Rev Up

Nov 1, 2002 12:00 PM, By Marty Cutler

           
 

Starr Labs

The Z6SP+ upgrade ($300) for Harvey Starr's MIDI guitar Controllers provides user-interface enhancements and new MIDI features. The upgrade comes on a user-installable EPROM.

The expanded Sensors menu now offers several screens to accommodate added playing modes and options, including screens for programming response settings. Sensor responses can include the alteration of chord voicings or preset scales based on Velocity. You can also apply Velocity to alter small sequences, and you can loop MIDI events generated from Sensors.

The new software offers 32 programmable fingerboard zones, and each zone can have its own Trigger mode. For example, you can set up zones that respond only to strums and others that activate only with tapping; you can overlap zones to perform both functions. Each zone can have its own response curve.

The unit's Poly-Trigger mode now allows you to fret keys after strumming to provide polyphonic hammer-on capabilities. Every fingerboard key can have a unique note and MIDI channel assignment.

The upgrade offers two sequencer types: one with eight-note, fixed-length buffers and one for patterns with variable lengths. The new Clocks menu lets you set sequence tempo; the 32-beat metronome offers multiple accents so you can customize time signatures. Starr Labs; tel. (619) 233-6715; email harvey@cts.com; Web www.starrlabs.com.

Mil Productions

Version 3.0 of Modularing standalone synthesis and sequencing software (Mac, $320; upgrade from version 2.0, $220) brings new modules and improved features. Modularing ships on a USB Flash drive.

The SEQ Tracker is a new pattern-based sequencer for composition and live performance. It features eight locators for jumping to sequence areas during live performance. You can use locators to structure nested loops.

Samplesonic is a stereo, polyphonic sample-playback synth module that loads AIFF or WAV files. It offers two internal effects, a resonant lowpass filter, three envelope generators, and pitch shifting. All parameters support MIDI Control Change messages for tweaking on the fly.

AudioMixer is a virtual mixing-console module for recording Modularing's output to disk. The mixer supports Sound Manager, DirectConnect, and ASIO.

Improvements include four-bus ASIO routing; a more efficient audio engine; a MIDI In LED; and a VST plug-in that supports MIDIShare for interapplication synchronization. Modularing 3.0 also adds Net controller, which lets you sync other Macintosh computers over a LAN. The software requires a PPC G3/300 MHz with 8 MB of free RAM per module, MIDIShare Control Panel 1.86, and Mac OS 8.6. Mil Productions; tel. 33-474-025-195; e-mail support@milprod.com; Web www.milprod.com.

Radikal Technologies

Version 2.27 firmware for Radikal's SAC-2K and SAC-2.2 control surfaces is a free download accompanied by new Windows 2000 and Windows XP USB drivers for the Software Assigned Controllers. A Mac OS X version will follow shortly. The new drivers enable the SAC-2.2 to simultaneously manage up to ten individual programs. Even if an application is sending automation data, switching between applications will automatically update the status for all control elements — including fader positions, display information, and button status — through the unit's USB ports.

The firmware update supports the unit's USB hub for Mac OS9, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, allowing the connection of the computer keyboard, mouse, and other devices. Radikal Technologies; tel. (201) 836-5116; e-mail info@radikaltechnologies.com; Web www.radikaltechnologies.com.