Hot new DJ kit and studio gear: Spring 2008 edition

Hot new DJ kit and studio gear: Spring 2008 edition

12 March, 2008 | 10.00AM

• Section: Music News Topics: Technology
• Written by: francispreve

With spring just around the corner, it’s time for another roundup of the equipment that’s captured our attention this season.

The thematic threads running through this season’s collection is miniaturization and portability.

That is, three out of four of these tools are hardware devices that will fit in most gig bags and/or cargo pants.

As with previous installments, everything reviewed here is something we’ve actually tested with our hands and ears. 

Korg Kaossiliator

When I first encountered the Korg Kaossilator at the winter NAMM show, I was curious as to how useful a keyboardless synthesizer might be – until I actually played with it for a few minutes and was thoroughly blown away.

Like its cousin, the legendary Kaoss Pad, the Kaossilator is a full-on instrument that relies on a trackpad for musical input, which is a first for a mass-produced hardware synth.

For the majority of its presets, the horizontal (x) axis controls the pitch of the instrument, while the vertical (y) axis governs the overall character of the sound.

What’s more, the x-axis can be mapped to a massive range of possible keys and scales, so that sliding your finger around – or even tapping – results in very musical results with nary a sour note within earshot.

While the presets cannot be edited or modified, there are textures that work quite well for most modern genres including trance, electro, breaks, tech house, drum and bass, and even a few exotic effects that would sit nicely in a minimal track.

In addition to its synthesis functions, the Kaossilator includes a simple audio-based loop recorder that can capture up to two measures of riffing so that you can create musical doodles on the fly.

Anywhere.

The only real shortcoming of the recording function is the fact that your compositions cannot be saved.

That is, when you turn the unit off, your creation vanishes forever.

Of course, you can always record the output of the Kaossilator via its standard stereo RCA jacks or headphone output, so all is not lost.

But in light of how easy it is to make unique and compelling loops, this is a tad disappointing.

Even so, Korg’s latest addition to their Kaoss series of club-friendly tools is an absolute winner.

For live performance, it has the potential to take a set to the next level, especially for DJs who spin a lot of tracky tracks.

As a doodle pad or compositional tool, the Kaossilator is unbelievably addictive, whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro.

During my experiments, it made a four-hour flight from New York to Dallas go by in what felt like 45 minutes – and without having to deal with a laptop and tray-table either.

For a street price of less than an iPod – and physically not much larger, either – the Kaossilator is a fantastic addition to a studio or DJ rig, especially if you’re looking for an instrument that just might separate you from the rest of the pack.

MSRP $250 USD

Apogee Duet

Apogee is one of those audio tech companies with a reputation for class and quality that rivals brands like Mercedes and Apple.

Their specialty is high-end audio converters that allow you to capture and reproduce sound with maximum fidelity.

With previous products, this quality came at a fairly steep price, so bedroom producers were often excluded from the audiophile club when it came time to record.

Their new Duet audio interface changes all that, with dual stereo ins and outs, preamps and phantom power for use with professional microphones, as well as the added perk of custom integration with Apple’s entire line of music software products.

Of course, you can use the FireWire-based Duet with any software sequencer or DAW, including Live, Reason, Cubase, etc.

Laptop DJs can even use the super-portable Duet as an output interface for their sets, which is a major plus if they happen to play rooms with legendary sound systems, like Pacha and Mansion.

The only possible downside is the fact that the Duet is for Mac users only, which gives PC producers yet another reason to contemplate switching.

So if you’ve been considering a new audio interface and don’t mind paying a little extra for a lot of quality, the Apogee Duet should be at the top of your audition list.

MSRP $495 USD

Access Virus TI Snow

Nearly every time we interview a trance artist and ask about their synth rig, one name constantly pops up: Access.

Make no mistake, the Access Virus TI has quickly become a bit of a legend in trance circles, though it’s certainly not limited to that genre by any means.

At the NAMM show, we got a full demo at the miniature Virus TI Snow, and were startled by the fact that it’s a full-on Virus that’s about the size of a paperback novel.

It really sounds exactly like the bigger models.

That’s because its architecture includes the full Virus signal path with multimode oscillators, tons of modulation options, integrated delay and reverb effects per part, and Access’ new Moog filter emulation.

The primary functional difference between the Snow and its bigger brothers lies in its reduced polyphony and fewer multi-timbral parts.

Other than that, it’s really and truly a Virus that fits neatly in a gig bag, while still leaving room for the Duet and Kaossilator.

The only caveat for some producers is the fact that this level of miniaturization comes at a price – the Snow is only several hundred dollars cheaper than the next model up, the full-featured Virus TI Desktop, which is a bit of a drag.

MSRP $1350 USD

Sample Magic Minimal & Tech House

On the software side of things, Sample Magic’s latest offering, Minimal & Tech House, continues to help define Sample Magic as the hottest new developer of loop library and samples.

Led by talented producer and DJ Sharooz Raoofi (who we interviewed at the NAMM show earlier this year), Sample Magic is winning awards and garnering critical acclaim, thanks to their attention to detail and absolutely authentic production quality.

This attention to detail is what made last fall’s Electro-House collection a bona fide hit and a studio staple for quite a few electro producers.

Minimal & Tech House continues their winning streak into this year’s genres du jour.

With over 2 GB of material at 125, 127 and 130 BPM tempos and support for numerous formats including REX, AppleLoop, WAV and Reason, M&TH is a treasure chest of material for either inspiration or production.

Drums, bass, synth, and even a smattering of processed vocal material are all present and accounted for, so there’s a little something available for most production situations.

And as with Electro-House, the synthesis and sequencing is spectacular without any clichéd material whatsoever – and the drum loops are as close to perfection as you can get without sampling someone else’s joint.

It’s no exaggeration to say that neophyte Beatport producers could build entire tracks using only the material here, but I daresay adding your own creativity to this mix will get you a lot further.

Bottom line? If you’re into the sound that’s been blowing up the Beatport Top 10 for the past few months, this library was tailor-made for you.

MSRP $99.95 USD

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