MusikMesse 2015: 11 New Hardware & Software Picks for Your Studio
Musikmesse 2015 is officially a wrap! The new product launches poured in thick and fast from Frankfurt — here are some more of our SS staff picks from Europe’s biggest hardware and software fest.
See something that didn’t make our list? Share in the comments!
Cakewalk – Rapture Pro for Mac and Windows
Rapture Pro takes the best of both the original Rapture virtual instrument, and Dimension Pro to create algorithmic-based sample synthesis in a single user-friendly plug-in. Pricing & Availability: Late April, 2015. Pricing TBA.
With a more than 10GB of combined samples and patches, Rapture will beam your creativity to a higher level.
sE Electronics – The RNT, Rupert Neve-Designed Tube Mic & guitaRF, Reflection Filter for Electric Guitar Amps
sE Electronics has produced Rupert Neve’s first Tube Microphone. The RNT handles up to
Like a Wyoming kid growing up in the city, the RNT is rugged, and classy.
153 SPL, has the warmth of a 12AU7 tube, and includes a few of RND’s own 5088 console op-amps in the floor box. Pricing & Availability: Shipping worldwide in Q3 of 2015, $3,495 MSRP.
The guitaRF is designed to cut down on stage bleed in live situations or for isolation in the studio. The filter also doubles as a mic stand, reducing source to mic interference and reflections. Pricing & Availability: Shipping worldwide in Q3 of 2015, $249 MSRP.
RME – Babyface Pro Portable Audio Interface
RME answers all of their innovative questions for portable audio interfaces with the newly engineered Babyface Pro. Babyface Pro can handle up to 12 channel analog I/O via ADAT, greater gain levels, greater dynamic range, 4 analog inputs, USB 3.0/2.0 bus powered, and more. Pricing & Availability: TBA (sign up here for RME updates on Bfp).
Babyface Pro introduces newly designed circuits, I/O, and style.
Mackie – ProFXv2 Mixing Interfacs (4, 8, 12, 16, 22, and 30-Channel)
Targeted toward the live sound crowd, Mackie’s second generation of ProFXv2 interfaces
The Mackie ProFx16v2.
introduce Vita microphone preamps, and ReadyFX effects engine. The discrete designs help to eliminate excessive outboard gear for a streamlined mixing experience. Price & Availability: Beginning of May, 2015, 4-Channel $169.99 MSRP to 30-Channel $1149.99 MSRP.
EBS – Black Label Pedals, Studio Edition
EBS is continuing development for pedals specific to the luscious lows of bass with their new
The EBS DynaVerb SE.
Studio Edition of Black Label Pedals. Pedals stamped with “SE” are optimized for cleaner signal handling all the way through, and new design for stronger individual identity. Effects include: MultiComp SE, DynaVerb SE, UniChorus SE, OctaBass SE, MetalDrive SE, MultiDrive SE. Pricing & Availability: between ~$190 – $270 at todays exchange rates (175 eur – 249 eur).
PreSonus – Studio 192 Audio Interface & StudioLive CS18AI
Studio 192 is a 26 x 32 USB 3.0 audio interface equipped with StudioLive Fat Channel signal processing, complete wireless control of gain, effects, and monitoring from laptop or iOS devices. Studio 192 also utilizes digital recall for its eight XMAX preamps. Pricing & Availability: Q2 of 2015, $1,199.95 MSRP.
The onboard Burr-Brown converters support up to 192kHz, and 118dB of dynamic range.
StudioLive CS18AI is a modular mix controller that networks via ethernet to control StudioLive
CS18AI is the brains behind your next mixer network.
RM-series rack-mount, Active Integration™ digital mixers and PreSonus’ Studio One® DAW. The new mixer can control up to 64 channels via 18 touch-sensitive motorized faders. Pricing & Availability: June 2015, $2,499.95 MSRP.
Radial Engineering – DIs and Signal Processors Galore
Radial is known for their unique signal processing units and, with the influence of Musikemess, we have 12 new modules making their debut this year. A few of the new units include Space Heater 500 (series) tube drive module, Bassbone V2 bass preamp and DI box, a self contained MS interface, Decoder, and much more. Pricing & Availability: All new boxes are shipping between now and May, 2015, $59.99 – $699.99 MSRP.
RTW – Mastering Tools Plug-In for Mac and Windows
RTW produces some of the best visual metering tools in audio today. But such greatness
Trust the metering standards. They don’t lie.
comes at a cost. Lucky for some of us, the company is pursuing their efforts to provide access to high-quality audio metering and measurement to a wider range of customers with the Mastering Tools Plug-In. Designed for ease of use, the plug-in supports a variety of loudness standards, numerical or bar graph readout, MagicLRA and correlator display, audio vectorscope, RTA (Real Time Analyzer), SSA (Surround Sound Analyzer) and multi-correlator. Pricing & Availability: Available now for an intro price of $669.00 (33% off MSRP).
The Super Rock from from Unity Audio is the next step up from Unity’s Rock MKII.
Unity Audio – Super Rock Active Studio Monitor
Developed off of the original design of their Rock MKII monitors, these near/mid-field monitors have been engineered to produce extended lows, more SPL with dedicated LF and HF transformers, aluminum woofer, Mundorf(AMT) Air Motion Transformer tweeter, and more. The overall design produces minimal distortion for clean, and accurate reproduction. Pricing & Availability: June, 2015, $5,250 pair MSRP
Other highlights at MusikMesse 2015 and covered in-depth on SonicScoop include Universal Audio’s next-gen Apollo Thunderbolt 2 audio interfaces and Marshall “Plexi” Super Lead plugin for Apollo and UAD-2, and Antelope Audio’s MP8d 8-channel mic pre with A/D conversion.
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