Computer Hardware

In 1955, RCA unveiled its Electronic Music Synthesizer, and a new era in the history of music began.
Developed at RCA’s David Sarnoff Research Center (near Princeton, NJ), it was the brainchild of Harry Olson and Herbert Belar. Olson was also the designer of a number of RCA’s microphones.
This huge and unwieldy system was controlled [...]

 

 Music From The 1955 RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Ramon Bostich (nortec) playing live Monome 256.
Instruments sampled:

TR-606
4ms Picogenerator
QMF Sherman Quad Modular Filter
EMS VCS3

At the Winter NAMM Show, Line 6 introduced the ToneCore DSP Developer Kit, a programmable stomp box effects development platform that lets anyone with a PC and an interest in Digital Signal Processing become a hardware effects developer and distributor.
For the first time, anyone with an interest in DSP software development can write, develop, test, [...]

Winter NAMM Show Update: MOTU introduced the 828mk3 ($795), a cross-platform FireWire audio interface with on-board effects and mixing.
New features include a 32-bit floating point DSP for digital mixing and effects processing, more I/O, 192 kHz operation, true hi-Z guitar inputs, signal overload protection, digitally controlled analog input trims on all inputs, two banks of [...]

Winter NAMM Show: Alesis introduced their USB Pro Drum Kit, which combines the Trigger|iO interface with drum kit controller hardware to give you a complete, computer-friendly electronic percussion kit.
Everything has a USB connector on it now - but this could be the biggest USB gadget ever.
All of the pads in the USB Pro Drum Kit [...]

NAMM Update: Alesis intro’d the M1 Active 320 USB speaker system.
Features include:

USB 1.1 audio interface
16-Bit / 44.1-48 kHz recording and playback
Pro-grade 1/4″ plugs and standard RCA jacks
TRS headphone output
Two 1/4″ phone jack inputs
Stereo 1/8″ TRS mini-jack input
Stereo RCA inputs
1/8″ TS output to passive speaker
Switchable power supply
Magnetically shielded for safe placement near TV and computer monitors

M1 [...]

Soundware and software distributor ILIO has announced a interesting program with hard drive maker Glyph Technologies to offer hard disk pre-installed with virtual instruments.
ILIO’s G-TIP (Glyph–Turnkey Installation Program) packages will include virtual instrument software from Vienna Symphonic Library and Synthogy pre-installed on Glyph hard drives. Purchasers of these packages may register their software with the [...]

NAMM Show Update: Stanton DJ announced the SC System, the company’s new set of digital controllers for the professional DJ.
This was one of the nicer pieces of DJ gear introduced at the Winter NAMM Show.
The Stanton SC System is comprised of the SCS.1d deck and the SCS.1m mixer; both advanced control surfaces that preserve the [...]

At the NAMM 2008 Winter Show, Novation launched Nocturn, their most affordable hardware controller to date,.
Featuring the latest Automap Universal 2.0 software, exclusive to Novation controllers, Nocturn provides automatic, instant and intelligent control of all automatable plug-ins within every major sequencer, including Pro Tools.
Nocturn features eight touch-sensitive rotary encoders, each equipped with a bright eleven-LED [...]

NAMM Update: The MPD32 is Akai Professional’s latest pad controller for musicians and DJs. Using a USB cable to connect to a PC or Mac, the MPD32 is designed for hardware control of programs like Reason, Ableton Live and GarageBand.
The MPD32 is the only pad controller on the market to feature the MPC Note Repeat [...]