The Roland BA-330 portable P.A. system gets real loud using eight AA batteries.
(Credit: Roland)For those who like getting loud in places where power outlets are hard to come by, the Roland BA-330 delivers all the comforts of a full-fledged stereo P.A. system using just eight AA batteries.
Just how loud are we talking? Cranked all the way up, the BA-330 can hit a 109dB sound pressure level--roughly the equivalent of standing next to a jack hammer. The eight AA batteries can deliver up to 10 hours of continuous power, although probably not at full blast (plug-in AC power is also available).
The front of the system offers four 6.5-inch and two tweeters, all wired for stereo. On the back, you'll get a four-channel mixer with XLR, 1/4-inch, RCA, and minijack inputs, and an effects section for adding EQ, reverb, delay, or a stereo-widening effect. If 109dB of ear-melting sound just isn't enough, a stereo link feature allows you to wire two BA-330 speakers together.
Of course, at around $829, street musicians are going to have to hustle hard to get their hands on this thing. Consider this your head start, since it's not due out until November.
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I didn't imagine there was much room for innovation in USB-recording interfaces, but at the 2009 NAMM show--the annual convention for buyers and sellers of professional music gear (read: music gearhead paradise)--a couple of companies introduced some new takes on this very prosaic, but necessary, piece of gear.
The StealthPedal from IK Multimedia is a USB interface and MIDI controller that looks like a wah-wah pedal.
(Credit: IK Multimedia)For the uninitiated: A recording interface is the bridge between your musical output and your computer. You attach it to the computer, then plug your instrument (or multiple instruments, or output of a mixing board) into it, and voila. There are countless types of interfaces at all levels of price and complexity, but for home musicians who just want a quick way to get their musical ideas down on their hard drives, an inexpensive USB interface is the way to go. M-Audio is probably the best-known brand at this level, although Tascam and Edirol (part of Roland) are somewhat common as well.
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Old school vs. new school. I just couldn't help wondering what the Tenori-On would sound like with my old TB-303 bass-line synth. Yes, this is my idea of a fun weekend.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)For all you electronic music fans and lovers of all things blinky, my review of the Yamaha Tenori-On music sequencer is ready for your consideration. The final ruling in a nutshell: the Tenori-On is an awesome tool for performing electronic musicians, but too pricey for nonmusicians and too limited for studio music production.
What a long, strange tease its been since we first caught wind of the mythical Tenori-On music sequencer back in 2005. Now, here we are at the end: you've seen the photo gallery, the unboxing video, my interview with Yu Nishibori, the requisite comparison to the Monome, and finally, the full review.
As a farewell gift to the Tenori-On, I paired it up with the only other device in my life that equals it in blinky, metallic awesomeness: my vintage (slightly modified) Roland TB-303 Bass Line synth. Syncing the two gadgets wasn't easy, considering the TB-303 predates MIDI, and the Tenori-On does a horrible job driving MIDI clock. Still, I was able to capture a decent 30-second video of the two devices working in unison. For those of you who have no idea what you're looking at, the Tenori-On (right) is handling all the percussion sounds while the TB-303 (left) is spitting out a bass line like it's a 1994 warehouse rave.
Enjoy.
Roland's recently announced FR-2 V-Accordion is the cutting edge of polka technology.
(Credit: Roland U.S.)
Does your mastery of the accordion already have groupies beating a path to your polka nights? Then turn back now, lest you glimpse the power of the most futuristic, and dynamic accordion ever made: the Roland FR-2.
Roland's FR-2 V-Accordion is no mere squeezebox. Announced at January's NAMM expo, the FR-2 charts out the future of the already thrilling world of accordion performance. It has eight virtual accordion sound presets, MIDI input/output, AA-battery power, high-resolution bellows pressure sensors, chorus and reverb sound effects, an integrated digital metronome, and pad triggers for sampled percussion (cowbell not included).
For those of you who haven't yet perfected your accordion technique, the FR-2 V-Accordion also includes a built-in headphone output that allows you to practice your chops to the break of dawn without disturbing a soul. If you lack both the discipline and funds to be worthy of the FR-2, you can always try your hand at Accordion Hero and Accordion Hero II.
(Credit:
Fareastgizmos)
If you haven't noticed many advancements in printer technology lately, maybe you're looking looking at the wrong medium. Apparently there's some notable competition going on in the area of printers for wood.
Just as the "Craftsman CompuCarve" is literally making its mark in 3D, Roland Japan is hoping to do the same with its new EGX-350 desktop engraver, which the company claims is 50 percent faster than its earlier model thanks to improvements in its motor and other technologies. Able to produce a "hand-carved look," according to Fareastgizmos, the new machine can even create templates that can be used to press rhinestones into clothing. (Another market for Swarovski to butt into.)
What next? An industrial version that can churn out wooden cars, or course.
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