CME, makers of the BitStream 3X MIDI Controller, announce a new promotion that qualifies the first 999 registered customers who purchase the BitStream 3X to receive a free, custom-fitted aluminum case.

The Bitstream 3X is perfect for controlling virtual instruments, DAWs, and even other MIDI hardware. This compact desktop unit is the only 3 axis (X,Y and Z) controller on the market and includes 35 knobs, 8 sliders, 16 buttons, a joystick, a cross-fader and an infrared controller. The joystick controls the X and Y axis while the infrared beam controls the Z axis.

The Bitstream 3x is fully programmable and includes more than 13,000 presets for popular samplers, synthesizers, and software including Propellerheads Reason and Rebirth, Steinberg Cubase, Ableton Live, Native Instruments Reaktor, Traktor, Kontakt, and Absynth, Fruity Loops and more. An 8 track motion sampler, transport functions, and a large LCD display round out this versatile unit.

For more information, visit their web site at www.cme-pro.com.

Posted in Accessories, Hardware, MIDI

Apogee Electronics Corporation announced today a new high performance PCI-Express driver for their ‘Symphony’ 32-channel PCI-Express card. This Universal Binary driver is designed to take special advantage of the power and technology in Apple’s new Intel-based Mac Pro to achieve performance levels previously unattainable in native audio.

“We are very excited about the power and capability of the Mac Pro,” says Betty Bennett, Co-Founder and CEO of Apogee. “The combination of the Mac Pro and our Symphony PCI-Express card delivers on the promise of high performance native audio for professionals.”

“The newly designed Mac Pro delivers quad-Xeon performance, greater expansion, high-end workstation graphics and unprecedented customization to fit the wish lists of the most demanding user,” said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations. “We’re delighted Apogee has taken advantage of the innovative architecture and blazing speed of the Intel-based Mac Pro to deliver powerful professional audio performance with Symphony.”

Apogee’s new Universal PCI-Express driver, in combination with the powerful Intel processors in the Mac Pro, lowers the latency of the Symphony PCI-Express card by over 50% into the 2ms range. This achievement is a significant increase in performance beyond other native solutions on the market and compares favorably to the latency on other hardware-based systems.

The Mac Pro architecture in combination with the Symphony PCI-E card’s high channel count and low latency surpasses all competitors in performance and value. With up to 4 internal SATA drives, the Mac Pro can be setup as a striped RAID, making recording and playback at high channel counts with high sample rates a breeze. The power of the two Dual-Core Intel Xeon chips gives you more plug-ins, and more soft synths, with even lower buffer settings than ever before. Symphony PCI-E and the Mac Pro deliver twice the power and performance of other systems, at half the price. Symphony PCI-Express Card at a glance:

• 32 channel PCI-Express card, capable of 24-bit 192k Digital I/O
• Single 32 channel PC-32 bi-directional connector from converter to computer
• Direct connectivity to Apogee’s Rosetta 800, Rosetta 200 and AD-16X and DA-16X converters via the option card
• Universal binary driver compatible with Apple’s new Mac Pro hardware
• Apogee’s Maestro Software for advanced control and routing
• Compatibility with all CoreAudio software applications

For more information, visit their web site at www.apogeedigital.com.

Posted in Apple Mac, Audio, Computer, Hardware, Recording, Technology

The Patch King, aka Kid Nepro Productions, known for many years as a leading developer of synth patches and digital samples has now added one of the largest inventories of used music equipment to their website.

Now listed at KidNepro.com are hundreds of hardware items for sale, including keyboards, computers and computer accessories, drum machines and sequencers, guitars, basses, amps and effects, and tons of audio gear. Everything you need to put together a home studio, live rig or just add that one piece of gear that you’ve been looking for.

All equipment is checked out by an expert service tech before being put up for sale. Most items come with a three month warranty except items marked as consignment. Consignment items all have a seven-day check out period. Most items come with a copy of the manual. Photos are available upon request.

For more information, visit their web site at www.kidnepro.com.

Posted in Computer, Hardware, Recording, Software, Synth, Technology

The new TASCAM US-122L and US-144, the follow-ups to the popular US-122, deliver audiophile-quality Audio/MIDI Interfaces in a portable, affordable package. USB 2.0 technology allows up to 96kHz/24-bit recording with zero latency hardware monitoring. They retain the rugged metal enclosure, pro XLR mic inputs and MIDI I/O of the US-122, and 48-track Cubase LE recording software makes them ready to rock right out of the box.

“Musicians have been traveling with their TASCAM PortaStudios for years, and these interfaces bring the PortaStudio philosophy into the laptop age,” says Johnny DeLeon, Computer Products Channel Manager for TASCAM. “Our interfaces are designed by musicians for musicians, which means they’re easy to use and sound great. We’ve even designed low-profile knobs for the top - so they’re easy to slip into a backpack - and built them out of sturdy die-cast metal so they’re built to last.”

Priced at only $199 and $269, the US-122L & US-144 are within reach of anyone ready to start recording to a computer.

Features:

• 2 XLR mic inputs with phantom power
• S/PDIF Digital Input & Output (US-144 only)
• 2 analog line inputs (1 switchable to high impedance for use with guitars, basses, etc.)
• 1 MIDI input, 1 MIDI output
• USB 2.0 equipped (also supports USB 1.1)
• Up to 96kHz/24-bit for high quality recordings
• Zero-latency hardware monitoring
• Combined Headphone/output level control (US122L)
• Separate headphone output & level controls (US-144)
• Bus powered for use with PC or Mac, including laptops
• Includes Cubase LE 48-track professional recording software
• Includes GigaStudio 3 LE 64-voice software sampler

For more information, visit their web site at www.tascam.com.

Posted in Audio, Computer, Hardware, MIDI, Recording, Technology