Products of Interest

Alesis iO Dock

The iO Dock from Alesis is a docking station for the iPad with a built-in audio, MIDI, and USB interface (see Figure 1). Described by the manufacturer as the first of its kind, the iO Dock is designed to allow the user to connect professional audio equipment to iPad applications. The dock features two combination XLR and ¼-in. microphone/instrument inputs. Each of these inputs has a gain control and switchable phantom power. A guitar-direct switch allows direct input for guitar and bass, and a ¼-in. footswitch is also included. A USB port is provided for connection to a computer and MIDI input/output. A stereo pair of ¼-in. outputs are also provided and the user can toggle between the incoming and playback signal on the headphone output. A composite video connection is also built-in for use with projectors and TVs. The iO Dock encloses the iPad on the bottom and three of the side surfaces in a protective case. A power supply is included with purchase.

The iO Dock is listed for US$ 199. Contact: Alesis, 200 Scenic View Drive, Suite 201, Cumberland, Rhode Island 02864, USA; telephone (+1) 401-658-5760; Web www.alesis.com/.

Figure 1.

The Alesis iO Dock iPad docking station.

Midas VeniceF Compact Console

The Midas Venice F console is designed for live sound but its FireWire audio interface allows the console to be used for recording and mixing also. It includes the microphone preamplifiers, 100-mm faders, and XL3 equalizer and filter section of its predecessor, the Midas Venice console. The console is available in 16-, 24-, and 32-channel versions.

The microphone pre-amplifiers are constructed from discrete components. Separate left and right gain controls are available on the stereo inputs and the microphone and line inputs can be used simultaneously. Phantom power, a –20 dB pad, polarity reverse, and an 80-Hz high-pass filter are provided on the microphone inputs. The user can select between analog and digital input/output with FireWire. The FireWire interface allows the user to connect to computers with FireWire ports for use with audio recording and processing software. The equalization section is an updated version of the XL3 with four bands of swept equalization and variable bandwidth on the two mid-range filters. The stereo channels have a four-band fixed-frequency equalizer available and a sum-to-mono switch.

The bus structure is the same as on the Venice console, with six auxiliary sends, four groups and stereo masters. This newer model has an additional mono bus and a 7 × 2 matrix. The bus outputs have XLR connectors and support inserts. The user can route to groups and all six auxiliary sends can be selected pre-or post-fade. The two monitor auxiliary buses can also be switched to pre-or post-equalization for each channel.

The 16-channel version of the VeniceF (see Figure 2) has eight monophonic and four microphone inputs on XLR inputs and the same number of line-level inputs on ¼-in. jacks. The other versions feature the same number of stereo microphone and line-level inputs but additional numbers of monophonic microphone and line inputs.

The console has a steel frame with potentiometers metal-shafted and individually nutted to the steel fascia panel. A 60-day trial version of Propellerhead’s Record software is included with the purchase.

The VeniceF is listed for US$ 3,899, US$ 5,399, and US$ 6,599 for the 16-, 24-, and 32-channel versions, respectively. Contact: Midas Klark Teknik, Walter Nash Road, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY11 7HJ, UK; telephone (+44) 156-274-1515; fax (+44) 156-274-5371; Web www.midasconsols.com/.

Lehmannaudio StudioCube Headphone Amplifier

StudioCube is a new headphone amplifier from Lehmannaudio (see Figure 3). It features combination Neutrik XLR/¼-in. jack stereo inputs on the rear panel and two headphone outputs on ¼-in. connections on the front panel. The front panel also includes a large level control knob, a switch for selecting between mono and stereo, and LEDs for signal presence and overload. The unit is shielded against static electricity and has a class...