Manufacturers have attempted to make USB connections for audio and MIDI more transparent before. We’ve seen mics with USB cords instead of XLR, and USB cables with little humps in the middle with built-in circuitry for MIDI connections. But new cables announced this week by Chinese manufacturer CME go further: a USB/MIDI cable that’s as thin as a standard USB connection, a USB mic interface with integrated +48V phantom power, and a guitar/bass/keyboard USB interface.

The U2MIDI is a USB 2.0 (not the usual 1.1) MIDI interface, with plug-and-play driver-less connection to Windows, Linux, and Mac. You can even use multiple cables on the same setup. This could be a perfect complement to the MIDI-only Faderfox control hardware beloved by Traktor and Ableton users.

The U2GKB plugs guitars, keyboards, and bass into a USB 2.0 connection, with a minijack for plugging in headphones for monitoring. The U2MIC does the same for microphones, but surprisingly with +48V phantom power (according to CME, the “first” such device to do so). Conveniently enough, both include a dedicated mute switch and pre-amp on/off buttons.

The big question for me on the audio devices is quality. CME promises “high-quality” A/D converters and pre-amps, but since I’ve never seen a press release that promises “low-grade, cheap electronics”, there’s no saying for sure until this ships. Keep your fingers crossed. I’m certainly excited about the MIDI cables. With most of my gear having gone USB, this could be just the thing for the last holdovers when I want to reduce cables and gear — and I’m sure I’m not alone.

Availability: Spring 2007
Pricing: US$34.95 and up

CME Products Site

For those of you not in the know, Neutrik is the major manufacturer of sound connectors. Their brilliant XLR/TRS combination jack, finally allowing you to swap mic and guitar/line cables in a single jack, is so popular that most people call it simply a “Neutrik” jack.

Now they’re adding USB. Maybe I’m crazy, but there’s something satisfying about the industrial metal design of this sample I brought back from the Anaheim show. It makes me want to get 7 more and build a USB hub / patch bay for all these USB keyboards and triggers proliferating in my studio. Anyone got some great design ideas?

Also in “breaking connector news,” for anyone who cares: XLR connections that are more resistant to noise and interference, and fiber optic connections that are more resistant to dirt, meaning they might even work here in Manhattan.

When is a digital cable better than a digital guitar? When it actually solves a problem guitarists have. We’re still not sure what’s so great about Gibson’s Digital Guitar, even after hearing it played at NAMM but we immediately grasped the utility of IK Multimedia’s new StealthPlug. It’s a compact audio interface built into a cable that makes it dead simple to plug a guitar into a computer and take advantage of software-based amp and effects modeling.

One side of the StealthPlug has a standard 1/4″ jack, while the other has a USB plug. It also includes volume adjustment buttons, an indication LED, and a 1/8 stereo output for headphones, powered speakers, or an amp. Ed: note that the headphone amp makes this a great practice amp — or an in-ear monitor feed. -PK

The StealthPlug includes AmpliTube Live and LE, with guitar amp and effects models based on modern and vintage classics. It is expected to ship first quarter for a price yet-to-be determined.

Previously:

CES: Bringing Guitarists Kicking and Screaming into the Digital Revolution

Gibson’s Digital Les Paul Guitar: Innovation or Reinvention?