TRIPLE TIARA

If you've always wanted to add a crowning touch to your P.A. or mobile DJ rig but are operating on a less-than-royal budget, the new XLS Series of power amplifiers from Crown may be what you've been looking for. The XLS amps are built into all-steel three-rackspace chassis and cooled by forced-air fans; and they come with Crown's three-year, no-fault, transferable warranty.

There are three models in the XLS series. The XLS 202 ($529) delivers 250W per channel at 2Ω, 200W at 4Ω and 145W at 8Ω; the XLS 402 ($629) delivers 570W at 2Ω, 400W at 4Ω, and 260W at 8Ω; and the XLS 602 ($829) delivers 840W at 2Ω, 600W at 4Ω, and 370W at 8Ω.

Front-panel controls include a power-on switch, detented level controls with corresponding clip LEDs for each channel, and LEDs for power and fault warnings. Around back there are electronically balanced XLR and “touch-proof” binding post outputs. Selectable (30 or 15 Hz) highpass filters are also available on each channel. Crown International; tel. (800) 342-6939 or (219) 294-8200; e-mail audioinfo@crownintl.com; Web www.crownaudio.com.

LITTLE CLIPPER

The AKG D 409 ($198) clip-on microphone is part of the company's new MicroMic III series of very small instrument mics. The D 409 employs a dynamic transducer with a hypercardioid polar pattern and is designed to produce a relatively flat response. It can be used on any instrument but is particularly well suited for use with drums, percussion, and wind instruments.

The D 409 covers a frequency range of 100 Hz to 17 kHz, with little proximity effect and a slight presence rise between 3 and 7 kHz. It can handle a maximum SPL of 124 dB with 1% THD, sensitivity is rated 1 mV/Pa (at 1 kHz), and impedance is the standard 600W. To reduce external noise, especially from wind instruments, the D 409 comes equipped with an external windscreen. It weighs only 4.6 ounces (4.9 ounces with clamp).

Also available is the D 409 L ($198), which has a mini XLR connector for use with AKG bodypack transmitters and the B 29 L power supply. AKG Acoustics U.S.; tel. (615) 620-3800; e-mail akgusa@harman.com; Web www.akgusa.com.

DI IN THE SKY

As a result of the ongoing retro craze, tube direct boxes are currently all the rage. But the TD-100 ($495) from Summit Audio is more than another DI with tubular tone — it also functions as an instrument preamplifier and a headphone practice amp for guitarists and bassists.

The half-rackspace TD-100 combines Summit Audio's signature vacuum tube sound with a discrete output stage that lets it pass without the sonic coloration and distortion typical of transformer-coupled circuits. The unit's input stage is driven by a 12AX7A/ECC83 tube and features continuously variable load impedance (10K to 2M) for optimal use with any instrument.

In addition to the Loading control, the unit has an Output Gain knob, LEDs for signal (level) and drive (peak), and ground-lift and polarity-reverse switches. The TD-100 is also equipped with a balanced ¼-inch TRS input and XLR and balanced ¼-inch TRS outputs. An internal high-voltage power supply fires up the fun. Summit Audio Inc.; tel. (831) 728-1302; e-mail sound@summitaudio.com; Web www.summitaudio.com.

BASS FISHMAN

Fishman's Platinum Bass ($249.95) gives you a preamp, an EQ, and a direct-injection (DI) box tailored specifically for electric and acoustic bass. Fishman touts the unit's ability to add warmth to raw bass signals.

A built-in, 5-band graphic EQ lets you shape your sound in conjunction with a depth-control knob that enhances the low end of the signal without causing boom. The Voltage Doubler feature imparts a wider dynamic range and clarity to the signal. The Platinum Bass has a built-in optical compressor that can smooth bass hot spots without pumping or squelching the high end of the signal. The box sports one unbalanced ¼-inch ultrahigh impedance input, an XLR out, and two unbalanced ¼-inch output jacks. The unit draws power from either a 9V battery, an optional AC adapter ($29.95), or 48V phantom power. You also get a pre/post and a ground-lift switch for the XLR out. Fishman Transducers Inc.; tel. (978) 988-9199; e-mail sales@fishman.com; Web www.fishman.com.

4-GATE ABOUT IT

Nothing is handier than a gate for minimizing crosstalk between drum mics, guitar amp buzz, and other common noise problems — and the new dbx 1074 Quad Gate ($749.95) gives you four of the little silencers in a single-rackspace unit. Like all of the products in dbx's 10 Series, the 1074 is based on the company's V2 VCA control circuit, and comes with differentially balanced gold-plated XLR and ¼-inch inputs and outputs. A ¼-inch sidechain input and external key inputs on all channels are also included.

Each of the four channels is switchable between +4 dBu and -10 dBv; has controls for threshold, depth, and release; and features an adjustable internal filter for frequency-selective control. A PeakStopPlus limiter for setting the maximum signal level allowed to pass through each gate and a Stereo Link function for linking channels 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 for stereo operation complete the package. dbx; tel. (801) 568-7660; e-mail customer@dbxpro.com; Web www.dbxpro.com.

NADY OF THE NIGHT

The CMX-16A ($489.95) is one of seven new mixers in Nady's SRM Series. The CMX-16A is a compact rackmountable 16-channel stereo mic/line mixer with two group buses and balanced ¼-inch TRS and XLR outputs. Measuring only 17.50 inches wide, 15.00 inches high, and 3.75 inches deep and weighing a mere 14.9 pounds, it is suitable for a variety of applications, including live sound. The CMX-16A's 60 mm faders contribute to its compactness.

There are eight mono channels with balanced ¼-inch TRS and XLR inputs (with 48V phantom power available on the XLRs), ¼-inch inserts, and mic trim and pan pots. Eight stereo channels have balanced ¼-inch TRS stereo inputs and balance pots. Three-band EQ and two aux sends are available on all channels.

Additional I/O includes two RCA tape inputs, two RCA record outputs with a level control, two stereo aux returns, and separate Master Mix, Control Room, and Headphone outputs. The mixer is powered by an external AC power supply. Nady Systems, Inc.; tel. (510) 652-2411; e-mail ussales@nadywireless.com; Web www.nadywireless.com.

HOT MOD

Following hot on the heels of its popular XV-5080 synth/sound module, Roland's XV-5050 ($995) offers lots of the same sounds and features in a slimmed-down single-rackspace unit. In fact, the XV-5050's 1,280 patches include all the presets from the XV-5080 and 128 from the new Fantom synth. The unit also has two expansion slots that accept Roland's SRX Series expansion boards, allowing for a maximum of 192 MB of memory with no loading time. The XV-5050 even has a USB port for connecting directly to a computer without a MIDI interface.

The XV-5050 sports a 64-voice, 16-part multitimbral sound engine; and you get 90 onboard effects, including Roland's proprietary COSM effects models and reverb algorithms from the SRV-3030 processor. While in Performance mode, the effects section can be configured as three multi-effects units with a choice of 50 effects types each.

There are four analog outputs (with 24-bit converters) that can be configured as one or two stereo pairs, with a 2-band EQ on each output. Optical and coaxial S/PDIF digital outputs are also included, along with a headphone jack, and MIDI In/Out/Thru connectors. Roland Corporation U.S.; tel. (323) 890-3700; Web www.rolandus.com.

FAAS IN THE SADDLE

For electric players who desire acoustic sounds, Graph Tech Guitar Labs has expanded its F.A.A.S (Fat Ass Acoustic Sound) line of pickups by offering piezo-equipped versions of its String Saver saddles for guitar and bass. These pickups, which feature custom-made piezo crystal implants, can be retrofitted to most Strat and Tele-style, Wilkinson, Tune-O-Matic, PSR, and P- and J-bass bridges. Prices for the pickups begin at $109.95.

The new piezo-electric pickups are designed for use with Graph Tech's Acousti-Cell Pro and Acousti-Cell Pro bass preamps ($89.95). The preamps feature a mix control for adjusting the relative levels of your instrument's magnetic and piezo pickups, along with an ingenious automatic switching system that senses whether you've attached a mono or TRS cable, for mono or stereo operation.

Optional plug-in accessories that connect to the preamp's micro patch bay include a Quick switch ($24.95) for selecting or combining pickup types and a Mid/Dark switch ($29.95) for additional tonal coloring. Graph Tech Guitar Labs; tel. (604) 940-5353 or (800) 388-7011; e-mail dave@graphtech.bc.ca; Web www.graphtech.bc.ca.

FLOOR MONITOR

If you are looking for a new slant on full-range monitors, Electro-Voice's two-way passive FRI-28LPM stage monitor ($718) may provide it. The FRI-28LPM sports dual 8-inch woofers and a 1-inch voice-coil compression driver mounted to a 100×100° constant-directivity horn and features EV's proprietary RMD (Ring-Mode Decoupling) for increased vocal clarity. Frequency response is a respectable 55 Hz to 16 kHz (measured on axis), and the speaker can handle 200W EIA and up to 800W peak power at 8Ω.

The components are housed in a low-profile slanted and vented 13-ply plywood enclosure finished with black (or optional white) acrylic and fitted with nonskid rubber feet. A detachable powder-coated perforated steel grill is included. The monitor measures 14.00 inches high, 24.50 inches wide, and 8.75 inches deep and weighs 40 pounds. Two Neutrik NL4 connectors are provided for convenient hookup. Electro-Voice (EVI); tel. (952) 884-4051; Web www.electrovoice.com.

LITTLE BLUE BOOSTER

The Cobalt ($280) is the latest little wonder from Blackbox Electronics, maker of the astonishing Oxygen compressor/limiter/gate pedal. The Cobalt was designed for use with either guitar or bass, and has a very high impedance input to minimize the load on your instrument's pickups. Two individually controlled gain stages — Drive and Gain — interact to produce sounds ranging from lots of clean boost to a bit of dirt to a heavy tubelike overdrive; and a unique Bias feature controls the amount of signal headroom, compression, and waveform symmetry. The Volume control adjusts the overall output level.

The Cobalt, like all pedals from Black-box Electronics, is constructed of hand-picked high-quality components. The unit is packaged in beautifully painted and hand-lettered casing that is reminiscent of a typical world-class racing car. Blackbox Music Electronics; tel. (612) 623-7957; e-mail blackbox@blackboxmusicfx.com; Web www.blackboxmusicfx.com.

STEP RECORDING

What do you get when you crossbreed a floor-unit guitar processor with a drum machine and an 8-track digital recorder? The folks at DigiTech hope that the GNX3 Guitar Workstation ($499.00) is the answer. The floor unit offers guitar and bass amp models, a host of effects, a mic input, a phrase trainer, and a drum machine, with 24-bit A/D/A conversion and a 44.1 kHz sampling rate.

As with other recent Digitech guitar processors, the unit's amp- and cabinet-modeling features let you morph between two cabinet and amp models in real time with the built-in expression pedal. Effects include distortion, reverb, delay, chorus, flange, and more esoteric effects such as Whammy, Synth Talk, Ya Ya, and Auto Ya.

The built-in 8-track recorder gives you up to six track minutes of recording time; you can expand recording to as much as 48 minutes with 128 MB SmartMedia cards. The JamMan2 feature lets you perform live loop recording; you can play along and record with the built-in drum machine. With the optional FS300 footswitch ($49.95), you can automate the recording process onstage.

You get a balanced XLR mic input and an unbalanced ¼-inch analog input jack. The unit sports a pair of unbalanced ¼-inch analog outputs, a balanced XLR mic output, and a ¼-inch stereo headphone jack. Digital Outputs are coaxial S/PDIF. MIDI Jacks are In and Out/Thru. The package includes Genedit, an editor librarian for Mac and Windows. DigiTech; tel. (801) 566-8800; e-mail customer@digitech.com; Web www.digitech.com.

TRITON TRUE

The Korg Triton Le (Triton Le 76, $1,800; Triton Le 61, $1,600) offers the same synthesis engine as the full-blown Triton-series instruments, with an upgrade option for adding sampling capabilities (EXB-SMPL, $260). The unit accepts SmartMedia cards up to 128 MB for storing and importing samples, programs and combinations, drum kits, and sequencer data.

The synth provides 425 16-bit, 48 kHz multisampled instruments and 413 drum sounds. In all, you get 512 programs, 384 combinations, 24 drum kits, and 128 General MIDI (GM) programs with 9 GM drum kits. You can overwrite any of the programs or drum kits in any location except for GM categories. There are 89 different effects algorithms identical to those in the original Triton instruments, which offer real-time modulation capabilities and MIDI Clock synchronization.

Triton Le's dual polyphonic arpeggiators and its Realtime Pattern JPlay feature let you trigger sequence patterns on the fly. The arpeggiator pattern memory offers 5 presets, 200 editable locations, and 16 blank user patterns for starting from scratch.

The instrument has unbalanced ¼-inch left and right analog outputs, two unbalanced ¼-inch individual analog outputs, and a ¼-inch stereo headphone jack. MIDI connections are MIDI In, Out, and Thru. There are three ¼-inch pedal input jacks: an input for a damper pedal, an assignable foot pedal, and one for an assignable footswitch. Korg USA, Inc; tel. (516) 333-9100; Web www.korg.com.