Products of Interest
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Products of Interest Pro Tools|HD Native and HD The PCIe card is shipped with inputs, and eight line outputs with Series Interfaces three DVDs: the Pro Tools software analog gain. Eight channels of ADAT and plug-ins installation DVD, a input/output, two eight-channel Avid (the use of the Digidesign name DVD of audio loops, and a training AES/EBU input/output connectors, was being phased out by Avid in 2010) DVD. An iLok USB Smart Key is used and two channels of S/PDIF in- has released Pro Tools|HD Native, a for software authorization. A 12-ft put/output are available on the inter- PCIe card that allows Macintosh and DigiLink Mini cable for use with the face, with sample rate convertors on PCs to run Pro Tools HD software. Pro Tools HD Series interfaces is also all the inputs. Audio can be routed Sessions can have up to 192 tracks included, along with an adapter for independently of a computer using with a single PCIe card providing older Pro Tools interfaces. The card a 14-input persistent monitor mixer. up to 64 channels of input/output. is compatible with Avid’s C|24 and A surround sound monitor section Pro Tools users can record, edit, ICON consoles, and with third-party supports up to 7.1 surround. Word and mix audio at sample rates up HUI consoles. Clock and Loop Synchronization in- to 192 kHz, with access to a Score The new series of HD audio inter- put/output are supported. Both the Editor, plug-ins, and MIDI tools. Pro faces (see Figure 1) from Avid aim to HD I/O and OMNI include a soft- Tools|HD Native can also be used provide increased quality of digital knee analog limiter called Curv. This with other DAW software to provide audio conversion, new configuration interface is a single rackmount unit. 64 channels of input/output. Core options, and increased supports for The HD MADI is a 64-channel Audio and ASIO-compatible software digital standards. The HD I/O is single unit rackmount inter- such as Logic, Cubase, Ableton Live, available as a two-unit rack mount face designed for broadcast, live Nuendo, and Reason can be used interface in three different configura- sound, and post production. It can with the native hardware. The card tions: a 16 × 16 analog version, a 16 × connect Pro Tools|HD systems to is bundled with a range of more than 16 digital version, or an 8 × 8 × 8 MADI devices, without the use of 70 RTAS/AudioSuite effects, sound combined analog and digital version. a format convertor. An optical and processing, and utility plug-ins. The The I/O features a Word Clock and coaxial MADI input, and simul- 8-GB Big Fish Audio loop library, Loop Synchronization input/output. taneous optical and coaxial MAD Boom drum machine, FXpansion BFD Thirty-two four-segment metering outputs are provided. Sample rates Lite acoustic drum module, DB-33 LEDs are provided on the front panel up to 24-bit/192 kHz are supported tonewheel organ emulator, Vacuum of the unit. The interface can be fur- and sample rate convertors are avail- vacuum tube synthesizer, and the ther expanded and customized using able on all inputs and outputs. The Xpand!multi-timbral synthesizer and digital and analog option cards. interface can synchronize to exter- sample software are also included in The HD OMNI features two mi- nal clocks using a BNC Word Clock the purchase. crophone pre-amplifiers, four line and XLR AES/EBU connection when Figure 1. The HD Omni and HD I/O audio interfaces from Avid. Products of Interest 113 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/COMJ_r_00047 by guest on 24 September 2021 Figure 2. Roland’s Hpi-7f digital piano with DigiScore LCD screen. using the sample rate convertors on Roland Digital Interactive and interactive lesions. The HPi-7F the outputs. Internal, Loop Synchro- Pianos and OCTA-CAPTURE screen is 10.4 in. and it measures nization, Word Clock, AES/EBU, and 7 in. on the smaller HPi-6F model. MADI clocks are supported. Status Audio Interface The screen can be used to display indicators and global input/output visual lessons and exercises, a graph- signals LEDs are provided on the The HPi-7F and HPi-6F digital pianos ical metronome, and an onscreen front panel. from Roland feature the company’s keyboard. Finger-training exercises, The Pro Tools|HD Native system SuperNATURAL Piano sound en- based on Hanon exercises, and a range is listed for US$ 3,495. The HD I/O, gine, PHA Ivory Feel keyboards, and of games for children have also been OMNI, and MADI interfaces are interactive DigiScore training (see included. listed for US$ 3,995, US$ 5,995, and Figure 2). The Ivory Feel keyboards The HPi-7F has a microphone US$ 4,995. Contact: Avid, 75 Net- used on these models of piano are input and onboard speaker system. work Drive, Burlington, MA 01803, made from a moisture-absorbent Song lyrics can be displayed on the USA; telephone (+1) 650-731-6300; material for comfort during perfor- screen using a set of built-in songs or Web www.avid.com/US/contact/ mance. The DigiScore is an LCD SMF files with lyrics. Onboard effects audio/. screen for displaying sheet music and real-time harmony can be added. 114 Computer Music Journal Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/COMJ_r_00047 by guest on 24 September 2021 Figure 3. The ten input/output Figure 4. The Korg microKEY OCTA-CAPTURE USB audio portable USB MIDI keyboard. interface from Roland. Figure 3. Figure 4. This model also provides an auto- Roland’s OCTA-CAPTURE is a The interface includes rackmount accompaniment engine that produces ten-input, ten-output USB audio in- ears. It measures 284 × 158 × 50 mm full musical accompaniment in a terface that features sampling rates up and weighs 1.3 kg. It is bundled with variety of styles. to 24-bit/192 kHz (see Figure 3). Eight Cakewalk Production Plus Pack. The HPi-7F model has 88 keys, microphone pre-amplifiers (from the The HPi-6F is listed for US$ 100-level touch-sensitivity, split key- V-Studio 700) are built in to the inter- 3,499 and the HPi7F for US$ 4,999. board functions, 337 tones, 128-voice face and independent phantom power, The OCTA-CAPTURE is listed for polyphony, tuning and transpose a low-cut filter, phase invert, and digi- US$ 699. Contact: Roland Corpora- functions, a four-band equalizer, tal compression are available on each tion U.S., 5100 S. Eastern Ave., Los and can store 200 songs in MIDI or channel. An AUTO-SENS function Angeles, California 90040-2938, WAV formats. The HPi-6F is also automatically sets the optimal record- USA; telephone (+1) 323-890-3700; an 88-key model and shares many ing level for each input. An extremely Web www.rolandus.com/. of the same features, but with five low-latency driver featuring the com- levels of touch-sensitivity. Among pany’s proprietary VS STREAMING KORG microKEY the connections on the rear panel technology is used. All current Mac- are external memory and USB ports, intosh and PC DAWs are supported The Korg microKEY is a lightweight, 1 4 -in. input and output jack connec- using ASIO 2.0/WDM and Core Audio portable USB MIDI keyboard with tors, two stereo headphone outputs, drivers. Multiple devices can be used 37 velocity-sensitive mini keys (see a MIDI input/output, microphone on the same USB bus. The user can Figure 4). The keyboard uses the same input (HPi-7F only), an analog RGB have four independent Direct Mixers Natural Touch keybed as the com- connector, a backlight connector, and to create software-controlled monitor pany’s microKORG XL and micro- a pedal input. The piano cabinets are mixes. Each of the mixes can be rou- STATION. An Octave Shift function available in satin black or rosewood ted to analog outputs. Internal proce- allows the user to transpose the range styles. ssing is carried out at a rate of 40 bits. up and down by four octaves. A Key Products of Interest 115 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/COMJ_r_00047 by guest on 24 September 2021 Figure 5. iKeyAudio’s HDR7 Figure 6. The G3 handheld digital handheld digital stereo recorder. stereo recorder from iKeyAudio. Transpose function is also provided for transposing the pitch of the keys in semitones. Pitch Bend and Mod- ulation wheels are also built-in to the keyboard. The microKEY features two USB ports, allowing the user to connect the keyboard to other USB devices as well as a computer. The user can set a fixed velocity value or can select from a set of eight velocity curves using the KORG KONTROL Editor. The range of the modulation wheel can also be ad- justed. The keyboard is bundled with M1 Le, a Korg software synthesizer; EzDrummer Lite, a drum sound mod- ule; and a license for Lounge Lizard Session, a physical modelling piano sound module. Discount coupons for Ableton Live, Live Suite, and Live LE DAW software are also included. The microKEY measures 565 × 139 × 54 mm and weighs 1 kg. The G3 recorder is another The microKEY is listed for portable recorder from the same US$ 129. Contact: Korg; Web company, designed for recording in- www.korg.com/. struments (see Figure 6). It features 1 a 4 -in. jack input and built-in guitar iKeyAudio HDR7 and G3 Portable tuner, and can record CD-quality Digital Recorders WAV files or MP3 files at rates of 128 to 320 kbps.