Joining our ranks of Novation products is the XioSynth Controller and Synthesizer which is a mixed bag that might appeal to some and turn off others with its incredibly compact and good looking silver/grey finished body with rounded edges for an appealing but not necessarily very robust aesthetic that seems more suited to the studio than the stage.
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The Korg Kontrol 61 has made it into the Gadgetoid studio for a once over and is an impressively different control surface that’s, unlike any I have used before. In short it’s built like a brick shi… err outhouse.
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It’s a pretty sad state of affairs when your biggest local music retailer disappears, and that’s just what has happened across the UK as 10 Sound Control stores were forced to close recently due to the company going into administration.
Fortunately it looks like our local shop in Norwich will be staying open but nobody knows for how long.
SoundOnSound have a forum discussion regarding the SoundControl situation.
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From April 1st anyone picking up a new Korg PA800 will receive a Korg branded USB ROM stick loaded with a revised songbook.
The new songbook contains easier to understand song titles, re-assigned genre and artist name details, 15 custom lists, 4 single touch settings per song title and an additional 300 song titles cross-referenced to several of the popular Busker book series.
This means that playing your favourite songs and music has been made much easier and quicker with the Korg PA800. All you need to do is press the “SONGBOOK” button, find the song title and press “SELECT”; the correct Style, tempo, sounds for the left and right hands are all automatically recalled.
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A Korg Pa2X Pro now sits upon the studio desk at Gadgetoid and I’ve had a single evening with it to form some initial opinions and recognise some of the more obvious good and bad points.
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If compact portable recorders get your juices flowing you may be interested to hear about the new Edirol R-09HR. Not only does it look good but it packs some serious recording power with the help of an integrated stereo condensor microphone and crystal clear 24/96 fidelity. The R-09HR is now placed as the flagship of Edirol’s R-series recorders.
An integrated preview speaker will allow you to quickly play back your recordings without headphones or external speakers. Another gem of an included accessory is the wireless remote, allowing for full control over transport functions, volume and input level whilst the R-09HR itself is placed in the optimum position for recording.
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More news out of Frankfurt as ADAM Audio announces their new A5 powered monitor and Sub7 powered subwoofer both expanding the A series and complimenting it with a sub that will extend the low frequency reproduction range down to 30Hz.
The Sub7 includes both XLR and RCA inputs with fine tuning controls that are also accessible from a wireless remote control so they can also be adjusted from the intended listening point.
The A5 is a smaller version of the ADAM Audio A7 and can be used in either stereo or to produce a 5.1 surround system in combination with the Sub7. Two 2X25W on-board amplifiers power the A5 right down to 55Hz. The rear panel includes balanced XLR jacks, unbalanced RCA jacks and a new development by ADAM called Stereolink which allows speakers to be connected with input and output jacks that syncronize the overall volume of the system and allow it to be controlled from any single speaker’s gain control.
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The very latest addition to the Korg Pa series is the Pa588, a Stage Piano/Workstation hybrid that combines the sound and playability of Korg’s excellent stage pianos with professional arranger features.
The Pa588 has an 88-note real weighted hammer action keyboard designed to emulate the feel of a concert grand. This, combined with powerful arranger features, an intuitive interface, the same synthesis engine found in the Korg M3, more than 880 additional sounds and over 50 drum kits makes the Pa588 a very promising and flexible workstation on paper.
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Along with Radias Version 2, a major update to the Korg Radias system, Korg are bundling a new set of patches designed to emulate the MS2000, MS2000B and microKorg.
Radias Version 2 boasts several new features including additional destinations for the Virtual Patch function, support for Korg Komponent System connection with M3 Music Workstation and Radias Sound Editor compatibility with Windows Vista and Intel Macs.
You can head on over to Korg and download Radias Version 2.0 software now.
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In a move that absolutely eclipses Roland’s offering of artist-produced patches free for the V-Synth GT Korg are releasing a mahoosive 512 additional Programs for the Korg M3 absolutely free. These will range from classic keyboards, guitars, basses, woodwinds, brass and much more.
The new sounds effectively double the internal EDS Programs available on the M3 to 1024 and are sure to inspire musicians to create new compositions with them.
The new patches are available as part of the Version 1.2 system upgrade for the M3. You can click here to go directly to the Korg M3 website and download the new patches, along with Version 1.2 software for your Korg M3, now.
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