This video, from the 2009 LIMS, captures the first UK showing of the Open Labs DBeat.

via soundonsoundvideo

SOS’s Paul White got this demo of the new Yamaha S70 XS synthesizer at LIMS 2009:

Just in from Yamaha are the S70XS and S90XS performance keyboards. They both run on the same operating system, the only difference being the size of the key beds: the S70XS has 76 keys, while the S90XS has 88.

Both models have weighted, hammer-action keys so, even on the smaller model, users get the feel of a real piano.

On-board controls have been simplified by Yamaha so that only the most commonly used features are available to the user from the button-driven interface. This, the manufacturers say, provdies a less cluttered menu system that lets users access the most important parameters quickly and easily while on stage.

See this previous post for details on the Yamaha S70 XS and S90XS keyboard synthesizers.

LIMS 2009: This is an overview and demo video for Novation Automap for the iPhone and iPod touch from LIMS 2009.

Do you think that this is a useful tool or just a gimmick?

via soundonsoundvideo

LIMS 2009: Yamaha introduced two new synthesizers, the Yamaha S70XS and S90XS keyboards, with 76 & 88 keys.

Features:

• The sounds of the Motif XS plus a huge new S6 handcrafted grand piano sample
• 76/88 note Yamaha Balanced Hammer weighted action
• Performance Creator for instant splits, layers and drum performances
• 4 knobs, 16 backlit LEDs and tons of buttons for direct hands on control
• 1/4”/XLR Combo jack A/D input (with front panel controls) for adding vocals and guitars
• Direct to USB Stereo Audio record/ playback (plus 18 minutes of internal flash memory)

The Yamaha S series is scheduled to ship in August 2009, with MSRP list prices of $3,699 for the S70XS and $3,799 for the S90XS.

Check out the MusicRadar video overview from LIMS, above. Details below.

If you’ve had a chance to try out the new Yamaha S70XS and S90XS keyboard synthesizers, leave a comment!

Description:

The Yamaha S70XS/S90XS Keyboard Synthesizer is a highly specified and high performance instrument offering huge versatility and a rich feature set for serious live keyboard players.

The keyboard is fitted with a huge 456 MB of onboard wave memory.

The synth also comes with an audio recording and playback feature. CD-quality audio data can easily be recorded to the internal flash memory or to external USB storage devices allowing players to instantly capture not only everything played on the keyboard, but also audio sources connected to the 1/4”/XLR Combo jack input with front panel controls. By using the internal virtual modeling effects section its even possible to apply the highest quality compression, reverb and effects to the mic input to help capture the live performance but enhanced with studio quality effects processing. There is even a full-featured vocoder onboard.

The Yamaha S70XS/S90XS also integrates nicely with the computer.

With internal templates for editing softsynths and with hardware control of the host DAW plus a VST3 editor allowing the S90XS to appear and be controlled as VST instruments, the new synths can also become the backbone of a computer-based composition environment.