2008 Summer NAMM Show

An extended cut from one of Fareed Haque’s great solos at The Moog Guitar Showcase at Summer NAMM 2008. Note the massive sustain.

Akai Professional is now shipping the MPD32 pad controller.

MPD32 is Akai Professional’s flagship pad controller for musicians and DJs. Using a USB cable to connect to a Mac or PC, MPD32 is designed for hardware control of apps like Reason, Ableton Live and GarageBand.

MPD32 also features transport controls for interfacing with DAW/sequencing applications like Sonar, Cubase and Logic. MPD32 is a fully programmable controller and multifunctional control surface that fits perfectly within any production or performance environment.

Features:

• MIDI-synced note-repeat with MPC swing
• Sixteen full-sized, genuine MPC pads with velocity and pressure-sensitive response
• Three banks of eight assignable switches, sliders and endless knobs for a total of 72 controllers
• Two assignable Foot Switches
• One assignable Foot Pedal controller
• Large, easy-to-read backlit LCD
• Thirty user-definable presets for use with software applications
• MMC/MIDI Start/Stop transport buttons
• Ableton Live Akai Edition software included
• BFD Lite software included

MPD32 is available now, with an MSRP of $499.00.

Akai has announced that they are now shipping the MPC5000.

Akai’s MPC5000 is the first MPC to permit eight-track streaming hard disk recording for real-time capture of individual tracks or even entire songs. A 20-voice, three-oscillator analog synthesizer with arpeggiator, a new sequencing engine with 960 PPQ resolution, pad and track muting and mixing, 64 continuous sample tracks and 12 Q-Link controllers highlight just some of the features that make MPC5000 Akai’s most advanced MPC ever.

An optional CD/DVD drive permits usage of audio on CD or DVD in songs, and also records compositions. 650MB of sounds from Loopmasters are included with the MPC5000, so it’s ready to go straight out of the box.

Best of all, it’s got an “old-school” mode, for that vintage sampler sound!

The MPC5000 lists $3,499.00. Read more…

2008 Summer NAMM Show: Sibelius announced Sibelius First, a new notation and composition tool for singer/songwriters, keyboard players and guitarists. 

“Sibelius First is that great first step into the world of professional score writing for aspiring composers,” said Jeremy Silver, Sibelius Software’s managing director. “If you’re more comfortable composing while playing a guitar or a keyboard, then Sibelius First is for you.”

Sibelius First features:

• Friendly user interface;
• Composing and arranging tools for up to 12 staves of music;
• Easy input via MIDI keyboard, MIDI guitar, computer keyboard or mouse;
• Dynamic Scoring for instrumental parts that automatically update as you work on the full score;
• Ability to switch from guitar tab to notation and back again with ease;
• Built-in general MIDI sounds, with 128 high-quality instruments for realistic playback of your music;
• Exporting of your score ready to burn to CD;
• Support for scanning in printed music for editing or transposition; and
• Scorch technology to publish, post and share scores on the web so your fans can see and hear your music.

Sibelius First is available beginning June 25 for $129 (MSRP).

2008 Summer NAMM Show: Numark intro’d the DDS80, aka “the world’s only future-proof CD player for the DJ.”

“The world’s only future-proof CD player for the DJ” features USB ports for connection of thumb and hard drives, iPods, MP3 players; and an included 80GB removable/upgradeable hard drive.

While Numark’s marketing catch-phrase may be a little over-the-top, the DDS80 looks like it offers state of the art digital DJ technology in a all-in-one package. 

DDS80 features:

• CD player with integrated hard drive
• Large backlit, full-color display
• Key lock for maintaining key (pitch) while shifting tempo
• Seamless looping, pitch control, and scratching capability via jog wheels
• Text search, letter-pick scrolling, and on-board playlist creation
• Three USB ports for connecting iPods, thumb drives, and hard drives
• Enables music to be played from two devices simultaneously, including two songs from the same iPod
• Users can scratch with MP3, WAV, and AAC (unprotected) files
• Pitch control from -100% … +25%
• Beatkeeper™ technology for seamless integration of samples and loops with tap override
• Searches via two large jog wheels and uses skip peak searching in profiles
• Two front-panel USB ports for easy expansion and connection
• 5RU total, or 3RU + 2RU, fits standard 19-inch equipment racks

More info is available at the Numark site.