Gear and software reviews by Synthtopia readers.
At the 2009 NAMM Show, Garritan announced a new edition of its Garritan Personal Orchestra. The 4th Edition of Garritan Personal Orchestra now contains the Garritan ARIA sample engine and adds new features, new instrument sounds, updated programming and a lower price. Garritan Personal Orchestra 4th Edition includes all the major instruments of the orchestra… Read More NAMM: Garritan Personal Orchestra 4th Edition
At the 2009 NAMM Show, Garritan announced Garritan Orchestral Strings 2, the sequel to its popular Garritan Orchestral Strings. The new string library will be powered by the Garritan ARIA sample engine. The library includes the complete string sections of the orchestra as well as an extended complement of solo strings. The stringed instruments recorded… Read More NAMM: Garritan Orchestral Strings 2
2009 NAMM Show update: FXpansion announced the debut of D-CAM: Synth Squad a collection of virtual vintage synths. D-CAM: Synth Squad is comprised of three modeled synthesizers, Strobe, Cypher and Amber that combine the best features found in classic synths with new modern features. The synths are brought together with Fusor, a semi- modular synth-layering… Read More FXpansion Announces D-CAM: Synth Squad
2009 Winter NAMM Show: DigiTech announced its new TimeBender delay pedal. The TimeBender delay features ten delay types including Digital, Analog, along with Fixed Head and Moving Head Tape delays along with a 20 second looper. The TimeBender lets you create custom repeat rhythms or patterns on the fly by simply strumming the guitar. Up… Read More NAMM News: Digitech Timebender Delay
2009 NAMM Show: MOTU introduced Volta, a virtual instrument plug-in that lets you play and automate modular synthesizers—or any hardware equipped with control voltage (CV) inputs—from your favorite host audio workstation software. Volta receives conventional virtual instrument input such as MIDI notes, MIDI controller data or even high-resolution audio track ramp automation and responds by… Read More MOTU Volta Lets You Control Analog Synths From Your Computer
M-Audio introduced a new series of USB MIDI keyboard controllers at the 2009 NAMM Show. The Axiom Pro family builds on M-Audio’s line of USB MIDI keyboards, but is designed provide musicians with a more responsive playing experience as well as deeper tactile control to mimic the feel of playing a real piano. Available in… Read More NAMM Show: M-Audio Axiom Pro Control Keyboards
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2CF2E6E14119E22E 2009 NAMM Show update: The Roland C-30 is a digital harpsichord with authentic sound and feel, but with features only possible in a digital instrument. We had a chance to check out the C-30 at NAMM. While it’s clearly a digital instrument, it does a great job of packaging it up in a form… Read More Roland C-30 Digital Harpsichord
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C89F4850E6A1D495 The above videos offer Roland’s official introduction to their new V-Piano. The Roland V-Piano lets you play a variety of preset keyboards, but also lets you edit details like Unison Tune, Hammer Hardness, Cross Resonance, Tone Color, String Resonance, Damper Resonance, Soundboard Resonance, Key off resonance, Damping Time and Damping Noise Level. Features: Revolutionary… Read More The Roland V-Piano
In this video, via GearWire, Josh from Bigcitymusic.com talks about the three upcoming Metasonix Eurorack synth modules: The R-51 — voiced for analog synth mangling — allows you to add mild tube warmth or take it to the next level (BAM!) and get all Metasonix-y (i.e. sounding like bathroom humor). The R-52 is a multimode filter… Read More Metasonix New Eurorack Synth Modules
This is a demo of the new Metasonix KV-100 AssBlaster vacuum tube processor that was shown at the Big City Music booth at the 2009 NAMM Show.The video captures a drum pattern from the Jomox XBase999 analog drum machine getting mangled. The KV-100 contains the basic preamp stage of the discontinued Metasonix TM-7 Scrotum Smasher,… Read More NAMM 2009: The Metasonix KV-100 AssBlaster
