Hasta La Gadget!

The iPad StudioDock from Alesis is a protective case that lets musicians hook up pretty much everything they might need to the stage-friendly tablet: microphones, PA speakers, MIDI controllers and monitors or projectors. In short, it pretty much replaces a computer for performers.

These days, even a busker in the street is likely to have a computer as part of their setup, but a laptop isn’t great for the task: the battery-life sucks, the interface requires a fiddly trackpad or a keyboard, and it is both delicate (don’t spill your beer!) and bulky. An iPad, on the other hand, has a stoned-guitarist-friendly touch-interface and now, thanks to the Studio Dock, can do almost as much as the ubiquitous MacBook.

As well as working with most MIDI apps in the App Store, the dock will work with most peripherals. You get two quarter-inch XLR sockets, phantom power, a guitar input, a pair of quarter-inch jack outputs, headphone jack, RCA composite (for video), plus MIDI in and out, USB MIDI and finally, a jack for a foot-switch.

The only things not known are the price, or when you can buy it. I imagine this is going to have a lot of musicians very excited. This could make the iPad the Atari ST of the ‘tens.

StudioDock [Alesis via Mac Stories]

See Also:

• Bluetooth Sheet Music Turner Could Help Readers With Disabilities …
• Gallery: Best New Gear for Musicians, Fans
• iDJ Live Could Unleash Your Inner Mixmaster
• Let There Be Rock: Digital Guitar Better Than The Real Thing …
• M-Audio Refreshes MIDI Controller Line

Leave it to Moog to give us one more reason to be jealous of lap steel players. As if their twangy, slidey Hawaiian metallics weren’t cool enough in the first place, they’ve now got the semi-magical ability to magnetically sustain or mute each string via the pickup — kind of along the lines of previously Moog-enhanced stringed instruments. The legendary synth manufacturer has also thrown in ladder filters and a gaggle of other switchable effects into the beautiful instruments. Orders are just being taken now, and each one will be custom-crafted (pink and purple sparkle starburst with a MIDI pickup, anyone?) by a luthier friend of the manufacturer for a little under $3000. We sat down with Cyril Lance from Moog and one of only four models in existence — catch video of the new acid-bluegrass sounds after the break.

Continue reading Moog Lap Steel adds infinite analog sustain to the top of your thighs: ears-on at NAMM 2011 (video)

Moog Lap Steel adds infinite analog sustain to the top of your thighs: ears-on at NAMM 2011 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember when everything had an iPhone dock? The coming dock revolution will be just like that, but a lot more massive. Akai is showing off a non-functioning version of its SynthStation 49-key MIDI controller at NAMM this weekend, and it’s pretty much the same idea as the smaller iPhone-docking Synthstation25. That said, here you’ve got nine velocity-sensitive MPC pads, a separate transport section, and 1/4-inch outs. And an adjustable iPad dock, which is a funny thing to see on a keyboard. Software-wise, this younger-bigger bro in the family will also support CoreMIDI — and an updated version of Akai’s SynthStation iOS app for the bigger screen, using the added real estate to allow finer, more direct control over the sound, along with a new recording section and simultaneous drum / synth sequencing. Not a bad piece of kit for the pad-centric musician in your life — look for it to splash down this June for $199. Check below the break for video of the unit and a runthrough of the new software.

Continue reading Akai’s iPad-docking SynthStation 49 and updated app: eyes-on at NAMM 2011

Akai’s iPad-docking SynthStation 49 and updated app: eyes-on at NAMM 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Teenage Engineering OP-1 synthesizer now available for pre-order, we tour its shiny new features (video)

Teenage Engineering OP-1 synthesizer now available for pre-order, we tour its shiny new features (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The NAMM trade show — also known as the musician’s candy store — is kicking off today out in Anaheim, which means that audio-focused press releases are starting to pour in. Headset and mic manufacturer Shure is beefing up its line with the introduction of three new models — a set of buds plus two cans. On the bud side, the SE 215 slots in predictably beneath the SE315, offering a budget-friendly single driver in your choice of black or fancy translucent casing; it comes in at a retail price of $99, some $100 less than the SE315. Moving to cans, the SRH550DJ (pictured center) is — as the name implies — targeted at DJs with a “super-aural design” for full isolation and a 90-degree swiveling headband for flexible wearing positions; this one will set you back $99 on the store shelf. On the upscale side, the SRH940 is billed as a reference set with a premium padded headband, and you’ll pay for it: it’s $299 at retail. All three models will be available this spring; follow the break for the press releases.

Continue reading Shure adds SE215 buds, cans for DJs and studios alike

Shure adds SE215 buds, cans for DJs and studios alike originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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