Piccolo Picks up The Beat

The Piccolo snare has been listed in Pearl's catalogue for a year or so but it's only recently become available. Based on Pearl's 'Free Floating System' snare drum principle, it's main plus is that it doesn't have any nut-boxes; instead the hoops and the snare strainers are attached via the tension screws to an aluminium ring which fits snugly over the snare head. This allows the shell to vibrate freely since nothing is attached to it and only the heads touch. It is simple to change the shell too and the company make them from maple, copper, brass and steel in four different sizes: 8", 6½", 5" and 3½". This last in particular is beginning to catch on with high-profile drummers. I found it at its best as a studio drum because it has a very snappy sound without any intrusive 'bottom' to it. Obviously this would not be ideal for all applications, but in the studio it can be equalised very easily to make it more meaty. (It's better to start out with a pure, clean sound and add dirt electronically than trying to clean up an already 'muddy' sound.)

The Piccolo has been up to now a very specialised drum used for orchestral applications like Ravel's Bolero, as well as the odd 'pasodoble' tunes, but with several top American players using The Piccolo on stage alongside their normal snares, there could be a resurgence of 'thin' sounds afoot, which should make an interesting contrast to the ubiquitous heavy sound we've grown used to over the past few years.

Syco shape up

High-tech retailers Syco Systems have been busy lately, refurbishing their premises, and making 'a detailed evaluation of the needs of the music industry'. (Does this mean people without telephone number bank accounts will be able to look at their stock in the future?). They've also been busy on the gear front, bringing in US firm Forte Music's MIDI-Mod, a retrofit modification for both acoustic and electronic pianos, which'll give the host instrument the ability to transmit full note event information, including dynamics, from all or selected parts of the piano keyboard. A snip at £1,595.

The long awaited Fairlight Voicetracker has also finally arrived at Syco. An intriguing device, the Voicetracker can take any monophonic, real-time input (flute, voice, you name it) and convert it into MIDI or VC/Gate information, allowing you to hum up a whole orchestra if you've got enough synths, samplers, sequencers and the like plugged in. The sophistication of the device allows pitch, dynamics and timbre of the original input to be relayed to the connected instruments and, via a video monitor, the detailed waveform displays generated by the unit have great potential for voice training and other educational applications. Yours for £1,995. More details on both products and the rest of Syco's range from the company on: (Contact Details).

Illuminating Yamaha

Yamaha have at last taken steps to rectify one of the most frequently voiced criticisms of the otherwise phenomenally successful DX7 – the lack of backlighting on the LCD display. A retrofit kit, the LCD7, is now available, which simply replaces the existing LCD window, without soldering. This modification can be done by yourself, or by approved Yamaha stockists, and'll set you back £50 inc vat. If you'd like to throw any further light on the subject, contact Yamaha on (Contact Details).

Di Marzio's Double Double Whammy

American company DiMarzio have two new guitar pick up systems out now to handle the needs of contemporary guitarists. Their Double Whammy Humbucker pickup, designed for the bridge position on multiple pickup guitars is designed to compensate for the extremes of tone shift which can be experienced on locking-tremolo fitted instruments (top end screech and bottom end muddiness).

The ShockWave system, meanwhile, is an active Strat system capable of delivering a switchable added 18dB of gain to your sound. Featuring three vertical humbucking pickups and a Power Module which can be retrofitted to Strats with top-mounted jackplates, the ShockWave delivers a high impedance single coil sound in passive mode, and in active mode, more than doubles the guitar output, allowing you to overdrive your amp at the flick of a switch. More info on both systems from your nearest Di Marzio dealer, or direct from the firm at (Contact Details).

Dolby Do It Again

Dolby Laboratories, home of the world-famous Noise Reduction circuits, have come up with a new system designed to enhance the performance of conventional professional analogue master recorders, now facing stiff competition from the new breed of digital recorders. Dolby SR – Spectral Recording – is not a further development of noise reduction, but rather an 'intelligent' sophisticated level control which responds extremely rapidly to the changing amplitudes in different parts of the frequency spectrum of an audio signal, enabling the highest usable gain to be used at every moment, at every point in the frequency spectrum – hence maximising the potential of the analogue recording, and giving the host machine a performance equal to or better than existing 16-bit digital systems. The encoding/decoding hardware is supplied in the form of a retrofit module that will fit most existing Dolby-noise reduction mainframes. Further details on what promises to be a very interesting development in sound recording technology can be had from Dolby Laboratories on (Contact Details).

JHS get serious

Another firm going in for a bit of revamping are JHS, who've just discontinued their old range of brown leather cloth-finished amps in favour of a new more serious looking range of black combos, ranging in size from a 5 watt, battery/mains portable model, up to three differently configured 60 watt combos.

More significantly, the firm are at last releasing the Teczon 4x4 portastudio on an expectant world. The 4-track cassette machine was first scheduled for release last autumn, but has been held back to allow Dolby C noise reduction to be added to the machine's spec. At £429 it's plunging right into the thick of the home recording market, where the provision of this lauded form of NR may well give it the competitive edge. Expect a full review soon.

The good news for guitarists is that JHS are also taking a decisive step upmarket via the acquisition of the UK distribution rights of Jackson-Charvel guitars; a marked contrast to the various budget ranges JHS currently import from Japan and the Far East, these guitars are high-quality, pro instruments. In a corresponding break with tradition, the guitars will be available from selected dealers only. More details on all the above products from JHS on (Contact Details).

Teknik Takeover

Klark Teknik, well reputed for their range of professional sound processing equipment have now moved into the field of mixing consoles, with the acquisition of DDA, the well-known British audio mixer firm. DDA will continue to operate from their headquarters in Isleworth, Middlesex, with no major changes in the offing for their successful range of products. Further info on both companies' ranges on (Contact Details).

Quark go walkabout

Quark, makers of the MIDI-Link range of MIDI accessories have just added to that range with the introduction of their LRM-2, a 1U, 19" rack-mounting unit which allows the current maximum safe MIDI information transmission distance to be extended from 15 meters to 200 meters, via the unit's two sets of MIDI In, Out and Thru sockets. In use, two such units are linked via standard XLR fitted cables, giving MIDI-based musicians the kind of on-stage freedom long enjoyed by conventional guitarists. Each LRM-2 costs £239 inc VAT, and is available now.

Further information on this and the rest of Quark's expanding range of MIDI accessories from the company on (Contact Details).