All posts by JenThorpe

Nikon has Limited Time Trade Up Offer

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Nikon announced an introductory trade-in offer for those ready to experience Nikon’s new early level full-frame mirrorless camera, the Nikon Z 5. The Nikon Z 5 is a feature-packed mirrorless camera designed for those ready to start their full frame journey and unblock their creative potential.

The Z 5 is scheduled to be available to customers starting on August 27. To coincide with this release, an introductory trade-in offer is now available through Sunday, September 27, 2020. Consumers can easily upgrade to the Nikon Z mirrorless camera system by trading-in any working camera from any brand, and save $100 on the new Nikon Z 5 in addition to your camera’s trade-in value.

This introductory offer is retroactively valid for customers who have already pre-ordered, as well as new pre-orders / orders of the camera body or additional lens kit configurations at Nikon authorized dealers or through the Nikon Store. For more information about the Trade Up to the Z program, including full terms and conditions, please visit nikonusa.com/ztradeup.

The recently announced Nikon Z 5 includes sophisticated features inherited from the award-winning Z 7 and Z 6 and Nikon’s next generation Z mount at an unprecedented value. With an incredibly robust feature set, including a 24.3-megapixel Full Frame sensor, dual memory card slots, in-camera vibration reduction (VR) image stabilization, 4K UHD video and the perfect balance of seamless automation and full manual controls, creators can effortlessly capture and share their artistic passions, travel adventures and so much more.

The high-performance AF system easily locks onto and tracks subjects throughout the frame, while also offering Eye-Detection AF for humans, cats, and dogs. When paired with the new ultra-compact NIKKOR Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 lens, the Z 5 is the ideal companion to document it all, from street-side portraits to epic landscapes.

For more information about the latest Nikon products, including the new Nikon Z 5, please visit www.nikonusa.com.

Yamaha Announced the PRS-SX600 Workstation Keyboard

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Yamaha announced the PSR-SX600, a 61-key personal performance keyboard that draws in the company’s best arranger workstation technology to offer a new benchmark of performance at a very approachable price. It replaces the PSR-S670 in a family of arranger whose advanced features derive from the flagship Yamaha Genos digital workstation.

Realistic, diverse, and engaging accompaniment Styles have always formed the core of Yamaha arranger instruments. The PSR-SX600 augments these with powerful new functionality. Via the Smart Chord feature, songwriters with or without keyboard proficiency can utilize the Style engine to sketch out fully orchestrated arrangement ideas. Then, the Unison Styles and Accent Styles bring a new dimension of authenticity to automatic accompaniment, making the sense of playing with a virtual backup band of expert musicians more convincing than ever. Plus, with expansion ROM and compatibility with free Yamaha Voice and Style Expansion packs, the PSR-SX600 presents a nearly limitless galaxy of musical possibilities.

New studio-quality DSP effects let the player add Real Distortion to a guitar Voice, Real Reverb to a piano, and much more, imparting just the right amount of color to the sound. A microphone input allows for singing through the PSR’s effects and EQ, and features a vocal cancel function for karaoke sing-alongs to pre-existing tracks. The player can then commit their idea to posterity via onboard audio recording in studio-quality WAV format, with time-stretching and pitch-shifting for WAV data helping to create the perfect take. Separate part EQ for all Voices in a Style as well as “live” Voices played from the keyboard lets the musician mix like a professional engineer.

The PSR-SX600 is designed to work without a computer and always be ready to record, giving solo performers, songwriters, and hobbyist musicians alike all they need to craft complete and highly polished songs. Nonetheless, USB audio and MIDI connectivity is on hand to facilitate seamless integration with the rest of one’s music technology world.

A new high-quality digital-to-analog converter (DAC) ensures the most pristine, audiophile-quality sound from the PSR-SX600. The stunning angular design and brilliant color screen are a visual clue to the music-making power beneath the surface, and two assignable Live Control knobs allow for real-time adjustment of key aspects of the sound — as one would do on a pro synthesizer. A robust stereo sound system means the PSR-SX600 can be played anywhere, with a stereo line output allowing for connection to external combo amplifiers or P.A. Setups.

“The new PSR-SX600 is a welcome addition to our lineup of Arranger Workstation keyboards,” says Ben Harrison, Product Marketing Manager, Digital Pianos and Portable Keyboards, Yamaha Corporation of America. “Its affordable price point should not fool anyone into doubting its powerful feature set. The new Unison and Accent Styles offer flexibility to perform like never before. With a microphone input and DSP effects, a built-in USB audio/MIDI interface, and Smart Chord functionality, this wallet-friendly workstation has everything you need.”

The Yamaha PSR-SX600 is expected to ship to retailers September 14, 2020, at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $1,399.

Gretsch Introduced G5230T Nick 13 Signature Electromatic Tiger Jet

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Gretsch introduced the G5230T Nick 13 Signature Electromatic Tiger Jet with Bigsby.

As the guitarist and songwriter for California trio Tiger Army (celebrating a quarter century in 2021), Nick 13 seamlessly blends his eclectic influences — from the twang and slap of early rock ‘n’ roll and hillbilly country, to the dramatics of dark, Orbison-esque ballads or the raw energy of first wave ‘70s punk. Whether at the helm of Tiger Army or with his Americana solo pursuits, Nick 13 manages to be retro-sounding while still pushing into uncharted musical territory.

Gretsch honors the left-of-center icon with the all-new Gretsch G5230T Nick 13 Signature Electromatic® Tiger Jet™ with Bigsby®.

“While not my first instrument, it wasn’t until I got my first Gretsch many years ago that I really bonded with a guitar and felt like I’d found my sound — something deeply emotional but unique at the same time,” said Nick 13. “As time went on, I realized that many of my favorite records and artists utilized this sound, whether 1950s rockers like Duane Eddy or Eddie Cochran, George Harrison of The Beatles, or bands associated with the early punk movement like The Cramps and X. To be part of that lineage as a Gretsch artist with my own model means the world to me; I never wanted to play anything else.”

For nearly 70 years, the Gretsch Jet has been the hallmark sound for iconic players. Nick 13 puts his own stylistic spin on the classic instrument with dark and moody design elements including a sleek Black finish, white binding, cream pickup inserts, chrome hardware, distinctive pearloid TigerBat inlays, oxblood pickguard with TigerBat logo and matching truss rod cover with his signature.

Black Top Filter’Tron pickups amplify and accentuate the Jet’s chambered mahogany body and maple top to produce a wide, balanced and transparent tone. Together, the body and pickups thunder with full, responsive lows and mids with a high end that sparkles without spikes. A complement of individual pickup volume controls, master tone and master volume with treble bleed circuit provides intuitive control over pickup and tone settings. This unique signature instrument also features a lower set mahogany neck for effortless access and performance, 12”-radius laurel fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets, Bigsby® B50 vibrato tailpiece and anchored Adjusto-Matic™ bridge.

“The tone of my Tiger Jet is expansive – one of my favorite things is the hollowed, enclosed chamber within the body,” said Nick 13. “You can’t see it, but it provides resonance that a completely solid body guitar couldn’t get, while still avoiding the feedback issues playing a hollow body with higher gain normally creates. It’s the best of both worlds. Aesthetically, I love the handpicked color scheme and my favorite feature is the ’TigerBat’ fretboard inlays, which Tiger Army fans will recognize as the band’s logo.”

Tether Tools is Fixing its Air Direct Tethering System

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In January of this year, Tether Tools released the Air Direct Wireless Tethering System. Shortly after that, Apple released macOS Catalina to the 10.15.1 version. That iteration disrupted Air Direct, Capture One, Lightroom, and many other applications in the Apple ecosystem.

At the risk of getting extraordinarily technical, Apple introduced platform level changes, introducing System Extensions and a DriverKit with specific functionality related to networking, security and Drivers. While beneficial to device users in the long-term, the change brought industry standard development practices to a sudden halt.

Tether Tools has started working on ways to fix these problems. They are excited to roll out a macOS Catalina Beta program where existing users can download and use a new Air Direct Utility which is compatible with Catalina. In particular, if you are a Capture One or Lightroom user, then joining the Beta program will allow you to use Air Direct with those applications as intended.

Those who would like to join the Beta can do so by visiting the page on the Tether Tools website that talks about macOS Catalina update and its effects. Look for a button at the bottom of that page that enables you to enter the Beta.

Zoom Introduces the PodTrak P4

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Zoom has introduced the PodTrak P4 – the ultimate recorder for podcasting. Compact, affordable, and loaded with features, PodTrak P4 makes it easy to capture professional quality audio wherever you’re recording your podcasts.

The P4’s mic inputs feature Zoom’s professional quality preamps. Providing up to 70dB of gain, the P4 can be used with the most demanding microphones. The P4 has 4 independent headphone outputs, each with a dedicated volume control, everyone can hear it all.

The P4 makes it easy to incorporate call-in guests for remote interviews. Just connect your phone to the P4 with a TRRS cable. Or, connect your computer via USB to your favorite conferencing software. With the P4’s built-in mix-minus feature, echo and feedback will automatically be eliminated.

The P4 operates up to 4 hours on 2 AA batteries, or you can also use a USB battery for extended recording time. The P4’s mic inputs features Zoom’s professional quality preamps. Providing up to 70dB of gain, the P4 can be used with the most demanding microphones.

PodTrak P4 Features:

  • Four mic inputs with XLR connectors
  • Four headphone outputs with individual volume control
  • Gain control knobs and mute buttons for each input
  • Phantom power for all XLR inputs
  • Automatically prevent feedback from call audio using the Mix-Minus function
  • Easily connect your phone using the TRRS connection
  • Trigger sound effects using four assignable Sound Pads with 11preset sounds
  • All input sources can be recorded on separate tracks
  • 16-bit / 44.1kHz audio WAV
  • Records directly to SD, SDHC and SDXC cards up to 512 GB
  • 2-input, 2-output USB audio interface
  • Class-compliant mode for iOS compatibility
  • Up to four hours of use with just two AA batteries or a USB power supply

Fujifilm Launches Fujifilm Shoe Mount Flash EF-60

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Fujifilm Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of Fujifilm Shoe Mount Flash EF-60 (EF-60) in August 2020, adding another accessory for the X Series and GFX Series of digital cameras.

The EF-60 is a compact yet powerful hot-shoe mount flash, offering the maximum guide number of 60. It can be combined with the Fujifilm Wireless Commander EF-W1 (EF-W1), to be released at the same time, to enable wireless off-camera flash operation. This allows users to control lighting with their inspiration to suit a variety of shooting situations for creative photographic effects.

The EF-60 is a compact hot-shoe mount flash measuring 97mm x 73mm and weighing just 300g despite its powerful output with the maximum guide number of 60. The output can be precisely adjusted to add dimensions to various situations with light and shade. The flash can be combined with the EF-W1 to enable wireless off-camera flash operation. This allows users to position the flash beside or behind a main subject to provide lighting from various directions, or synch and fire multiple flash units simultaneously for multi-flash photography, facilitating diverse photographic expression. The flashhead can be manually angled 180 degrees left-to-right and 90 degrees upward so that the light can be bounced off a ceiling or wall to create indirect lighting, which provides natural lights to capture the subject’s facial expressions and the ambience of the scene with greater nuance.

Fujifilm will continue to expand the X and GFX Series of digital cameras and the extensive range of interchangeable lenses as well as camera accessories including the new EF-60 to deliver the joy of photography and photographic pleasure.

Sony Announced the Alpha 7S III Camera

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Sony Electronics announced the long-awaited addition to its acclaimed Alpha 7S full-frame mirrorless camera series – the Alpha 7S III (model ILCE-75M3).

Featuring a brand new 12.1MP (approx., effective) back-illuminated full-frame image sensor with ultra-high sensitivity and 15+ stop wide dynamic range, a host of impressive video recording capabilities including 4K 120p and 10-bit 4:2:2 color depth, a new heat dissipating mechanism, dual slot relay recording enabling over one-hour of 4K 60p movie shooting, a new autofocus system, and touch screen interface and side flip LED screen, the new Alpha 7S III will become the ultimate creative tool for video professionals and all types of hybrid still/video shooters.

The system architecture for the new Alpha 7S III has been completely redesigned to deliver exceptional video and still shooting performance. The new 35mm full-frame 12.1MP (approx., effective) back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor reduces rolling shutter by up to three times and utilizes a variety of advanced light-gathering techniques to ensure high-sensitivity with low noise, allowing users to shoot in low-light situations without needing large-scale lighting setups.

In addition to improved image quality, this new image sensor includes a focal plane phase-detection AF system for the first time in an S-series camera. To compliment the new sensor, the Alpha 7S III also includes a new BIONZ XR™ image processing engine that provides up to eight times more processing power, minimizes processing latency, and enables many of the hallmark still and imaging features of the camera. The new system also includes the world’s brightest and largest 9.44 million-dot (approx.) OLED electronic eye-level viewfinder and is the world’s first camera with dual CFexpress Type A card slots, enabling high-speed data transfer in a compact size.

The Alpha 7S III offers in-camera 4K recording up to 120 frames per second, 10-bit depth and 4:2:2 color sampling, producing stunning video recording. The new camera offers a more flexible and efficient post-production workflow with a variety of advanced movie recording modes such as All-Intra and MPEG-H HEVC/H.265 coding (XAVC HS™)xiv. The Alpha 7S III makes it easy to integrate video recordings with other professional camcorders by providing three color gamut settings S-Gamut, S-Gamut3, and S-Gamut3.Cine, allowing users to easily match footage shot on the Alpha 7S III with footage shot on the professional camcorders simplifying multi-camera post-production workflow. In addition to S-Log3 gamma curves, the Alpha 7S III supports an HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) picture profile with minimum post-production. The Alpha 7S III also allows up to 4K 60p 16-bit RAW output to an external recorder via HDMI Type-A connector, offering additional post-production flexibility.

The new Alpha 7S III Full-frame Interchangeable Lens Camera will be available in September 2020 for approximately $3,499.99 USD and $4,799.99 CAD. It will be sold at a variety of Sony’s authorized dealers throughout North America.

Fender Debuts Shawn Mendes Foundation Musicmaster Guitar

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Fender released the all-new Shawn Mendes Foundation Musicmaster, a collaboration between The Foundation and Fender, which features fan-inspired art and classic Fender tone.

Fender is a proud supporter of The Shawn Mendes Foundation, which seeks to inspire Shawn’s audience, the youth generation of today – to learn about those causes that they are passionate about, and help empower them to use the voice they have to bring change to the world by taking action and giving back.

The Signature Musicmaster features specs including a Tex-Mex Single-Coil Strat, a Player Series humbucking pickup, medium jumbo frets and a custom neckplate adorned with his Foundation’s “Solar Burst” icon and Shawn’s signature. The Shawn Mendes Foundation Musicmaster is a special guitar where Shawn pays homage to his followers with a fan-inspired artwork on the body. Now, fans around the world can play their very own Shawn Mendes guitar while learning songs like “Stitches” on Fender Play, the complete learning app for guitar, bass and ukulele.

“I am so excited to release this guitar collaboration between Fender and The Shawn Mendes Foundation,” says Shawn. “I hope it inspires some of my fans to pick up and learn guitar for the first time, and to give back while doing so.”

Originally introduced into Fender’s history in 1965, the solid body Musicmaster, envisioned for beginner players, has been a quintessential entry for many guitarists. Mendes himself began his musical journey at the age of 13, picking up an old classical guitar from his father and learning through YouTube tutorials, never giving up and, at times, practicing till his fingers bled. From there Mendes was inspired to pick up his first electric guitar, a black Fender Telecaster, at the age of 14 after hearing the likes of legends and still his current musical influences, such as David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen.

He wanted to bring this same inspiration to his fans and anyone ready to embark on their musical journey with his very own signature model emulating his own guitar playing specifications that have created his tone today. The Shawn Mendes Foundation Musicmaster, adorned with striking floral design art recreated by one of his fans, is a highly personal take on the popular ‘60s short-scale model, featuring an alder body, “C”-shaped maple neck with 9.5” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, 3-position toggle, 6-saddle string through body Strat hardtail with bent steel saddles and a unique single/hum pickup configuration including Tex-Mex Single-Coil Strat (Bridge) and Player Series Humbucking (Neck) pickups, providing a wide range of Fender tones.

The Shawn Mendes Foundation Musicmaster is priced at $749.99.

Eventide Introduced ShimmerVerb

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Eventide introduced ShimmerVerb. It is a unique reverb plug-in with parallel pitch-shifters for ethereal ambience. It is on sale now. You can download a free 30-day demo from the Eventide website.

ShimmerVerb combines a massively lustrous reverb with parallel pitch shifters to add ethereal layers masking any signal, well, “shimmer.” Oftentimes, producers would achieve the effect by using pitch shifting hardware such as Eventide’s H910, H949, or H3000 (or other rack mount units) in combination with a reverb.

This production technique was popularized by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno on U2’s The Unforgettable Fire. Now, this iconic sound has been has been refined and extended with a modern, unified interface that is great for adding dreamy ambiance to guitars, keys, synths, samples, and vocals.

ShimmerVerb shines via its playable, performance-based parameters. THE RIBBON is an easy to program performance macro allowing users to morph between two settings with one control. Desktop users can plug in a MIDI keyboard and gain tactile command over this function via the modulation wheel. Ribbon mappings are great for Feedback swells, moving the Pitch knobs, or changing the Size for a massive detuning result.

ShimmerVerb also boasts a HOTSWITCH for calling up another state of parameters inside the same preset. Use this for changing octaves, turning off/on the pitch shifters, or simply turning the Mix up or down while crafting your performance. Finally, the FREEZE button allows you to make smeared textures out of single voices, full pads, or percussive elements resulting in metallic “shimmers.”

Features

  • Unique reverb plug-in with parallel pitch-shifters on the reverb tail
  • Easily pitch with perfect fourths, fifths, and octaves
  • MicroPitch tuning available around perfect intervals
  • Four octaves of pitch shifting (from two octaves down to two octaves up)
  • Delay pitched signals up to one second or sync them to your DAW’s tempo
  • FEEDBACK determines how much delayed signal is fed back into the input of the reverb
  • Low, Mid, and High cross-over network determines which frequencies are fed back
  • FREEZE holds the current state of the reverb in a smeared texture
  • The RIBBON allows for real-time modification of several parameters at once
  • HOTSWITCH allows for instant switching between two sets of parameters within one preset

Sweetwater’s Monthly Gear Giveaway is $5000 ddrum Recording Kit

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Sweetwater’s July 2020 Monthly Giveaway is a $5,000 ddrum complete drum recording rig. The entry period has already begun, and ends on July 31, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EST. You can enter this giveaway through the Sweetwater website.

Ready to win? It’s time for a new monthly giveaway! This July, we’re giving away this larger-than-life ddrum kit with matching snare, hardware, and Meinl cymbals! In this giveaway package, you’ll find everything you need to play and record in the studio or at home – a 7-piece Shure drum mic kit, Focusrite Claret 8 Pre, and 7 Pro Co XLR cables. Entries are accepted all month long, so fill out the form for your chance to win this exclusive $5,000 set!

This giveaway includes:

  • ddrum Dios Exotic Zebra Wood-Natural 5-piece Drum Set
  • Focusrite Clarett 8Pre USB 18×20 Audio Interface
  • Schure PGADRUMKIT7 7-piece Drum Microphone Kit
  • 7 x Pro Co EXM-20 Excellines Microphone Cable
  • ddrum Dios Natural Zebra Wood Snare – 6.5” x 14” Maple
  • ddrum RX Series RXHP Hardware Pack
  • ddrum 2 x ddrum RXDTS RX Series Double Tom Stand
  • ddrum RX Series RXB3 Pro Boom Stand
  • Meinl Classics Custom Dark Cymbal Box Set with Free 18” Crash

As always there are official rules to be aware of, which you can find on the Sweetwater website where the July 2020 Monthly Giveaway is posted.