PC and Music News

Roland introduces the newest member of its VIMA recreational keyboard line, the RK-300. With the same multimedia capabilities and ease of use as the RK-500, this keyboard brings a new dimension of musical enjoyment and entertainment to the mainstream market.

The RK-300 features Roland's 88-key PHA II keyboard with escapement for an expressive acoustic-piano touch. Users can play along with the onboard VIMA Tunes and SMF files, as well as with their own audio CDs and MP3s. The Center Cancel feature allows for karaoke-style play-along, and users can also change the tempo of a song. Like its predecessor, the RK-300 allows for real-time play-along with slideshows of still images via an easy interface and large color LCD. It also includes a new graphic "ANIME" application with eight ANIME types, including Petal, Musical Notes, Note Names, Snow Crystals, and more. As a musician plays notes, graphics simultaneously appear onscreen, creating an exciting visual and auditory experience.

Offering various connectors for instruments such as microphones and guitars, everyone can sing and jam along with the RK-300. Dedicated effects such as Vocal Auto Harmony for Vocal, Overdrive, and Chorus, are included for each input. The RK-300 even can record performances and burn CDs with onboard CD Drive right on the spot.

SM Pro Audio unveils the IN5E, a single RU mixer/audio interface designed to provide all the necessary connectivity, monitoring, and mixing hardware requirements in a single device for connection to PC/Mac computer based recording systems.

Based upon the original IN5, the IN5E has been updated to include SM Pro Audio's E-series microphone pre- amplifiers, USB audio interface I/O module, and the TST3 Cat5 mic/line input extender connector.

Features :

- 3 x E-series Microphone Pre-amplifiers with phantom power
- 1 x Turn-table, CD or phono input with switchable RIAA EQ and level controls
- 2 x Stereo line inputs
- 3 x Insert points
- 2 x Headphone monitoring amplifiers
- 1 x TST3 Cat5 mic/line input extender
- 1 x USB audio interface I/O module (PC and MAC)
- 1 x 24bit / 48kh ...

SM Pro Audio releases P-Control. Designed to correct audio signal phase issues, the P-Control provides an elegant and high quality transparent solution to improve recordings when combining audio from two similar signal sources. With a extensive front panel control and switchable transformer balanced isolation, the P-Control puts you in control of audio phase manipulation.

Audio phase inconsistencies arise in all manner of day-to-day recording environments. This is especially true when combining two signals to capture that elusive fat recorded sound. Audio signal from two sources can become incoherent and even cancel each other out if phase issues get out of hand.

The P-Control can be inserted in-line or via the insert bus using balanced XLR cables. The phase of connected audio source material can be manipulated by up to 180 degrees with the simple adjustment of the front panels large format rotary encoder. Bypass, Low-cut filter, and phase reverse switches are provided along with output level adjustment and VU metering.

Tascam unveils the DR-100 Portable Recorder. Building on the DR-1 recorder, the DR-100 has a pair of XLR mic ins with phantom power for adding pro condenser microphones. In addition, the DR-100 has four built-in electret condenser mics—two cardioid and two omni—and a built-in speaker for playback. It's powered either through an included Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery or easy-to-find AA batteries. analog line inputs and outputs are also available, as well as a mic stand mounting hole for recording flexibility.

Other features include a wireless remote control and audio editing features. Playback can be looped or slowed down without changing the pitch, and locate points can be added while recording. The DR-100 records to SD or SDHC cards, and a 2GB card is included with the unit.

Garritan has announced a new World Instruments library presenting a comprehensive collection of expressive and exotic instruments from around the world.

The Garritan World Instruments collection offers a large variety of beautifully sampled flutes — Native American flutes, bamboo flues, Irish flutes, Chinese and Japanese flutes, Indian flutes, clay flutes, pan flutes, nose flutes and many other exotic winds from around the globe. Included is a dynamic array of pitched and un-pitched percussion instruments — Taiko drums, Gamelan ensemble, Log drums, tablas, ewe drums, balaphon, Udu drum, talking drum, steel drums, an array of Latin percussion, and much more. There are numerous types of plucked and bowed strings, including: Indian Sitars, Japanese koto and shamisen, African kora, Middle Eastern oud and santoor, and erhu. A variety of other instruments include didgeridoo, Middle Eastern reed instruments, accordions, Tibetan bowls, and harmonium, to name just a few.

The Garritan World Instruments Library is designed with playability and expressive control in mind. It features controls for dynamics, vibrato, tongue/slur techniques, airflow, auto legato, auto-variability, auto-portamento, trills and more — to make these samples musical, realistic and expressive. There is even support for wind controllers (like the Akai EWI). A unique feature of the Garritan World instruments is its support for Scala files to adjust to different temperaments and tunings.

Powered by the ARIA playback engine (developed by Plogue Technologies), the Garritan World Instruments will work on a single computer, laptop and even some netbooks, Mac OSX or PC platform, standalone, or plug-in for all major sequencers (VST, AU, RTAS), works with Finale 2009 and with other supported notation programs.

Garritan World Instruments is expected to be released first quarter 2009. Pricing will be announced upon release.

Line 6 announces POD Studio KB37, an USB audio interface that combines a 37-key MIDI controller and multiple inputs and outputs with a complete collection of pro audio software that includes POD Farm , the premium tone plug-in.

POD Studio KB37 boasts up to 96 kHz/24-bit recording, exclusive Line 6 ToneDirect monitoring for near-zero latency, and the lowest noise for recording guitar. Plus, the included software bundle offers Ableton® Live Lite Line 6 Studio Edition 16-track recording software, Reason® Adapted virtual studio, RiffWorks T4 recording software, and POD Farm.

POD Studio KB37 offers incredible flexibility with 37 full-size velocity-sensitive keys, a variety of software-assignable MIDI controls, and a comprehensive I/O that features two balanced XLR inputs with high-quality mic pres and phantom power, 1/4-inch guitar input (with -10dB pad), S/PDIF digital output, two 1/4-inch line inputs, two 1/4-inch analog outs, assignable VU meters and much more.

POD Studio KB37: $419.99 MSRP