All together offering a natural, full bodied and warm bass sound with great definition, punch and bottom – in the true spirit of EBS.

This is an easy to use, great sounding and affordable bass combo. EBS has used all the knowledge and experience from designing high-end, world-class bass amps for professional musicians for more than two decades to make possible offering professional tone and great value in combination. The EBS Session 120 is a serious alternative for any musician in need of a mid sized bass combo.

The amp features a 3-band EQ with Bass, Mid and Treble controls, Character filter for a mid scooped preshaped sound, Balanced XLR-output, Aux-input with mix-in control for play along rehearsal or monitor use and a Headphones output. All in a nice vintage looking tilt-back style outfit.

The EBS Session 120 is designed and developed in Sweden. It is shipping in the UK now priced at £399 RRP inc VAT.

For more information please contact EBS distributor Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000 or visit www.soundtech.co.uk/ebs / www.facebook.com/ebsbassuk

K Series compatible Kurzweil PC3K Series expands with 76 and 61 note versions

2011-11-25T10:11:00.000Z

The Kurzweil PC3K series is the pinnacle of the PC3 line, bridging the gap between Kurzweil’s successful K series workstations and present PC3 innovations. The series has now been expanded with 76 note semi-weighted (PC3K7) and 61 note synth-action (PC3K6) versions, joining the existing 88 note hammer-action PC3K8.

Photo above: Kurzweil PC3K7

Photo above: Kurzweil PC3K6

The PC3K series, already loaded up with the many impressive features and sounds of the PC3, allows users to tap into the massive wealth of samples and programs developed for the legendary K Series over the past two decades. Capable of loading .KRZ/25/26 sample files, WAVE and AIFF files, as well as most of the K Series programs and setups, the PC3K presents a whole new world of choices to players.

You can choose to delve into the extensive libraries of existing K Series samples or decide to fill the PC3K’s flash memory with your own signature samples. In either case, you’ll have the most powerful version of Kurzweil’s V.A.S.T technology ever developed at your fingertips to help sculpt your sounds and attain a level of detail and expressiveness truly worthy of your music.

Sample files can be loaded via USB from a thumb-drive or directly from a computer.

Features at a Glance
• Flagship of the PC3 series with K-Series sample compatibility
• 128Mb reloadable, non-volatile memory
• Loads legacy files from the K2000, K2500 and K2600 keyboards
• 76 note semi-weighted action keyboard with velocity and aftertouch on PC3K7
• 61 note lightly-weighted synth action keyboard with velocity and aftertouch sensitive keys on PC3K6
• 128 voice polyphony, 16 part multitimbral
• Dynamic VAST synthesis engine, with user programmable DSP algorithms and routing
• 850 new factory presets, 64+ new KB3 organ programs
• 16 insert effects distributed over 11 busses, two auxiliary sends and two master effects
• MIDI over USB, XD flash card slot

All versions are shipping now in the UK priced at £1914 RRP inc VAT for PC3K6, £2130 RRP inc VAT for PC3K7 and £2564 RRP inc VAT for the PC3K8.

For more information please contact Kurzweil's UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000 or visit www.soundtech.co.uk

Sound Division gives Abercorn advanced Harman solution

2011-11-24T21:49:00.000Z

A multi-million pound upgrade of the former Abercorn Arms public house in Stanmore has given owners, Red Klove, a luxurious bar/restaurant, serving up top quality pan-Indian cuisine and end-to-end audio visual entertainment. At the hub of its audio are multiples of JBL ceiling speakers and a BSS Soundweb London digital matrix. The design and installation was undertaken by The Sound Division Group.

The venue has been designed into nine zones, with a lounge and circular bar at front of house, a 280-cover restaurant at the rear, a separate 120-cover banqueting area upstairs and two glass encased private VIP dining areas.

The fit-out meets the owner’s requirement for cutting edge audio and visual technology to route multiple sources — all accessed from a large, cleverly designed (and extremely intuitive) GUI. Designed in Harman’s London Architect the 19” Samsung touch screen — which even allows for onscreen EQ adjustment — is mimicked up in the manager’s office on the second floor.

Sound Division’s task was to ensure that the BSS Audio environment interfaced with the Kramer HDMI video matrix switcher via serial command.

“BSS and Kramer provided most of the design support and I worked out how to integrate the two, making it work as one system in the simplest and most cost-effective way possible,” said Sound Division's network engineer Dean Osborne. “Kramer provided all serial codes for each command, and these were dialed in as a parameter preset in Soundweb.”

Having worked with the BSS platform for many years, he believes, “Soundweb London does so much more than the original Green boxes. Whereas you would once tend to run out of processing power, with Soundweb London BLU you are never likely to hit that brick wall. It has four times the power, and a lot of the processing objects are more efficient.”

At The Abercorn, two Soundweb London BLU-100 fixed 12-in/8-out digital DSP’s interface with two 6-way HDMI switchers to provide all zoning, EQ, presets and system protection — with a series of BLU-BOB and BLU-BIB I/O expanders increasing the size of the audio matrix in the most cost-effective manner.

The system being protected is largely a JBL Control distributed 100V (and low-voltage) ceiling speaker set-up. The brief to David Graham’s team was that the loudspeakers should be unobtrusive — and recessed white cans into a white background is about as invisible as you can get. Playlists programmed by 8-Track Music Solutions are pumped around the venue, evenly and transparently.

In the front lounge this comprises largely of JBL Control 24CT Micro Plus and 26CT, with further multiples of Control 24CT Micro Plus (and Control 24CT) in the main restaurant and a similar solution in the two private dining booths. The added bonus for private guests in the VIP booths is the local BLU-3 wall controller which allows them to manage their own level control locally.

The function room and ancillary areas upstairs (including a self-contained private bar) adopt a similar approach (with additional JBL Control 19CS 8in bass ceiling speakers providing some low-frequency extension for private clients bringing their own music). At the food dispense area there is also a BSS Soundweb London BLU-8 for local source select and level control of the upstairs private bar and banqueting suite.

The visual stimulus has been given equal priority. With retractable drop-down screens (including 3D capability), the latest LED thin plasma screens, HDMI cabling over Cat6 at the top end to VGA for simple computer presentations, David Graham’s team has thought of every eventuality. And for the private banqueting suite the company has provided iPod and DJ plug-in facilities as well as a portable PA system for live entertainment.

“Sound Division have done an excellent job and have been very responsive,” stated owner, Mitul. “I knew what I wanted in the way of signal sources and David Graham’s project designer worked out the system that I needed. The GUI is fantastic — a lot of work has clearly gone into it but it’s easy to operate.”

For more information please contact Sound Technology Ltd, Harman Professional UK/ROI distributor, on 01462 480000 or visit www.soundtech.co.uk

JBL HiQnet Performance Manager software - download beta now

2011-11-24T21:17:00.001Z

Paul Bauman, Senior Market Manager, Tour Sound, JBL Professional:
“In touring, time is money and Performance Manager dramatically streamlines the system design, setup and tuning process, allowing the JBL VerTec® System Engineer to achieve a higher level of performance with more consistent results on a daily basis from venue-to-venue.”

Brian Pickowitz, Market Manager, Crown Audio:
“HiQnet Performance Manager greatly simplifies loudspeaker preset management as well as power amplifier networking, grouping, monitoring and control. It is the ideal complement to the Crown Audio® VRACK turnkey power amplifier rack solution for JBL VerTec line array systems and the automated generation of pre-configured control panels combined with a tablet-friendly, highly-intuitive user interface will be a huge timesaver for the touring sound engineer.”

Adam Holladay, Market Manager, Harman Professional System Development and Integration Group:
“By comprehensive analysis of the workflow of audio professionals in touring applications, HiQnet Performance Manager provides an enhanced productivity tool unlike anything else available.”

VERTEC system integration and v5 presets available

2011-11-24T21:14:00.001Z

For professionals who require the highest performance audio and an intelligent way to control it, VERTEC V5 DSP is the next step forward in delivering the best sound possible.

Superior horizontal coverage, pristine linear phase OmniDriveHD™ sound quality and rock solid LevelMax™ limiting are significant enhancements to VERTEC's already acclaimed performance. Full system integration is available with Crown VRACK or JBL Drivepack® DPDA modules using HiQnet Performance Manager or Powered by Crown app software for efficient configuration management and control.

With V5, it's like having a new VERTEC system all over again.

Find out about the new VERTEC system integration and download the v5 presets now:

http://www.jblpro.com/products/tour/Vertec/V5.html

'Guitarist Choice' for new Washburn Stu Hamm

2011-11-24T16:07:00.001Z

"This is a beautifully executed bass ideal for forward-thinking musicians"

The brand new Stu Hamm signature series from Washburn includes 4 new basses created in conjunction with bass legend Stu Hamm to suit all players at any price point. Guitarist magazine this month have an exclusive review of the series' flagship model, the USA Custom Shop built, Washburn SH B3.

"Anyone familiar with Stu Hamm's bass playing will know that he loves to be associated with a penetrating bass sound that is always full and fruity but never lacking in sonic growl, so it will come as no surprise that his new Washburn signature bass is fully capable of doing just that".

"The bass also sports a D-Tuner, which works like a dream, offering a drop down to low D on the E string at the flip of a lever".

"Without doubt this is a great looking bass, but it's the ability to produce a wide range of good useable sounds, as the remit required, that gives this the edge".

"...we just can't help but fall in love with this finely made modern bass. The theory behind the design makes perfect sense and reality it works exceptionally well".

"Each pickup speaks with authority and an individual voice, so using any of them on their own will produce great results. However, the real magic is revealed when you combine the three voices. From clean and clear to deep, dark and rasping - it's all here".

The full review can be found in the December issue of Guitarist magazine (issue 349). The Washburn Stu Hamm SH B3 is available now at £2100 RRP.

Further Links

Larrivée OOO-03R Ltd awarded 'Guitarist Choice'

2011-11-24T13:13:00.001Z

"The guitar responds like a OOO on steroids. Its muscular delivery and dynamics wouldn't shame a decent dreadnought, yet importantly it retains the kind of fluid, picksome clarity you'd expect of its type".

Previously only available in the Larrivée Traditional Series (starting at £2000 RRP exc VAT) the Larrivée OOO model makes its debut in the -03 Recording Series with two limited edition guitars.

Manufactured in Larrivée’s Vancouver plant, the OOO-03 Limiteds are available with either solid rosewood (OOO-03R LTD) or solid walnut (OOO-03W LTD) back and sides. Guitarist magazine have the first review of the OOO-03R Ltd where it is awarded the magazine's Guitarist Choice award.

"In absolute terms this all adds up to picking nirvana...in a purist fingerstyle context playability is a delight".

"The tone, meanwhile, is warm and rich in the bass, balancing well against smoothly articulated highs. An aural joy".

"The OOO-03R Ltd is a shrewd debut...at its price this Larrivée has precious few rivals. That only marks it out for attention per se but, given the highly accomplished performance, also underlines what superb value it is".

"An impressive pro-quality picker that deserves a permanent slot in Larrivée's roster".

The full review can be found in the December issue of Guitarist magazine (issue 349). The Larrivée OOO-03R Ltd is available now at £1299 RRP inc VAT.

Further Links

Guitarist video review of DigiTech iPB-10

2011-11-23T13:19:00.001Z

Guitarist magazine have published an in-depth video demo of the DigiTech iPB-10 programmable pedalboard, all in glorious HD. This video is taken from Guitarist magazine issue 347 in which it received a Guitarist Choice award.

http://youtu.be/V_k2MhOvazk

Propellerhead Balance in FHM, Q and Empire

2011-11-18T12:10:00.001Z

Three very high profile magazines, FHM, Q and Empire, give fantastic coverage this month to Propellerhead Balance, the new audio interface from Propellerhead. Balance features in a gadget article which appears inside all three magazines, delivering a combined, audited circulation of 406,988 people.

"The Balance is a simple, two-channel Mac and Windows audio interface with eight instrument inputs that allows you, the artist formerly known as "Not Brilliant", to concentrate on making decent music while it does the tricky engineering."

Related Links

Propellerhead Balance with Reason Essentials

Propellerhead ReBirth features in Clash magazine

2011-11-18T11:54:00.001Z

Propellerhead's ReBirth for iPad app features in the ‘The Pick of the Bunch’ kit in the Roots Manuva/iPad 'how to' article in the latest edition of Clash – on the newsstands throughout the UK now.

"Emulating three staple dance music devices - the Roland TB303 bass synth, and TR808 and 909 drum machines - this app also gives you a simple sequencer with utterly squelchy effects for an acidic brain-melt."

Clash is an award-winning (Magazine of the Year – PPA 2008) magazine bringing originality and independent opinion in a truly unique style. Clash provides in-depth features and stunning shoots alongside informative news, exclusive interviews and respected reviews. It has an audited circulation figure of 47,235 and readership numbers of 188,940 per month.

Related Links

DigiTech iPB-10 wins Editor's Choice in iCreate

2011-11-18T09:48:00.001Z

The DigiTech iPB-10 – and also the iPB Nexus App – gets a superb review in latest issue of iCreate. (issue 101 of the magazine, on the newsstands now). The iPB-10 earns 5 out of 6 stars and the coveted Editor's Choice award.

"We have rarely been so impressed at the level of hardware and software integration and the specific, dedicated detail."

iCreate is the creative magazine for those with a passion for all things Apple. Not only does it cover the entire Mac platform including reviews, tutorials and features but also has a dedicated mini-magazine called iPlay, where you can get incredible content covering everything iPad, iPod and iPhone.

It is the essential resource for Mac users and has an audience profile of 70% males, 30% females, aged 25-45. Its monthly reach figure is 68,813.

The DigiTech iPB-10 is available now.

Related links

A day in the studio with Propellerhead Balance

2011-11-17T12:36:00.001Z

When Uprock Audio in Sacramento, California got their hands on the new Balance with Reason Essentials package they set about on a new creative project. The plan was simple enough: They wanted to record a song with a local artist, produce it, then sample it, remix it, and turn it into a second entirely new hip hop song... all in one day!

We captured the process, spoke to Dean and John at Uprock Audio about the project, and put it all together into a music video. You can hear the song that resulted from their day's work and get a glimpse into the social aspect that Uprock Audio uses for inspiration, motivation, and just plain fun.

http://youtu.be/mObLIwUQ6ng

You can even download the song in Reason demo song format to get an up close look at how this track was produced:

http://www.uprockaudio.com/2011/11/15/mistaken/

"Superb" Larrivée L-02 reviewed in Acoustic

2011-11-17T12:23:00.001Z

"Great quality at an affordable price worth investing in. Highly recommended. This range of guitars is set to be a giant killer".

The Larrivée -02 Series are a limited edition run of all-solid wood Larrivée acoustics of exceptional quality at just £799 RRP inc VAT.

Available in three body shapes - Larrivée (L-02), Dreadnought (D-02) and OM (OM-02), the -02 Series is built in the same Canadian factory as the popular and highly acclaimed Larrivée -03 models. The all solid wood construction features solid Canadian Sitka Spruce tops and solid African Sapele back and sides. Acoustic magazine review the Larrivée L-02.

"This is a very exciting guitar because it really does epitomise the concept of understated classic design with a highly tuned engine under the hood".

"...the new 02 Series represents some of the best value for money acoustic instruments from the Larrivée factory ever seen".

"...this model retails at £799, but more significantly it has the look and feel of some handmade instruments normally conveyed from some of the UK's best luthiers".

"The sapele back and sides of this guitar really come into their own. This guitar sounds every bit as rich and complex as you could hope for at this price point".

"Larrivée's wisdom in select wood choice and construction is proven once again, except with honours of the highest order and less impact on your wallet than ever before".

"This range is one to watch".

The full review can be found in the December issue of Acoustic magazine (Issue 60). The Larrivée -02 Series are available now at £799 RRP.

Further Links

More Synth Classics added to Nord Sample Library - Jupiter-4

2011-11-16T16:55:00.001Z

Nord Keyboards today added more Synth Classics to the Nord Sample Library, divine sounds from the analogue deity that is the Jupiter-4.

Released in 1978, the Jupiter-4 was one of the first analogue polyphonic synthesizers available and featured 8 memory locations and an arpeggiator. Like many synthesizers of that era it featured preset buttons like "Piano", "Brass" and "Strings". While those instruments might not be the most obvious references when listening to these presets today, there's no doubt the Jupiter-4 could produce some truly amazing sounds and it has contributed signature sounds many famous recordings including Duran Duran's 'Rio'.

Other famous players include: Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, Meat Beat Manifesto, Saint Etienne, Simple Minds, Spandau Ballet, Stevie Wonder, Tears for Fears, Thomas Dolby, The Cars, The Human League and Vangelis.

Head over to the Nord Sample Library to listen to some sound demos and download the new sounds now!

Propellerhead Balance wins iF Product Design Award

2011-11-16T11:01:00.001Z

Propellerhead is proud to announce Propellerhead Balance won a 2012 iF Product Design Award for outstanding design!

Established in 1953, the iF product design award is today among the most important awards for innovative product design.

Balance is Propellerhead's first audio interface and foray into hardware. Integrated with Reason Essentials Software, Balance is at the heart of Propellerhead’s complete music making solution.

Balance, a two-in by two-out audio interface for Mac and Windows, is designed for the single person operated home/project studio. Fully USB 2 powered with separate volume controls for monitors and headphones, it contains 8 input connections to keep all instruments, mics and devices connected and ready to record with the press of a button—without software pop-ups or control panels. The included Reason Essentials packs in all the recording editing, effects, instruments and mixing tools needed to create great sounding tracks.

For more information please visit www.propellerheads.se and www.facebook.com/propellerheaduk

AC-ET supply second Soundcraft Vi1 to 3D Productions

2011-11-15T12:37:00.001Z

A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd's Audio division has supplied a second Soundcraft Vi1 digital mixing console to Leeds based rental and technical production specialist 3D Productions. This follows high demand for the console since the company made their first investment.

Soundcraft is one of a number of premium brands for which AC-ET is an accredited UK sub-distributor. The console sales, complete with a Soundcraft Compact Stagebox, were co-ordinated by A.C. Audio's Peter Butler from the company’s Northern office.

3D’s David Whittlestone decided to purchase the Soundcraft Vi1 consoles after considering many options. He chose them primarily because of the quality of the mic preamps, the competitive price of the console and the flexibility and expandability of the control platform. He adds that the quality of the onboard effects is excellent, "our engineers are all very happy."

3D were so pleased with the first Vi1 console supplied by AC-ET that the second purchase soon followed! David commented "We have always been very happy with AC-ET's service, their knowledge and expertise, as well as their wide range of products."

The Vi1 was the perfect console choice for 3D, offering an extremely comprehensive and cost-effective solution that ticked all the right boxes. It allowed 3D to replace several different desks with Vi1s to provide consistency for engineers and to make it easier to allocate equipment to jobs. “Rather than constantly shuffling desks between jobs when quoting now we can allocate a Vi1 and then top up by sub hiring if we run out. The most Vi1s we have had in use at a time is four which will only go up in the future!”

Using the Compact Stagebox, the Vi1's 32 mic inputs can be expanded to 48 with 16 digital returns, adding an analogue multicore in parallel enables access to the full 64 channels. This sort of channel count is required for some of 3D's regular large classical spectaculars and orchestral work.

Using the Stagebox also means that the Vi1 in 48 channel mode can be run over Cat 5 cable, which is a lot smaller, lighter and easier to handle than copper multicore, it is also extremely stable. They find that a 48 input 16 return channels count is ideal for most of their live band work.

3D has invested heavily in integrating the Compact Stagebox into their existing touring stagebox system. Designed by Dave Catley and Tom Stanley, this includes a 48way input patch from multi-pin sub boxes, a 16 way output patch to multi-pin for connection to amp racks and an analogue split for broadcast or use with different desks. For the digital multicore itself, a high quality combined 2x Cat5, 2x Digital Klotz Audio cable was sourced from AC-ET that enabled the range of the MADI link to be increased to 100m for the FOH multicore.

Throughout much of the summer, both of 3D's Vi1 consoles were out on a 55 date UK tour with the enduringly popular UK singer and performer, Tony Christie. Mixing front of house was Andy Wheeler, with Gareth Harding on monitors. Both of the Vi1 consoles proved to be a huge success.

The Vi1's have also been in action on a variety of other 3D projects and events, including a classical spectacular at Kirkstall Abbey where the Northern Ballet Orchestra played pop classics hits to an audience of 7,000. This spectacular concert was set against the scenic backdrop of the Cistercian Abbey ruins on the banks of the River Aire.

The popular folk singer Kate Rusby tours with one Vi1 at FOH to mix both band and monitors.

A.C. Audio’s Peter Butler commented: “David has continued to successfully expand the audio side of his business and now has an extremely impressive inventory at his disposal.”

For more information please contact Soundcraft's UK/ROI distributor Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000 or visit www.soundtech.co.uk

Related Links

EBS proudly presents the Reidmar 250, the first lightweight bass amp from EBS

2011-11-11T15:24:00.001Z

EBS is proud to announce the release of the new EBS Reidmar 250, the first lightweight bass head from EBS Professional Bass Equipment.

Rather than simply create a small and lightweight product, EBS have carefully developed the Reidmar 250 to feature the same tonal quality as our renowned full size solid state heads. The result is a lightweight bass head offering natural uncoloured tone and clear definition whatever the playing style.

Unlike many amplifiers in its class the Reidmar 250 does not feature an automatic limiter that reduces headroom and destroys the definition of low-end at loud volume levels. Instead it is engineered to simulate natural amp distortion when pushed to its limits, allowing users to take full advantage of the 250W available.

Anyone familiar with EBS bass amps will feel at home with the Reidmar 250. The highly acclaimed manually operated compressor and the 4-band EQ-section with Bright and Notch filters retains much of the HD350 and TD660’s front panel layout. Other features include an Effects Loop (send and return), Balanced XLR-out for live and studio use (with pre/post EQ switch and Ground Lift), Line Out, Headphone Output and a Speakon speaker output.

The amp utilises an analogue preamp with a Class-D power amp providing 250 W RMS @ 4 ohms. It weighs in at a mere 3.2 kg (7.1 lbs)!

The Reidmar 250 is perfectly matched with a pair of EBS ClassicLine mini size 110 or 112 cabinets, or the NeoLine mini size cabinets to create an extremely portable but fully featured mini stack, or with any single full size EBS cabinet rated 4 ohms.

The EBS Reidmar 250 is designed and developed in Sweden. It will begin shipping from Sweden in November priced at £399 RRP inc VAT.

For more information please call UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000 or visit www.ebssweden.com and www.facebook.com/EBSbassuk

Ends

The Haunt boosts live capacity with Soundcraft Vi1 install

2011-11-08T09:13:00.001Z

C3 carries out installation at popular Brighton venue

Popular independently-owned Brighton venue, The Haunt, has upgraded its technical infrastructure, transforming it into a dedicated live venue.

The technical team has opted for the versatility of a Soundcraft Vi1 digital console, purchased from dealers Crystal Pro Audio and installed by locally-based installation and hire company, C3 Productions. The Vi1, as with all Harman Professional brands, is distributed in the UK and ROI by Sound Technology Ltd.

Situated opposite Brighton Pier, the the converted cinema, with mezzanine and balcony, which operated mostly recently as the Kuku Club, wanted to extend its scope from pure playback facilities to a genuine 350-capacity circuit venue.

Run by John Crawley and John Castrillon, the experienced C3 Productions were one of several companies approached and their Operations Manager, George Ridal, confirmed that there had been no infrastructure previously. “It was purely used by DJs,” he said.

“We have a lot of experience with Soundcraft and wanted to offer the venue something superior to other mid-range, small format digital desks, with the Lexicon FX built in. It also needed to be a product aimed at visiting engineers and be something they would recognise.” Although The Haunt’s new management was offered a choice of various desk brands, C3 made it clear where their recommendation lay.

At the same time the venue also invested in expertise, with technical manager Andy Goodwin arriving at the club working alongside live manager, Ade Dovey, while the installation was overseen by The Haunt’s new general manager, Rory Knapp.

“Increasingly Soundcraft Vi desks are appearing on technical riders, so it made perfect sense,” said Goodwin. “I have shown a lot of engineers over it, and everyone loves it.”

At the same time the venue has two excellent house engineers in the female partnership of Zoe Martin and Vicky Elston. Both have worked extensively on the Soundcraft Vi platform while on tour — the former with Esben and the Witch, the latter with Exit Ten. And both tours have exposed them to many of the venues’ in-house Soundcraft Vi desks.

Zoe Martin agreed that the Vi1 was the logical choice. “Because I do a lot of touring, and have worked on the bigger Vi desks, I got into it straight away.

“If you look at the surface you can see what’s going on without having to scroll through pages and pages — you can see exactly what’s in front of you. It has great functionality — and if you want to use external FX it’s easy to patch in and easy to save and upload a file. It makes such a difference when engineers turn up here and see it’s a Soundcraft desk installed.”

George Ridal is equally delighted with the overall sonic quality, generated by both the console and the new house PA system. “With a balcony above the main floor, we wanted to make sure the spec was top quality, with a clear distribution of sound. This is core to everything we do, and you can certainly hear that quality on the Vi1, which also looks cool.”

As a result, The Haunt will now be able to operate a full live programme during its seven nights a week operation.

Related links:

Harman Professional solution for Oxford New College Chapel

2011-11-07T10:22:00.001Z

For the second time in a year, multiples of JBL’s discreet Control 52 satellite speakers have been installed under the pews of one of the UK’s most historic college chapels.

Following the installation of 127 of these miniature speakers at the 16th century Trinity College, Cambridge, back in February, a similar solution has been provided at the famous New College Oxford chapel, which dates back to 1379, when it was founded by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester.

The latest contract was fulfilled by classical recording specialists, About Sound, and also includes devices from fellow Harman brands, Crown, BSS Audio and AKG. All Harman Professional components were supplied by Sound Technology Ltd., exclusive UK and ROI distributors.

Working alongside the Chapel’s musical director, Prof. Edward Higginbottom, and chaplain, Revd Dr Erica Longfellow, they were initially drafted in to set up a recording facility for the College’s famous choir, enabling services of choral evensong to be webcast on a weekly basis.

About Sound’s appointment was based on their pedigree — and particularly the work they had carried out earlier at St. John’s College Cambridge, where they provided a similar set-up for their own world-famous choir.

It was during the second phase of work at New College that the issue of amplifying the spoken word was broached. Says About Sound’s technical manager, Richard Bland, “The College had been spending a fortune on rental PA for the larger events. To have speakers on sticks brought in to a building as eminent as this was not aesthetically ideal and the sound couldn’t be described as intimate or discreet.”

Aware of how successfully the JBL Control 52’s had been integrated at Trinity College, About Sound MD Matthew Dilley arranged for two Control 52’s to be demonstrated to the Chaplain. In the resulting design, around 100 JBL satellite speakers have been locked onto a custom bracket and mounted behind the pews on oak-stained plywood. Richard Bland also knew that in deploying large quantities of the Control 52’s they could be driven at a much lower volume level. “It gives an almost mystical effect,” he says.

These are processed and controlled within a BSS Soundweb London digital processing environment, comprising a BLU 100, with a fixed configuration of 12 inputs and 8 outputs, two BLU-BOB breakout boxes providing necessary output expansion and BLU-8 wall-mount controller for selecting basic presets. Meanwhile, a custom touchscreen interface was designed around a Windows 7 wireless tablet PC for more complex control from any location.

Each of the four lecterns has an LED button sunk into the pew. Richard Bland has set up sequential delay times so that when a speaking position is selected, the speaker delays are adjusted accordingly so that the natural voice arrives fractionally before the amplified sound. This orientates the listener to where the speech is coming from and ensures that the voice of the speaker is first at the local position.

The system is designed to be moderated by the buttons for straightforward services, with the touchscreen giving access to more complex features, such as defining the position from which radio microphones are being used, for the more involved services.

Richard Bland praised Soundweb, describing it as “an extremely flexible tool, in which we have been able to set a number of default preferences,” and credited the assistance provided by BSS’s support engineer, Jerome King, which enabled him to make extensive use of the system capabilities and allow personnel to turn up at the speaking positions and merely push a button. “Soundweb prevents the system having two speaking positions active at the same time. Without the Logic side of Soundweb London we couldn’t have provided that degree of control.”

The building’s three sections — the ante chapel, choir stalls and altar — are assigned to 16 sound zones (plus hearing loop), with the speakers driven 100V line from a pair of Crown’s CT8150 1U 8-channel power amplifiers (using DriveCore technology) and a CTs1200, which powers two JBL CBT100 column speakers in the ante chapel and two CBT 50’s discreetly set at the altar.

The CT8150’s were selected because of the 90% efficiency in the DriveCore stage, and the fact that no fan is required, resulting in ultra-quiet operation (which was essential). About Sound also liked the compactness of the amplifiers, allowing for the drive racks to be positioned snugly in the organ loft alongside the recording set-up.

A number of task-specific microphones have been selected, with AKG C747 miniature shotgun mics (with shockmount/adapters) fixed at the lectern positions and an AKG GN 155 Set Gooseneck Podium Mic positioned in the altar area.

But it is provision of the AKG DMS 700 digital wireless system (three bodypack transmitters and one handheld) that makes the officiating clergy’s task so easy. This, according to Matthew Dilley, offers a great solution. “With its wide tunable bandwidth you don’t have to commit to frequencies at the specifying stage. In addition, the recharging cradles eliminate battery management issues and the remote mute switches, worn on the sleeve, give the clergy easy access to their mute function without having to delve in their cassock pockets.”

In summary Richard Bland says that the consensus is that the sound is now better articulated with a much higher degree of intelligibility, directionality and imaging … and About Sound can reflect on a challenging installation, accomplished with a high degree of sensitivity in this Grade I-listed building.

Related Links

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2011-11-07T09:18:00.000Z

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Three Nord's for Jean Michel Jarre in Stockholm

2011-11-03T12:16:00.001Z

Jean Michel Jarre played Nord's hometown of Stockholm recently and it was a mindboggling audio-visual tour-de-force one can only expect from a synth legend of this calibre. The stage was crammed with desirable vintage goodies and also featured no less than three Nord keyboards on stage, including the original Nord Lead.

Nord adds Classic Synth sounds to the Nord Sample Library

2011-11-03T11:13:00.001Z

In the following weeks Nord will be adding a bunch of classic sounds from some legendary synthesizers to the Nord Sample Library.
First out is the classic Oberheim OB-8, a 2 oscillator analogue polyphonic synth released in 1983. Only 3000 were made but it made its way to many popular songs including Prince's 1999. Other famous OB-8 users include Depeche Mode, The Police, Trent Reznor (NIN), Thompson Twins, Rush, Simple Minds, KLF, Van Halen, Stevie Nicks and Future Sound of London.
Listen to sound demos in the player below and download the actual sounds here: http://bit.ly/nord-synth
Oberheim OB-8 by nordkeyboards
The Nord Sample Library is compatible with the Nord Stage 2, Nord Electro 3 and the Nord Wave.
Related links

Nord Keyboards UK Facebook Page

Future Music magazine review Reason 6

2011-11-02T12:09:00.001Z

"Reason now has the capability of being your main (or only) piece of music production software".

Propellerhead's Reason 6 software also gets a great review in Future Music magazine this month where it receives an 8 out of 10 rating.

"Set-up, monitoring and recording are all about as easy as it gets".

"I enjoyed using Reason 6 - it's a truly self-contained system".

"Reason is fast and stable, with a file format that is completely portable. For teaching sequencing, mixing and production, or just as a sturdy studio workhorse, Reason really is very good".

The full review can be found in the November Issue (FM246) of Future Music magazine. Propellerhead Reason 6 is available now at £349 RRP.

Further Links

Propellerhead announces ReCycle 2.2—free update available for download

2011-11-01T17:06:00.001Z

The latest ReCycle update is now available for download. Version 2.2 of Propellerhead's popular loop slicer brings support for 64-bit operating systems on Mac and PC, including Mac OS 10.7 Lion, an improved user interface and many workflow enhancements.

ReCycle 2 users can grab their free update at the Propellerhead website.

Here is the full list of changes:

• The program is now fully compatible with 64 bit operating systems.

• ReCycle 2.2 is a true Cocoa program under Mac OS and fully compatible with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.

• The main window has been redesigned, with new zooming and scrolling. Scrolling is smoother and you can now zoom in further. Some redundant controls have been removed and others added.

• When exporting AIFF and Wave files, Record/Reason-style tempo information is now included in the file. Also, when importing audio files created in Record or Reason, the tempo information in those files is used for setting tempo and length in ReCycle.

• The Waveform now indicates graphically what sound will be played back, by dimming silent sections.

• You can now use the Q, W, E and R keys to select tools, just like in Reason.

• The Preference dialog has been streamlined and updated.

• Open Recent (documents) is now a sub-menu on Mac OS.

• The status bar has been removed.

• We have removed support for the Sound Designer II, Mixman, and SampleCell formats since these are all outdated.

• The authorization system and copy protection has been changed, reducing the risk of having to reauthorize the program.

• Installation under Mac OS is now drag and drop (no installer).

For further Information, please visit: www.propellerheads.se

Nord Electro 3 HP awarded FM Platinum Award

2011-11-01T15:19:00.001Z

"Right now the E3HP is hard to beat and it's way more versatile than its closest competitor, Korg's SV-1".

Nord's Electro 3HP adds a weighted keyboard and other new features to the ever popular Electro 3 Series. Future Music magazine award the Electro 3HP the magazine's Platinum Award and a 10 out of 10 rating in the latest issue.

"The most obvious change from the standard E3 is the addition of a 73-note weighted keyboard. This is great for those wanting a more realistic piano and electric piano playing experience and should attract serious piano players to the E3 who perhaps wouldn't have been interested in it before".

"Couple this with the fact that the E3HP weighs in at only 4kg more than the standard E3 and this makes for a very portable weighted board - in fact it's the lightest 73-note-weighted board on the market at 11kg".

"Feel-wise, the action is great for playing pianos and fast enough for playing organ and clavs...There's no sloppiness or sluggishness and the weight is nicely balanced, with a quick and precise key bounce-back".

"Nord have also added a delay effect to the E3HP with tap tempo and ping-pong mode, which is a bonus and is great for Dub, Reggae and Psychedelic styles. On top of this, there are now four program buttons that access the four sound banks (each with 32 sounds) making it quicker to navigate than the E3".

"Other changes include four levels of additional velocity dynamics to get the most from the piano/EP sounds, plus the long release and string resonance features found on the Stage 2 and the Nord Piano add a much more natural decay to the piano sounds. These features really improve the authenticity of the overall playing experience".

"The weighted keyboard extends the E3's appeal and its power makes it a leader in the market".

Further Links

SSL announces new native RTAS versions of acclaimed Duende plug-ins at AES 2011

2011-10-31T17:23:00.001Z

RTAS Versions of Duende Native Plug-ins are First Fruit From New SSL Avid Developer Partnership

Solid State Logic, the world’s leading manufacturer of professional analogue and digital audio consoles, announced the imminent release of new RTAS versions of the acclaimed SSL Duende Native plug-in collection at AES 2011.

“Although The Duende Native plug-in collection has always been available with an included RTAS wrapper, which has worked very well for most users, some users reported limitations when using the wrapped plug-ins within Pro Tools® DAW architecture in conjunction with DAW Controller hardware,” says Niall Feldman, Director of New Products at SSL. “These new native RTAS versions of the Duende collection completely address those concerns and make the superb sound of SSL plug-ins even more appealing to Pro Tools® users worldwide. The RTAS versions are the first fruit of SSL becoming an Avid Development Partner. This new relationship demonstrates a spirit of wider industry cooperation and is one we hope will continue to deliver better and more open working environments for audio professionals for many years to come.”

The new RTAS versions of Duende Native Plug-ins will be available from mid Nov 2011 through the SSL web site. Existing plug-in owners will be able to download new software installers free of charge from the SSL web site and the new installer will be supplied as standard to all new customers.

The Duende Native Plug-in suite is a collection of audio processing tools which bring professional audio quality, sophistication and benchmark performance within reach of all DAW users. Duende plug-ins provide the superior precision, advanced feature set and legendary tonal characteristics of SSL console products in affordable VST/AU/RTAS* plug-in form. They are quite simply the easiest way to get your hands on professional tools that will help you achieve professional mixes that sound like a record.

The foundations of the Duende Native collection are plug-in adaptations of two SSL console classics, the EQ and Dynamics Channel plug-in, which provides an EQ and Dynamics processing solution with all the power, precision, flexibility and signature tone of an SSL console channel strip and the legendary Stereo Bus Compressor plug-in, which gives you the classic SSL stereo master bus compressor that brings power and punch to your mix without compromising clarity. In addition to these SSL classics, Duende Native includes Drumstrip and Vocalstrip, which are ‘task specific’ plug-ins that each gather together a set of carefully selected and lovingly crafted processing tools to get you straight to outstanding Drum and Vocal sounds quickly and easily. X-EQ and X-Comp are both mastering grade processors that deliver superb balance of precision and tonal character. X-Verb is an incredibly powerful and flexible processor, which brings beautiful hardware standard Reverb to your DAW.

All Duende Native Plug-ins are available for a free, fully functional initial 30 day demo and for ongoing periodic free demos. Duende Native plug-ins are available to purchase individually from the SSL web store. Two boxed product bundles, Duende Native Essentials (includes EQ and Dynamics Channel and Stereo Bus Compressor) and the Duende Native Studio Pack (includes EQ and Dynamics Channel, Stereo Bus Compressor, Drumstrip, Vocalstrip, X-EQ and X-Comp), are available exclusively from SSL Resellers worldwide.

Duende Native is fully 64 bit capable in suitable Mac and Windows Operating Systems.

Find out more at www.solidstatelogic.com/duende

JBL chosen for John Martin Apolcalypse exhibition at Tate Britain

2011-10-31T14:27:00.001Z

Dynamic surround soundtrack for John Martin Apocalypse exhibition

The apocalyptic early Victorian art of John Martin, depicting biblical catastrophes in vast panoramas, has been dramatically brought to life at the Tate Britain — with help from JBL Control 1 loudspeakers.

In curating the exhibition, which runs until January 15, 2012, Martin Myrone and Anna Austen wanted to recreate the impact these paintings originally had when they toured Britain continuously in front of paying audiences in the mid-19th century. In more recent times, Martin’s vivid landscapes have provided the inspiration for major movies, science fiction video games, manga comics and album art.

“These paintings were the blockbusters of their time,” says Dan Crompton, the Tate’s Audio Visual Service Manager, who oversaw the technical installation.

Martin's final project was the completion of a triptych of paintings on the theme of the end of the world (shown in the Tate’s Room 5) — entitled The Great Day of his Wrath, The Last Judgment and The Plains of Heaven — and it is for this grand theatre-style finale that an extra dimension has been created in the form of an immersive 11-minute-long audio visual show run on a show loop, using 14 JBL Control 1 loudspeakers and three overhead projectors.

Crompton confirms that the loudspeakers were selected for their sonic qualities and ability to reproduce a range of sound sources, including effects, music, narrative and historical documentation taken from original scripts, in 8-channel surround.

“We wanted discreet multiple speakers around the space to fly the sound around the room — and although we were on a tight budget we didn’t go for the cheapest option. We knew from experience that the Control 1’s were good speakers but just as importantly we know the characteristics of the box. They are punchy and able to overcome the main challenges of intelligibility and clarity by taming the high reverberation time of the room.”

By “we” Dan Crompton is referring to the sound team responsible for this unique soundtrack.

Approached by the curators to ask how the atmosphere might be enhanced with a son et lumière, Crompton first discussed how this could be implemented with the Tate’s technical integrator Dominic Robson. They in turn commissioned theatre collective, Uninvited Guests, whose Lewis Gibson produced the soundtrack and also suggested the multi-channel playback.

The show is triggered from a Mac running QLab multimedia playback software and the Control 1s are sensitively wall-mounted behind the audience and low down near the pictures themselves, with a rubber buffer behind the mount offering additional protection.

“The sound is the essence of the piece,” declares Dan Crompton. “The combination of sound effects and music are carefully matched around the eight channel immersive space and JBL was a major part of the inspiration.”

Supplied by Peter Brotzman’s Crystal Pro Audio, whom Dan Crompton says he “cannot praise highly enough”, the 150W Control 1 is one of the most versatile small monitors available. The 130mm bass driver delivers the long throw while the 20mm tweeter features a polycarbon dome for maximum dispersion angle.

Dan Crompton said this coverage pattern, along with the aesthetics, were other key elements of the decision making, since the architect wanted to ensure the loudspeakers were sympathetic to the room.

In summary. The AV specialist said, “I have worked with JBL extensively throughout my career and have encountered most challenges in art galleries — however manipulating Victorian oil paintings in such a way is something entirely new.”

All Harman Pro products are distributed in the UK and Eire by Sound Technology Ltd.

For more information please call Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000 or visit www.soundtech.co.uk/jbl

Propellerhead Reason 6: The SOS Review

2011-10-28T12:31:00.001+01:00

"Version 6 finally grants Reason full DAW status. Audio recording, additional effects devices and new features make it a more enticing prospect than ever...For existing fans it's a no brainer. For new users, now's the perfect time to get on board".

In a massive 7-page review, Sound On Sound give their verdict on the latest upgrade to Propellerhead's award winning music production software, Reason 6.

"As for specific improvements, Reason 6 has plenty. Going hand in hand with the new mixer is improved overall sound quality. Previously, the 14:2 mixer had been associated with a distinct character of its own, prone to a sort of glassy opaqueness. The new mixer doesn't seem to suffer from this, and now, I think, sounds as transparent as any other DAW's mix bus".

"Audio time-stretch and transposition quality is amongst the best you'll find, and is implemented in a remarkably easy-to-use fashion. Then there's the new effects devices. The Echo is really vibey, with a genuine old-school flavour and will keep experimental users happy for a long time".

"I think Alligator is even more remarkable: it offers deep programmability, and can really transform pads, loops and drum patterns in very contemporary -sounding ways...Pulveriser (is) not short on character, and it'll find use on drums, guitars and much else besides".

"Reason 6 offers a distinctive user experience that's frequently inspiring and genuinely enjoyable. The simplicity and immediacy with which most writing and mixing jobs can be achieved is refreshing, and yet dedicated Reason 'programmers' can be kept busy for years too, creating complex multi-device instruments and effects that can sound spectacular".

"It has to be said, too, that in value-for-many terms, Reason 6 is absolutely astonishing. If you're on a budget it may be as far as you ever need to look..."

"Ultimately, Reason 6 is a great application. It's fun, sounds contemporary and lets you work fast".

The full review can be found in the November issue (Vol 27, Issue 1) of Sound On Sound magazine. Propellerhead Reason 6 is available now at £349 RRP.

Further Links

Guitarist Choice awarded to DigiTech iPB-10

2011-10-27T13:26:00.001+01:00

"A state-of-the-art multi-FX floor pedal with the easiest editing ever".

The DigiTech iPB-10 programable pedalboard for iPad is also reviewed in Guitarist magazine this month where it is awarded the magazine's 'Choice' award, given to 'highly recommended, excellent buys'.

"The exceptionally solidly built iPB-10 works with both iPad and iPad2 - all you have to do is connect the device's 30-pin port to the iPB-10's flexibly mounted plug, sit it in the dock and lower the frame, which instantly locks it securely in place, looking for all the world like it was always an integral part of the pedalboard".

"Editing is really simple and can be carried out on the iPad in isolation, or when it is installed in the iPB-10".

"The 100 factory preset offer a great introduction to the unit, covering loads of styles and the signature tones of well-known players - overall, these sounds are excellent. The individual models represent loads of classics in both the amp and stompbox worlds, plus there's some cool Lexicon reverb to add ambience".

"The iPB-10 is a clever concept hat has translated into a very practical piece of gear...Certainly, setting up and rearranging a complete pedal rig has never been easier".

The full review can be found in the November Issue (348) of Guitarist magazine on sale now. The DigiTech iPB-10 is available now at £499 RRP.

Further Links

SOS review the 'excellent' Nord Stage 2 HA88

2011-10-24T15:02:00.001+01:00

"The Stage 2 blows its predecessors away. It is not cheap but, with its excellent new pianos, superb organs, improved synthesizer and its ability to load and play your own samples as well as Nord's existing library, you have to take it very seriously".

Nord's flagship product, the Nord Stage 2 HA88, is reviewed in the new issue of Sound On Sound magazine where it is praised extremely highly throughout.

"The Grand Imperial is my favorite piano, so it was with some trepidation that I started to play...Was I disappointed? Not a bit! The sampling is even, the velocity transistors are smooth, the string resonance is lifelike, and the new Long Release function adds even more 'size' to the sound. I love it".

"I particularly like the Rhodes MK II 'Shallow Close' version. With tremolo and a touch of drive, played through a slow Leslie, the results are magic".

"As is now the norm for Hammond emulations, this line is excellent and, with the new 'Vintage 2' mode selected to provide lots of lovely generator leakage and the improved rotary speaker effect providing some growl, the results can be magic. The initial sound is now much more authentic , the key-click and percussion effects are first class, and details such as the compression of the percussion footage and the wrap-around of the 1 drawbar are correctly implemented. All in all, it does its job superbly".

"At some point during the course of this review, I used the Sound Manager software to delete the existing grand pianos and load the 'Extra Large' Bosendorfer and, in truth, I think that I could play this all day, not just because it sounds great, but because the HA88 keybed makes it a pleasure".

"All in all, the Stage 2 is a huge step forward from the Stage EX. It's not cheap, but the combination of excellent acoustic pianos, superb e-pianos and Clavinets, unsurpassed organ emulations, sample replay and a suprisingly flexible polysynth should be a powerful aphrodisiac for players whose response to modern workstations is something along the lines of '$*%$?!?!?'".

"...the Nord Stage 2 is a very fine instrument".

The full review can be found in the November Issue (Vol 27, Issue 1) of Sound On Sound magazine. The Nord Stage 2 HA88 is available now at £3399 RRP inc VAT.

Further Links

EBS announce Classic Session 120 120W tiltback combo

2011-10-20T16:24:00.001+01:00

With the successful launch of the Session 60, we are proud and happy to announce its ‘big brother’ – the EBS Classic Session 120!

Great Sound - Straight From the Box

The EBS Session 120 is the ultimate “weekend-warrior” bass combo. It offers excellent tone and is equipped with all the necessary features to cover any gig. The amp itself is powerful enough to provide great monitor sound on stage and in the rehearsal room, and portable enough to fit in any type of car. It is sporting an easy to dial in and powerful eq, balanced XLR-output for professional live and studio use that extends the possibility to use it on larger stages too.

A Step Up on Every Level

The EBS Classic Session 120 is a step up compared to the Session 60, although still based on the same concept. This means a tilt-back bass combo with a tone character similar to the EBS Classic 450 bass head. The result is a full bodied, warm bass sound with great punch and bottom.

The Session 120 shares all its features with the Session 60. Add to that an extended EQ with mid control, twice the power, and a 12” speaker fitted in a larger cabinet for better bass response and bigger tone.

The EBS Session 120 is designed and developed in Sweden and starts shipping in November 2011.
UK pricing is to be confirmed.

Technical Specifications

Frequency Response 45 - 18k Hz
Dynamic Output Power 120 W RMS
Continuous Output Power 120 W RMS
Cabinet Volume 35 liters
Height 40 cm / 15.8“
Width 43.5 cm / 17.1"
Depth 45.5 / 17.9"
Weight 21 kg / 47 lbs

Subject to change without notice.

Multi-Platinum Producer and Engineer Steve Pageot Takes His Mixes to the Next Level with HARMAN’s Lexicon® PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle

2011-10-20T12:28:00.001+01:00

Steve Pageot is a multifaceted, multiplatinum artist who has worked on dozens of hip-hop and R&B albums, movie and TV soundtracks and commercials. Based in New York by way of Montreal, Pageot is a GRAMMY®-winning engineer, producer, musician and composer who has worked with artists including Aretha Franklin, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Talib Kweli, Snoop Dogg, Krayzie Bone, New Edition and others, and has done projects for MTV, VH1, Bravo, ESPN and many more.

One of Steve Pageot’s core beliefs is, “It’s all about going to the next level.” Pageot is always working on perfecting his craft in a highly competitive industry. He notes, “the journey to a successful career in the entertainment industry is not a race; it’s a marathon.”

Pageot has always been open to new sounds and new techniques, and recently, he joined the ranks of industry professionals who have added HARMAN’s Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle to their sonic palette. Designed to work with popular digital audio workstations (DAW) and a host of computer music platforms, the Windows® and Macintosh®-compatible PCM Native Reverb Plug-In bundle offers a host of classic and cutting-edge reverbs and the ability to tweak them to get the perfect sonic ambience for any track.

When Pageot tried the plug-in for the first time, he knew he’d found a way to take his mixes to the next level: “I just could not believe what I was hearing throughout my entire mix. Every effect from the Delays to the Large Plate settings had me saying, ‘Wow!’

“Yes, I suppose you can say I was knocked out by the sound,” Pageot laughed. “In fact, I really wasn’t expecting such a dramatic improvement – after all, I’ve worked with plenty of studio gear and have been mixing in the box for a long time. But the Lexicon PCM Native Reverb brings another meaning to the word ‘perfection’ and I rarely say something like that about anything.”

While continuing his work in production, composing, engineering and mixing, Pageot is also dedicated to bringing the importance of music education to youth, and is a music teacher at the SAE (School of Audio Engineering) Institute in New York.

The Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle is designed to work with popular DAWs like Pro Tools® and Logic®, as well as with any other VST®, Audio Unit™ or RTAS®-compatible platform. Compatible with Windows® Vista, XP and 7 and Macintosh® computers, it offers seven unique Lexicon’s plug-ins including Vintage Plate, Plate, Hall, Room, Random Hall, Concert Hall and Chamber, along with hundreds of presets including classics from Lexicon’s extensive library of sounds.

It's intuitive user interface provides ready access to key parameters, with a graphical real-time full-color display that illustrates all key sonic parameters. Virtual input and output meters provide ready indication of audio levels, and presets can be stored in a DAW-independent format that can be transferred to a different DAW.

More awards for Reason 6 in MusicTech review

2011-10-19T17:28:00.003+01:00

"A worthy member of the Reason family that's powerful and inspiring to use. Audio recording plus new effects are great additions".

Reason 6 is also reviewed in the latest issue of MusicTech magazine where it receives a 9/10 MTM rating and the magazine's 'Choice' award.

"The biggest news is that Reason 6 now supports audio recording. Simply create a track, setup your input, add any insert effects and record".

"You can comp audio takes together by double-clicking on a recording to enter the Take Editor, one of the better implementations of comp editing that we have seen".

"Another big change is the mixer, which is now much more professional in appearance, with modular sections and multiple tools on each track...Add to this multiple master inserts and send effects plus a master bus compressor that glues mixes together nicely and the sound of Reason 6 is gorgeous".

"The fusion of Reason and Record into a single product brings the best of both worlds together, focusing on musicians and producers who want the excellent instruments and effects of Reason plus the straightforward audio recording of Record. Perhaps more importantly, though, Reason 6 retains the fun, inspiring feel and ease of use of its predecessors".

The full review can be found in the November issue (104) of MusicTech magazine. Reason 6 is available now at £349 RRP.

Further Links

DigiTech iPB-10 first review in MusicTech

2011-10-19T15:30:00.000+01:00

"A unique and well thought-out piece of hardware, 9/10".

The new Digitech iPB-10 programmable pedalboard for iPad is reviewed in the new issue of MusicTech magazine. By harnessing the power of the iPad, the iPB-10 combines the simplicity of a pedalboard with the flexibility of multi-effects. The iPB-10 gives you the ability to create and control guitar effects like never before.

"Whereas some of them (other iPad based hardware devices) will offer only modest I/O, this floorboard has features that frequent higher end guitar-based kit, so DigiTech seemingly intends this to be both a live tool and studio device".

"You can, in fact remove the iPad at any point and run without it - handy if you want to rule out anyone standing on your iPad's screen while on stage".

"Regular aspects of preset switching, bypassing and engaging the tuner can all be controlled by your feet, and as usual with Apps, you can use finger swipes to move and edit effect parameters".

"The sound quality of the connections and processing is very high".

The full review can be found in the November Issue of MusicTech magazine (Issue 104). The DigiTech iPB-10 is available now at £499 RRP.

Further Links

First official BSS Audio Soundweb Certified Training program begins in the UK in November

2011-10-19T15:25:00.001+01:00

BSS Audio and UK/ROI distributor Sound Technology Ltd are pleased to announce new BSS Soundweb Certified training with the first course taking place on 14th/-15th November 2011 at BSS Audio's UK offices in Potters Bar.

The two-day Level 1 Certified course has been designed to balance practical applications of the powerful Soundweb platform with in-depth technical knowledge of its capabilities.

By taking the Level 1 Day 1 course attendees will leave understanding the core features of the system and be fully capable of system specification, basic design and programming and troubleshooting.

By choosing to also attend the Level 1 Day 2 course attendees gain more advanced programming knowledge and have the option of taking the Level 1, CTS accredited exam to become a BSS qualified Soundweb programmer.

Students who pass the Level 1 Certification Exam will receive proof of their proficiency in the form of an official BSS Audio Soundweb London Level 1 Certificate and will be listed, together with their company (if applicable), on the BSS Audio website. Students will also receive InfoComm CTS RU credits upon passing the exam.

The Certified training course is free for UK/ROI customers, clients and consultants, but registration is required as places are limited.

For more information, a course syllabus, and to book a place please visit www.soundtech.co.uk/bss/certified-training or call Sound Technology Ltd on 01462 480000.

Solid State Logic hosts three free events at Production Room in November

2011-10-19T11:07:00.001+01:00

Solid State Logic will be presenting a series of three free events at Production Room in Leeds throughout November.

Photo: SSL's latest music production tools (click for high-resolution version)

Open Day
The events will kick off on Saturday 5th November with an SSL open day. Drop in to the store to see SSL's latest music production tools and how they fit into the modern DAW based project studio. Andy Jackson from SSL will conduct one to one product demonstrations and answer any questions.

Education Day
Thursday 17th November is an SSL Studio Workshop specifically for students and education facilities. Mix engineer Gary Bromham (Sheryl Crow, Bjork) will conduct hands on demos of SSL products during the day - including Nucleus, X-Rack, X-Desk and Duende Native plug-ins - and in an evening seminar talk about SSL mixing techniques plus a look at SSL's history and product development.

Pro Audio / Broadcast Timed Appointments
Thursday 24th November is an afternoon and evening of personal appointments with SSL's Jim Motley for pro audio professionals and broadcast customers. This will focus on SSL's MADI equipped XLogic I/O products and the acclaimed Matrix / X-Rack hybrid mixing solution but customers can specify which products they would like to see.

At each event you'll have a chance to win a visit to Solid State Logic's headquarters in Oxford with a tour of their factory, development facilities and studios. The visit includes hotel accommodation in Oxford.

To register your interest for one or more of the events please visit www.soundtech.co.uk/events/ssl-production-room

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Propellerhead Balance tutorial: Clip Safe

2011-10-18T23:35:00.001+01:00

In this micro tutorial we're taking a look at the new Clip Safe feature when recording with our Balance audio interface and either Reason Essentials or Reason software. Clip Safe lets you restore distorted takes, saving what could have been a perfect performance if not for the overload.

http://youtu.be/ZTh1rSDYDZY

As musicians, once we start recording and putting our "all" into the performance we often find that our playing is louder than it was when we set our levels. Those of us who have lost too many good takes to distortion end up recording while watching the levels carefully. That sort of distraction hurts the performance. It's very difficult to be both performer and engineer at the same time.

Clip Safe lets us record, concentrate on our performance, and know that even if we do overload while recording we can simply repair our distorted audio and save the take.

Reason 6 in award-winning 10 out of 10 review

2011-10-18T12:03:00.001+01:00

"Reason 6 is an outstanding update to an already awesome production platform that continues to be perhaps the most stable and CPU-friendly DAW on the planet".

Reason 6 is reviewed in this month's Computer Music magazine where it receives a 10 out of 10 rating, the Computer Music Editor's Choice Award and the Computer Music Performance Award. The magazine also features a massive guide with all you need to know about Reason 6.

"The big news is that Reason 6 has assimilated everything from Record, and added some new extras".

"So what are the highlights of Record that Reason 6 users can look forward to? Audio tracks are surely the headline addition here...Other than that, there's multitrack recording; top-drawer real-time time-stretching; slick comping; Line 6 guitar/bass amp emulations; an awesome Auto-Tune-alike and voice synth called Neptune; a versatile sound module; and a virtual mixing console modeled after an SSL 9000K".

"For us though, it's all about the new devices: The Echo, Pulveriser and Alligator. The Echo is a Roland Space Echo-esque delay with filtering, distortion/limiting, pitch modulation and 'smearing" of repeats via a Diffusion control...The creative potential of all of this is simply huge".

"Pulveriser offers compression, saturation/distortion and filtering, with an LFO that can control volume or filter cutoff, and an envelope follower that can drive LFO rate or filter cutoff. It sounds terrific and can more than hold its own against top-end plug-ins when it comes to adding grunge, age, warmth and character".

"Alligator splits the signal into into three frequency bands with each gated by MIDI, CV, manually or preset patterns. Each band has its own amp/filter envelope and filter LFO amounts with band-specific overdrive, phasing and delay".

"While it's now irrefutably a DAW and not just a 'software studio' for electronic musos, it remains a proudly different beast to more 'traditional rivals".

"In short, absolutely everyone should try Reason 6...".

The full review can be found in the November issue (CM171) of Computer Music magazine. Reason 6 is available now at £349.

Further Links

How to find the pocket and stay in it - EBS bass artist Victor Bailey joins drummer Poogie Bell for a rhythm unit masterclass at Pizza Express Jazz Club London

2011-10-17T16:17:00.001+01:00

EBS Bass Amplification artist Victor Bailey is joining drummer Poogie Bell for a special "GET UR POCKET STR8" groove workshop/masterclass at London's prestigious Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho on Saturday 5th November 2011.

Poogie Bell and Victor Bailey are considered one of the world's best rhythm units. In the intimate environment of the prestigious Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho join them for their "GET UR POCKET STR8" workshop/masterclass where they'll show you how to find the pocket and keep in it!

This is a unique event that allows musicians of all levels to see two of the world's most acclaimed session musicians close up, to ask them questions, and to learn the secrets of their groove.

Poogie Bell has played and record with the world's best bass players including Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten and of course Victor Bailey - with artists such as David Bowie and Eryka Badu.

Victor Bailey has played with the world's best drummers including Billy Cobham, Omar Hakim, Lenny White and of course Poogie Bell - from Weather Report to Madonna to Lady Gaga.

"GET UR POCKET STR8" starts at 1:30pm on Saturday 5th November at Pizza Express Jazz Club, 10 Dean Street, London, W1D 3RW. Tickets cost £24 including pizza buffet.

For more information and bookings please email mail@bolygomusic.com or call 07876 287546.

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New Optigan & Orchestron sounds in the Nord Sample Library!

2011-10-14T15:00:00.001+01:00

Legendary lo-fidelity sounds from 70's analogue sample players

Nord Keyboards are very pleased to announce new sounds in the free Nord Sample Library from the legendary Optigan and Orchestron.

The Optigan and Orchestron were successors to the famous Mellotron and Chamberlin-machines. They were analog, mechanic sample players but Optigan and Orchestron used optical discs for storage, making them considerably more transportable than their one-tape-machine-player-per-key predecessors and also more affordable. Changing sounds was now simply a matter of swapping discs, but the sound fidelity attainable with these optical discs was very limited.
Famous users include Kraftwerk (the 'Choir' sound on Radio Activity is the Orchestron), Elvis Costello, Devo, PJ Harvey and many more.

All samples are unretouched and include original mechanical noises and artifacts for maximum vintage authenticity!

Head over to the Nord Sample Library to listen to some sound demos and download the new sounds now!

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