New Gear Alert: Steinberg & Rupert Neve Interface Line, Reason Lite With Akai, Roland R-07 Mobile Recorder & More

Steinberg and Rupert Neve Designs collaborate for the UR-RT interface range.

Steinberg offers DSP processing, along with Yamaha preamps and Rupert Neve Designs transformers in their new UR-RT interfaces.

The UR-RT2 and UR-RT4 are the result of the collaboration between Steinberg and Rupert Neve Designs. By factoring in the engineering expertise at Yamaha, these two USB audio interfaces provide pristine sound quality that equals that of high-end studios. The durable build quality of the casing is only surpassed by the quality of the components within, and the forefront are the implemented transformers by Rupert Neve Designs.

The UR-RT2 comes with four inputs and two outputs, while the UR-RT4 boasts six inputs and four outputs. Both interfaces offer USB 2.0 and MIDI connectivity alongside a range of input/output options for laptop and iPad, as well as providing DSP-powered effects for zero-latency monitoring.

Together with the studio-grade D-PRE preamps by Yamaha and the featured Rupert Neve Designs transformers, the UR-RT interfaces deliver an expressive sound with rich harmonics that can be captured through the included Cubase AI software.

The UR-RT2 and UR-RT4 audio interfaces will be available for purchase from resellers and through the Steinberg Online Shop starting at the beginning of June. The suggested retail price for the UR-RT2 is $349.99; the suggested retail price for the UR-RT4 is $599.99.

Akai Professional and Propellerhead announce Reason “Lite” for high-powered Akai controllers.

Propellerhead and Akai are now offering users of select Akai controllers a new, “Lite” version of Reason 10.

Now available for users of select Akai controllers, Reason Lite offers eight instrument and/or audio tracks and maintains much of the same intuitive workflow, studio-grade instruments and powerful recording tools as the full version of Reason 10.

Features of Reason Lite include (but are not limited to): 9 premium instruments such as synths, samplers, and drum machines; 11 effects processors such as reverb, delay, EQ, distortion, and more; Guitar and bass amplifiers from Softube, 2+GB of included sounds/loops/samples; VST plugin and Rack Extension compatibility, and much more.

Compatible Akai controllers include: MPD218, MPD226, MPD232, MPK225, MPK249, MPK261, MPK mini mk2, LPK25 Wireless, and LPD8 Wireless.

Roland announces the R-07 mobile audio recorder.

Roland’s R-07 offers high-resolution recording capabilities with quick access to useful scenes and settings, built directly into the unit.

The R-07 is a convenient handheld recording device for musicians, journalists, students, and anyone who needs to capture sound on-the-go. It features multiple high-quality recording modes, plus unique dual recording and hybrid limiting functions that ensure perfect audio capture every time. It also offers Bluetooth compatibility for remote operation and features Bluetooth-capable audio streaming, enhanced with Qualcomm aptX audio technology.

The R-07 supports mono and stereo WAV recording at rates up to 24-bit/96 kHz and MP3 recording at rates up to 320 kbps. Top-quality onboard stereo mics are always at the ready, while handy scene setups configure all the critical recorder settings with one touch. The R-07 is powered via two AA batteries or USB bus power, and comes in a choice of black, white, and red colors.

The Roland R-07 is priced at $229.99.

Kirk Hunter Studios releases Front Row Violins for Kontakt.

Whether you’re crafting sounds for solo violin or an entire section, Kirk Hunter Studios’ Front Row Violins has you covered.

Designed for Native Instruments’ Kontakt, the core of Front Row is focused on simplicity and sonics. Front Row packs an expressive solo violin, along with easy scalability to go from a single player through to any section size of violinists you choose (offering up to 16 players). Each section size has been meticulously recorded separately, so you get a real and unique ensemble for every size.

With Front Row, Kirk Hunter Studios introduced a proprietary live vibrato that allows you to perform vibrato with your left hand with the same level of authenticity as a real violinist. This provides you with full control over the amount, speed, and fade-in, so that you can have your soloist perform all kinds of styles.

Front Row Violins is available for $299.99.

Blue Cat Audio releases Late Replies 1.1 update.

Blue Cat Audio’s free update to Late Replies features improvements to the GUI, performance, and more—and it’s on sale until April 20th.

Blue Cat Audio has released a free update for Late Replies, their creative delay and multi-effects plugin which is also capable of hosting third party plugins anywhere in the signal path.

This new version brings many graphical user interface enhancements, such as full GUI zoom, new presets management features, and major performance improvements. It also fixes a couple of issues on both Mac and Windows. It is a recommended free update for all existing users.

For new customers, the plugin is available for €99 (€129 reg.) until April 20th. Demo versions can be found here.

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