A new range of stereo headphones has been launched by Ross. Available in 'trendy' red or yellow, the RE2220 range is equipped with Mylar drive units. They also feature ball joint swivel earcups, supra aural foam earpads and an adjustable headband. Impedance is 41-32 ohms, frequency response 20-20kHz and maximum handling capacity of 200mW. They will retail at £7.95. Another set of headphones; the lightweight RE4152 has been designed for personal stereo use and these will be sold for £9.95. As another accessory to a personal stereo, Ross have also released the RE4240 stereo microspeaker cube that incorporates a battery-powered amp. This too will retail at £9.95. Another new microspeaker for a personal stereo; the RE4170 will be sold at £4.95. Further information is available from Ross Electronics, (Contact Details).

Although not yet in the shops, the first Mitsubishi X800 digital multitrack recorder is now available for hire. In addition to the existing 32 PCM audio tracks, four more are available for sync code data and two for analogue audio. It also incorporates 'possibly the best error correction system yet designed.' In October an advanced model; the X850 will become available. This has the additional feature of an accurate editing facility. Further information can be obtained from Hilton Sound, (Contact Details).

John Hornby Skewes have released two new mixing consoles under the brandname Bandstand. The PDM8x2 is an 8:4 console, and the PDM12x2 has a 12:4 configuration. Mic inputs have an impedance of 200-600 ohms and a line input impedance of 27K ohms. There are three return inputs and a 3-band EQ section. A phantom powering facility is also available, as is an inbuilt reverb unit with a 2 second reverb time. More information on these consoles is available from John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd, (Contact Details).

C-Tape have come up with a new mic specifically designed to be of use to acoustic drummers who would like to mix an electronic drum sound with that of their acoustic kit. The C-ducer APT (Automatic Percussion Trigger) provides both audio and trigger pulses simultaneously. Separate outputs allow the acoustic and triggered drum sounds to be mixed proportionately, and when used in a studio, using the APT can mean that triggered voices can be overdubbed on acoustic drum tracks. Two variations of the product are available, in 2- and 5-channel format. Information on the APT can be obtained from Transducer Laboratories, (Contact Details).

Yet another new product has come out of the Tascam stable. Revealed at the APRS show was the replacement model for the long-standing Teac A3440; an improved version of the 34 named the Tascam 34B. Although designed for audio-visual work, this product incorporates features that make it equally suitable for those wanting to use it for audio alone. It is a 4-channel, 4-track machine using ¼" tape and has a choice of 38 or 19 cm/sec tape speeds and a frequency response is 40Hz-22kHz. Approximate retail price for the 48B is £1350.

Furthermore, Tascam have come up with a new cassette duplicator. The T2600 series comprises two models. The T2640 is a 4-track, 2-channel master/slave deck that can copy both sides of a tape simultaneously. As many as ten may be linked together (providing a total of 21 copies made at once). The T2620 is a 2-channel, 2-track affair for mono reproduction. Like the T2640, units can be linked together. Both masters and slaves should cost £2139 each. Further information is available from Harman (Audio) UK Ltd, (Contact Details).

Sutek Electronics contribute to this month's news page with a new Frequency Response Analyser that goes under the somewhat unassuming name of 'FRANK'. Using a sinusoidal waveform as a test signal, it makes fast level measurements and prints out the results when connected to any dot-matrix printer. It can also retain frequency response information in the memory. Units cost £1300 excluding VAT. Further information obtainable from Sutek Electronics Ltd, (Contact Details).

Stage Accompany have brought out a programmable 4-band parametric equaliser known as the PPE2400. This will be the first of several programmable devices arriving on the UK market, which will ultimately form a comprehensive computer controlled system. It features visual displays of input gain, boost/cut, Q-factor, centre frequency, output level and program in use. 64 different settings may be stored in the memory and can be transferred to another PPE2400 via a remote control unit for use elsewhere. Retail prices are as yet unknown, but are likely to be around the £1500 mark. Further information is available from Studio Equipment Distribution, (Contact Details).

Five new effects pedals have been brought out by Aria. The DDX10 costs £169 and is a digital delay pedal that has a delay time ranging from 4mS to over 1S and a frequency response of 30Hz to 7kHz. In the same range is the DT5 Distortion (£39), the MP5 Metal (£45), the FL5 Flanger (£69) and the CH5 Chorus (£65). Information is available from Gigsville, (Contact Details).

AKG have announced the launch of a new pair of stereo headphones intended for studio monitoring. The K240DF was developed from the K240 hi-fi headphone in response to a request from the Institute of Radio Technology for an acoustically diffuse field equalisation headphone. It has a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz. Further information is available from AKG Acoustics Ltd, (Contact Details).

A new course in synthesiser programming has been launched by Gateway Studios. The lecturer on both this and the primary recording course will be a certain Mr. Steve Howell and the course is designed to teach the complete novice up to the point where they can program virtually any make of synth or sequencer (including the Yamaha DX range), and will also examine subjects such as MIDI, sampling, recording synths, sync codes and drum machines. Contrary to the review of the primary recording course in the July issue of HSR, Gateway courses do in fact run continuously all the year round - apologies. Further information on all the courses is available from Gateway Studios, (Contact Details).