PC and Music News

Akai announces the MPD18 portable pad controller.

The MPD18 is the smallest-sized model in Akai's line of MPD MIDI-over-USB pad controllers. The heart of the MPD18 is its bank of 16 velocity and pressure-sensitive genuine MPC pads, an Akai Professional exclusive. Users can access three different banks of sounds from the pads for a total of 48 sounds at once. The MPD18 also borrows the MPC series' assignable Q-Link controllers, enabling users to control nearly any parameters in their software in real time on an assignable Q-Link fader and an assignable Q-Link button.

Users will find the MPD18 to be convenient, sending MIDI information over its plug-and-play USB interface for use with Mac or PC without installing any drivers. The USB connection also powers the MPD18 so musicians can use the controller with no power supply. The MPD18 can control nearly any MIDI software, as well as MIDI hardware, such as synths, sound modules, samplers, sequencers, drum machines and more.

The MPD18 will be available from musical instrument and professional audio retailers Q3, 2009.

Welcome to the MusikMesse 2009 ! For the next 4 days Frankfurt is going to be the center of the audio world : every name that counts will be there to present you all the latest musical products from around the world, those you'll maybe use tomorrow.

The whole 440Network Team is on the starting blocks to provide you the freshest news in this "MusikMesse Frankfurt 2009 Special Report" and in our Daily News Section.

Enjoy !

MusikMesse 2009 Videos on 440tv.

Thermionic Culture unveils the Little Bustard, their second valve summing mixer which has been designed to complement the Fat Bustard valve summing mixer by increasing the number of inputs channels. The new 19" 2u Little Bustard can also be used independently by itself as a stand alone mixer.

Features include 16 input channels arranged as 6x stereo pairs with fixed gain at unity level with on/off switches, 4x mono inputs with mute switches and pan pots which can be defeated by another switch adding an extra 6dB of gain. The master output section has independent left & right 31 position output indented pots with a gain range from –17dB to +2dB.

The valve stages use a pair of ECC83/12AX7 on the gain stage, and a pair of PC86's for the output stage. The master section will also have a simple output level indicator. To create a monster-summing mixer, The Little Bustard's outputs can be plugged into the Fat Bustard's AUX inputs increasing the number of channels to 28.

RME presents the Fireface UC which is basically a Fireface 400 with USB interface.

Based on a newly developed RME Hammerfall core, the Fireface UC (USB Compact) uses the USB 2.0 high-speed bus and provides ultra-low latencies even with multiple channels. The smallest buffer offered under Windows Vista has 48 samples, under Mac OS X 14 samples.

The optimization for Windows and Mac OS X is partly based on a double firmware within the unit, realizing an optimized functionality and operation according to the currently active OS. Under Mac OS X the unit's MIDI ports are even class compliant, the Operating System therefore automatically uses its included MIDI driver.

Features:

- 18 inputs / 18 outputs
- 8 x analog I/O
- 1 x ADAT I/O or 1 x SPDIF I/O (optical)
- 1 x SPDIF I/O (coaxial)
- 2 x MIDI I/O
- Sample rates up to 192 kHz on all I/Os
- Two digitally controlled Mic Preamps in high-end quality
- Two balanced universal inputs for line and instrument signals
- SteadyClock for maximum jitter suppression and clock refresh
- Enhanced stand-alone operation with rotary encoder and front panel operation
- 54 Level Meter Peak/RMS, hardware-calculated
- TotalMix: 648-channel mixer with 42-bit internal resolution

The Fireface UC will be available in June 2009.

* Minimal latencies are not guaranteed as they depend on the specific computer and application.

Teenage Engineering presents the OP-1, a pocket size controller for your favorite software sequencer but also a synthesizer.

OP-1 stands for Operator 1. When you connect it to your laptop, it lets you control your sequencers transport with the common play, stop, rec, forward and rewind. You can use it to control your software synthesizers with the 4 rotary encoders and 16 dedicated quick keys for fast selections.

When you disconnect the OP-1 from your computer you suddenly have a stand-alone portable wonder-machine with 8 synthesizer models, 8 samplers and effects like Delay, Flutter, Filters and EQ all built in. Use all that synthesizer power to record your work with the truly unique (at present time, secret) sequencer. Teenage Engineering promises you a really cool and creative way to record your sounds and tweak them in a completely new way. Use the magic step sequencer/arpegiator to get the notes right. If that is not enough use the built in motionsensor that sense every shake or move you make and turn it into really cool sounds. Then relax and sample a beat from the built-in FM radio or memorize a tune by whistle it into the built-in microphone. Play your piece to your friends through the built-in speaker. Or...convert it right away to mp3 and mail it to them.

On the right side of the case you'll find all the neccasary connectors.

• 3.5mm input for audio/external microphone
• 3.5mm output for line out /headphones
• 3-pole power-connector for charging the internal battery or for use with power adaptor.
The power connector itself is the same as used in robotic automation applications
• USB 2.0 port for hooking up your OP to your computer transferring your recorded music
• Two holes special machined for carry strap
• Turn the machine upside-down there are two M6 holes for use with our Studio System parts.

Clavia has just announced that the OS of the Nord Wave and the Nord Electro 3 have been updated to version 2.02. Besides a few bugfixes, those new OS also include some new features as well as well as the compatibility with the Nord Sound Manager application.

For more informations, please visit their website.