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Gear Review: Exponential Audio R2 Reverb & Excalibur

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reverbReverb can easily make or break any record, and electronic dance music tracks are no exception. Michael Carnes, one of the men behind the Lexicon PCM plugins, is somewhat of a digital reverb guru. His company, Exponential Audio, has created software used by major players in the music, film, and gaming industries.

Although they produce some phenomenal software, Exponential Audio is a small company, which allows them to offer professional products at an affordable price. The two reverb units are R2 and PhoenixVerb, both of which are compatible with mono, stereo, and multi-channel audio formats. Both plugins feature a convenient keyword-based preset navigation system, making it easy to explore and recall presets. And while the two plugins sound amazing in their own ways, they are actually quite different from each other sonically.

The first of the Exponential Audio reverb plugins, PhoenixVerb, is the more natural and realistic sounding of the pair. Keep in mind, however, that natural does not mean cold or lifeless; this software can impart warmth and depth into any sound in your productions. This plugin is a phenomenal option for those looking to capture the feel of an acoustic space. All in all, the sound is overall very rich, lush and pleasant to the ear.

R2 Reverb, the younger brother of PhoenixVerb, is designed to be more of an “effect” reverb, meaning that it is supposed to “color” or otherwise change the sound. This reverb has seen some serious mileage, most notably on several games from the Halo series. Try dropping this one in a dub techno track to add a dark industrial tone, a minimal track to fill in some of the gaps, or on a vocal sample with a delay for some trippy, ringing echoes.

Exponential Audio plugins feature streamlined and straightforward graphic user interfaces (GUI), both conserving CPU and providing simple manipulation of controls. In addition to their R2 and PheonixVerb, they have recently released Excalibur, an powerful multi-FX plugin. Excalibur brings you modular control over a plethora of built-in FX, including reverb, delay, flanger, phaser, chorus, pitch shifting and ring modulation. This plugin has already been hailed by big players in the various audio industries, and for a limited time only, you can purchase Excalibur with special introductory pricing. For just $119, you can purchase Excalibur through Friday, April 10, after which the price will return to normal ($199).

For more info, check out the Exponential Audio website by clicking here

 

 

Allen & Heath Release New Analog Mixer

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Xone 43 featured

Allen & Heath introduced the Xone:43, a new mixer to their popular mixer series.

Like their flagship Xone:92, the Xone:43 will feature an analog voltage-controlled filter (VCF) with low, high, and bandpass configurations with resonance control. It boasts all the features one would expect from a high quality mixer. Four phono/line channels with incredibly smooth channel faders make up the Xone:43, with a three band EQ per channel. While a four band EQ would have been nice, it is by no means a deal breaker.

The Allen & Heath Xone:43 is available now with a retail price of approximately $1,300. For more information, take a look at the video below or head over to the Allen & Heath Official Site.

Video: Kevin Saunderson & Matthew Dear Collecting Samples

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Kevin Saunderson

“Ford moves people with cars. I move people with music” – Kevin Saunderson

Inspiration can strike in many forms. In the industry rich city of Detroit, Kevin Saunderson grabs his Zoom H4N and ventures into the Ford Assembly Plant to embrace the machines and technology. The process of collecting sounds is complete
the result? Well now we’ll just have to wait and see what the Detroit mastermind comes up with.

Just like Kevin Saunderson in the Ford Assembly Plant, Matthew Dear embarked on a similar sonic journey at one of the General Electric factories. Tuning in to the frequencies and energy of the environment, these artists are able to interpret sounds and translate that into music that is widely appreciated throughout the world.

Take a look at the two videos below to see the process behind two techno visionaries taking the music directly to it’s core.

SXSW To Feature Playable Synth Space

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synth spaceSXSW is finaly upon us, and we can barely contain our excitement. In particular, we’re really stoked for the Gear Expo, which takes place on Thursday, March 19 at the Austin Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 5. The main reason we’re looking forward to the Gear Expo is the upcoming addition of a “Synth Space,” a room filled with playable synthesizers for your enjoyment.

Synth Space will draw crowds of all types, as it is a truly unique exhibition in the United States; best of all, it’s open to the public, so you won’t have to shell out the big bucks for a conference badge. This will undoubtedly be an event not to miss – when else are you going to have a chance to use all these classic synthesizers (and newer synths as well) in one place? Synth Space will feature analog, modular, digital, and hybrid synthesizers.

Here are the details, according to the website:

The Music Gear Expo celebrates six years in 2015 with a host of new offerings. In addition to the much loved expo portion, the show will feature a number of special activations including: the Stompbox, Shred Shed and the brand new Synthesizer Space plus the Gear Lounge, Gear Expo Store and Flatstock Stage.

Open to all registrants, showcasing artists and the general public, the Expo has become the key destination for musicians, buyers, gear and tech aficionados at SXSW. It is located adjacent to the popular Flatstock Poster Show on Level 1 of the Austin Convention Center.

The SXSW Music Gear Expo hosts a unique range of companies, from established names in the industry to independently owned up-and-comers. View the 2015 exhibitors.

More info:

SXSW Gear Expo

Synth Space

 

Studio For Electronic Musicians – Handwerk Audio

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handwerk audio synth studioStudio fanatics and gear heads, we have a special treat for you. We are happy to announce that there is a new studio in techno town, and this one really is a game changer. Berlin’s Handwerk Audio Synth Studio is a one-of-a-kind innovation in music creation, geared entirely (no pun intended) toward the electronic musician/producer/artist. Rather than “traditional” instruments, this studio features an abundance of synthesizers (both analog and digital), keyboards, drum machines, and much more. The studio is owned by Peter Van Hoesen, Marco Freivogel (Exercise One), and  Ricardo Deazcuenaga (birdsmakingmachine). Located in Berlin’s Kreuzberg District, Handwerk Audio is a must-see next time you find yourself in Germany.

Click here for more info on the studio, including full specs

Free Samples From SampleRadar

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Samples

Free Samples From SampleRadar

MusicRadar has always been a go-to site for producers, DJs, musicians, engineers, and artists. offering up tremendous amounts of material to check out. One thing that makes them stand out is their expansive library of sounds, and what producer doesn’t like free things?

MusicRadar has established itself as one of the industry’s leading providers of free samples through the SampleRadar section of their website. Clearly, the site is an amazing music industry resource, both on the creative and technological side of things.  Read more

NAMM 2015: Product Demo of the Rane MP2015 Rotary Mixer

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mp2015 featured

One piece of gear that had everyone buzzing this past weekend at NAMM was the MP2015 Rotary Mixer by Rane. The MP2015 had an expansive team working on it from Rane, as well as artists such as Dixon, Ben UFO, and Tim Sweeny providing ideas and input. With a dedicated team like that, it’s no surprise that the mixer turned out so well. We caught up with some of the guys at Rane this past weekend, and took an indepth look at the new MP2015 Rotary Mixer.

Expected Release: Mid-Late February
Retail Price: $2,899

NAMM 2015: Pioneer Unveils the XDJ-RX Controller

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XDJ RX

Pioneer has revealed their new XDJ-RX controller at NAMM this year. Staying true to a classic Pioneer design, there aren’t many surprises here, but there are some nice features that make this an excellent new controller to hit the market. Here’s a little overview of the new XDJ-RX. Read more

NAMM 2015: Zoom iQ Series & H6 Recorders

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zoom featured

Zoom always delivers a high quality product to the recording industry. Known for their outstanding quality portable recorders like the H4N and new H6, they have also introduced the iQ Series microphone attachments to revolutionize audio recording on IOS devices. We got a chance to check out Zoom at NAMM 2015, and needless to say we were more than impressed. Let’s start with the iQ series. Read more

6AM Group at NAMM 2015

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NAMM-2015

The annual NAMM convention is coming to a close in Anaheim, California, and as expected the manufacturers did not disappoint. It was another exciting year at NAMM with all brands showcasing their arsenal for the upcoming year, and we took on the task of visiting as many booths as possible to get the inside scoop.

 

Throughout this week make sure to stay up to date with us on our website as we roll out new product videos, gear reviews, company profiles, and a very special artist interview that went down Saturday afternoon. Here are our initial thoughts on NAMM 2015.

During our time at NAMM we were able to visit a wide variety of booths, and received great insight relating to what the general theme of the year will be. Many companies such as Novation, Roland, and Akai all leaned towards a theme of creative intuition in a very straightforward product interface. Whether for live performance or production, many new products at NAMM had this theme in common. It seems each year the products are getting better, and this is fantastic for the seasoned veteran and bedroom producer alike. Products such as the new Launchpad and AIRA MX 1 are generating a lot of buzz, and will be expected to gain widespread popularity once released.

arturia audiofuseOther noteworthy announcements included Arturia’s intention to enter the audio interface market with their new Audiofuse Interface. The company already offers a wide range of products from synths to sequencers, and with the Audiofuse it is clear that their goal is complete their market offering as a one stop shop for some producers. The interface is loaded with a wide variety of inputs to accommodate any situation, and sets up very nicely for a swift and interactive workflow.

Audiofuse Expected Release: May 2015
Retail Price: $549

In addition to showcasing the new AIRA MX1, Roland also announced a new hybrid synth the JD-Xi. The JD-Xi includes 2 digital synths with a preset bank included, a drum synth with an expansive library of Roland drums, an analog synth and signal path, a vocoder, and a 16 step sequencer to tie things up nicely. As well as other standard synth parameters like a dedicated filter, effects, and envelope section. The JD-Xi is expected to be available in March for $500.

Overall, there was no shortage of interest when going between the four expansive halls and floors at the Anaheim Convention Center, with each brand bringing something unique to the table. This brief overview doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface, so make sure to keep checking our website this week for more reviews and content from NAMM 2015.