Products of Interest

Ableton Operator Synthesis various parallel and series configura- tronic mail [email protected]; Engine for Live 4 tions (see Figure 1). A global Tone Web www.ableton.com/ index control is available to quickly change .php?main=operator. Ableton has created a new, integrated the timbre of a sound and a global synthesis engine for the latest ver- Time control affects the length of sion of Live, the company’s loop- envelopes. ARP2600 V Virtual based production software The resonant multi-mode filter in Analog Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 (see CMJ 26/3). Live centers around Operator features low-, high-, band- improvisation and on-the-fly manip- pass and notch filter settings. An LFO Arturia has developed a virtual ana- ulation of phrases, melodies, and can be used to modulate the main log synthesizer based on the vener- loops. Multi-track recording, MIDI four oscillators or can be used as a able analog synthesizer, the ARP sequencing, sampling, software in- fifth oscillator. There are seven en- 2600. The , the struments, audio and MIDI effects, velopes provided for the four oscilla- ARP2600 V, has all the functionality automation of all effects and mix tors, the LFO, the filter, and pitch. of the original hardware version with parameters, and extensive synchro- The pitch envelope can be used to added MIDI control, up to 32-voice nization capabilities are just some of modulate the oscillator and the LFO, polyphony, and various signal pro- the functionality provided by this and each of the envelopes has loop, cessing effects. Designed to work as application. The missing component beat, and synchronization features. a stand-alone application or as a for users until now has been the abil- Among the further functions in the virtual instrument, the ARP2600 V ity to include synthesized audio synthesis engine are a chorus effect, a is compatible with VST, RTAS, AU, alongside their MIDI and audio polyphonic glide, and further expres- and DXi systems. The digital soft- loops and tracks. sive modulation features. ware synthesizer is capable of At the core of Operator is a set of As Operator is fully integrated into sampling rates up to 96 kHz and four oscillators, a multi-mode filter, a Live 4, the automation, parameter bit-rates up to 64 bits (floating point) Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO), and mapping, clip envelopes, routing, and audio. a set of seven envelopes. The oscilla- MIDI and audio effects available for This virtual analog synthesizer tors have been designed to facilitate recording audio and MIDI are also comprises three main parts: the syn- subtractive and FM synthesis. The available for manipulating the syn- thesizer, the sequencer, and the four oscillators offer a choice of dif- thesized sounds. software keyboard controller. ferent waveforms including some 4 is listed for US$ 499, Seventy-three parameters can be con- that include aliasing to mimic vin- with various upgrade options for ex- trolled on the synthesizer, ranging tage hardware . All of the isting users. Operator is listed for from synthesis oscillator controls to oscillators can be used to modulate US$ 149. Contact: Ableton, Schön- effects settings. The synthesizer can other oscillators. A graphic represen- hauser Allee 6-7, D-10119 Berlin, be played using a MIDI keyboard, and tation of the routing of the oscillators Germany; telephone (+49) 302-887- full MIDI control of faders, knobs, aids the user in combining them in 630; fax (+49) 302-887-6311; elec- and switches is available. The synthesizer section (see Figure 2) of the ARP2600 V consists of 3 Figure 1. Ableton Operator oscillator Voltage Controlled Oscillators (VCOs), controls and routing interface. a Voltage Controlled Amplifier (VCA), a sample and hold operator, ADSR and AR envelopes, an envelope fol- lower, a ring modulator, a tracker, a low-pass filter, a multi-mode filter, a noise generator, a chorus unit, a stereo unit, and a mixer. The envelopes can be used to modulate both filters and amplifiers. The tracker (see Figure 3) is used to draw waveforms that can be used as modu-

Products of Interest 109 Figure 2. Arturia ARP2600 Figure 3. Arturia ARP2600 Figure 4. Arturia ARP2600 V synthesizer interface V tracker interface screen. V sequencer interface screen. screen.

lation sources as well. The filters available include a low-pass resonant 24-dB filter and a multi-mode 12-dB filter with low-, high-, band-pass and notch options. The stereo delay can be synchronized via MIDI.

The sequencer section (see Figure Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 4) of the ARP2600 V contains an LFO that can be synchronized to the host tempo. The ARP sequencer features 16 sliders for creating sequences. Four hundred presets are built into the synthesizer with the option for users to save further presets of their own. A 301-page manual is included with purchase. A demonstration version of the software can be downloaded from the Arturia Web Figure 2 site. The ARP2600 V is available for Windows- and Macintosh-based com- puters. System requirements are: 1 GHz CPU with 256 MB of RAM for both platforms, running /2000/XP or Mac OS X 10.2 or higher. The Arturia ARP2600 V is listed for US$ 310. Contact: Arturia, 4 chemin de Malacher, 38240 Meylan, France; fax (+33) 438-020-525; elec- tronic mail [email protected]; Web www.arturia.com/en/arp/ arp2600v.php.

Cameleon 5000 Additive Figure 3 Software Synthesizer

The Cameleon 5000 is an additive software synthesizer featuring resyn- thesis and “sound morphing.” The interface is designed to allow instru- ments or samples to be loaded into the four available “voice slots.” The graphic “morphing square” function enables timeline trajectories to be de- signed to control synthesis parame- ters combining features of the four instruments or samples (see Figure 5). Figure 4 Imported sound files (WAV/AIFF) can be edited in a variety of ways, in-

110 Music Journal Figure 5. Main user inter- face for Cameleon 5000 additive software syn- thesizer.

the pick when plucking strings, giv- ing control over the brightness of the sound. The position of the pick-up can also be specified, and a tuning control allows notes to be sounded one note higher or lower. Three main

features of the pick model can be ma- Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 nipulated: the stiffness and width of the pick, the speed at which it plucks the strings, and the volume of the pick sound. The string model in Revi- tar simulates 120 points along each string and the user can control the density of the string, note transitions, and damping characteristics. Slides and hammer on/pull off techniques can be used when playing single notes on one string or when playing chords. The amount of string, bridge, and palm damping can be specified and the position of the palm can be set for the latter. A slap control al- cluding control of individual har- US$ 199; the printed manual costs lows the height of the frets to be ad- monic components. The user may US$ 19.95; and the sound banks are justed. The body model section of the also control amplitude envelopes and sold for US$ 24.95 each. A demo ver- synthesizer allows the user to choose create noise elements from the 128- sion of the software may be down- from a graphic display of six guitar band noise generator. In addition, loaded. Contact: Camel Audio, Ltd.; shapes and control the amount of graphic files (BMP) may be imported electronic mail ben_j_gillett@ sympathetic resonance and gain of and “translated” into sound. Effects yahoo.co.uk; Web www.camelaudio the body. The sympathetic resonance include a sweepable “formant” filter, .com/cameleon5000.php. knob determines the amount of vi- distortion, compression, chorus, de- bration of the strings not plucked. lay, and reverberation. In addition to these guitar model A large collection of presets (over CutterMusic Revitar Guitar controls, the user can set vibrato rate 600) are included with Cameleon Synthesizer and amplitude. The chord section of 5000, arranged in categories such as the GUI has a number of controls for ambience, pad, lead, bass, etc. In ad- Revitar 2.0 is a VST plug-in featuring specifying the rate (in BPM) at which dition, various banks of sounds are physical modeling-based guitar syn- chords are played and the strum di- available for purchase: TC Galaxy, thesis. The guitar pick, string, and rection. Two chord modes (absolute Biomechanikal, Progressions, and body can be modeled to create classic and relative) are available to the user, Digiscapes. and unique guitar sounds. The syn- with 24 programmable chords in System requirements for Windows- thesizer can be used to play single each. Both modes will play a chord based platforms include: Pentium III, notes or chords. based on the note input. The master 1 GHz CPU, 128 MB RAM, Windows The interface of the plug-in con- control section includes a VUmeter 98/ME/2000/XP, and VSTi/RTAS sists of a graphic guitar interface with displaying the amplitude of the out- host application. For Macintosh distinct control sections for the body, put signal, a master gain, and a mono , the requirements are: G4 pick, and strings (see Figure 6). Fur- switch. In mono mode, the synthe- 733 MHz, 128 MB RAM, OS 9/X, and ther chord, vibrato, and master con- sizer plays all notes on a single guitar VSTi//RTAS host appli- trols are also provided in the GUI. string and slides, hammer ons, and cations. The graphic guitar interface allows pull offs can be used. Cameleon 5000 is listed for the user to determine the position of A single parameter display at the

Products of Interest 111 Figure 6. Main user inter- Figure 7. Screenshot of the face for CutterMusic Revi- Spectral Synth Room in tar guitar synthesizer. MetaSynth 4.

top of the plug-in window shows the name and value of the last parameter changed. All knobs and sliders are programmable for MIDI control. Forty-eight presets are included with the plug-in, and these are organized

into four categories: Clean, Electric, Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 Effects, and Bass. Six banks of presets for third-party amplifier effects are also available. Revitar 2.0 is available for plat- forms running Windows 95 and later, including Windows NT. A 1.5 GHz processor is recommended and an au- dio application supporting VST plug- ins is required. A demonstration version of the software is available for download from the CutterMusic Web site. Revi- Figure 6 tar 2.0 is available for purchase for US$ 69. Contact: CutterMusic; elec- tronic mail support@cuttermusic .com; Web www.cuttermusic.com/.

MetaSynth 4 Image-based Audio Software for Mac OS X

Metasynth, the well-known syn- thesis software based on image pro- cessing designed by Eric Wenger has been updated from version 2.7 for Mac OS X. In addition to enabling the software to run on this by-now ubiquitous platform, the main goal in producing Metasynth 4, according to the developers, has been to make real-time synthesis and processing possible. The “palettes” of the earlier ver- sions of Metasynth have been re- placed by “rooms.” The Spectrum Synth Room is a new addition, en- abling “the sequencing and manipu- Figure 7 lation of FFT-events created by high-resolution spectral analysis of sounds” (see Figure 7). The Effects Room provides for envelope- controllable signal processing effects. Up to four envelopes can be created and edited at a time, and the effects

112 Journal implemented range from standard downloaded. Contact: U&I Software higher is required with at least a Pen- ones such as reverberation, delay/ LLC, 701 Seventh Avenue, Redwood, tium IV, AMD Athlon 64 (or equiva- echo, and to granular- California 94063, USA; electronic lent) recommended. At least 256 MB based ones called Grain and Shuffler. mail [email protected]; Web of RAM and 75 MB of hard disk space The Image Synth Room provides a www.uisoftware.com/MetaSynth. is needed, although the orchestra it- “canvas” for designing, by means of a self takes up just 32 MB when in- powerful image editor, sounds and stalled. Audio examples, a user guide, Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 sound effects. Parameters such as Synful Orchestra VST/DXi and a downloadable demonstration tempo/duration, canvas size, tuning Windows Plug-In version of the plug-in are available on space, and synthesis source can be se- the product Web site. A version of the lected/adjusted. The Image Filter Synful Orchestra is a virtual instru- software to run on Mac OS X has re- Room is similar to the Image Synth ment plug-in designed by Eric Linde- cently been released. Room, but the pixels of the images mann that uses a unique patented Synful Orchestra is listed for created or edited here are applied to form of to generate US$ 479. Contact: Synful LLC; elec- filters rather than to oscillators. instrument sounds. Real instrument tronic mail [email protected]; Web These dynamic filter sets can be ap- phrasing is modelled from note transi- www.synful.com/. plied to sound samples loaded into tions, breath and bow sounds, vibrato, the Sample Editor. The Sequencer changes of tone, and articulation. Room is a single-track, non-MIDI The plug-in uses what the developers Tazman Audio Extractor and sequencer for assembling sets of call Reconstructive Phrase Modeling VocController PC VST Plug-Ins sounds. The improved instrument ar- (RPM). This involves using a data- chitecture in the Sequencer Room base of stored real-instrument musi- The Tazman Audio Extractor plug-in features new multi-oscillator cal phrases. The collection of phrases is designed to convert audio input wavetable and FM synthesizers, a contains examples of many types of into MIDI messages in real-time for new grain synthesizer, and improved articulation and phrasing. generating MIDI notes or controlling samplers with randomized start off- When MIDI data is sent to the instruments and settings. Two differ- set. The output can be loaded back plug-in, the pitch, velocity, overlap ent pitch detections algorithms are into the Image Synth Room, the between notes, duration, pitch, and used in the application and these are Montage Room, or exported as an au- modulation wheel settings are noted. used in conjunction with note and dio file. The Montage Room is like a In order to synthesize a virtual in- beat detectors to break a raw audio mixer, where up to 16 tracks can be strument phrase, the database is signal into distinct pitched notes for combined. The tracks can include searched for fragments of the stored conversion to MIDI. The user can stereo or mono audio files, Image musical phrases that could be com- choose between a spectral analysis al- Synth settings, Spectrum Synth set- bined to form the new phrase. Frag- gorithm or a more basic, less accurate tings, or Sequencer Room output. ments are identified and then algorithm that isn’t as demanding of MetaSynth 4 features real-time ed- combined, some time-stretched and the processor. Volume and Brightness iting, full-fidelity Image Synth pre- pitch-shifted, to achieve the desired features can also be detected and an views, capture-to-disk “performances” phrase (see Figure 8). Many fragments input gate is available for use on the from the Effects Room, Image Synth may be used to create a single note. input signal to aid accuracy. A Room, and Image Filter Room, and Piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, graphic display is included for moni- support for multiple sample rates clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, toring the audio input, detected (from 22 to 96 kHz). French horn, trumpet, trombone, pitch, spectrum, and note output. The software comes in two ver- tuba, violin, viola, cello, and double The mapping from audio to MIDI sions. MetaSynth Pro features 24-bit bass instruments are currently avail- is defined by what Tazman Audio resolution (the regular version fea- able in Synful Orchestra. Realistic calls a Modulation Matrix. Here the tures 16-bit resolution), and the abil- staccato, legato, portamento, accents, user can decide which MIDI mes- ity to record audio while playing back and timbral vibrato can be achieved sages should be generated from the Montage Room tracks. from MIDI input. parameters being extracted from the MetaSynth 4 is listed for US$ 499, Up to 160 real-time voices can be audio input. MetaSynth 4 Pro for US$ 599. A used, depending on processor speed The company’s other main plug-in, demo version of the software may be and RAM. Windows 2000, XP, or VocController, is a virtual instru-

Products of Interest 113 Figure 8. Diagram outlin- ing Reconstructive Phrase Modeling for Synful Or- chestra.

phoneme list, a note control section, a main control section, a play mode section, a load/export section, and, fi- nally, a note delay section (see Figure 9). The phoneme list allows the user to enter lyrics and phonemes in a text

box. A drop menu of all possible Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 phonemes is provided. The note con- trol also provides a drop-down menu, this time of all the notes that can be edited. The duration of notes can be changed, vibrato and note attacks set, and the start and end points of vi- bratos specified. The main control section of the interface has adjust- ments for global volume, pitch bend sensitivity, velocity sensitivity, vi- brato rate and depth, singer selection, and use of queue. An additional con- trol allows the user to link velocity to parameters: harmonics, noise, clearness, and brightness. The queue can be turned on or off, con- trolling whether incoming notes are sent directly to the Vocaloid VSTi or held in a queue. The Vocaloid VSTi needs to know the lengths of notes in advance. This is achieved by the use of the queue system with a note de- lay of at least 500 msec. Notes sent directly to the Vocaloid VSTi will be delayed by the stated amount. Vocaloid MIDI files can be loaded into the plug-in and saved. Basic note information can be saved to a stan- dard MIDI files. The VocController plug-in can be used as a standalone application using SAVIHost (see www.hermannseib .com/english/savihost.htm for more details). The plug-ins are available for Windows-based computers only. ment plug-in that can generate MIDI designed to compliment and enhance Demonstration versions of these information for use with Yamaha’s the functionality of Vocaloid by pro- plug-ins are available for download Vocaloid VSTi plug-in. Vocaloid is a viding a way for the user to “play from the Tazman Audio Web site. standalone application that produces words” using a keyboard controller or The Extractor plug-in is available for human-sounding vocal parts from MIDI track. US$ 34.95. The VocController plug- user-defined melody, words, and ex- The Vocaloid VSTi plug-in loads in is available for US$ 25. Contact: pression. Vocaloid can be used as a and runs from VocController. The in- Tazman Audio; electronic mail VST instrument via the Vocaloid terface of the VocController plug-in [email protected]; Web VSTi plug-in. The VocController is consists of six main sections: a www.tazman-audio.co.uk/.

114 Computer Music Journal Figure 9. Main interface Figure 10. Native Instru- window for Tazman Audio ments KOMPLETE 2 soft- VocController plug-in. ware bundle. Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021

and the PRO-53 is a software synthe- sizer based on the Circuits Prophet-5. The latter can actually im- port Prophet-5 System Exclusive messages and therefore can be used with sound libraries designed for the original hardware version. Multi- echo, chorus, and flanger effects are also included. KOMPLETE bundled form, the entire collection is Four samplers are included in the 2 Software Bundle available for US$ 1,149, with signifi- KOMPLETE bundle. Kontakt fea- cant discounts for current Native In- tures a graphic interface for dragging Native Instruments has released a strument customers. samples, mapping keys, and looping. software bundle that features all the is probably Native Instru- Filters, effects, modulation, time company’s main synthesizers, sam- ments’ best known synthesizer. Built stretching, and pitch shifting func- plers, and effects software (see Figure on a modular design, Reaktor pro- tions are available. A large 3-GB li- 10). The bundle consists of two vides a wide range of oscillators, fil- brary of samples is available with DVDs with eleven applications, a ters, samplers, sequencers, and effects Kontakt. The sampler is a 400-page printed manual, and all modules that are combined to build more streamlined sampler that can product manuals in PDF format. instruments and signal processors. import and use most common The full list of software included in These instruments can be used in sample formats including Gigasam- the KOMPLETE 2 bundle comprises: standalone or plug-in format. The lat- pler, EXS, and AKAI. Intakt is de- Reaktor 4, Absynth 3, B4 Organ, FM7, est version includes new and updated signed for working with rhythmic PRO-53, Kontakt 1.5, Kompakt, Intakt, modules, preset morphing and ran- samples and loops and includes a Battery 2, Vokator, and NI-Spektral domization, as well as new graphic peak-detection algorithm for splitting Delay. Absynth 3 and Battery 2 are management and visual tools. rhythmic audio material into individ- among the company’s latest releases Absynth is a semi-modular synthe- ual beats. A wide range of effects and and are available as updates upon sizer with multi-channel support for audio manipulations are available to registration of KOMPLETE 2. Four surround sound (3.1 to 8.0), multi- the user. Battery is a drum sampler large sample libraries from Kontakt, breakpoint envelopes, filters, wave- that loads all common sampler for- Kompakt, Intakt, and Battery are also shaping, and effects functions. The mats and comes with a 3.5-GB included. Individually, these applica- B4 Organ is an emulation of a tone- sample library. tions range from US$ 229 for Battery wheel organ, the FM7 an emulation Two products from Native Instru- and PRO-54, to US$ 449 for Kontakt of an FM synthesizer with distortion, ments’ effects line are also included 1.5, and US$ 559 for Reaktor 4. In effects, and modulation functions, in the bundle. Vokator doubles as an

Products of Interest 115 Figure 11. Interfaces for various HIPNO plug-ins.

effects plug-in and a vocoder-based synthesizer. High-resolution FFT pro- cessing is provided for vocoding and synthesis. A granular sampler with extensive modulation capabilities is also included in the application. Fi- nally, NI-Spektral Delay is an effects Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 processor that uses an FFT algorithm with up to 1,024 frequency bands. Pa- rameters including level, delay time, and feedback amount can be set for each band. Extensive information (including demo versions, audio examples, and screenshots) for all of these products is available on the Native Instru- ments Web site. KOMPLETE 2 is listed for US$ 1,149. Contact: Native Instru- ments USA, 5631 A Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90028, USA; telephone toll-free (USA only) 1-866-556-6487, outside USA (+1) 323-467-5260; fax toll-free (USA only) 1-866-556-6490, outside US (+1) 323-372-3676; electronic mail [email protected]; Web www.native-instruments.com/.

Cycling ’74 HIPNO Plug-Ins

Cycling ’74 has teamed up with Elec- lection is aimed at using video input The HIPNO suite of plug-ins is troTap, a Missouri-based software as a control source, and features such currently available only for Mac and hardware development company, as color and motion can be tracked. OS X but a Windows XP version is to produce a range of plug-ins for VST, The modulator plug-ins can be used in development. Audio Units, and RTAS Mac OS X with other plug-ins in this collection HIPNO is listed for US$ 199. Con- host applications. The HIPNO collec- or with the Cycling ’74 Pluggo and tact: Cycling ’74, 379A Clementina tion features a range of audio effects, Mode collections. Host-syncing capa- Street, San Francisco, California video processors, and modulator bilities are available. 94103; telephone (+1) 415-974-1818; plug-ins. The user interface for many of fax (+1) 415-974-1812; electronic mail Among the audio plug-ins are these plug-ins features a unique and [email protected]; Web www processors, pitch- useful software control surface. The .cycling74.com/ and www.electrotap shifting, and filter and delay effects. Hipnoscope interface is a color-based .com/. Many of the plug-ins offer much visual representation of presets more than simple effects processing: arranged in a circle (see Figure 11). the pitch-shifter has built-in pitch This organization allows for quick Softdiv Software Dexster Audio quantization, filtering, and feedback and easy interpolation and morphs Editor looping, and the filter includes mor- between presets, using a small phing functions and LFO modulation pointer that can be used to glide over Softdiv Software is a Malaysian-based control. A subset of the plug-in col- various colors in the interface. company that specializes in audio

116 Computer Music Journal Figure 12. Spectral display screen and effects menu for Dexster audio editor.

software and has a range of products including audio converters, a CD rip- per, a talking notepad, and Dexster, an audio editor for Windows-based computers. Dexster combines a wave editor with effects, filters, format conver- Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 sion capability, CD burning tools, and the ability to extract audio from video. The easy-to-use editor can be used to record audio input from a mi- crophone or other source. The editor supports the following audio formats: uncompressed WAV PCM, com- pressed WAV in a number of formats, MPEG-2, MPEG-3, VOX, WMA, RAW audio, MPC, AVI, Ogg Vorbis, AIFF, and AU. The compressed WAV formats supported include Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM), DSP Group’s TrueSpeech (DSP) speech compression format, MusePack (MPC), and the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) format which is based on Lin- ear Predictive Coding (LPC). The be available in a future version of the The first of the five plug-ins of the VOX format is a mono 16-bit 4:1 application. suite, TapeBus, applies an impulse re- Dialogic ADPCM format used for A demonstration version of sponse from a reel-to-reel tape machine telephone applications. Dexster can Dexster is available for download to a recording, giving a also be used to extract audio from from the product Web site. Full regis- characteristic analog sound. Controls video in MPEG, AVI, WMV, or ASF tration of Dexster is available for are provided for saturation, modula- formats. US$ 40. Contact: Softdiv Software, tion noise, and smearing effects. The effects available with Dexster 216 Jalan Permai, Taman Bukit A stereo delay plug-in with cross- are Amplify, Compressor, Delay, En- Gambier, 11700 Gelugor Penang, feedback and syncing-to-host facili- velope, Equalizer, Expander, Fade, Malaysia; electronic mail softdiv@ ties uses the impulse response (IR) of Flanger, Invert, Normalize, Phaser, softdivshareware.com; Web www an analog delay in its processing. The Reverb, Reverse, Silence, Stretch, .softdivshareware.com/. user can control the delay length, Trim, Vibrato, and . feedback delay length (up to two White noise and silence can also be seconds), feedback amount, cross- inserted into an audio track. Multiple Voxengo Analogflux Suite VST feedback path, and output gain for breakpoint envelopes can be set by Plug-Ins the delay. Separate control knobs are the user and a number of presets are available for the left and right signals included. Presets are also available The Analogflux Suite is a collection and these controls can be linked for the Flanger and Delay effects. A of convolution-based VST plug-ins together in absolute and relative syn- range of filters are also provided, in- for audio processing (see Figure 13). chronization modes. A Roll-off con- cluding low-, high-, and band-pass The software has been developed by trol allows the user to select between filters, high and low shelf filters, a Voxengo, a company that markets a different IRs, and a dry gain control is notch filter, and FFT, FIR, and Peak number of VST plug-ins, from re- also included. A BPM control can be EQ filters (see Figure 12). Currently verbs, compressors, limiters, and synchronized to the host’s tempo. parameter values cannot be set for equalizers to utility plug-ins for The Insert plug-in has only one these filters but control settings will sample-rate conversion. main control, a modulation noise

Products of Interest 117 Figure 13. Voxengo Analogflux Suite of VST plug-ins.

Waves Q-Clone Hardware Equalizer Modeling Plug-In

Waves is a company most known for creating high-quality audio plug-ins for use with a range of professional

audio applications. What makes the Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 Q-clone plug-in different from other Waves applications is that it actually forms an interface between hardware equalizers and applications like , Logic, and Cubase. The Q-clone plug-in allows the user to use their outboard equalizer within a software session, with knob changes in the equalizer being picked up by the software plug-in. There are two main parts to the plug-in; the Q- capture and the Q-clone itself. The Q-capture element captures the sound of the equalizer and thus tracks knob changes (see Figure 14). A calibration feature is available for setting the plug-in to the headroom and dynamic range of the hardware unit. The Q-clone plug-in displays the equalization curve created by the hardware unit and provides a number strength control. This plug-in is de- is available for each channel. Pro- of other functions (see Figure 15). The signed to make digital recordings cessing of the left channel only is plug-in allows for the creation of warmer. The processing can be con- possible and if this option is chosen, multiple instances of the hardware fined to the left channel only. or if the input file is mono, an eight- equalizer (the developers claim to A two-channel convolution proces- voice chorus is possible. have created up to 24 instances on a sor for channel inserts and reverb The VST FXP and FXB preset man- Macintosh G5 with dual 2.5 GHz sends is also provided in the Audio- agement system can be used to save processors running Pro Tools). Set- flux Suite. The Impulse plug-in in- and load presets or whole banks. tings can be saved and recalled from cludes a set of IRs but also allows The Audioflux Suite is available the Q-clone plug-in window. An Add users to use their own audio files, in for Windows 98 and later platforms feature allows the user to add equal- WAV or AIFF formats. and can be used with any audio ization to a track that has already The stereo four-voice Chorus plug- application that supports VST been equalized, a software equivalent in offers controls for delay, frequency plug-ins. Around 4 MB of free hard to chaining equalizer units together. and depth of chorus modulation, wet disk space is needed and at least a A Trim control is provided for gain signal gain, wet pan gain (the latter 1 GHz CPU. control and a Hold control allows the two on the chorus signal), and dry Sound examples created using the user to save the equalization settings gain of the original signal. A Mode plug-ins are available for download for a particular track before moving button allows the user to choose be- from the Voxengo Web site, as is a on to the next. A range of high- tween a “Clean” chorus sound and a demonstration version of the soft- quality presets is included with the “Vintage” sound which has modula- ware. Audioflux Suite 1.1 is available plug-in. A full user guide is available tion noise applied to each voice. If us- for purchase for US$ 79.95. Contact: from the download section of the ing stereo audio, a four-voice chorus Voxengo; Web www.voxengo.com/. Waves Web site.

118 Computer Music Journal Figure 14. Waves Q- Figure 15. Waves Q-clone capture interface for track- interface displaying equal- ing hardware control ization curve. changes.

The Q-clone is listed for US$ 1,000 and is not yet available in any of the Waves bundles. Contact: Waves In- corporated, 306 West Depot Avenue, Suite 100, Knoxville, Tennessee 37917, USA; telephone (+1) 865-909-

9200; fax (+1) 865-909-9245; Web Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 www.waves.com/.

Behringer B-Control MIDI Controller Series

Behringer has recently released a compact MIDI controller to add to their B-Control collection of MIDI controllers. The existing controllers include both a fader and a rotary model. A B-Control DJ mixer for scratching and mixing WAV and MP3 files is also available. The primary two MIDI controllers in the existing collection are the Figure 14 BCF2000, a fader-based controller, and the BCR2000, a rotary encoder version. Both controllers offer the user a tangible interface for audio/ MIDI applications, allowing the con- trol of synthesizers, audio effects, mixing, and more through a choice of faders or rotary encoders. Both con- trollers can be cascaded and are USB compatible, with MIDI In, Out, and Thru ports included. The BCF2000 (see Figure 16) fea- tures eight ultra-precision 100-mm motorized faders for control of indi- vidual tracks and parameters. Con- trol of groups is possible. Eight endless rotary encoders with 15- element LED indicators and a push- to-set function are also included. Twenty freely assignable illuminated buttons are available for various MIDI functions. Indeed, all panel ele- Figure 15 ments are freely assignable by means of either manual- or learn-mode set- tings. A four-digit LED displays real- time parameter values and a field is available for user labeling. Thirty-

Products of Interest 119 Figure 16. Beringer B- Figure 17. Beringer B- Control BCF2000 Fader Control BCR2000 Rotary MIDI controller. MIDI controller.

two user presets are available with four encoder groups to each preset. Library/editing software to help with managing presets is available for download from the B-Control Web site. A connection for a multi-

function foot switch and foot con- Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 troller is included. The BCR2000 (see Figure 17) is identical in all features except that it substitutes 24 endless rotary en- coders for the eight faders of the other unit. The newest addition to the collec- tion is the B-Control NANO BCN44 (see Figure 18). This compact MIDI controller is designed to offer much of the functionality of the bigger con- trollers in a portable unit. Four freely assignable push encoders and buttons are available. The encoders have a single LED indicator and the buttons (also with LED indicators) can have Figure 16 dual functions. The manual and learn modes for assigning panel elements and the four-digit LED display are available here also. Ninety-nine user presets are available with manage- ment software an optional download. This small controller includes just one MIDI input and one MIDI output and can run on battery or AC power. The BCF2000 is listed for US$ 199.99, the BCR2000 for US$ 129.99, and the BCN44 for US$ 59.99. Contact: Behringer USA, 18912 North Creek Parkway, Suite 200, Bothell, Washington 98011, USA; telephone (+1) 425-672- 0816; fax (+1) 425-673-7647; Web www.behringer.com/.

M-Audio Black Box Guitar Amplifier Modeler, Effects Processor, Drum Machine, and Audio Interface

The M-Audio Black Box is a com- Figure 17 bined guitar amplifier, ,

120 Computer Music Journal Figure 18. Beringer B- Figure 19. M-Audio Black Control NANO BCN44 Box guitar amplifier mod- Portable MIDI controller. eler, effects processor, drum machine, and audio interface.

drum machine, and 24-bit/44.1-kHz sampling rate USB audio interface (see Figure 19). Twelve guitar ampli- fier models with programmable drive and tone controls include Fender, Vox, and Marshall emulations. The

effects unit consists of 43 settings Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 which can be beat-synchronized to the drum beat or an external MIDI clock. These effects include filters, tremolo, flanger, chorus, wah wah, , and arpeggiators. There is a separate beat-synchronized delay with control of note-division, repeats, and volume. Ninety-nine drum pat- terns are provided with the ability to tap the desired tempo on a footswitch or front panel button. The unit comes with 99 general built-in presets, and 99 further user-defined presets can be saved. The back panel connections on the Black Box include an XLR micro- phone input (with built-in preampli- Figure 18 fier), S/PDIF digital output, USB connection, and three pedal inputs. An expression pedal input allows the user to control effects parameters, and two momentary pedal inputs al- low for control of functions such as the use of a built-in tuner, selection of presets, and tap tempo. A 1/4-in headphone jack and 1/4-in guitar in- put are located on the front panel, and a level control is available on the guitar input line. LEDs for signal and clip are located on the main top panel of the Black Box. Additional features include a stand for mounting the device on a micro- phone stand and a Kensington lock slot on the rear panel. The unit is powered by a 9 V AC power supply. The M-Audio Black Box is compat- ible with Windows- and Macintosh- based computers. Minimum requirements for PC are a Pentium III Figure 19 500 MHz or higher with at least 128 MB RAM running Windows XP only. A 500 MHz G3/G4 Macintosh is re-

Products of Interest 121 Figure 20. Frontier Design Group’s TranzPort Wireless DAW controller.

quired running Mac OS X 10.3.7 or later. Drivers are supplied for WDM, ASIO, and CoreAudio. Audio samples created using the Black Box are avail- able for download from the M-Audio Web site.

The Black Box is listed for Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 US$ 329.95. Contact: M-Audio, 5795 Martin Road, Irwindale, California 91706, USA; telephone (+1) 626-633- 9050; fax (+1) 626-633-9060; elec- tronic mail [email protected]; Web www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/ MAudioBlackBox-main.html.

Frontier Design Group’s TranzPort Wireless DAW Controller

Frontier Design Group is a New Hampshire–based company that spe- cializes in digital audio soundcards and also produces a multi-channel analog-to-digital/digital-to-analog converter, a digital audio patchbay, and a MIDI/SMPTE expansion unit. The company has developed a new wireless controller for use with Win- also accepts data back from the audio useful for controlling the recording dows and Macintosh digital audio application and a range of informa- from isolation booths and could be workstations (DAWs). The TranzPort tion is displayed to aid operation. Sig- used in performance situations to re- allows the user to control audio soft- nal levels, timecode positions, and motely trigger playback and record- ware in a highly flexible way, from track names can be displayed. LED ing on an off-stage computer. different locations in the room to dif- indicators for button functions in- The unit is small (7 in. × 5.5 in. × 2 ferent rooms in a studio or other loca- cluding record-arm, mute, solo, in.), lightweight (1 lb), and is mount- tions. The unit is compatible with punch, loop, and record are also use- able on a stand using an most popular audio recording applica- ful. A footswitch input is also fea- optional microphone stand adapter. tions, including Pro Tools, Sonar, tured on the side of the controller. Four standard AA batteries are Logic, Cubase, and . The controller operates using high needed for power and a USB connec- The main components of the con- frequency radio waves in the 2.4 GHz tion is needed for the receiving unit. troller comprise a backlit LCD screen band. Techniques such as frequency- The TranzPort controller is compat- (2 × 20 display), dedicated function hopping and advanced coding are used ible with Windows 2000/XP and with buttons, a data wheel, and large to avoid interference with other wire- Mac OS X (10.2.8 and later). transport controls within thumb less devices. The range of operation is The TranzPort is listed for US$ 249. reach of the bottom of the unit (see typically over 30 feet, allowing the Contact: Frontier Design Group, 240 Figure 20). The functions controllable user freedom to not only leave the Mechanic Street, Lebanon, New from the TranzPort include track computer or mixing station, but even Hampshire 03766, USA; telephone arming, mute, solo, panning, punch to operate the recording and playback toll-free (USA only) 1-800-928-3236, in/out, and looping. Along with hav- functions from another room. In outside USA (+1) 603-448-6283; fax ing controls for the DAW, this unit recording situations this could be (+1) 603-448-6398; electronic mail

122 Computer Music Journal Figure 21. Starr Labs Z-tar Z6-SX Guitar MIDI con- troller. Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021

[email protected]; Web neck and strumming, as in a real gui- ume Pot are located on the front of www.frontierdesign.com/. tar. The string triggers function as the guitar body, next to the string trig- traditional guitar strings, responding gers. Function keys and a display are to varying plucking and strumming located in the side panel of the instru- Starr Labs Z-tar Z6-SX Guitar velocities; the notes are muted when ment. Trigger pads are available as an Controller the user rests fingers on them. Some alternative playing mechanism that of the possibilities available to the can be mounted over the string trigger Starr Labs has developed a range of user with a Z-tar are sustaining area. These are six raised rubber strum MIDI guitar controllers for inputting notes with your finger without re- bars with a set of pressure sensitive MIDI notes and control data into mu- strumming or using sustain pedals, pads. Ribbon and breath controllers, sic applications. Each Z-tar is shaped playing up to 24 notes per string, us- rotary pots, drum pads, neck sensors, like a guitar body with six string trig- ing the guitar to play other software and pedals are available for extended gers for strumming and picking lo- instruments, and triggering events. control and triggering options in per- cated on the body section only. The The latest Z-tar model is the Z6- formance situations. A USB connec- strings do not extend to the neck area, SX. The neck fingerboard is program- tion is included in this model. which is actually a fingerboard with a mable so that it can be remapped and The Z-tar Z6-SX is available for touch-sensitive key at each note posi- re-tuned with changes saved and re- US$ 2,995. Contact: Starr Labs, 7734 tion (see Figure 21). The Z-tar can be called from memory. The fingerboard Arjons Drive, San Diego, California played by using the neck fingerboard keys can be individually programmed. 92126, USA; telephone (+1) 858-271- only or by using a combination of the A thumb-operated Joystick and Vol- 9827; fax (+1) 858-271-9844; elec-

Products of Interest 123 Figure 22. Yamaha Mark IV Disklavier.

tronic mail [email protected]; Web www.starrlabs.com/.

Yamaha Mark IV Disklavier

Yamaha has extended and redesigned Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 many features of the company’s Disklavier to launch the Mark IV se- ries of seven new models. Among the updated features are a new screen- based Graphic User Interface (GUI), significantly larger hard-drive storage space, and new entertainment fea- tures. All models use an open-ended software-based architecture that al- lows for future upgrades and further expansion. All of the models in the new Mark IV series include a Pocket Remote Controller, the PRC-100. This wire- less controller has a full-color LCD screen and dedicated buttons for easy navigation of the user’s stored MIDI files, CD-quality audio, and personal digital images. Some of the models include a Tablet Remote Controller, the TRC-100, which incorporates a 10.4-in. color touch-screen control panel (see Figure 22). Along with nav- igation and selection controls, the TRC allows for management of playlists, viewing of Karaoke song lyrics, and the ability to set user- customizable graphic environments. Both controllers can be used from any room in the house and do not need to be within line-of-sight of the only the background instruments Among the entertainment features Disklavier. while speakers further away include in the new models are a karaoke dis- As in previous Disklavier models, the sound. play, microphone input with vocal ef- Yamaha’s PianoSoft technology al- New grayscale sensors are used to fects, and on-screen video display of lows synchronization of piano play- capture and play back performer nu- lyrics. The vocal effects include re- back with instrument and audio ances. The playback controls, floppy verberation, echo, and chorus; these tracks from standard audio CDs. disk drive, and CD tray are located in can be heard through the built-in Mark IV models extend this to video the new low-profile Media Center on speakers or through external ones. synchronization as well. The the Disklavier. As on previous mod- Prices for Mark IV Disklavier mod- Disklavier’s onboard els, SmartKey software can be used to els start at US$ 11,000. Contact: can be angled away from the body, prompt the user with notes by par- Yamaha Corporation of America, Pi- and the audio outputs can be set so tially depressing the next key to be ano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena that the speakers near the piano play played. Park, California 90622, USA; tele-

124 Computer Music Journal Figure 23. Genelec 8130A digital monitor loud- speaker.

phone (+1) 714-522-9011; electronic controls are available with switches mail [email protected]; Web for setting “Treble Tilt,” “Bass Tilt,” www.yamaha.com/disklavier. and “Bass Roll-off.” A variety of mounting options are available with the 8130A monitors. Genelec 8130A Digital Genelec’s vibration-insulating Iso- Monitoring System Pod table stand can be used. This al- Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 lows the loudspeakers to be tilted, Genelec has brought together its Di- with three mounting positions pro- rectivity Control Waveguide (DCW) vided. Each unit has an and Minimum Diffraction Enclosure 3/8-in. UNC threaded hole for use on (MDE) technologies in a compact pair a microphone stand and two 6 × 10 of easy to set up monitor loudspeak- mm threaded holes on the rear panel ers that include a 192 kHz 24-bit digi- for connecting to an Omnimount 2.5 tal audio interface (see Figure 23). bracket. The speakers measure 299 The monitors can be mounted in a mm × 189 mm × 178 mm (with the number of different ways and are Iso-Pod table). suitable for near field monitoring, The 8130A Digital Monitoring Sys- mobile vans, DAWs, broadcast and tem is listed for US$ 885 per monitor. TV control rooms, surround sound Contact: Genelec Inc., 7 Tech Circle, systems, and home studios. Natick, Massachusetts 01660, USA; The DCW mentioned above was telephone (+1) 508-652-0900; fax (+1) developed to match frequency re- adding one of Genelec’s LSE series 508-652-0909; electronic mail sponse and directivity of drivers in a of stereo subwoofers to the analog [email protected]; Web direct radiating multi-way loud- out port. The peak SPL per pair is www.genelec.com/. speaker. The stereo image is im- 108 dB. The system features a pair of proved by reducing the reflected 40-W amplifiers with low Total Har- sound at the listening position and monic Distortion (THD) and Inter- Java Music Specification this results in reduced sensitivity to modulation Distortion (IMD) of less Language (JMSL) v103 changeable control room acoustics. than .05% each. Active crossover The drive unit sensitivity is also in- technology is used in the amplifier JMSL is an algorithmic music compo- creased by up to +6 dB. The DCW is unit to divide the signal between sition and performance API written integrated into the one-piece front driver units. in Java by Phil Burk and Nick Did- baffle in the 8130A. Genelec’s MDE A female and two male XLR con- kovsky. Released in 2001, JMSL is a features an all aluminum enclosure nections are included on the back successor to the earlier Forth-based with gently curved front and sides to panel of each monitor. The female Hierarchical Music Specification minimize edge diffraction. The com- connection can carry a digital signal Language (HMSL) created by Phil pany has also enhanced the Electro- (AES/EBU) or audio line-level signal. Burk, Larry Polansky, and David magnetic Compatibility (EMC) The type of signal is automatically Rosenboom. JMSL provides a set of shielding to reduce interference with detected, as is the use of dual wire/ classes for hierarchical scheduling of other electronic equipment and to single channel. The male XLRs can musical objects as well as a range of improve the heat dissipation mecha- be used to daisy chain up to eight music tools that include sequence nisms for the amplifiers. loudspeakers (8130As) together in generators and a notation editor. As it The 8130A system features a 5-in. digital or analog mode. The analog has been created using Java, JMSL ap- bass driver with a 3/4-in. tweeter. out can also be used for connecting a plications can be standalone or Web- Protective grilles are placed in front subwoofer, as mentioned previously. based applets and can be run on of both drivers. The free-field fre- A volume control knob is located on Windows, Macintosh, or plat- quency response is 58 Hz to 20 kHz the front panel, and attenuation forms. MIDI, JSyn (see softsynth.com), (±2 dB). The low frequency cut-off is switches of –10, –20, –30 dB are MidiShare, MidiPort, and Sun’s Java- 55 Hz but this can be extended by placed on the read panel. Calibrated Sound protocols are supported.

Products of Interest 125 Figure 24. Kworld Com- puter MediaCenter 200 Deluxe multimedia pro- cessing card.

The latest version of JMSL (v103) has a number of new features and im- provements. JSyn instruments can now be imported into the JMSL nota- tion editor. A transcriber has been in- cluded to notate algorithmically generated music. MusicXML files can Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 be exported from JMSL, allowing the score to be viewed and printed from applications that support the format, including Finale. New signal pro- cessing instruments have been added, and overall integration with JSyn has been improved. JMSL can be used with Max/MSP, and examples are given of how to combine the two ap- plications. A new plug-in API is in- cluded so that users can extend the notation editor. The JMSL software bundle in- cludes a software development kit, applet demos, a tutorial, example scores, documentation, and source code. An evaluation copy of the soft- ware is downloadable from the Algo- niques. M2K builds upon and extends Home Theatre software to create a Music Web site. the D2K/T2K data-mining frame- full multimedia capture, recording, Student, developer, and academic work developed by the Automated and management system. licenses for JMSL are available from Learning Group at NCSA. The MediaCentre 200 Deluxe card US$ 50. Contact: Nick Didkovsky, Downloads, documentation, and enables the user to capture audio and AlgoMusic.com; telephone (+1) 212- more information can be found at video from a range of sources that in- 369-1733; electronic mail didkovn@ www.music-ir.org/evaluation/m2k/. clude antenna, cable, satellite, cam- mail.rockefeller.edu; Web www corder, and VCR. A variety of TV .algomusic.com/. standards are supported for television Kworld Computer MediaCenter viewing, and the built-in TV func- 200 Deluxe Multimedia tions include the ability to playback Music-to-Knowledge Toolkit Processing Card and record programs simultaneously. High-quality DVD playback is pro- The International Music Information Kworld Computer Co., Ltd., is a vided with HDTV resolution. Retrieval Systems Evaluation Labora- Taiwan-based company that special- Karaoke DVD, Super Video CD tory (IMIRSEL) at the University of izes in multimedia processing prod- (SVCD), and Video CD (VCD) play- Illinois in Urbana-Champaign has ucts. The MediaCenter 200 Deluxe back are also included. announced the release of the M2K card is a multimedia processing card Images and slideshows can be (Music-to-Knowledge) alpha 1.0 that provides a range of media cap- viewed and organized, and snapshots toolkit. M2K is an open-source Java- ture and playback facilities for TV, can be taken from video. GIF, JPEG, based framework designed to allow DVD, picture, video, and music (see PNG, TIF, BMP, and WMF formats music information retrieval (MIR) Figure 24). The MediaCenter 200 is a are all supported. Video playback is and music digital library (MDL) re- single card with an MPEG-2 encoding supported in MPEG-1, MPEG-2, Win- searchers to rapidly prototype, share chip and a high-quality video decod- dows Media Video (WMV), AVI, and and scientifically evaluate their so- ing chip. The card is bundled with In- ASF formats. Music playback of CDs, phisticated MIR and MDL tech- tervideo’s WinDVDCreator-2 and MP3 files, Windows Media Audio

126 Computer Music Journal Figure 25. Pen Status win- dow for mapping Wacom tablet data to sound pa- rameters in Kyma X.1.

(WMA) files, and WAV files is sup- ported. A media library is included with an option to scan your computer for existing supported formats and playlists. Radio playback is possible and can be recorded to hard disk in

MP3 format. Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 The WinDVD software included provides video-to-disk direct record- ing, video editing and creation, and supports all DVD and CD-R formats. An IR remote control/receiver is also provided for user convenience. The system requirements for this card are a Pentium III 800 PC or higher with a free PCI 2.2 slot, run- ning Windows XP or 2000. Addition- ally, a graphics card with support for Microsoft DirectX 8.1 or higher, a soundcard that is compatible with SoundBlaster 16, and a CD-ROM drive are also needed. A CD-R and/or DVD-R drive are needed to make full use of the DVD/CD creation possibil- ities. The package includes the TV card, audio/video cables, remote con- troller and sensor, software, manuals, and an optional FM antenna. The MediaCenter 200 Deluxe is available for US$ 99. Contact: Kworld Computer Co., Ltd., 6F, No. 108-1, Min Chuan Road, Hsintien City 231, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan; telephone (+886) 286-676-095; fax (+886) 286- cludes support for Wacom tablet in- for a reduced price, and these sup- 676-096; electronic mail sales@kworld put, new oscillators, and the ability plied tablets come with a plastic .com.tw; Web www.kworld.com/. In to navigate presets on a 3-D parame- overlay that includes an XYZ grid North America, contact: Kworld ter space. and a two-octave continuous key- Computer USA, 17 Hubble, Irvine, Kyma X.1 supports use of Wacom board layout. A movie demonstrating California 92618, USA; telephone Graphire3 and Intuous3 graphic various ways in which the graphics (+1) 949-450-0052; fax (+1) 949-450- tablets as 3-D control surfaces for set- tablet can be used in sound genera- 0053; electronic mail emily@ ting parameter values. Both tablets tion and manipulation is available for kworldcomputer.com; Web www allow detection of x and y co- download from the Kyma Web site. .kworldcomputer.com/. ordinates, pen pressure (512 and Among the new oscillators in 1,024 levels, respectively), and eraser Kyma X.1 are a cross-fading oscillator pressure. The Intuous3 can also de- that allows interpolation between Kyma X.1 with Wacom 3-D tect pen tilt. A pen status window in waveform cycles and a Xenakis- Sound Control Surface Kyma allows the user to map the de- inspired oscillator that defines a tected pen orientation data to sound wave by setting breakpoints and en- Symbolic Sound has released an up- parameters (see Figure 25). Symbolic abling interpolation between them dated version of Kyma X that in- Sound sells the Intuous3 4 × 5 tablet with lines or curves.

Products of Interest 127 Figure 26. Edirol R-4 four- channel portable recorder. Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021

The use of vector spaces is also a USA; telephone (+1) 217-355-6273; Edirol R-4 Four-channel Portable new feature of this version of Kyma. fax (+1) 217-355-6562; electronic mail Recorder and Wave Editor A 1-, 2-, or 3-dimensional space can [email protected]; Web be defined to enable the user to move www.symbolicsound.com/. The Wa- Edirol’s R-4 is a new 24-bit/96-KHz through presets distributed along a com Graphire3 tablet is available in 4 sampling rate portable audio recorder, line, square, or circle. Navigation × 5 and 6 × 8 sizes and is available for capable of recording and editing four through such spaces can be enhanced US$ 99.95 to US$ 199.95. The Intu- channels of audio. The unit is light- using the new graphic tablet interface. ous3 tablet comes in an additional 9 weight (1.7 kg) and compact for Kyma X.1 is free to registered users × 12 size and is available from recording work in the field (see Figure of Kyma X. The Kyma X System in- US$ 219.95 to US$ 749.95. Contact: 26). Along with basic four-track cluding the Capybara sound engine is Wacom Technology, 1311 S.E. Cardi- recording facilities, a number of extra listed at US$ 3,470. The Kyma X soft- nal Court, Vancouver, Washington recording and editing features are ware CD-ROM costs US$ 175. Con- 98683, USA; telephone (+1) 800-922- available for editing audio material tact: Symbolic Sound, P.O. Box 2549, 9348; fax (+1) 360-896-9814; Web before transferring to computer or Champaign, Illinois 61825-2549, www.wacom.com/. other device.

128 Computer Music Journal The R-4 offers users a choice of 16- play. Four editing functions allow for rameters and selecting menu items and 24-bit resolution and sampling deleting sections, splitting files, com- are located on the top panel of the R- rates of 44.1, 48, and 96 kHz. The 40- bining files into one, and merging 4. Among these are the power switch, GB hard disk space enables recording channels by means of a bounce func- phantom power and limiter on/off time of 17 hours at 24-bit/96 kHz or tion. A set of five effects can be used switches, the wave edit buttons, in- up to 58 hours if using CD-quality on recording or playback. Effects can dexing controls, display selector, audio rates. Four XLR/TRS-type con- only be used one at a time but can be cursor buttons for selecting and Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/comj/article-pdf/29/3/109/1854366/0148926054798197.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 nectors are provided, with switchable set on/off; parameters can be set for browsing menus, and a jog/shuttle phantom power for channels 1–2 and each track. A three-band shelving wheel. A mark button is used for in- channels 3–4. Individual input gain equalizer, graphic equalizer, noise dexing and it can be used during play- dials are located on the front panel gate, enhancer, and combined com- back and recording. A playback loop along with the LCD screen, transport pressor/de-esser are included. These can be created using a simple button controls, and master gain dial. All of effects are not available when using click for defining start and end the inputs and outputs are located on the 96 kHz sampling rate mode. points. The jog wheel can forward or the side panel of the recorder. A Further input/output connections rewind through recorded material at built-in limiter removes distortion available on the R-4 include coaxial seven different speeds and the shuttle and clipping prior to analog-to-digital digital input/output, left and right wheel is useful for wave editing. conversion. A stereo non-directional 1/4-in line outputs, USB 2.0 port, The unit is powered by eight AA electret condenser microphone is also CompactFlash slot, and L terminal. batteries or by an AC adapter. It built into the unit. Recording and The CompactFlash slot and USB port comes with a soft carrying case. playback can be monitored using the enable the user to transfer audio files The Edirol R-4 is listed for unit’s stereo loudspeakers or the quickly and easily between devices. US$ 1,895. Contact: Edirol Corpora- headphone connection. Files are saved in WAV format on the tion North America, 425 Sequoia One of the most unique features of recorder. The L-connector allows a Drive, Suite 114, Bellingham, Wash- this portable recorder is the ability to digital video camera to be connected ington 98226, USA; telephone (+1) edit waveforms using the LCD screen for synchronization of camera 360-594-4273; electronic mail sales@ for viewing. The screen is located on stops/starts. edirol.com; Web www.edirol.com/. the front panel and is a 128 × 64 dis- Most of the controls for setting pa-

Products of Interest 129