New Gear Alert – NAMM 2019 Edition: IK Multimedia’s iLoud MTM Monitors, WA-84 Mic from Warm, Auto-Tune Access & More
NAMM is back, and as always, there’s no shortage of exciting new gear announcements from the industry’s leading manufacturers. Here are some notable new products, with much more to follow next week:
IK Multimedia unveils the iLoud MTM reference monitors.
IK Multimedia furthers the iLoud series with the new MTM model, offering crucial upgrades from its predecessor.
The iLoud MTM is a compact, no-compromise reference monitor designed to deliver pristine sound and an unprecedented level of accuracy that redefines nearfield monitoring for the modern, computer-based professional and home studio.
When IK’s earlier monitor system—the iLoud Micro Monitors—launched in 2016, producers and engineers at every level marveled at the performance coming from such a small setup. And so, IK challenged its design team to push this concept even further and create a new compact design with a sound quality that would rival monitors several times the price and provide innovative features not found anywhere else.
The iLoud MTM offers an ultra-flat frequency response, but more importantly, a truly linear phase response as well—a premiere feature in this price segment available only on a handful of products costing considerably more—to provide natural, true-to-life sound. This is achieved through IK’s advanced DSP expertise that also provides for digital crossovers and self-calibration derived from IK’s award-winning ARC System. This enables the iLoud MTM monitors to deliver unsurpassed accuracy, clarity, and transparency, with a generous 100W RMS power and a class-defying 40 Hz to 24 kHz frequency response.
In addition, the symmetrical MTM design provides superior imaging and precision, even at close distances, with a perfectly perfect sweet-spot, thanks to the included tilt-able isolation bases. This enables you to create mixes that will translate across multiple playback systems, with no ear fatigue.
The iLoud MTM reference monitors are priced at €349.99.
Warm Audio announces the WA-84 small diaphragm condenser microphones.
The WA-84 small diaphragm condenser from Warm Audio offers a classic vintage style at a highly accessible price point.
The WA-84 is a cardioid, vintage-style, small diaphragm condenser microphone based on classic microphone circuit topology. It sports a fully discrete signal path, a CineMag USA transformer, Fairchild transistors, and Wima capacitors. The WA-84 is designed for pro studio, home studio, live, and broadcast applications, and sounds great on a variety of instruments and sources, such as acoustic/electric guitars, acoustic/electric bass, drums, piano, strings, brass & woodwind instruments—along with an array of other sources.
The WA-84 has a very large sound for its small size, and uniquely uses a heavy Nickel CineMag signal transformer in its signal path to warm up and enlarge sound sources. Small diaphragm condenser microphones have widely moved to transformer-less technology in recent years for ease and lower-cost manufacturing. When designing the WA-84, however, Warm Audio chose to go the extra mile and take the classic route by tackling a more boutique design known for its crystal clear, yet smooth, large sound.
The WA-84 is priced at $399/€449 for a single unit, and $749/€849 for a stereo pair.
Antares announces Auto-Tune Access.
Auto-Tune Access is a simplified and more streamlined version of the pioneering pitch correction software, available now to a wider audience than ever before.
Auto-Tune Access is the simplest, most affordable way to use Auto-Tune. A new, pared-down interface provides access to key Auto-Tune features with a single click.
Simple three-position Retune Speed and Humanize knobs allow a variety of tuning applications, from subtle, natural-sounding pitch correction to the most extreme Auto-Tune Effects.
Low-latency processing means you can perform through Auto-Tune Access in real time, in the studio or on stage, without worrying about distracting delay. Auto-Tune Access’ light CPU footprint and professional-quality processing make it an ideal introduction to Auto-Tune, and a convenient option for advanced users working with large, complex projects.
Auto-Tune Access is fully compatible with Antares’ new Auto-Key plugin (sold separately), which saves valuable time in the studio by automatically detecting music key and scale, and sending that information to Auto-Tune Access.
Auto-Tune Access is priced at $99, and also comes bundled in leading DAWs such as Tracktion’s Waveform.
Eventide releases the Instant Phaser Mk II plugin.
Eventide’s classic Instant Phaser sound is now available in plugin format for the first time ever.
Crafted from the original analog hardware that Eventide created in 1972, the “Instant Phaser” sound has been captured and fashioned for modern-day versatility. The Instant Phaser Mk II delivers the original sonic character and retains the same look and feel of the the first rackmount electronic effects box to ever hit the studio.
Like the original hardware, the Instant Phaser Mk II plugin provides a pair of de-correlated outputs offering three different sonic characteristics (“Shallow”, “Deep”, and “Wide”) for creating a stereo image. Musicians, engineers, and producers can use these effects to turn flat-sounding mono guitars into monstrous stereo leads or make a single channel synthesizer fill out the soundscape of the mix.
Instant Phaser Mk II is available now at a special introductory price of $37 ($129 after February 28th). It is available for Mac & PC, and is compatible with popular DAWs, in AAX, VST2, and AU formats.
Electro-Harmonix introduces the Bass Mono Synth pedal.
Available in early February, Electro-Harmonix’s Bass Mono Synth pedal will offer 11 different styles of synth flavor.
The Bass Mono Synth transforms a bass guitar into 11 different bass synthesizers, from vintage synth emulations, to thick, stacked voices, to deep pulsing sounds and more.
The pedal was designed to work on bass guitar without any modifications, special pickups or MIDI implementation. Its intuitive layout makes it easy to use. The pedal’s Dry dial adjusts the dry bass volume at the Synth Output, while Synth controls the volume of the synthesizer sound at the Synth Output. Used together, they provide enhanced level mixing. The Sens control, short for sensitivity, adjusts how playing dynamics trigger the synthesizer and permits fine-tuning the pedal’s response to a player’s bass rig and playing style.
Check out an introductory video to Bass Mono Synth here.
The Bass Mono Synth will be available in early February, priced at $123.50.
Please note: When you buy products through links on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission.