Two of Novation’s latest keyboards have just made a substantial step towards universal integration. Nocturn Keyboard and SL MkII now work seamlessly with Logic 9 and Pro Tools. You can now control all Logic and Pro Tools’ own plug-ins, as well as most third-party plug-ins (Native Instruments, Waves, etc.). The two keyboards also allow control over transport and mixer. Of course they also work with Ableton Live - having jointly designed the Launchpad, Ableton developers have worked with Novation to update the SL Mk II. This makes it a comprehensive, fully bus powered Ableton Live 8 controller.

ProCo’s RAT2 distortion pedal is an update on a classic from the early 1980s. With an appearance similar to the footswitch of a Marshal Amplifier, the pedal’s sound is reminiscent of the dirty channel on those British tube amps. However, Rat2 also features a thinner crunch characterized by solid state amps like the Fender M80 or Roland Jazz Chorus. Overall, it is a sound that harkens back to grunge, alternative and 80’s hard rock.

The RAT2’s controls are straightforward. There are three knobs (distortion, tone and volume), a footswitch and an LED to indicate when the pedal is on. The tone knob controls the frequency of a low pass filter, which allows the pedal’s inherent brightness to be attenuated, while the volume knob provides gain boosts appropriate for solos or lead parts. With the distortion knob in the first quarter position, the pedal functions like natural tube overdrive. Around halfway up, the sound begins to break up noticeably and at the three quarters position (especially when with fed through an additional channel of overdrive), the RAT2 can achieve extremely fuzzed-out tones.

The RAT2’s construction is very sound. Housed in a steel frame, the pedal is built to survive repeated abuse. The RAT2 also features true-bypass, so when the effect is off, the clean tone runs unaffected.

Compared to similar compact distortion pedals, the RAT2’s sound holds up. In contrast to Boss’ DS1, the RAT2 possesses noticeably more sizzle and definition in the top end. Next to the more expensive Ibanez Tube Screamer, the RAT2 lacks some of the pedal’s warmth but makes up for it with biting tone. For the price of $79.95, the RAT2 has the versatility to stand on its own, while being specifically well-suited to lead riffs. - Ezra Tenenbaum

Voxengo VariSaturator version 1.8 update is now available for download. VariSaturator is an audio effect plug-in designed to apply saturation effects to audio material. It is available for Mac OS X and Windows computers, and conforms to AudioUnit and VST plugin specifications.

VariSaturator can be used both to boost the loudness of the audio tracks without increasing their peak levels proportionally, and to apply subtle harmonic coloration that makes tracks sound more pronounced and polished. More info here.

Apogee has built a super solid reputation as one of the best A/D D/A converter manufacturers (for those unaware, A stands for Analog and D for Digital, and converters are one of the main reasons why your home recordings will never sound very good). So this year at NAMM we were a little surprised to see Apogee staff showcasing a… pedal controller for guitarists! This baby is called GiO and it’s a complete guitar interface for Apple’s new Logic Studio 9, MainStage 2 and GarageBand ’09. Combining effects control, recording functions and the sound quality Apogee is renowned for, GiO allows guitar players to control recording functions, preset changes and plug-ins like Amp Designer and Pedalboard, along with new Playback and Loopback features in MainStage.

A couple of details make this interface stand out from the pack: It features foot switches with led lights that change color according to the triggered plug in (which is a very useful way to visualize which virtual effects you are toying with in your chain), and it lets you access all the most important DAW functions without the need of touching the keyboard or the mouse at all - even record, loop, punch in, forward, rewind, etc etc.

The Diamond Memory Lane 2 is a lush and expressive 100% analog delay pedal capable of producing some very convincing tape-style delays, consistently rich tones, and crazy spaceship noises. Equipped with an easily accessible tap-tempo switch, quarter note delays and triplet/U2 rhythms can be tapped in on the fly. The pedal also features a very dynamic EQ knob that allows for underwater-dark delays, chipper-bright delays, and everything in between. The Memory Lane 2 is also one of few analog pedals that provides a system for presets. Using the middle foot switch, you can toggle between your tapped tempo and the tempo set by the “delay” knob.

While the Memory Lane 2 may not be quite as feature-rich as the Empress Super Delay, it is far easier to navigate in a live setting and carries a few of its own unique tricks. Along with stereo outputs, the ML2 has two inputs for expression pedals to control the delay time and/or delay feedback with your foot. The pedal also has a “slapback” switch, which sets the delay feedback to one repeat only, allowing for those great rockabilly echoes as well as a simulated chorus effect at fast tempos.When compared with the half analog, half digital delays in the market, the Memory Lane 2 takes the cake for its incredibly vivid and natural analog sound. However, analog-digital hybrids such as the T-Rex Replica, or the Carl Martin Echotone, are capable of much longer delay times than the fully analog Memory Lane, which tops out at 550ms.At a whopping $599, this pedal is certainly an investment. However, the Memory Lane 2’s quality can only be surpassed by the even more costly racks of delays found in a recording studio. - By Daniel Tirer

One of the most interesting pieces of equipment showcased at this year’s NAMM conference was the Two Notes Torpedo VB-101. A multipurpose guitar/bass rack processor, the Torpedo follows in the footsteps of Line 6’s POD series and DigiDesign’s Eleven Rack with a twist. Equally suited for live sound or recording use, the Torpedo enhances your instrument’s sound by processing the output of your amplifier or replacing it all together. Once routed into your signal chain, the Torpedo models the sound of 16 different speakers and 8 microphones. It also comes with software that allows you to download additional free settings and load them onto the unit.

For those who are wary of  digitally altering their tone, the Torpedo boosts an impressive conversion rate of up to 24 bit, 192 kHz. With its flexible I/O the Torpedo can output digital signal directly to your audio interface or right into your computer, bypassing unnecessary digital to analog conversion. Combining the features of a DI box, recording interface and effects processor, the Torpedo seems like an extremely versatile unit. This item won’t be ready until the Spring, but we’re looking forward to hearing more of what it can do.

 

For specs and more information head over to Two Notes’ site here.

Since its first appearance, Amplitube has been one of the most popular guitar (and later bass) amplifier emulation plug ins. We remember getting a light version of Amplitube 1 bundled with our first M-Box (circa 2000). This initial plug-in was a neat, simple program with a few options, but when we saw version 2 our jaw dropped: many classic amps, pedals and cabinets were recreated beautifully in both the audio and graphic departments. Extra options related to cabinet miking (choice of type of microphone, on or off center placement and mic distance from the amp) sweetened the deal even further. IK Multimedia presented Amplitube 3 at NAMM, and it looks like the main focus in developing this new version was to expand the selection of emulated hardware: AmpliTube 3 has nearly 100 more gear models than its predecessor, including about 70 top amp and effects models from AmpliTube Metal and AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix.

One of the most interesting new features is the new cabinet module. Sporting a redesigned GUI, not only can you mic and mix each cabinet with 2 microphones, but the microphones also can be freely moved around the speaker, making it easier to find that magical sweet spot. Cabinet “size” can now be also controlled so you can enlarge and shrink your cabinet beyond the limits of the physical world. In addition, you can adjust the room ambience and room mic positioning for an ultra-accurate modeling of the cabinet in the natural recording space.

Interesting news on the effect side of things too: AmpliTube 3 also includes new effects not found in other modeling packages such as StepFilter, StepSLicer, TapDelay, Rezo and Swell in both stomp and rack versions. There’s also a  3 speaker cabinet module that contains a very cool rotary speaker based on a model of a vintage Leslie 147. Largely as a result of requests fom AmpliTube users, you can now reconfigure your pedal board and rack effects chain simply by dragging & dropping an effect into its new position.

Another interesting feature is that Amplitube 3 is now expandable: you can now add individual pieces, or entire collections like AmpliTube Fender™ or Ampeg® SVX. This will also allows you to purchase “singles” on an as needed basis in the future, and have them all available in one plug-in from within the AmpliTube 3 structure.

The Barker Assmaster from Malekko Heavy Industry is a hand built clone of the Maestro Bass Brassmaster harmonic octave fuzz. This updated version supplies the same classic fuzz tones as the original in a modern, rugged and reliable package. Although aimed at bassists, this pedal performs equally well on guitars and even synthesizers. The three knobs control the effect level, the attack of the fuzz (Ass Volume and Sensitivity, respectively) as well as the level of the original, dry signal (Bass Volume). In addition, there are two toggle switches affectionately dubbed Ass and Harm. These controls act in conjunction with one another allowing the user to thin out the fuzz or unleash it on unsuspecting eardrums. True bypass switching keeps your sound clean and unaffected when you decide to take a break.In practice, the Assmaster becomes fiendishly easy to cop bass sounds that could please any fuzz freak. Rolling back on the Sensitivity knob keeps the Assmaster on its best behavior, yielding controlled fuzz perfect for that vintage vibe. Roll it clockwise and things can get crazy fast. Industrial and metal fans rejoice - this pedal delivers! No matter how freaky your fuzz, the clean blend allows bassists to keep one foot in the pocket or boost the clean volume to drive the front of your amp or other effects as well. Additionally I would like to say that using the Assmaster in conjunction with a cranked SVT rig sits somewhere on the border of sublime and downright dysfunctional.With its bright pink and brown sparkle appointments the Assmaster may raise some eyebrows but this pedal is dangerously fun and addictive, not to mention very well made. If you are looking for a bit of fuzz this is one to check out. - Arthur Fleischmann

The Sonnox Oxford Supresser is a simple yet highly flexible de-esser and dynamic EQ. At first glance, this plugin appears to be similar to the built in de-essing plugins that come with Logic or Pro Tools. When inserted on a vocal, it can easily handle duties of suppressing harsh high end frequencies that are often created when using cheap Chinese made condenser microphones.

Without much hassle, the Suppresser can be set to natural tame a poorly recorded vocal in seconds.This plugin really shines in handling other sources as well. I recently had a mix session where the snare drum was recorded very poorly. There was a lot of high hat bleed coming in to the snare mic. This made it very difficult to properly compress the snare. I used the Supresser to dynamically duck the high hat hits at 5 khz while retaining the punch and the crack of the snare. This allowed me to compress the snare after the Supresser without creating a washy hi hat.Another useful feature of the Supresser is the listen modes. The user can easily monitor what is being compressed as well as what is not being compressed. This makes honing in on certain problematic frequencies a breeze. A final feature that I suggest all plugin manufactures include is a blend control. The user can blend the de-essed signal with the dry signal for a very natural tucking of the hard frequencies, without destroying the original intent of the performance. - by Shane O’Connor