2009 NAMM Show: Beat Kangz is introducing a new sampling workstation that looks like it could be the sexiest beat box ever – The Beat Thang. 

The Bourne-o-vision video above is pretty bad, but even with the bad video, the interface looks like it will be pretty spectacular. If Beat Kangz can deliver, this could heat up things up in the world of drum machines/MPCs.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Features:

• Sampling with onboard waveform editing
• Over 3000 new sounds designed by The Beat Kangz
• 16 Track MIDI sequencer 
• 500 production ready Platinum beats and loops created by The Beat Kangz
• Sleek design and styling with customizable “Paintz” and “Grillz”
• Convenient, light-weight portable design with internal rechargable battery
• USB In & Out 
• Pitch and Mod Wheels
• On Board FX including Reverb, Delay, Automated Filters and tons of Crazy “Freak FX” including “Chopped and Screwed”!!!!
• On Board “Mo Bang” Mastering with EQ and Limiting
• 256 MB Ram standard
• 2 High Speed SD Card Slots
• Export Beats to a Mac or PC 
• Easy to USE
• And – “More top Secret Features and Surprises that we dont want our sleezy, thieving corporate competitors to know…. but we’ll tell ya soon!”

Specifications:

• 2 Headphone Jacks
•  Carry audio output via USB. USB Connects to any Hard drive, USB keys can also be read and write to
• Read directly off of the SD cards. 2 Slots capbable of 16GB’s each
• 256 MB Ram Stock
•  512 Flash for user content on board. Higher if its a custom order
•  Stereo Mic Line input with Phantom Power
• Sampling, and Resampling of outputs
• Tempo sync Delay, Mastering, Reverb, Filters and tons of other weird FX
• Plans to open FX section to 3rd party developers . Can you say VST (Ed. Very interesting…..)
• Custom Paint. Any Color LED’s, Custom Grillz
• Each pad can have 16 layers with independent pitch, cut off res, pan, velocity, vol and a single pad can be spread across a whole keyboard with Loop points so you can sample synths strings or anything and turn it into multi layered patches.
• PC Drum Kit builder with Drag and Drop capabilities

 
Sequencer Information
 

• 96 PPQ
• 1000 Sequences
• 500 Songs
• Individual Bar Length which can be changed in real time even while recording. (Ed. Excellent!!)
• Quantize and Swing can be changed in real-time.
• All your Songs, Sequences, Beats, Kits, Patches, Samples and settings that are on your SD cards are always there and show up just like the presets.
• 13 Pads with Velocity
• 8 Pad banks per track 
• 16 Tracks 
• Pad and Track mute and Solo 
• Mixer with level control FX send, Pan, Pitch Automation, Filter and EQ Automation per Track including (Low Pass, Band Pass, Hi pass, Low Shelf, High Shelf and Notch, Automated Q control to)
• Dynamic Kit and Patch creator which is easy and to use. Samples can all have categories (Kicks, Snares Hats etc) App for converting your own samples into the categories and the ability to create your own.
• 16 Layers per PAD with velocity, pan, pitch ,cut off, res and volume control
• Can create multilayerd patches that span a keyboard from one pad or multiple. Each bank can have a different patch (keys and bass or drums and synth )

via monofonicos: Native Instruments will be introducing Maschine – a next generation groove production studio that combines hardware and software – at the 2009 NAMM Show. 

Looks like they are trying to take over MPC territory.

Details to come!

Rain Recording has introduced the Element Pro, the first in a series of Quad Core-based Element digital audio workstations. Element Pro is designed and tested to ensure optimum performance of all components, providing maximum audio throughput in the most demanding digital audio applications.

The “Professional Quad” series comes in two models the PQ1 and PQ2. Both systems are based upon Intel’s Core 2 Quad technology taking advantage of four physical processing cores with a combined level 2 cache of 8MB to give unparalleled real-time performance in recording, mixing and effects processing. The PQ1 is available with Windows Vista x32, x64 or Windows XP Professional. The PQ2 is Vista x64 only.

So this looks like it could be the ultimate machine for Sonar fans.

Windows Vista comes in over 8 different versions (so far) Rain decided early on that the Ultimate version is the only one that will ensure their diverse customer base will have the tools they need regardless of their application. Working closely with music software and hardware manufacturers and an intense period of testing Rain is pleased to be supporting the Vista platform. Not all existing software and hardware will be able to run on Vista and so as a public service Rain has setup a webpage dedicated to Vista compatibility and performance.

While Vista is compatible with and available across the whole range of Rain DAW systems, it is still considered early adopter technology. So by default all the other Rain systems will be running Windows XP Professional. XP will continue to be available, across the range, for the foreseeable future including on the new Element Pro PQ1.

Element Pro PQ1: Price $3,799.95 (£2199)

Element Pro PQ2: Price $4,899.95 (£3299)