Category Archives: Electronic Instruments

Yamaha DTX-502 Drums Premiered At Musikmesse

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Yamaha-DTX562KYamaha premiered its revamped DTX-502 electronic drums at Musikmesse, in Frankfurt, Germany. Based on the DTX-PAD, the kits feature including newly designed tom pads, a lighter-weight steel rack and a new drum trigger module.

With almost twice the wave ROM and more than 250 additional sounds than the previous model, the new DTX502 drum trigger module is the first to incorporate drum and cymbal samples that have been optimized for DTX by Yamaha?s sound engineers. The system lets users import audio samples and MIDI files for further expandability. Continue reading →

What’s The Best New Gear Of Musikmesse 2013?

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musikmesse-2013-zoom

This year’s Musikmesse was the best in many years, with all kinds of interesting introductions for electronic musicians. Some highlights include the Nord Lead 4,  the unusual Dualo du-touch ß controller, the Bass Station II, the BOSS RC-505 Tabletop Loop Station, new Jomox Eurorack drum modules, the MFB Tanzbär Drumcomputer, and the Korg Volca line of analog synths.

What do you think is the best new gear for electronic musicians introduced at Musikmesse 2013? Let us know what you think in the reader poll below! (Pick up to three.) Continue reading →

The Beardytron 5000 mkII ‘This Has Never Been Possible Before’

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Looping artist Beardyman has been on the lookout for the ultimate live music production setup. He couldn’t find it, so he created the Beardytron 5000 mkII.

The video includes discussion from the developers that implemented the Beardytron 5000 mkII, along with performance demos from Beardyman.

Here’s what he has to say about the Beardytron 5000 mkII: Continue reading →

Dualo Intros du-touch ß Keyboard

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dualoMusikmesse 2013: Startup instrument maker Dualo is introducing a new musical instrument with a unique keyboard layout, the du-touch ß.

The instrument features dual hexagonal keyboards, designed to more closely reflect the actual relationships between pitches.

According to the dualo principle, the notes of a scale are arranged alternatively on both hands. For example, in, C major, there is a chord of C major on the right hand (C – E – G – B) and a chord of D minor on the left hand (D – F – A – C). In addition, the position of the fingers on the keyboards is always the same even, if you change the tonality of the the chord.

Here’s a video introduction to the Dualo du-touch ß: Continue reading →

Nord Announces Drum 2, Nord Pad At Musikmesse

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Nord-Drum-2Nord is announcing several new instruments this week at the Frankfurt Musikmesse (April 10-13th), including the Nord Drum 2 and the Nord Pad.

The Nord Drum 2 is a 6-channel Modeling Percussion Synthesizer.  The Nord Drum 2 sound engine features Resonance modeling, Subtractive and FM-synthesis in addition to a comprehensive Noise section with High-Pass, Low-pass and Band-Pass filters and offers an “extreme” level of control over the dynamic response.

Each of the channels can be roughened up with a sample rate reducing Crush effect or non-linear distortion. The six generic trigger inputs can be used with both electronic drum pads and acoustic trigger mics. Nord Drum 2 can be played with MIDI pads or be controlled from a MIDI sequencer. The MIDI Out lets the Nord Drum 2 double as a Trigger-to-MIDI interface. Continue reading →

BOSS Intros RC-505 Tabletop Loop Station

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Musikmesse 2013: BOSS has introduced the RC-505 Loop Station, the newest addition to its lineup of live looping devices.

The RC-505 Loop Station features five phrase tracks, onboard effects, rhythms, and a tabletop design suited. In addition, the RC-505?s extensive MIDI control options and ability to import audio phrases via USB open up a wealth of options.

Here’s an intro video for the new RC-505 Loop Station: Continue reading →