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April 03 2008
Sep. 15, 2013
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The Frankfurt Musikmesse is the world's biggest trade show for musical instruments and accessories, and it will leave just about any visitor (and exhibitor, too) with burned-out ears, sore feet, and the desire to go on vacation for at least a week. So why attend? Because there simply is no other music-related event that brings this much artistic, ethnic, and technological variety and inspiration together in one spot.
Among all that was to see and hear at this year's Messe, here's what, in my humble opinion, stood out from the crowd.
Up, Periscope! Sonic Core Raises SCOPE
Way back in 1993, a small German company called CreamWare arrived on the scene with a low-cost hard-disk recording system called Triple DAT. It became a major success. Five years later, CreamWare unveiled the SCOPE Fusion Platform.
SCOPE used Analog Devices SHARC DSP chips on PCI cards to create a complete studio environment — with softsynths, sampling, recording, effects, mixing, and more — implemented purely in software. Nowadays, we're used to running such environments natively on any current PC or Mac. Ten years ago, however, SCOPE caused quite a stir and managed to give the big players of the music technology industry a decent scare. And rightfully so.
In the years since, CreamWare went through some ups and downs. Nevertheless, it released some well-regarded products, including the Authentic Sound Box series: DSP-powered hardware synths that emulated classic analog synthesizers.
Last year, two former CreamWare developers bought out the company's intellectual property and launched a new company, Sonic Core. At this year's Messe, Sonic Core introduced the next generation of the SCOPE platform, called SCOPE XITE-1, which provides ten times the processing power of the old SCOPE PRO system. Housed in a 19" rack enclosure, it does not require a PCI slot and, thus, will also work with laptop computers. SCOPE to go!
Sonic Core's hardware synths (top shelf) are based on software emulations of keyboard classics: the B4000 (Hammond organ), Prodyssey (ARP Odyssey), and System 1200 (a Minimoog and Prophet in one case).
Sonic Core plans to release SCOPE XITE-1 next month, along with a new 5.0 version of the Sonic Core Platform software. This software update is free for users of v4.5, and brings with it a polished, more up-to-date look and feel as well as new functionality.
Judging from Sonic Core's product announcements, its ongoing collaboration with John Bowen on the Solaris hardware synth (which will ship later this year!), and the confidence shown by its booth staff at Messe, it seems as though this company, and its innovative products, will stick around for a while. Welcome back, guys!
Get Back: Moog Minimoog Voyager OS
A new hardware synth that doesn't have patch memory or even MIDI? What would provoke instant thumbs-down reactions if it were introduced by any other manufacturer gets a whole-hearted "back to the roots, man!" nod of the head here, as we're talking about a new Minimoog!
The "OS" in Minimoog Voyager OS aptly stands for "Old School," and this instrument is, without doubt, the purest synth introduced in recent years: all the legendary Moog analog goodness without a single digital bit, packaged in the classical fold-up-panel Minimoog enclosure, and price-tagged at $2,595.
Adam Holzman and the new Minimoog Voyager "Old School."
Ironically, one of the drawbacks of the Voyager OS's lack of MIDI was demonstrated right there at the Moog booth: you can't play the Voyager OS polyphonically. MIDI up a standard Minimoog Voyager and a few Voyager Rack synths, on the other hand, et voila! Polyphonic Minimoog. Any patch changes and settings are synchronized via MIDI as well. It's a bit of a drag to haul around, but, hey, so were Dr. Bob Moog's classic modular synths.
Round Tones: Future Audio Workshop Circle
Look at almost any software synthesizer, and you'll find an intricately designed user interface overflowing with fake 3D knobs, sliders, and buttons. Future Audio Workshop's new synth, Circle, is different. Doubtlessly inspired by Ableton Live's aesthetics, Circle has a minimalistic, super-clean UI.
With the exception of some less-often-accessed functions like the preset browser or master effects (which are hidden in a drawer), all controls relevant to sound design are shown in Circle's single window. Each control has a single function, and there are nifty new ways to access features that are impossible to implement in hardware. To assign modulation for example, you drag and drop a colored dot from the modulation source to a "modulation input circle" in the target module. You can also set the modulation depth in that circle. Drag-and-hover the dot over the target, and you hear a real-time preview of the modulation's effect. Very slick.
Circle's no-frills, single-window UI looks simple, but it controls a great-sounding virtual instrument.
But Circle doesn't just look nice, it also sounds great. Based on four oscillators of different types, including wavetable, and featuring two effect slots that include the formant-bending Mouth Filter, Circle has lots of sonic potential. To see and hear it in action, visit the Guided Tours on the Future Audio Workshop site.
Circle is still in beta, but is supposed to ship this month. It runs on both Mac OS X and Windows, and it has an MSRP of $199/149€.
http://futureaudioworkshop.com
Sounds Gamy: AQ Interactive Korg DS-10
No, that's not a typo: this synth is, indeed, called DS-10, not MS-10. But they're essentially the same thing. While the M is one of the most celebrated analog hardware synths, the D is its little brother — so little that it fits into a Nintendo DS handheld gaming console! (Thanks to its dual-oscillator setup, DS-20 would have been a more appropriate name, but anyway....)
Honey, I shrunk the Korg!
The DS-10 packs a dual-oscillator, virtual analog synth; a four-track drum machine; and a six-track, 16-step sequencer into this incredibly small package, which can be controlled in real-time. You can even hook up several DS-10s and play them in sync via Wi-Fi.
The DS-10 accepts direct input via something akin to an x-y-touch pad; there's a step-sequencer matrix and an on-screen keyboard as well.
Although the DS-10 sounds very cool and its UI is clever, I wonder how far musicians will be able to take it. It could be just the thing if you're into loop-based/sequenced music. But if you want to actually play it, I'm not so sure. The DS-10 is scheduled for release in July. You can see it in action on AQ Interactive's site.
Blizzard of Sound: The Access Virus TI Snow
In the "small package, huge sound" department, the Access Virus TI Snow joined the Waldorf Blofeld synthesizer module. Housed in a sturdy metal case, the TI Snow uses the same internals as its bigger siblings. Apart from the smaller number of knobs and buttons, the technical differences are limited to lower polyphony (10–50 voices vs. 20–90) and memory (512 RAM and ROM patches vs. 1,024/3,382). But, soundwise, the Snow is just as mighty as the Virus Keyboard and Desktop models.
Huge sound in a small, yet sturdy and elegant package: the Access Virus TI Snow. (Yes, that is a Kensington lock at the right.)
What's more, although the reduced number of control elements may make the Snow a little less ACCESSible (lousy pun, I know), the Total Integration (TI) technology opens up the sound editing parameters on the computer screen, which should alleviate some of the concerns of potential Snow-men (even lousier pun). The USB interface and TI software plugin make the Snow slot right into your sequencer like a software synth.
The Virus TI Snow drops into the wild this spring.
