Showing posts with label daw. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daw. Show all posts

Korg nanoKONTROL USB Controller, Black Review

Korg nanoKONTROL USB Controller, Black
Average Reviews:

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I'm a laptop musician and I've gotten extremely tired of staring at the screen, twiddling virtual knobs one at a time with my mouse. When Korg introduced the nano line, I practically ran to the store to check them out. The nanoKONTROL is almost perfect for my setup, and for under sixty bucks I couldn't walk out without one.
First off, this is definitely NOT plug-n-play, but it's a breeze to setup. I use Ableton Live and it immediately recognized the nanoKONTROL and let me assign functions to each button, knob, and slider with no issues at all. It revolutionized my live show because I can suddenly operate multiple faders and trigger multiple audio loops at once, all in a unit that's smaller than a carton of cigarettes. There are only nine fader/knob sets, but you can change 'scenes,' which essentially transposes the controls up to the next bank of nine, effectively giving you 36 fader sets. It even has lights so you can see what's triggered on a dark stage. I've had this for a good four or five months now and have never had any problems- after setting it up, simply plug it in and you're good to go.
The nanoKONTROL also ships with a copy of the Korg Kontrol Editor, which is a little program you can use to alter the firmware of the device. The Editor allows you to change the parameters of your nano- what kind of midi signal is being sent, the channel, the toggle, the high and low values, et cetera. You can even save multiple editor files, so you can switch between settings depending on what program you're using. Absolutely brilliant.
There is one con to this unit, and I'm not gonna lie: it feels chintzy. When I first picked it up, I had to laugh because it's such a lightweight piece of plastic that it feels more like a child's toy than a piece of equipment. I feel like one little drop and this thing will shatter into bits. The knobs and faders are cheap as hell and before you plug it in, you will feel a little ripped off. BUT AFTER YOU PLUG IT IN, you will realize that those tacky knobs and faders are extremely responsive and you just got a great controller for the price of a decent dinner for two.
I've heard mixed reviews of the other nano products, especially the keyboard (seriously, you can buy an old Oxygen 8 for almost the same price, so get some real midi keys), but I HIGHLY recommend the nanoKONTROL. You'll love it.

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Part of the super-compact nanoSERIES, Korg's nanoKONTROL offers nine faders, nine knobs, 18 switches, plus a full transport section for expansive control; even a flexible note input mode to help you lay down your next big groove.

The Korg nanoSERIES The Korg nanoSERIES provide a keyboard controller, a pad controller, and a studio controller with dedicated transport controls. Each of these USB-powered, slim-line controllers is designed to make the most of your valuable studio space, and is small enough to take with you on any musical journey. Place one of our keyboard controllers in front of your laptop, rest a pad controller on your music workstation, park a studio controller on your recording console--or anywhere else you need versatile control over your DAW, virtual instrument, effect or DJ software. Although small in size, all three nanoSERIES controllers go HUGE when it comes to functionality, yet their intuitive layouts provide extremely easy operation for any user.
nanoKONTROL--The Most Expansive Array of Controls For Its Size--Period The nanoKONTROL features a plethora of controllers to help you get the most control out of your software for the size and money. nanoKONTROL offers nine faders, nine knobs, 18 switches and a full transport section. For each of the four programmable scenes the nanoKONTROL offers, you can set the controllers any way you need them. That means that you can transmit a total of 168 different MIDI CC (Control Change) messages, as well as MIDI notes with the switches. The six transport buttons can each transmit either MIDI CC messages or MMC messages to control functions such as: start, stop, loop, or record on your DAW software.
Imagine taking full control of your software--transport, a full track's worth of faders, pans and mutes--or how about precise dedicated control over the many parameters of software synths, samplers or virtual drum machines. It's all possible with the nanoKONTROL.
To add to the nanoKONTROL's flexibility, an attack and decay time can be specified for the eighteen switches. This allows you to smoothly feed controller messages into parameters such as wet/dry levels for an effect, a filter for a synth, or a volume fader for that perfect fade.
What's in the Box Korg nanoKONTROL, USB cable, Owner's Manual

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PreSonus Tubepre Single-Channel Vacuum Tube Mic Pre Review

PreSonus Tubepre Single-Channel Vacuum Tube Mic Pre
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This is a great starter preamp.
When i first started recording i was using an akg perception 200 and tascam 122L. the 122 is a decent interface but is almost too transparent for its own good. All of my vocal recordings sounded lifeless and detached.
I purchased this inexpensive preamp and found that it certainly did add the subtle harmonics needed to liven up the tone.
I read online that many people thought that while this preamp is decent for the price, merely switching out the stock chinese vacuum tube can really enhance its tone. So I went to G***** C***** and purchased a replacement russian made groove tubes preamp tube and WOW, It really did make a huge difference!(the entire tube switching process took me about 4 minutes, i had never done such a thing before but it was very easy)
So while this is a nice little preamp, a simple $20 upgrade took the quality way above and beyond what you get out of the box.

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The TubePRE is the highest quality vacuum tube preamp in its class. Loaded with PreSonus award winning dual servo preamplifier, the TubePre affordably delivers low noise tube warmth for vocals, guitars, bass guitars, synths and sound modules. The TubePre noticeably outperforms preamps in low cost mixers and recording interfaces making it an easy choice for anyone desiring to enhance their recordings with the magic of tubes.

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E-MU 1616M PCIe Digital Audio System Review

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Mackie Onyx Blackjack Premium 2x2 USB Recording Interface with Tracktion 3 Music Production Software Review

Mackie Onyx Blackjack Premium 2x2 USB Recording Interface with Tracktion 3 Music Production Software
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I was worried from reading the other reviews that I would have problems. (including reviews outside of Amazon)
After doing a lot of research I realized that it was probably the right fit for what I want.
I have a MAC Power Book - OS 10.6.6
I had been using only the 1/8th inch jack on the side for input and that, obviously, wasn't cutting it.
I wanted to use an electric guitar and a near field mic for vocals - specifically a Sure SM57
- because I'm recording in a place where I can't control the outside sounds and if I want to get a clean sound without a lot of background noise
and a low noise floor, I knew I would need the less sensitive and more directional mic.
The Sure SM57 needs a pre-amp that generates at least 54db to 60db, because it's a dynamic mic.
The Mackie Onyx Blackjack 2x2 USB was the only USB box I found who's pre-amp was that strong.
Since I have a MAC there was no "driver" problems talked about in other reviews.
I plugged the box in, went to the System Preferences >Sound > switched the "Audio In" to Onyx Blackjack, started up "Logic" and it worked instantly.
No issues at all. Good quality sound. No Clicks, No Latency. Simple and Perfect for what I want it for.
I tested it on Electric Guitar and then vocals with the SM57, and with some larger diaphragm mics.
It does the job I want it to do, and I give it 5 stars.

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M-Audio Torq Xponent Advanced DJ Performance/Production System Review

M-Audio Torq Xponent Advanced DJ Performance/Production System
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So after scouring the internet for reviews of the xponent, and having used its cousin the Torq Mixlab and getting down the basics of CPU based DJing, I am proud to say that I couldn't be happier with the Xponent. I got it a few weeks ago, have a Macbook that runs great with it, and have so far had no problems whatsoever. The software is fast and loads my itunes library (over 16k songs) in about 30 seconds. One of the best features of the Torq software is how it figures out (or you can override) the beat of each song and SAVES it. This means that when you're spinning, you can sort by BPM and see the 20 songs that are close in BPM that you have used before. This makes song selection a pleasure!
All the switches and knobs are very responsive, and as a person who basically started DJing (beatmatching, mixing, cueing) a month ago, I feel right at home here. The loop features are easy to use and drop in, and the sampler is very powerful and easy to use. I just spun a big house party with this thing a week ago and it went great! The effects are fun, and using the mouse pad like a Chaos Pad allows for some cool remixing on the fly. I find that scratching is easy to do and there are various settings to determine how sensitive the wheels are.
All in all, this is a great product for a novice or someone who likes to pick music and wants to get into real mixing. If you're the person always holding the iPod at the party but want more control, this is definitely a great place to start (and as far as I'm concerned, finish). As for all the haters of digital DJing, I don't really care, its much easier than bringing vinyl and remembering BPMs and you can plug in someone at the party's ipod and use their music in real time. I find that the Xponent is extremely versatile, perfect for a beginner or seasoned DJ alike, and it and its grandchildren will be leading us into the future of DJing. Hope this helps, there is a lack of people talking about the Xponent and its a truly great device that has allowed me to finally do something I've wanted to do for years, but I've never had the resources to get set up with vinyl and dj lessons.
Cheers!
-DP


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The professional-grade Torq Xponent system seamlessly integrates high-performance DJ software with a fully functional hands-on controller, representing a new era in digital DJ performance and production. The Xponent hardware combines the features of a two-channel DJ mixer with CDJ-style tactile controls, letting you cue, mix and manipulate digital files without touching the host computer. In addition to the essentials, M-Audio Torq 1.5 software delivers a variety of real-time creative tools to take your sets beyond the ordinary--and the Xponent hardware control surface puts all that power right at your fingertips. This integrated solution opens the door to new techniques that are simply impossible with traditional DJ setups.

Rock-Solid Professional DJ Hardware The Torq Xponent hardware/software system delivers everything a professional DJ needs to perform with a computer. Xponent is both an advanced MIDI control surface for Torq software and a four-output USB audio interface that includes two stereo RCA outputs and a standard 1/4-inch headphone output for cueing. Every control on Xponent boasts the same rock-solid construction and rugged feel as traditional DJ hardware. So if you're ready to make the leap to the world of software-based DJing, you'll feel right at home with Xponent.
Get Inside the Mix Torq 1.5 DJ software makes it easy to go beyond basic beat matching and crossfading between tracks. With a 16-cell, tempo-synced sampler, easy looping capabilities and multiple cue points, you can chop up a song--on the fly--and reorder, remix and extend any section you want, all while staying perfectly in time. The QuickScratch feature lets you instantly scratch with any two loaded samples. Tempo Anchors remove tempo variations from your tracks--or cause other songs to adopt the tempo changes--making mash-ups and live remixes a breeze. Tempo Master synchronizes all tracks, samples and effects within Torq, while MIDI clock transmits tempo information to outboard hardware and other computers so you can collaborate with friends. And if you also want to produce, Torq is ReWire-compatible with Pro Tools M-Powered software and other popular applications.
Advanced Effects Processing Torq 1.5 gives you 10 essential effects right out of the box for dynamic manipulation of your tracks. Imagine the possibilities of stacking multiple distortion, filter, repeat, chorus or bit-reduction effects while mixing between songs. You can turn any track into your own original creation--and even record it on the spot with the integrated performance recorder. Torq also allows you to create recallable snapshots of your favorite EQ, effect and mixer settings, and even supports the vast world of third-party VST effects plug-ins.
Dynamic Control Over Torq 1.5 Software The best DJ tools allow you to get your hands on your music--from cueing to beat matching to scratching. M-Audio designed the Xponent control surface with full-size, DJ CD-player-style controls so you can get into the music and engage the crowd during each moment of your set. Xponent features 64 assignable backlit buttons (including Play, Cue, Seek, Loop, Key and Sync controls), two volume sliders, eight assignable knobs for effect control and two 100mm pitch sliders. The built-in touchpad/assignable X/Y controller allows you to control your mouse or the effects in Torq, so you never have to take your hands off the unit in the middle of a performance.
Made to Work Together Torq 1.5 DJ software for Mac and PC automatically configures itself to work with Xponent--every hardware control is pre-mapped to its corresponding function in Torq. It's easy to get up and running with Xponent because all of the hardware controls are located exactly where you'd expect them to be. The transition into digital DJing couldn't be simpler.
Plays Well with Others In addition to VST compatibility, Torq 1.5 software can interface with any ReWire-compatible host application. You can easily route the output of Torq to a program like Pro Tools M-Powered and explore even more performance, production and sound design possibilities. When ReWired to a host application, the tempo of Torq automatically locks to the current session tempo, so you never have to worry about syncing playback between Torq and your preferred DAW. In addition, the Xponent control surface can be MIDI-mapped to other digital audio workstation software including Ableton Live.
What's in the Box Xponent USB DJ Controller and Audio Interface, Torq CD-ROM (Torq Software, Xponent Drivers, and Documentation), USB Cable, 12VDC 1000mA Power Supply, Quick Start Guide

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