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Here is a bit more on the much awaited Roland TD-30KV Electronic V-Drums Kit. I can’t wait until we see this in the shops to try out. I am sure it won’t be long now. In the meantime drool over this massive sound and feel demonstrated by the talented Craig Blundell:-

Here is something close to my heart as I remember how Bass Drum Pedals used to be and how they are today. Jojo Mayer has invented the Perfect Balance Bass Drum Pedal and Sonor Drums have put it into production for his excellent idea. It has taken Jojo quite a few years to design this as he wanted to achieve perfect swing balance of the beater.

His experiece of today’s pedals are that drummers demanded more thrust forward with the beater in order to achieve greater power. The problem with this is that it would need to be out of balance to achieve this and what you had coming back would be a bit “sluggish” as Jojo puts it. I most certainly agree with this because nearly every pedal I have ever owned, I have ended up changing the spring mechanism in order to achieve the feel and response I am seeking. Some pedals give you quite a range of adjustment but somehow they still do not achive that ‘Perfect Balance’

So it is ‘Well Done’ to Jojo for devoting such time to achieve this, perhaps other manufactures will sit up and take note of what drummers really need rather than what they think they need. Have a look at Jojo’s YouTube clip to give you some idea:-

INTRODUCING THE LINE 6 POD HD DESKTOP EFFECTS AND AMP MODELLING BEAN

The Line 6 POD range has been around for quite a few years now and has been a source of great effects and Amp Modelling both off stage and in the Studio. Based in California, this company now boast a new POD HD range with five models; the POD HD Desktop, POD HD 300, POD HD 400, POD HD 500 and the POD HD PRO. I have managed to get my hands on a POD HD Desktop (known as “the Bean”) announced at Musikmesse 2011 but unfortunately I am not a Guitarist, so I will have to review this from a Studio point of view and perhaps look at the possibilities of how I can get a better guitar sound from my keyboards. Fortunately the POD HD Desktop is aimed at the Studio user and has not been designed for the Live-Playing Guitarist who wants good LCD visibility and stomp-box type foot pedals to effortlessly change effects, whilst in full flow of his Blackmore-type solo.

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The famous and talented Scott Tibbs performs and shows off the The New Roland Jupiter 50. He makes it look so easy and demonstrates the need to be a technician and not solely a skillfull keyboard player. The sound of the Jupiter 50 sounds very 2012 as it combines synthesis and acoustic instruments with SuperNATURAL sound and Scott uses the on-the-fly controls to show its capabilities. I am looking forward to test drive one of these 76 note keyboards with its user-friendly interface with colour-coded buttons and sliders. I think cost-wise and weight-wise it may well do better than its bigger brother the Roland Jupiter 80. Hopefully we will not have to wait long now before they start showing up in the Music Stores. Excellent demo Scott.

Those clever guys at Crysonic have just released the SPECTRA C2 for Mac and Windows which is a Wideband Audio Compressor Plug-In. They are absolutely convinced that this plug-in is going knock you out and provide you with outstanding results. This Non-Transparent Compressor gives you subtle but exactly the analog characteristics that you want on any signal being processed. It is Zero latency and is ideal in all music production.

With so much going on in the background that you don’t notice with its very fast and user-friendly interface giving you the results you demand instantly and suprisingly, it doesn’t drain too much from your CPU.

You can get it for an incredible $55 if you are very quick but it is going up to $159 from 16th May 2012. More info can be found at www.crysonic.com

I don’t remember my Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer or my Clavia Nord Modular Classic being this good to play with – how times have changed.

These are part of the sexy PussPuss range of Swimsuits that you can buy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/thepusspuss

INTRODUCING THE NORD ELECTO 3 FROM CLAVIA

I have been anxious to get my hands on a Nord keyboard and it is very strange that at the time Nord have just announced the release of the Electro 4D at Musikmesse in Frankfurt, I am about to look into the Nord Electro 3. This maybe the right time as there is a possibility that the Electro 3 will come down a little in price, with its successor just around the corner. Obviously the Electro 3 is the third incarnation of Clavia’s virtual electromechanical range of bright red wonders. The first is now over ten years old and Clavia have slowly updated the software and hardware.
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Here is something I just don’t know how I missed – Pearl Drums – Tru Trac Eelectronic Drum Heads. I know it has been done before converting an acoustic set of drums into Electronic, but Pearl have been around a few years now and certainly know a thing or two about drums.

Their consideration from an electronic point of view is how they feel and Tru-Trac Electronic Drumheads have the same size and response as real heads. They are available in pre-packs and individual components so you can convert your own acoustic kit into an electronic kit. Both of their pre-packs include (5) No Drill Adapters and all necessary parts and tools to complete your kit’s conversion from acoustic to electronic. All you need to do then is connect the pads to your favorite drum brain like the Roland TD20 or TD30. The conversion process is just like changing a Drum Head.

The two packs are: EPAD-25S contains the following: TTP-B Bass Tru Trac Electronic DrumHead, TTB-10 10″ Tom DrumHead, TTP-12 12″ Tom DrumHead, TTP-16 16″ Tom DrumHead, TTP-14 14″ Snare DrumHead, NDA-1 Non-Drill Adapter (x 5), CH1JB 16″ TRS Cable, DZC15 15″ Long Cable, 52MM Tension Rods (x30), 63MM Tension Rods (x30), NP485 Velcro Tape (x10), BDMTP Hole Position Template, PDPTP Paper Ruler, HPC6 Hole Punch and BDC Foam Bass Drum Cushion.

EPAD-25 contains:-TTP-B Bass Tru Trac Electronic DrumHead, TTB-12 12″ Tom DrumHead, TTP-13 13″ Tom DrumHead, TTP-16 16″ Tom DrumHead, TTP-14 14″ Snare DrumHead, NDA-1 Non-Drill Adapter (x 5), CH1JB 16″ TRS Cable, DZC15 15″ Long Cable, 52MM Tension Rods (x30), 63MM Tension Rods (x30), NP485 Velcro Tape (x10), BDMTP Hole Position Template, PDPTP Paper Ruler, HPC6 Hole Punch and BDC Foam Bass Drum Cushion.

INTRODUCTION

I haven’t done any Studio Monitor reviews and I was interested to see that a surprising amount of people were recommending Adam A7X Studio Monitors, in fact it is hard to find a bad word about them and the readers of Sound On Sound magazine have voted them the best studio monitors of 2011 and 2012. Adam Professional Audio is a German company, based in Berlin with distributors all over the world. The UK base is in London – Adam Audio UK Ltd. They already had a very successful product the A7 and last year they decided to upgrade their A-range. I haven’t heard an A7 so I cannot compare the two but I do know that you do not get prestigious awards from Sound On Sound two years in succession unless you have something very special.
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Korg Kronos O/S Update 1.6 , Editor and Plug-In Editor

Korg Kronos O/S Version 1.6 and The Editor/Plug-In Editor software for the Kronos are now available with effect from the 6th April 2012 for download at www.korg.com/kronos/support . All you need to do is select  “Software” for the editor and select Operating System for O/S 1.6. You will also need to visit the “Drivers” section to download the latest USB-MIDI driver.

Korg Kronos OS v1.6, which is required to run the Editor/Plug-In Editor. In addition to various bug fixes, this update also adds an “Uninstall EXs” command, which will completely remove selected EXs data from the internal SSD.

Thank you very much for this free update