New Gear Alert: Roland’s GO:PIANO Feat. Alexa, MOTU Digital Performer 10.1, Beatmaker v2 by UJAM & More

Roland announces the availability of GO:PIANO with Alexa Built-in.

The future is now; Amazon Alexa is living inside of Roland’s  GO:PIANO, and she’s ready to heed your commands.

GO:PIANO with Alexa Built-in is Roland’s first musical instrument equipped with Amazon Alexa. Committed to inspiring the thrill of creative expression, Roland continually seeks to develop new technology solutions that make playing musical instruments easier, more accessible, and more enjoyable.

Integrating Roland’s leading piano sound and features with intuitive operation via Alexa voice commands, GO:PIANO with Alexa Built-in presents an exciting new way for everyone to learn and have fun with the piano. Featuring voice control over nearly any function, GO:PIANO with Alexa Built-in makes complicated panel operations a thing of the past. Piano players can ask Alexa to call up any of the 40 onboard sounds, without ever having to take their hands off the keyboard. Dozens of other common operations can be accessed with voice commands, like turning the metronome on/off, changing up the beat, and more.

The Roland GO:PIANO with Alexa Built-in is available now on Amazon and from authorized dealers for $499.99.

MOTU Digital Performer 10.1 ships with major new features.

MOTU’s Digital Performer 10.1 is packed with crucial improvements—and the upgrade is free for existing DP10 owners.

MOTU has released Digital Performer 10.1, a free update for all DP10 owners with dozens of new features, including Clips in Tracks, Clip Recording, Real-time and Off-line Stem Bouncing, Retrospective MIDI Record, workflow enhancements, performance optimizations, and much more.

Clips (phrases of MIDI or audio data) allows you to record, edit, and arrange track material easily and intuitively. You can apply all of DP’s powerful editing tools, such as split, trim, drag-and-drop, edge-edit, copy/paste, and more.

Digital Performer 10.1’s Bounce to Disk feature now allows you to batch export audio stems and mixes faster than ever with both real-time and faster-than-real-time (off-line) mixdown operations. You can bounce multiple tracks and/or outputs in a single operation for fast, convenient delivery of stems for your productions.

Digital Performer 10.1 is now shipping for macOS (64-bit only), Windows 10 (x64 only) and Windows 8/7 (x32 and x64). The full version is priced at $499; the Competitive upgrade, Performer Lite upgrade, and AudioDesk upgrades are priced at $395; upgrades from previous versions of DP are priced at $195.

Electro-Harmonix releases the EHX-2020 tuner pedal.

Crowded pedalboard? Check out this slim and compact tuning solution from Electro-Harmonix.

The EHX-2020 is super compact and takes up minimal space on your pedalboard. With a +/- 1-cent tuning range and high visibility display, it provides an accurate, convenient solution to your tuning needs. Features such as Flat Tuning and Pitch Calibration make it a great option for any player.

The EHX-2020 is true bypass to ensure signal path integrity, and when the tuner is engaged, your output is muted. The EHX-2020 can be calibrated to a reference standard of 436 to 445Hz in 1Hz steps, so being able to tune to and play together with instruments that might not be at 440Hz is not a problem. It has a wide tuning range of B0-B7, plus three flat tuning modes so you can tune down a half step, a whole step, or a minor third.

Check out an introductory video to the EHX-2020 here.

For further information on the EHX-2020, click here.

UJAM releases version 2 of the Beatmaker series.

With a keen ear tuned into their user base and three distinct flavors, UJAM releases Beatmaker version 2.

Beatmaker version 2 is comprised of three titles: DOPE, for classic hip-hop inspired by the 1990s, EDEN, covering electronic dance music styles, and HUSTLE, for contemporary urban genres such as trap.

With the Beatmaker 2 update, UJAM adds significant improvements and most commonly requested features, while keeping the fail-proof spirit of simplicity. Even with an increased number of controls and much more detailed editing and mixing options, the one-page interface stays clean and easy to operate.

The update also delivers twice the amount of styles, patterns, and presets for each Beatmaker, all created by renowned specialist sound designers for each genre.

The Beatmaker 2 series is available now, priced at €69/USD per title, with the bundle of all three priced at €139/USD. Upgrade pricing for existing customers is available; details can be found here.

The Focusrite Group announces the acquisition of Martin Audio Ltd.

The Focusrite Group welcomes Martin Audio Ltd to their growing list of acquisitions.

Focusrite plc., which comprises the Focusrite, ADAM Audio, Novation, and Ampify Music brands, has announced the acquisition of LDC-backed Martin Audio Ltd and associated companies, the British, Buckinghamshire-based designer and manufacturer of high-performance loudspeaker systems for the touring and installation markets.

This acquisition follows hot on the heels of Berlin-based studio loudspeaker manufacturer ADAM Audio, but has been a consideration for Focusrite Founder and Chairman Phil Dudderidge for years.

Martin Audio will continue to operate from their headquarter offices and factory in High Wycombe, England, under the leadership of Managing Director Dominic Harter, who looks forward to an exciting future, leading Martin Audio as part of the Focusrite Group.

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