The Beat Kangz have announced that Beat Thang Virtual – a virtual music production system for Windows and Mac, is now available.

Features:

• One octave pad layout with 8 banks so you can bang out beats or play the keys.
• 16 tracks so you can create patterns that can be performed and remixed on the fly.
• 16 layers of velocity sensitivity for emotive performance.
• High Quality Sampler & waveform editing. Sample your own sounds using your computer’s built in mic or line input.
• Edit sample start and end times. Process samples using features like normalize, reverse and resample.
• Easy to use Realtime Sequencer. Create patterns in real time using quantize, swing, individual bar lengths, tap tempo then string them together in SONG mode.
• Mixer with built in FX Change track, pad and pan levels.
• Add 24bit reverb, delay, flange, phaser, pitch shift, old record and many more.
• Add BANG with onboard mastering.
• Export your songs as .wav files or save them to your Beat Kangz Playa Thang equipped iPhone or iPod Touch.
• Connects seamless with Beat Thang Hardware.

Beat Thang Virtual retails for $149 USD.

Atlantic City, New Jersey Hosted the 2009 DJ EXPO where Beat Kangz Electronics demoed The Beat Thang Virtual for the godfather of hip hop dance music, Afrika BamBaataa.

The Beat Kangz have also announced a promotion – purchase a copy of The Beat Thang Virtual and the Beat Kangz will send a copy to the school of your choice.

Best quote: “What company has rappin prez & VPz bangin beatz???”

The Zro Hour caught up with the Beat Kangz to interview them about The Beat Thang sampling drum machine, and how they moved from creating sample sets to creating functional specs and getting manufacturers to create a new drum machine.

2009 Summer NAMM Show: Beat Kangz Electronics has announced a shipping date for the much-hyped Beat Thang, an MPC-like, Hip-Hip production center. The Beat Thang is expected to ship in October 2009, with a list price of $1,299 and retail of $999.

The Beat Kangz are also putting the finishing touches on The Playa Thang, an iPhone app and a software version of the Beat Thang. By July 17, The Beat Thang Virtual software system, $149.00, will be available for purchase on the company’s website.

Features:

• Sampling
• 3.5 inch video grade color LCD
• On-board rechargeable NiCad battery.
• Over 3000 Blazin’ Brand new sounds designed by The Beat Kangz
• 16 Track MIDI sequencer (sequence external instruments)
• 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 (16 Gigabytes/ card)
• Export Beats to a Mac or PC (supports AIFF and WAV format)
• Intuitive user interface.

via FutureMusic

Building Bangers on The Beat Thang: Basic Beatmaking Tutorial with Kang Boom Bap

Kang Boom Bap shows us how to build a bangin’ track on the Beat Thang.

Filmed in the suite at Winter NAMM 2009.

via BeatKangz

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 )