Audio-Technica ATH-R70x
The R70x is Audio-Technica’s first pair of open-back reference professional headphones. Featuring specially designed drivers and acoustically transparent housings fashioned from aluminum honeycomb mesh, these headphones provide an accurate and natural open-back sound. They also incorporate a new, improved design of A-T’s popular 3D wing support system to provide even greater comfort during your long hours of working. Robust yet lightweight, and equipped with a unique, dual-sided detachable cable that automatically maintains proper stereo orientation, the R70x headphones are built for lasting comfort, convenience and audio purity.
MSRP $489
audio-technica.com
Focusrite RedNet Am2
Focusrite announced the RedNet AM2 at AES this year, and although it doesn’t officially ship until Spring 2016, it is worth keeping an eye out for. RedNet AM2 is a compact, flexible stereo monitoring unit combining headphone and line outputs for monitoring of signals from the Dante network wherever required. It features a front-panel TRS headphone socket plus a pair of rear-mounted balanced line outputs with male XLR connectors for loudspeak- er monitoring and other applications. Designed to drive high or low impedance headphones at high levels, the headphone output delivers significant audio output power. The unit is fitted with non-slip feet, and can either sit securely on a flat surface or mounted on top of a mic stand. Two volume control knobs are provided for Headphone and Line output levels, the latter featuring a mute button with associated LED. Dual locking etherCON connectors are included to connect the network andnto daisy-chain to additional network devices.
MSRP $599.99 (ships Spring of 2016)
us.focusrite.com
Telefunken m60 FET microphone
TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik introduced the newly designed M60 FET (Field Effect Transis- tor) small diaphragm microphone at Winter NAMM—its first non-vacuum tube, FET-based solid-state condenser microphone. The M60 FET is an excellent tool for both acoustic and percussive sources. It utilizes a unique proprietary circuit topology with its reinterpretation of the classic FET mic amplifier, which produces an exceptional transient response and SPEL handling capabilities. The output is matched with a custom American-made transformer that offers an especially low self-noise and a typical THD+N of 0.015% or better, making it ideal for critical recording applications.
MSRP $595
telefunken-elektroakustik.com
PreSonus Digimax Dp88
Those looking to expand their professional or home studio should feast their eyes on the PreSonus® Digi- MaxTM DP88 8-channel microphone preamplifier and A/D/A converter that provides eight mic inputs on XLR and DB25 connectors, eight line inputs on DB25 and eight line outputs for monitoring, all on DB25. All inputs and out- puts are on the rear panel, making it easy to incorporate the unit into any studio. It has mic pre’s if you need them, or you can bypass the mic pre’s and go straight to the converters. You also get MIDI I/O and word clock I/O. The DigiMax DP88 adds more to any audio interface that has ADAT I/O, and the 24-bit DP88 delivers great audio quality up to 96 kHz with its clean audio path provided by Burr-Brown A/D/A converters with 118 dB of dynamic range.
MSRP $699
presonus.com
Mackie Freeplay Personal PA
For a Friday Freebie this year, Music Connection gave away the Mackie FreePlayTM, an all-in-one stereo PA solution with a portable, battery-powerable design to deliver powerful, full-range sound anytime, anywhere. FreePlay features Bluetooth® technology for music streaming from any mobile device that can be mixed with vocal mics, guitars and more. Plus, with the Mackie ConnectTM app, you get mobile freedom to control everything from levels and EQ to sound-enhancing tools like a feedback destroyer for amazing sound in any situation. From the stage to the boardroom to the backyard, FreePlay delivers powerful, rich sound that inspires.
MSRP $499.99
mackie.com
Sony Creative Audio Master Suite Mac 2
Who needs this gift? Audio mastering engineers, musicians, sound designers, audio-for-video producers, forensics specialists, audio archivists, scientists or professionals who demand the deepest audio analysis tools. Audio Master Suite Mac 2 includes the waveform and spectral editing for OS® X. Sound ForgeTM Pro Mac and SpectraLayersTM Pro are advanced waveform and spectral editing applications. They work together to form an editing system that offers immediate gains for audio professionals. Engineered for smooth round-trip communication, these new editions invite you to channel the power of each in turn as your tasks demand.
MSRP $499.95
sonycreativesoftware.com
Guitar Hero Live
It’s been about five years since the last Guitar Hero game, but recently, Activision and FreeStyleGames partnered up to release Guitar Hero Live. The guitar playing is more realistic—changing from one line of five fret buttons to two rows of three frets (six total) that allow for more variation of chords including a barre chord. The game screen shows a live audience reacting directly to your playing. If you’re rocking it, they cheer, scream and sing along, but if you’re failing, they boo, throw things at you and your bandmates reconsider your role in the band, which causes you to sweat. One cool feature of GHL is GHTV, which harkens back to the days of MTV videos—a 24-hour playable video network that lets fans play along to a continually-updated collection of music videos (with more than 230+ songs in the current library) and compete with players from around the world. This is a fun Christmas gift to give to your kids or anyone who wants to be a rockstar.
MSRP: $99.99 (game + 1 guitar); $149.99 (game + 2 guitars)
guitarhero.com
BOSS Sy-300 guitar Synthesizer
The BOSS SY-300 Guitar Synthesizer is an analog-style synth designed to use with normal guitar pickups. It allows musicians to play latency-free polyphonic synth sounds with any guitar, with no special pickup needed, and users can also process their regular guitar sound with the SY-300’s synth parameters and effects to achieve a limitless range of unique tones. The SY-300 can be used with any guitar or bass via a standard 1/4-inch cable and integrates easily with stomps and pedalboard setups due to its compact size and versatile I/O. In addition, it includes a USB audio interface to capture audio tracks directly into music production software on a computer, which can route existing tracks into the SY-300 to “re-synth” sounds using the synth engine and effects to create new sounds for music productions.
MSRP $979; Street $699
bossus.com
Native Instruments KOMPLETE KONTROL
Winner of the “Visionary Award” Herb Trawick Pensado Award, Native Instrument’s KOMPLETE KONTROL S88 is a new keyboard for composers, performers and pianists with 88 fully weighted, hammer-action keys. Aimed at professional producers and performers alike, the keyboard provides a “piano-like” playing experience. Version 1.5 of the software adds Native Kontrol Standard, an extended plug-in format allowing third-party instruments to achieve the same deep integration previously only reserved for KOMPLETE Instruments. VST support lets owners load and play their entire instrument collection. A new “Control Panel” makes customizing assignments simple and intuitive—even across multiple pages—and any double assignments are recognized automatically. By using the control panel, producers can quickly and eas- ily customize presets for specific use cases, such as a live performance.
MSRP $999
native-instruments.com
