BOSS PRO STUDIO LINE

The Boss Micro Studio Pro Series is a new range of half-rack units featuring professional quality electronics in a compact form. The current line-up consists of the SE50 Stereo Effects Processor (£390), NS50 Stereo Noise Supressor (£140), CL50 Compressor/Limiter (£140), and the GE21 Graphic Equaliser (£159). All have switchable -10/+4dBm input/output levels, and separate power supplies.

The SE50 Stereo Effects Unit uses 16-bit conversion and 24-bit internal processing. The sampling frequency is switched between 32 and 48kHz, depending on which algorithm is selected. The unit can produce 14 different effects which are combined in 28 preset algorithms. The 14 effects are: Reverb; Delay; Chorus; EQ; Flanger; Phaser; Pitch Shift; Rotary; Distortion, Compressor; Pan; Noise Reduction; Exciter; Vocoder.

Users can create up to 100 of their own versions of the algorithms, to give a total of 128 internal patches. Patch parameters can be modified in real time by MIDI controllers.

The CL50 Compressor/Limiter offers a frequency response of 5Hz to 40kHz, and a residual noise level of less than -98dBm. The GE21 Graphic Equaliser is a 21-band processor offering 15dB of cut or boost on each band, and a quoted THD of less than 0.01%. Residual noise is less than -100dBm.

Roland UK, (Contact Details).

WAVESTATION GOLD CARD

The Advanced Media Group have announced the introduction of sounds for the Korg Wavestation to the Valhala International Gold series, programmed in the UK by Hit Music Productions. One card will be available initially (£TBA), and AMG say that the new sounds are a great improvement on the factory presets.

The International Gold Series has recently been bolstered by the introduction of cards for the Ensoniq VFX (double cartridge £90 or two SD disks £40 each), Kawai K1 (two cards, £45 each), Kawai K4 (two cards, £55 each). There are also new sounds for the Peavey DPM3 (four cards, £50 each, £40 on disk) and Yamaha SY77 (two cards £TBA).

Advanced Media Group, (Contact Details).

TSC SAMPLE LIBRARY

A new Roland S770 sample library is available from The Synthesizer Company, on either 45M cartridge or optical disk. The library includes a range of orchestral samples which were donated by an ex-Synclavier owner who switched to the S770. There are also percussion, sound effects and drum samples. In line with TSC's existing policy, the samples will be available to their clients for the price of the media only (eg. the price of a 45M cartridge), and a supervised service is also in operation whereby clients can bring their own media in and select whichever samples they want.

The Synthesizer Company, (Contact Details).

8 MEG MEMORY BOARD FOR AKAI S1000/1100

The Synthesizer Company have developed an Akai-compatible 8 megabyte memory board for the S1000/1100 samplers. Up to four boards can be installed in each machine, giving a maximum memory capacity of 32 megabytes. The new TSC8 card costs £1144.25, and TSC will allow buyers to trade in any redundant 2 meg boards.

The Synthesizer Company, (Contact Details).

A MORE PERSONAL STEREO

Personal stereos are a great way of relieving the boredom of public transport, but they're not so wonderful if you're on the receiving end of the high-pitched, tinny overspill from someone else's headphones. In response to this wide-spread problem, Technics have launched the SL-XP300 (£159.95), a more personal portable CD player which has a commuter-friendly feature called Amenity Sound Control. ASC is designed to reduce the sound that escapes from the earphones by using a band-pass filter which cuts high frequencies by 60%.

The SL-XP300 weighs a mere 335g including batteries. A multifunction remote control attached to the earphone lead carries transport and volume controls. The LCD confirms all major functions such as number of tracks, track number in play, total playing time, time elapsed and remaining. The player uses an 8-times oversampling 18-bit high resolution digital filter and two DACs.

Panasonic Consumer Electronics UK, (Contact Details).

STUDIO VISION

Opcode's Vision sequencer is now available in an exciting new version that adds the ability to record digital audio along with sequenced MIDI tracks. A Mac II or SE/30 with Digidesign's Sound Tools (or Audiomedia board) is required to take advantage of Studio Vision's digital audio capabilities.

You can record and play back two channels of digital audio simultaneously, and you can record as much material as your hard disk will allow. Non-destructive editing of the audio data is possible, so the system combines powerful recording and editing facilities for both MIDI and audio, integrating the ability to record any live instruments into a sequencer environment. SMPTE sync means that the system is suitable for post production as well as music recording applications.

MCMXCIX, (Contact Details).

CASIO UPGRADE DAT RANGE

Casio have announced a new portable DAT recorder, the DA7 (£599), similar in size to the DA2 but with some significant differences in specification. The DA7 is a true 16-bit full bandwidth machine, with digital input and output via the SPDIF standard, which can be used directly with a wide range of equipment, such as the Akai S1000 and Digidesign's Sound Tools, The unit comes with a rechargeable battery pack and leather carrying case.

The Synthesizer Company have been appointed as the central London outlet for the new machine. Managing Director Jonathan Cole commented: "We have sold over £1 million of DAT in the UK, and see the DA7 as the first of the third generation DAT recorders, offering uncompromising quality and features, and a price which puts it within the reach of anyone with a serious interest in music."

The Synthesizer Company, (Contact Details).

NEW DIKI DEVICES

A new range of storage devices has been announced to complement the Diki Devices DD44R rackmounted removable hard disk and the RMCD CD-ROM/removable hard disk combo. The new units all come in 2U 19" rack format with switched mode power supply and a silent fan. The new range is designed to work with the Digidesign Sound Tools direct-to-disk recording system, and for Atari owners, an optional SCSI/DMA converter is available that is capable of formatting up to 1.6 gigabytes.

There are seven new drives, from the 100 Meg DDF100, which offers approximately 10 minutes of stereo recording time, through to the DD780F, which can store a whole hour of stereo digital audio. At the top of the range is the DDSMD501 optical drive, which can also be used with the Akai DD1000, S1000/S1100, Emulator III, and the Roland S770.

The Synthesizer Company, (Contact Details).

NEW YAMAHA POWER AMPS

New from Yamaha is the PC4002 power amp, a high powered unit that the company claim delivers its high output without sacrificing sonic integrity. The amp is rated at 430W into 80 and 700W into 40 stereo, and a single back panel switch configures the amp for bridged mono operation, delivering 1400W into 80.

Both the FC4002 and its twin peak level metered version, the PC4002M, have frequency responses quoted as 10Hz-50kHz ± 1dB and THD figures of less than 0.005% over 20Hz-20kHz at 215W stereo into 8Ω. Twin power supplies and transformers on the power amp stages ensure reliability, and that any maintenance can be carried out with the unit still in the rack. Rear panel input connectors for balanced XLRs and unbalanced jacks work in conjunction with front panel decibel calibrated input pots, while speaker connection is via screw-lock terminals.

Yamaha-Kemble (UK) Ltd, (Contact Details).

STUDIO DOORS FROM STOCK

The UK's largest acoustic products manufacturer, Industrial Acoustics Company (IAC) of Staines, has adopted a new policy of making its latest range of acoustic doors for the broadcasting and recording industries, the IAC Noise-Lock 47, available from stock. Manufacturers usually supply only to order, which can cause delays of up to six weeks, but IAC believes that the accelerated timescales of most studio building projects simply cannot accommodate this kind of delay.

The high quality Noise-Lock 47 doors start at £750, and are acoustically rated at STC (Sound Transmission Class) 47. The doors will fit a structural opening measuring 2.1 m x 1.0m and are constructed from robust 1.5mm steel, filled with sound-absorbing and damping materials. They have self-aligning magnetic compression seals, level swing hinges, and a stainless steel bevelled floor threshold. All doors are hung in an architectural steel split frame, so the complete door set is therefore ready for immediate installation.

Industrial Acoustics Company, (Contact Details).

AMIGA DIAGNOSTICS FROM DATA-PAK

Data-Pak Software have released a new program for the Amiga which provides MIDI musicians with some handy diagnostic facilities. The MIDI Toolkit (£9.99) offers real time analysis of incoming MIDI data, a graphic display of the amount of data flowing through a MIDI interface, lead checking, and Standard MIDI File analysis.

Data-Pak Software, (Contact Details).

FRACTAL MUSIC

Fractal Music (£65) is a new piece of ST software that uses cyclic, iterative mathematical processes to provide some interesting means of generating and processing MIDI data. The 16-track "music generator" creates and manipulates monophonic lines of music. According to the authors, the process of creating parts "is 3-dimensional, affecting the pitch, placement in time and key velocity of each new note. The result is real music, with melodic, rhythmic and dynamic interest." The program's editing facilities can then be used to generate subtle variations on the music. The program disk includes a demonstration MIDI File consisting of a short Bach Prelude that has been subjected to various processes.

Datamusic Ltd, (Contact Details).

KISS OF LIFE

The Soul Kiss is a new mouth-controlled filter effects unit from the New Sensor Corporation of New York. A sensor probe held in the players lips will translate natural mouth movements into moving resonances and articulations in the processed signal — keyboards, guitar, bass or almost anything else is suitable for treatment, and the makers say that the degree of control offered to users makes the Soul Kiss a highly intuitive and expressive device.

The Soul Kiss is housed in a rugged ABS plastic case, with a belt clip and 9V battery compartment, and plug-in sensor probe with 4-foot cable. Individually sealed, disposable 'nipples' are included which slide over the sensor probe tip for hygienic protection. Controls are provided for Sweep Range, Bypass, and Filter Q.

MCMXCIX, (Contact Details).

OK OK KARAOKE

Sirecho is a new company that has been established specifically to promote Karaoke, that unique Japanese cross between entertainment and public humiliation. They are currently compiling backing tracks in several formats (CD-ROM, MIDI Song Files, Laser Disc, SCSI Optical read/write media) to complement their existing library of standard audio cassettes. As well as selling the backing tracks, the company are also looking for people who might be able to put together backing tracks for their new media. MD John Blackburn said: "I believe there are lots of musicians who would like to sell their original tracks or special arrangements of cover versions without having the hassle of packaging and distribution, and this is where Sirecho can help".

(Contact Details).

MORE MAC MUSIC

JL. Cooper now have a Mac MIDI interface, MacNexus, and a 3 x 8 MIDI switcher available. The Nexus switcher has two MIDI Ins and seven Outs on the rear panel, with input C and output 8 on the front. The three input channels have activity LEDs.

Sound Technology plc, (Contact Details).

RAMSA EXPANDS SPEAKER RANGE

RAMSA are to launch two new speakers, the WSA500 and the WSA550. The WSA500 is a new full-range unit based on a horn-loaded 44mm compression driver and a single 12" bass unit. The drivers are housed in a robust moulded plastic cabinet which comes complete with flying points on the top and sides of the the unit's maximum power output is rated at 122dB.

For situations where extra bass is needed, the WSA500 cam be supplemented by the WSA550 subwoofer, which is housed in an identical cabinet, and has a power handling capacity of 400W. The two units can be connected together with the WSSP2AE active crossover, the same half-rack width system that is used in Ramsa's WSA200/240 combination.

Panasonic Consumer Electronics UK, (Contact Details).

AUDIO-DYNE INTRODUCES NEODYMIUM MIC LINE

Audio-Dyne have a new range of neodymium professional microphones available, aimed primarily at vocal applications. There are six mics in the range, with the AD357S (£95 inc VAT) at the top. This features 30 to 19,000Hz frequency response, a cardioid (unidirectional) polar pattern, and a Soft Grip handle for comfort. All the mics come with a windshield, mic stand holder, and a hard travel case.

John Hornby Skewes & Co Ltd, (Contact Details).

VIDEO TIME PIECE

New from Mark of the Unicorn is the Video Time Piece, a video synchroniser and character generator that extends the company's Performer sequencer's applications into film and video. The VTP will read and write all SMPTE formats, Jam Sync SMPTE, and convert SMPTE to MTC, VITC (Vertical Interval Time Code) to LTC (Longitudinal Time Code), and LTC to VITC. The unit has adjustable freewheeling to maintain lock-up through SMPTE dropouts, and will genlock to house sync or video.

The VTP's character generator can 'burn in' a SMPTE time code window anywhere on a video screen, generate streamers and conductor crawl lines, and add graphics from a computer on to video. MOTU's Performer software can download Markers through the VTP. First the Marker name is displayed, followed by a streamer (a solid white bar that travels across the screen from left to right) that 'punches' the right-hand side of the screen at the Marker's exact hit point.

An on-board audio click-to-MIDI convertor will turn a click from an audio source into a MIDI note to drive a sequencer or play samples. The 19" rack-mount unit has connections for Video In, House Sync In, Video Out, and there are two independent MIDI Ins and Outs. Also now available is the Video Distribution Amplifier, a 3-in 15-out video signal router.

MCMXCIX, (Contact Details).