EM Editors Choice 2009

Jan 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By the EM Staff

           
 

2009 EDITORS' CHOICE AWARDS

BONUS MATERIAL
Reviews and Such for This Year's Winners

MIDI/Instrument Controller

Yamaha Tenori-on ($1,199)

When Tenori-ons began to trickle into the United States, we were lucky enough to get our hands on one for a little while. That was all it took to convince us that Yamaha was onto something big — much bigger than the Tenori-on's 8-inch-square magnesium frame filled with 256 pulsating white LED buttons. Weighing about 1.5 pounds, the Tenori-on is multifaceted and one of a kind: a performance instrument with a recognizable sound, combining sample playback with step sequencing; an eye-catching source of kinetic light; and a unique MIDI controller for hardware or software instruments.

Developed by Japanese media artist Toshio Iwai in collaboration with Yamaha, the multitimbral Tenori-on lets you compose in as many as 16 Layers, each containing 16 steps. You can instantly switch among 16 sequences and record your live performances as songs. In addition to the familiar Score Mode, in which you manually specify pitches for every step, you get several modes you've never seen before. You can drag your finger across the buttons to create shimmering, repeating note patterns in Draw Mode, or select a note in Bounce Mode to make it drop to the bottom of the grid and then bounce up and down until you stop it. Whether you rely on the built-in speakers and battery power or integrate the device into your stage or studio rig, the Tenori-on can fire up your imagination and enable you to create music you'd never make without it.

Monitor Speaker

Mackie MR5 ($149.95 each)

There are plenty of powered close-field monitors, but few offer studio-level sound quality at an entry-level price. Fortunately, Mackie created the MR5 for musicians who are upgrading from home-stereo or multimedia speakers. With a 5.25-inch woofer and 1-inch tweeter (powered at 55W and 30W, respectively), the MR5 provides the kind of unhyped balance you need when mixing. Our reviewer, Mark Nelson, enjoyed the monitor's smooth, clear sound, as well as its ample bass. Yet a pair of the monitors fit in a desktop studio.

The MR5 also presents a nice mix of pro features, like balanced inputs (XLR, ¼-inch), along with the entry-level unbalanced inputs (RCA, ¼-inch), not to mention switches for bass boost and high-frequency cut/boost. Mackie added the pro-level features because it sees the MR5 as a companion to its larger MR8 monitor in a surround setup. Either way, a pair of MR5s should help you hear what you've been missing in your mixes.

Most Innovative Product

Moog Music Moog Guitar Paul Vo Collector Edition ($5,895)

It's rare that an instrument gets reinvented, but that's what Moog Music has done with its Moog Guitar. Although it's from Moog, it's not a synth or a MIDI guitar. Rather, it's a super-high-quality electric guitar with extended expressive and sound-altering capabilities. Its most dramatic feature is its infinite sustain capability, which expands the guitar into new performance territory. The Controlled Sustain setting allows up to two notes to sustain, while the Full setting sustains all notes. The Mute mode reduces sustain for staccato articulations. Once you understand the guitar's controls, you'll find yourself playing in ways you've never played before. The guitar also offers built-in filter effects (controlled, along with other parameters, with the included Control Pedal) and Graph Tech piezo bridge saddles to supplement Moog's proprietary pair of single-coil electric pickups. When you want a conventional electric guitar, just turn off the added goodies.

The instrument is first-class all the way, with a gorgeous flame- or quilted-maple top (you can choose from a range of colors), a swamp ash or mahogany body, an ebony fingerboard, a Wilkinson tremolo system, locking Sperzel tuners, a tweed hard-shell case, and more. Yes, it's pricey, but it's a revolutionary new instrument and clearly a deserving winner.