2007 Winter NAMM Report
The Show of Shows

Feb 20, 2007 2:18 PM, By the EM Staff

Since its acquisition by Creative Labs, E-mu 's software has only been available for Windows PCs, so it came as a surprise when the company announced that it is releasing Mac OS X drivers for its 0404 and 0202 USB audio interfaces. The company also will release Windows Vista drivers for all of its digital audio systems and Xboard controllers.

Eventide revealed that it's putting some of its renowned effects into stompboxes. The TimeFactor ($499) delay pedal, due to arrive in March, includes two independent 3-second delays, as well as 10 different delay effects (stereo or dual mono) including digital delay, tape echo, multitap, and reverse; a 12-second looping function; guitar and line-level I/O; and more. The ModFactor ($499) is due out later in the year and will include a range of Eventide stereo and mono modulation effects, such as phaser, flanger, chorus vibrato, ring mod, and mod filter.

Fender and Roland have joined forces on the VG Stratocaster, an American Series Strat with internal electronics that can model an assortment of guitars at the turn of a knob. Choose from 37 guitar models, from humbucking and Telecaster to 12-string and acoustic. Another knob instantly calls up five alternate tunings. Except for its Roland GK bridge pickup, LED, and two additional knobs, the VG Stratocaster looks and plays just like a classic Strat. In Normal mode, its three single-coil pickups bypass the VG circuit for a straight Strat sound. The VG Stratocaster will retail for under $2,500 and will ship before the end of 2007.

Fishman Transducers will release six Aura Acoustic Imaging pedals ($310 each). The six pedals correspond to the various acoustic guitar body types: dreadnought, concert, orchestra, jumbo, nylon, and 12-string. Choose the pedal that matches your guitar size, plug in your pickup-equipped acoustic guitar, and you'll have access to 16 different models (or "Images," as Fishman calls them), of various acoustic guitar types.

Flame , the "MIDI Talking Synth," is a small, desktop instrument that marries two SpeakJet voice chips with a sequencer, filter, and effects. A pair of onboard joysticks control vocal sounds and frequency, and the device can sync to MIDI. Looping, tremolo, and randomizing functions are also available. Flame is distributed in the U.S. by Analogue Haven .

Future Retro Synthesizers demonstrated an updated version of its XS semi-modular, monophonic analog synthesizer. The XS includes MIDI I/O, CV and gate I/O, two VCOs, a 2-pole multimode filter, and dedicated outputs for both oscillators, a suboscillator, and noise. The instrument can also be used as a MIDI-to-CV/gate converter for controlling other analog synths.

FXpansion has redesigned its EM Editors' Choice Award-winning BFD drum sampler from the ground up. BFD 2 ($TBA) sports a completely new look and feel that puts the essentials under your fingertips while giving you nearly instant access to its more arcane features. Beyond its redesign, BFD 2 comes with several stunning new sampled-drum libraries and a host of top-quality effects including modeled EQ and compression. Its collection of engineering presets has been expanded to cover a wide range of professional styles. FXpansion also announced an upcoming bundle of three analog-modeled synths, the D-CAM Synth Collection ($TBA). Strobe is a single-oscillator synth designed for vintage bass and lead sounds. Amber uses divider circuitry, a rarity in soft synths, to emulate classic string machines. Cypher, a three-oscillator synth capable of audio-rate frequency and pulse-width modulation, promises to be just the thing "when too much isn't enough." BFD 2 and the D-CAM Synth Collection are slated for release in the second quarter of 2007.

Garritan Orchestral Libraries showed two new sampler libraries: the Gofriller Solo Cello ($199) and the Steinway Model D ($TBA). The latter is a joint venture with Steinway & Sons. The Gofriller should be available soon, with the Steinway to follow later in the year. The Gofriller Solo Cello employs the same Sonic Morphing technology pioneered in the Garritan Stradivari Solo Violin. It uses the Kontakt 2 sample player, which runs standalone as well as in all major plug-in formats on the Mac and PC. Garritan's Steinway Model D is intended to be a top-of-the-line sampled piano. For the recording sessions, Steinway & Sons provided a newly voiced and regulated Steinway Model D concert grand, one of its top technicians, and the renowned Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. The Steinway sampled piano will be one of the first instruments to use Garritan's new drag-and-drop software-instrument technology.

IK Multimedia took its amp- and effects-modeling technology forward into the past with its Amplitube 2 Jimi Hendrix Edition ($249, Mac/Win) software. The software provides you with four amp models, seven cabinet models, nine stompbox models, four rack effects models, all based on classic gear used by Hendrix. It will run as a VST, RTAS, or AU plug-in, and as a standalone unit. The software will also be available as a bundle with IK's Stealth Plug, a guitar-to-USB cable for $299. Amplitube 2 Jimi Hendrix Edition is due to ship within the next two months.

Much of the fuss at Korg was about the M3, a new keyboard synthesizer workstation with many features of the flagship OASYS distilled into a less costly, chip-based system. The M3 has 120-note polyphony, 256 of waveform ROM, a new synthesis engine based on the OASYS's HD-1, user sampling, second-generation KARMA, eight simultaneous effects, a 16-track MIDI sequencer, plug-in editor control, and a color touchscreen that doubles as an x-y pad. The keyboard on the 61- and 73-note models is a new design by Korg, and the largest model has the same keyboard as the OASYS 88. The M3's control panel separates from the keyboard, allowing you to use it as a freestanding synth module. An optional expansion board gives the M3 a 24-note, 4-part multitimbral Radias sound engine, and a FireWire option adds audio and MIDI on a single cable. Pricing hasn't been announced, but delivery is expected to begin in June. (Associate editor Geary Yelton described his visit to Korg's headquarters in Japan and his sneak peek at the M3 and other new Korg products in his December 13 and 14 entries to our editorial blog, The Bus.)

Also from Korg, the battery-powered Mini-KP Dynamic Effect Processor is the newest, smallest, and least expensive KAOSS Pad. Its x-y touchpad lets you continuously adjust numerous parameters at the same time by tapping and rubbing it with your fingertips. The Mini-KP comes with 100 onboard programs derived from the KP-3, ranging from essentials like reverb and delay to unique effects like a pitch shifter that captures and repeats audio input. It also inherits KP-3 features such as FX Release, Pad Hold, and Effects Depth. The pocket-size device is expected to ship in March with a retail price of $250.

Korg's Legacy Collection, Analog Edition 2007, will be available in March for $299. (Discounted updates and upgrades will be available.) In addition to the previous edition's MS-20, Polysix, Legacy Cell, and MDE-X effects plug-ins, the new edition features a software version of the classic Mono/Poly synthesizer. Released in 1981, the original Mono/Poly had four oscillators and four-way synchro and cross modulation between them. The software version gives you 159 modulation sources, 35 mod destinations, two integrated multi-effects, 16-voice unison, 256 designer sounds, and up to 128-note polyphony.

Lexicon debuted two new rack-mount reverb units, the MX300 ($399.95 MAP) and MX500 ($499.95). Both are programmed via plug-ins (Mac/Win VST, AU), like the other processors in the MX line. The MX300 is a USB-based, 2-in, 2-out unit with 16 reverb algorithms and XLR, 1/4-inch, and S/PDIF I/O. The 4-in, 4-out MX500 streams audio to your computer using FireWire, can support audio up to 96 kHz, provides 4-channel surround algorithms, and offers XLR and S/PDIF I/O. The MX300 should be out in February and the MX500 in March.

Line 6 showed two new pedalboard-style modeling processors, one for guitar and the other for bass. The Floor Pod Plus ($299 MAP) features the amp and cabinet models from Pod 2.0, as well as 24 editable effects, an expression pedal, a CD/MP3 input, and more. Line 6 also unveiled the Bass Floor Pod ($199.99 MAP), which sports five amp models, a synth-bass model, a wah/volume pedal, and the ability to connect to an amp or directly to a P.A. or recording system. Both units are due out sometime in March.

Livewire demonstrated prototypes of three new analog-synth modules. The Audio Frequency Generator (AFG) is a complex VCO with a blinding amount of outputs. The Xmod Controller is a 4-channel cross-modulation module that connects two AFGs with ribbon cable, so you won't need as many patch cords in the front. Livewire also introduced the Audio Compositor, an 8-channel waveform mixer with bipolar controls.