Z.VEX NANO HEAD

The Nano Head from Z.Vex ($499) is so small that it will fit in the palm of your hand. Yet it can drive any size speaker at 8 to 16ž, including a 4×12-inch cabinet. Furthermore, the manufacturer claims that the little tube-powered amp delivers a tone similar to that of some well-known 50W heads.

You can power the Nano Head with the provided wall wart, a car's cigarette-lighter socket, or a small lead-acid battery. A built-in DC-to-DC converter boosts the 12V input to 230V to feed the miniature tubes, which include a total of four triodes.

The Nano Head is protected by nickel-plated roll bars. Front-panel controls include a brightness switch for adding high end at lower volumes, a 3-position highpass switch for adjusting the low end, and a highpass control for fine-tuning the filter. The amp has one unbalanced ¼-inch input jack and one unbalanced ¼-inch output jack. Z.Vex Amps; tel. (952) 285-9545; e-mail zvex@zvex.com; Web www.zvex.com.

ROLAND V-SYNTH

Roland's V-Synth ($2,695) combines the company's VariPhrase technology with physical modeling, sampling, and Roland's recent developments in real-time controllers. Perhaps the most intriguing controller is the target-shaped TimeTrip Pad, which lets you scan through waveforms using your fingertips. You can scan the waveform in either direction, modify the playback speed, and even freeze a portion of the sample as it plays back.

Other real-time controls on the V-Synth include a pair of D Beams, front-panel buttons, and more than 20 knobs and sliders. VariPhrase allows you to manipulate the pitch, time, and formant of a sound independently.

The 61-key instrument's oscillators offer analog modeling, real-time audio input, and sample playback, in conjunction with the VariPhrase features and sampling. You configure the two oscillators into different signal paths, called Structures, which let you combine oscillator types and add FM, ring modulation, and sync.

The V-Synth includes new COSM processors, notably the Side Band Filter, which can create harmonic sounds from inharmonic content and vice versa. You also get polyphonic guitar-amp modeling and a wave shaper. In addition, Roland supplies effects such as reverb and chorus and 41 multi-effects.

The PCM oscillator can draw from the V-Synth's supply of 300 preset waveforms, or you can overwrite these with your own samples. The unit has analog and digital I/O for sampling or processing external audio. You can also resample sounds that have been processed through the V-Synth architecture and effects. A built-in USB port allows you to import WAV and AIFF files directly from a computer.

Analog input is on two balanced ¼-inch jacks, with switchable mic or line levels. The analog outputs — stereo, main, and direct — are on unbalanced ¼-inch jacks. Digital I/O includes optical and coaxial S/PDIF connectors; MIDI In, Out, and Thru jacks; and a USB port. A ¼-inch stereo headphone jack, a ¼-inch hold-pedal jack, and two ¼-inch control-pedal inputs are also included. Roland Corp. U.S.; tel. (323) 890-3700; Web www.rolandus.com.

AUDIO-TECHNICA AT3060

Audio-Technica's AT3060 ($599) is a large-diaphragm tube mic that doesn't require a special power supply or proprietary cable because it relies solely on phantom power. According to Audio-Technica, the cardioid-pattern condenser element provides high sensitivity and smooth sound reproduction with low noise levels. The company also says it hand selects the tubes after testing to ensure reliability.

The tube assemblies are shockmounted to minimize mechanical-noise interference. A precision-machined, nickel-plated acoustic element baffle enhances the mic's stability and sensitivity.

Audio-Technica rates the AT3060's frequency response at 50 Hz to 16 kHz, with a maximum SPL of 134 dB. Typical dynamic range is 117 dB, 1 kHz at maximum SPL. The microphone ships with an AT8458 shockmount and a protective pouch. Audio-Technica U.S., Inc.; tel. (330) 686-2600; e-mail pro@atus.com; Web www.audiotechnica.com.

NOVATION V-STATION

Novation has ported the technology from its popular K-Station synthesizer into the company's first software synthesizer. The V-Station (Mac/Win, $199) offers 8-note polyphony with multitimbral capability through multiple instances of the software. The synth is compatible with VSTi and Audio Units hosts.

The V-Station's sound engine has the same architecture as its hardware sibling, with three oscillators, oscillator sync and FM capabilities, and a noise source. In fact, you can offload patches created on the V-Station to the K-Station or A-Station, and vice versa.

The instrument offers a resonant lowpass filter with selectable 12 dB or 24 dB slopes, and overdrive capabilities. Its multi-effects include reverb, chorus, phaser, delay, panning, distortion, EQ, and a 12-band vocoder.

As with its hardware equivalent, the V-Station gives you a programmable arpeggiator and syncable LFOs and effects. All parameters respond to MIDI controllers. eBlitz Audio Labs (distributor); tel. (310) 322-3333; e-mail salesusa@novationaudio.com; Web www.novationaudio.com.

MOTU MACHFIVE

MOTU calls MachFive (Mac/Win, $395) a universal sampler plug-in because of the number of plug-in formats — VSTi, DXi, HTDM, RTAS, Audio Units, and MAS — and sample file formats — Akai, Digidesign SampleCell, Emagic EXS-24, GigaSampler, Kurzweil, Roland, and Steinberg HALion — it supports. MachFive is 16-part multitimbral, and you can load as many instances of the plug-in as your host will allow. Polyphony is limited by processor power. The sampler's 32-bit engine allows up to 24-bit, 192 kHz audio with output to as many as six channels. Each channel offers unique output assignments, and any part can receive on any MIDI channel. For complex splits and layers, the sampler features an Expert mode, which allows for dynamically controlled crossfades and sample switching.

MachFive offers six filter types, and each filter accepts real-time modulation of its frequency, resonance, and drive controls. MachFive provides up to four LFOs per preset.

Each multitimbral part can use its own set of four effects, which include reverb, tempo-synchronized delay, tremolo, chorus, bit reduction, and additional filters. All effects settings can be saved for later recall in any project or host program. Because of its support for various audio engines, a snapshot of a MachFive Performance in Digital Performer can be loaded, for example, into Cakewalk Sonar or Digidesign Pro Tools|HD, allowing a high degree of cross-platform collaboration.

MOTU bundles MachFive with UVI-Xtract, a sound-file-importing utility that lets you audition, convert, and load programs and samples from the major sampler formats. The program enables the computer to mount sampler-specific CD-ROMs on the desktop for easy conversion.

Mac users will need a PPC G3/266 MHz and 128 MB of RAM. Windows users will need a Pentium II/266 MHz and 128 MB of RAM. Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU); tel. (617) 576-2760; e-mail info@motu.com; Web www.motu.com.

BAG END M6

Bag End's new close-field monitor, the M6 ($596 each), sports a 6-inch high-performance coaxial driver and a 1-inch soft-dome neodymium tweeter. The monitor boasts a frequency response of 60 Hz to 20 kHz, ±3 dB. Sensitivity is rated at 1W for 87 dB SPL at 1 meter. The manufacturer claims that the M6 produces a flat response in the time and frequency domain.

The M6 stands 14 inches tall and is 9 inches in width and depth. The speaker weighs in at 15 pounds. Bag End; tel. (847) 382-4550; e-mail info@bagend.com; Web www.bagend.com.

FOCUSRITE ISA 428 PRE PACK

Four Rupert Neve — designed, transformer-based mic preamps — with switchable impedance and direct instrument-level inputs — form the core of Focusrite's ISA 428 Pre Pack ($1,995). For an additional $695, you can add an 8-channel A/D converter that supports a 192 kHz sampling rate and word lengths at 16-, 20-, and 24-bit resolutions. You can connect a second ISA 428 as an analog expander to fully utilize the four extra channels of A/D input.

The ISA 428's input stage lets you choose one of four impedance settings, including that of the original ISA 110. This allows you to optimize the unit's performance with the particular microphone you're using. The ISA 428 provides insert points, phantom power, a sweepable highpass filter, and a phase-reverse switch for each channel. You also get eight output meters and four moving-coil, peak-reading VU-type meters.

A Soft Limiter feature shields the A/D process from digital overloads and minimizes distortion artifacts. At 96 kHz, you can run up to 16 digital outputs (2×8 in a parallel array).

The unit offers AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and dual ADAT Lightpipe digital output, as well as BNC I/O for word clock. The AES/EBU and S/PDIF output jacks are on a pair of 9-pin, D-type connectors. (XLR or coaxial RCA digital connectors are available for $50.)

Each channel's analog I/O features an XLR mic input, an unbalanced ¼-inch line input, and individual send and returns on unbalanced ¼-inch jacks. The unit includes four balanced XLR jacks for use when linking with a second ISA 428. Digidesign (distributor); tel. (800) 333-2137 or (650) 731-6300; e-mail sales@focusrite.com; Web www.focusrite.com.

MAKEMUSIC FINALE GUITAR

Finale Guitar (Mac/Win, $99.99) offers features geared toward guitarists and other fretted-instrument players, and it maintains file compatibility with Finale 2003. The program supports notation for more than 50 different fretted-instrument types, as well as more-standard fare (choral, brass, percussion).

You can enter music in tablature form and automatically display notes on a traditional staff. Conversely, entries in standard notation can be displayed as tablature. The program supplies an extensive library of special symbols and shapes used with standard guitar notation and the supported instruments.

A notable feature for MIDI guitarists is that the program can instantly display tablature from guitar controller input. Makemusic claims that its improved music scanning technology provides a new level of optical music character recognition, allowing musicians to easily and quickly scan sheet music and turn it into a Finale file that is ready for editing, printing, or posting on the Internet. Finale Guitar can import and export Standard MIDI Files (SMF). An electronic rhyming dictionary, which enables songwriters to search all possible English rhymes for any lyric, is included.

Finale Guitar for Windows requires a Pentium running Windows 98, 2000, ME, or XP and 64 MB of RAM. The Mac version will run on any PPC with Mac OS 8.6 and 64 MB of RAM. Makemusic Inc.; tel. (800) 843-2066 or (952) 937-9611; e-mail finalesales@makemusic.com; Web www.makemusic.com.

EVENTIDE CLOCKWORKS LEGACY

Between the years 1971 and 1984, Eventide produced a number of classic hardware effects processors. Clockworks Legacy Plug-ins (Mac, $695) bundles virtual versions of five of these revered devices for Digidesign's Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|24 Mix systems.

The plug-ins re-create the front-panel detail of the original devices and add MIDI control and automation in order to take advantage of Pro Tools' desktop production environment. You can use as many as six instances of a plug-in on a single TDM chip, depending on the plug-in used and the sampling rate.

The Omnipressor models the company's analog compressor, which was able to simultaneously provide compression above the threshold and expansion below that point. The device figured prominently in recordings by Queen guitarist Brian May.

The Instant Phaser provides a sweeping filter bank and two outputs that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other. Rounding out the package of five plug-ins are re-creations of Eventide's first Harmonizer, the H910; the H949, which combined delays and pitch-shifting; and the Instant Flanger.

Clockworks Legacy Plug-ins works with pro Tools version 5.1 (Mac os 9.2.2) and 6.0 (Mac os × 10.2.2). Eventide; tel. (201) 641-1200; E-mail audio@eventide.Com; web www.Eventide.Com.

ALESIS ION

Three oscillators with continuously variable waveforms fuel the Ion ($999), an analog-modeling synthesizer from Alesis. The keyboard offers 49 Velocity-sensitive keys, 8-note polyphony, four multitimbral parts, and 512 presets, all of which are rewritable.

The Ion's oscillators provide you with a variety of tools for extending the waveforms: triangle waves can morph into sawtooth waves, the pulse width of square waves is variable, and sine waves can be warped in order to add harmonic content. The Ion's oscillators are further enhanced with FM and oscillator-sync capabilities.

The Ion includes 24-bit A/D/A converters and can process external audio through the filters, effects, or the built-in 40-band vocoder. (The instrument's polyphony is not affected by use of the vocoder.) The Ion provides 16 filter types, and you can use two filters per voice, configured in series, in parallel, or as a stereo pair.

Three 5-stage envelope generators (EGs) are available for every patch. The EGs can be used to loop segments, and the slope of each stage of the envelope is independently adjustable. The Ion's LFOs (two per patch) synchronize to MIDI Clock, as does the keyboard's programmable arpeggiator.

The Ion's array of effects includes reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, phaser, distortion, fuzz, and compression. A patch can use as many as four individual mono or stereo insert effects and a stereo master multi-effects algorithm.

The instrument's user interface includes 30 knobs, more than 70 buttons, a pitch-bend wheel, two assignable modulation wheels, and a 160×160 graphic LCD. The Ion provides a pair of balanced ¼-inch analog inputs, four balanced ¼-inch analog outputs, a ¼-inch stereo headphone jack, and ¼-inch jacks for an expression pedal and sustain pedal. Alesis; tel. (401) 295-9000; e-mail info@alesis.com; Web www.alesis.com.

BLUE MICROPHONES THE BALL

Dynamic mics usually derive their output voltage through induction. The Ball ($279), from Blue Microphones, is a softball-shaped dynamic mic that draws 48V phantom power to provide the acoustic balance, phase coherence, and low noise of a large-diaphragm condenser mic while improving overall output. Phantom power helps the mic produce a constant 50ž load for a smooth, non-frequency-dependent response.

The Ball has a cardioid polar pattern and can withstand up to 146 dB SPL without distortion. Blue states the mic's frequency response as 35 Hz to 16 kHz, with a sensitivity of 3.5 mV/Pa at 1 kHz. The stand mount is built into the mic, eliminating the need for a separate mic clip. Blue Microphones; tel. (805) 370-1599; e-mail blue@bluemic.com; Web www.bluemic.com.

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS VOKATOR

Vokator (Mac/Win, $299) outstrips the typical vocoder with a total of 1,024 frequency bands. The result, according to Native Instruments, is a smoother, more intelligible vocoder effect. You can also group Vokator's frequency bands together to emulate vintage vocoders that offered fewer bands. Other Vokator features include a built-in dual-oscillator synthesizer and a granular-synthesis sampler.

A pair of vocoding channels can play independently, or you can combine them to generate complex spectra. Channel A can play back an audio file or accept external audio. Channel B can provide an external input or serve as a granular synthesizer and sampler with time-compression capabilities. The inputs can both serve as carrier or modulator. A special Mix mode lets both inputs act as simultaneous carriers and modulators, producing an output that mixes two processed signals with the original signal.

The synthesizer can morph between presets; Modulation messages (CC01) control the transition in real time. Other modulation features include four LFOs, two envelope followers, voiced and unvoiced detectors, and step sequencers. You also get a built-in arpeggiator for the synth section.

Vokator can stream large audio files from disk, and the built-in file player offers MIDI controls for looping and other processes. The granular sampler lets you modulate start times, loop parameters, pitch, and speed.

Vokator is compatible with VST 2.0, MAS, Audio Units, DXi2, ASIO, Sound Manager, Core Audio, DirectSound, and OMS. You can run the program with a Mac G3/500 MHz, Mac OS 9.2 or OS X 10.2, and 128 MB of RAM. For Windows, you need a Pentium/800 MHz (or equivalent); Windows 98, 2000, ME, or XP; and 128 MB of RAM. Native Instruments U.S.A.; tel. (866) 556-6487; e -mail info@native-instruments.com; Web www.native-instruments.com.