TC Electronics Nova System guitar multi-effects board has been popular with guitarists for a number of years now. They are used by some big name rock guitarists and have a loyal user following. TC Electronics has just released a "limited" edition of this popular compact pedal unit sporting a boosted price tag. So What makes this unit a "limited" edition. That label usually implies a limited production run or window of availability of a product but no lot size or availability dates have been published. What makes it different from the standard system and justifies the premium pricing? Well the most visible difference is the new sporty red color that makes it an attractive little unit. Attractive as it may be it seems a little superfluous for a unit that sits on the stage floor visible only to the guitarist whose foot is often resting upon it.

What do you get when you take an Intel™ Xeon™ dual six core enterprise class server with slots to handle up to 192 gigabytes of triple channel memory, and package it with a full size keyboard, and a stunning array of controller inputs, including knobs sliders, pitch and mod wheels and a massive array of large backlit rubber buttons? Well if you include a built in 1024 x 576 LCD touch screen, Windows 7 operating system, DVI and HDMI outputs, built in gigabit ethernet, and built in Presonus™ Audiobox™, or Firestudio™ audio interfaces, you get the most powerful keyboard production workstation on the planet, Music Computing's StudioBLADE™ (Gen2). The combination of computing power that would be the envy of mid-sized corporations across America, Maximum parametric control, and studio class audio interfaces means that this unit can serve not only as a gargantuan keyboard workstation but as then central core of your entire music studio.

Korg has added four new products to their lineup since the first of the year. The product offerings show the wide range of diversity that has become the Korg product line. While best known for their keyboards, their tuners have become quite popular and their Wave Drum series of hand percussion have had some significant success of late. Both of these lines will receive new offerings with the arrival of the Pitchclip clip-on tuner and the Wave Drum Mini. Rounding out the offerings are a battery operated powered monitor speaker and the Monotribe ribbon synthesizer.

Expanding on the success of their DTX-900 which debuted at this years winter NAMM show in January and won the "Best in Show" award, Yamaha has released two new lines of electronic percussion featuring their DTX pads. Yamaha designed its innovative new DTX-PAD with input from the company's legendary roster of drum artists. The Textured Cellular Silicone head features a proprietary manufacturing process that introduces small air bubbles into foamed silicone to provide playability and feel unlike any pad introduced to market. Using a new numbering system based on the Drum trigger module Yamaha has launched two new lines that will allow the new technology to reach a wider range of customers.

Peavey has teamed up with Marvel Entertainment,LLC, to release a new line of guitars featuring Marvels well known super-hero characters. The likes of Captain America, Thor, Wolverine, The X-Men, Spider Man, Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk will now decorate the bodies of this new line of guitars. Guitarists of all ages and skill levels will find offerings with their favorite super-hero characters. This summer's kickoff will begin with a half sized acoustic guitar followed by a 3/4 size electric and a full sized Peavey Rockmaster® guitar. They will also feature a full line of accessories including guitar picks and straps featuring the Marvel characters.

Founded in 1965, Peavey Electronics has been a leading manufacturer and supplier of musical instruments since the company revolutionized guitar making by introducing computer-aided manufacturing techniques in the 1970s to vastly improve quality and consistency. Today, the methods Peavey pioneered are the industry standard worldwide.

This is a roundup of new Roland products that have been announced since the beginning of the year. They represent a refresh of the entire Roland Line most are already available or soon to be available. Truly there is something for everyone in this grab bag of musical goodies.

May 31, 2011

Peavey Electronics® proudly announces the immediate availability of the revolutionary Peavey IPR™ 3000 power amplifier. The IPR 3000 utilizes an advanced technology that increases output power, reliability and thermal efficiency while yielding the highest audio resolution possible with dramatically light weight.

Designed with a new advanced switch-mode power supply and a high-speed class D topology, the Peavey IPR 3000 power amplifier provides 1,490 watts RMS per channel @ 2 ohms (840 watts RMS x2 @ 4 ohms) with a weight of just 7.9 lbs. The highly anticipated release of the Peavey IPR 3000 follows the IPR 1600, the award-winning power amplifier that earned rave reviews from pro audio media and turned the industry on its ear.

Peavey IPR Series power amplifiers feature two channels with independent, fourth-order Linkwitz-Riley 100 Hz crossovers—with preset selections for Hi Pass, Full Range and Subwoofer—and a variable-speed fan housed in a lightweight aluminum chassis. Inputs are combination ¼” and XLR, while outputs are combination ¼” and twist-lock connectors.

The Dante Digital network has been raising a stir in the pro-audio, broadcast sound, recording, and sound reinforcement industries capturing several major prizes and industry collaborations recently. While Dante is one of several competing standards for communicating multiple audio channels over standard Ethernet and IP networks. Dante seems to be capturing the spotlight and may have a technological edge over the competition. It has garnered numerous prestigious awards and the number of manufacturers lining up to support the technology and collaborate is impressive. Most notable among them are Yamaha Commercial Audio system, Allen&Heath, Peavey Commercial Audio, Bosch, Dobly Labs, and Electro-Voice.

To Help you understand why this technology has the potential to change our industry I present the following information straight from the Audinate web site.

Why Digital Networking?

Challenges of Analog Distribution

Alfred Music Publishing proudly releases The Ultimate Guitar Tone Handbook, the definitive guide to creating and recording great guitar sounds, by Bobby Oswinski and Rich Tozzoli.

For all guitarists, the quest to finding the guitar tone they hear in their heads and then recording it is a never-ending journey. The Ultimate Guitar Tone Handbook is the definitive guide to discovering that great, elusive guitar sound and making sure it's recorded well.

Guitarists of any level will learn a variety of subjects pertaining to guitar tone in both performance and recording, including: the factors that determine the sound of an electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and amplifier; the type of wood used to build an acoustic guitar and their differences in tone; the techniques A-list engineers use to record electric and acoustic guitars; why the wood in a speaker cabinet makes a difference; how to recreate the guitar production techniques heard on professional records; the secret to using alternate tunings on recordings; and more.

My first experience with multi-track recording was with a Fostex PortaStudio that recorded four audio tracks to a standard cassette tape. The ever present tape hiss and persistent wow and flutter could not dampen the enthusiasm and as long as you kept the bounces to a minimum the results could sound... good enough. With the advent of ADATS and digital recording work stations the PortaStudios soon faded into history. Tascam has announced the return of the PortaStudio as an app for iPad. Modeled after the Porta One four track first introduced by Tascam in 1984 Tascam's iPad PortaStudio is available at the app store for $9.99. Record one track at a time using the built-in mic or a headset microphone connection, monitoring on authentic VU meters. A cassette transport with position counter tracks your position while you mix with level, pan and EQ controls. When you're ready to mix, the built-in mixdown function saves your song as a CD-quality WAV file. Your mix appears in iTunes when you're finished, ready to share with friends and bandmates.