Everyone is looking for the Zoom H2, a nifty portable flash recorder with a merciful street of around US$200 and a built-in mic. We know because you’ve all started hitting our ancient page on the H2. It in fact isn’t shipping yet; Sweetwater has an explanation on their site:

The Zoom H2 is expected to begin arriving in stores in August (slightly delayed by an improvement to the microphone design).

Just to demonstrate I’m not linking to them for affiliate cash, I’ll, erm, not link to them. But I expect you can find them (add a dot-com to their name) or try your favorite retailer and perhaps get a similar story.

It looks very nice, and I have to admit I’m myself looking for a new portable recorder. It seems like it’d actually be worth spending the extra US$100 and getting a Zoom H4, which adds XLR/line ins and phantom power for when you need them. (It’s also got four-tracking capability and effects, but the external mic in to me is the big draw.) Advice?

There’s such interest in this, I think we may need to make a portable recorder mega-page. Leave your suggestions here.

We broke the story on the H2 and deferred to our friends on O’Reilly on reviewing the H4. But you will find lots of reader comments (surprisingly, more H4 feedback on the H2 story — check out comments). Could help you make a smart purchasing decision; I’ll be using it to make mine:

Recording@NAMM: Zoom’s $199 USB H2 Mobile Mic/Recorder, Found in the Wild
O’Reilly Reviews Zoom H4 in Hawaii: Good, with Quirks

Software samplers are hardly in short supply, but Digidesign is hoping you’ll pony up extra to add a sampler especially built for Pro Tools. The pay-off in Digidesign’s new Structure sampler is extra integration: you can drag and drop audio Regions directly from a Pro Tools session into Structure, and you can control Structure with Pro Tools control surfaces as well as with MIDI.

Digidesign Structure Product Page

The other features here are mostly typical, but you do get an impressive sound library, with 20 GB of soundware from EastWest and A.I.R., including Quantum Leap Orchestral Elements; if you want more, you can upgrade to 40 GB of sound in EastWest’s Structure-ready library Goliath. Also interesting: unlimited nestable patches, plus 8-channel interleaved samples. At US$499 list, that’s a pretty compelling deal.

This is not Digidesign’s first sampler; the company helped build the market for computer-based samplers with its SampleCell product. If you happen to have a copy of the software version (discontinued some time ago), you can upgrade for US$199 for a limited time. Sounds like that does not include owners of more ancient SampleCell PCI hardware. (Too bad; I know a few lying around!)

Of course, while Structure is the one sampler from Digidesign, it’s not your only choice. Native Instruments’ Kontakt is an extremely powerful sampler, and like Structure, includes an RTAS plug-in for Pro Tools use, just to name one competitor. Unlike Structure, Kontakt and others also include native VST/AU plug-ins for other hosts, so you’ll probably want to skip Structure if you regularly swap DAW software. Then again, most people I talk to are pretty loyal to one DAW, and Pro Tools integration, combined with the good stuff Digi’s recently-acquired soft synth group has been coming up, could put you over the top.

I’m too much invested in native software like Live and Logic to do a proper review of Structure (hey, one person can’t — or shouldn’t — try do everything.) But if any of you Pro Tools users are thinking of getting it and want to write it up, drop me a line.

We first heard about the Mawzer modular control surface over two years ago. In CDM time, that’s like the Bronze Age. The idea was appealing enough: assemble controller layouts by plugging in different modules in whatever combination you like, Lego-style. (See below for someone using actual Legos; that’s another story.) Building specialized music hardware from scratch and dealing with production issues takes time, though, so for quite a while the Mawzer has been off the radar screen. Surprise: the Mawzer is nearly here.

The modular controller prototype has been making the rounds in performance. As of last month, the Mawzer’s creators began taking preorders for the device. And starting this week, the MAWZER is touring Europe in a series of workshops in the device. If any of you Europeans happen to be a stone’s throw from one of the workshops, we’d love a hands-on report! Do take photos!

Mawzer to Launch [Matrixsynth]
Mawzer Controller Demo bei Schneidersbüro [Sequencer.de; in German]
Mawzer News

In the intervening time, I have to admit I’m somewhat less interested than I was originally, just personally. If you want to go custom, it’s not just custom layouts that matter, but changing the form factor and controllers themselves. And since 2005, an increasing number of people have begun forming communities around building such truly custom controllers. I also notice that you can’t hot-swap modules; there’s a warning printed on the inside of the module bay. But those things said, I still love the concept, and I’d love to see the actual unit — if the overall form factor makes sense, this could be ideal. (It also looks especially nice for visualists; one of those performances involved VJing with Resolume.) If you are interested, here’s the preorder pricing, which I imagine looks less scary if you’re in Europe and aren’t suffering from an insanely weak US Dollar:

Prices are intented for first batch of production due July 2007 :
M1610 (empty case) : 627,40 €
Case to hold 16 modules with core system and LCD
M3210 (empty case) : 770,20 €
Case to hold 32 modules with core system and LCD
POTv410 / POTh410 module : 46,35 €
4 potentiometers in horizontal or vertical position
FADv110 module : 43,40 €
1 fader 10cm
ENCv410 module : 49,75 €
4 endless encoders
BUTv410 module : 48,25 €
4 push buttons with leds
XFDv110 module : 51,35 €
2 push buttons with leds + 1 fader 6cm
BLANK module : 6,00 €
Empty module

Related Project: stekgreif: Build Your Own Modular MIDI Controller out of Legos

For those of you anxiously awaiting new software to ship, here’s the latest on our radar:

Digidesign has announced Pro Tools HD 7.2 is shipping immediately, bringing new video support (QuickTime features and AVID integration), a new signal analysis/metering plug-in, and features for multi-channel field recorders. That’s all well and good, of course, but what we’re really waiting for is Intel Mac support as with LE; the prerequisite remains an Intel-based replacement for the Power Mac G5.

Incidentally, you don’t have to own HD to take advantage of the nifty new metering/analysis plug; there’s an RTAS version, too — see the free SignalTools download.

While the big news this week was Avid/Digidesign acquiring rival Sibelius, Finale 2007 now has an official launch date of Monday, August 7. New in this version: linked parts and scores, keystrokes for quickly changing expressions and articulations, Intel Mac support, and integrated video.

Any upgrades or new products that you’re waiting for? Let us know, and we’ll see if we can find out when you’re getting your love.

I may have to stop writing about new items, because as soon as I do, they disappear for a few months. (Okay, maybe it’s not me, specifically.) The reality is, shipping music products takes a long time, so a six month or more lag between when products are introduced (often at the massive NAMM trade show in January) and when they actually ship. Here are two products you can now finally get your mitts on:

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First up, Moogulator.com has details on the Korg RADIAS synth: apparently a last-minute redesign delayed shipment, but the RADIAS is now available. It seems that brilliant folding rack design we loved so much might mash someone’s fingers. (Hey, Moogulator, why did you have to point out it was someone in the US who mashed his fingers? You saying we’re more prone to acc– OW! I just sprained a finger typing.) No word on how Korg will deal with the danger of dropping this synth on your toes. Moving on …

In other news, Novation is shipping the ReMOTE SL ZeRO, the compact, keyboardless version of their ReMOTE SL keyboards. It ain’t cheap for a small controller at GBP229, but then again, Novation’s build quality is superb and the ability to automatically map controls and onboard LCDs to your favorite software could be worth it. That completes Novation’s SL line; 25-, 37-, and 61-key versions are all shipping, though 61-key models are in short supply. (Message to manufacturers: most of us still like lots of octaves.) More on this gear soon, once I can bear to deal with NoVAtiOn’s ARBItrarY CAPitalIZation oF THEir PROduCT namES.

We posted a review by our own Jaymis Loveday of Behringer’s BCD2000 DJ computer control surface. It’s a useful piece of kit, with DJ-style mixer controls, scratch surfaces, and built-in audio. Only one problem: Mac drivers and the product itself appear to be MIA.

Update 2006-01-13: We have learned that a BCD2000 user, Evinyatar has released an OSX compatible driver (Universal Binary, MIDI functions only), and has plans for more customizations. -JL

Behringer’s North American PR rep Derrick Davis tells us the BCD2000 isn’t shipping in quantity yet; Jaymis got his hands on a limited-release shipment. The Mac is currently unsupported; that much we can confirm, as we’ve received a couple of reports in which Mac users tell us they’ve been unable to get it working. (The device itself is not class-compliant and requires drivers for the control surface to communicate with the computer.) Behringer expects to ship in quantity soon, though Davis didn’t know whether Mac drivers would be included. It would be surprising if they were not, given the BCD’s fader and rotary controller siblings (The BCF- and BCR2000, respectively) are Mac-compatible. But, really, we won’t know until it ships. Stay tuned.

M-Audio had a big role in popularizing the cheap, simple USB/MIDI keyboards that are ubiquitous today. By about a year ago, though, M-Audio’s own options were looking somewhat lacking: while still very affordable, they lacked the variety of controls on some of their competitors, plus higher-end features like aftertouch that had begun to make their way to budget-priced models.

At NAMM in January, M-Audio unveiled their answer: the all-new Axiom line. These keyboards look and feel better than the previous models, and add features like assignable aftertouch and semi-weighted keys. But, to quote Gypsy, you gotta have a gimmick, and this is the deal-closer for many people: 8 built-in trigger pads, a la M-Audio’s Trigger Finger.

The upcoming genoQs octopus tabletop MIDI sequencer is one crazy piece of hardware: no fewer than 258 pushbuttons make up the alien interface of this device, with a healthy selection of endless encoder knobs, and a giant spiral of LEDs. Somehow, this setup gives you 144 pages of rhythmic patterns, up to 9 of which you can play at the same time, with polyphonic, shuffle, groove, and roll modes. You can plug in a laptop USB light via the USB port on the back (clever), and it has a full complement of MIDI I/O. The link below has documentation on how it works if you want to try to figure it out.

Let’s put it this way: you’ve seen the end of Close Encounters. If aliens try to make first contact on Earth and they need someone to sequence up a response with a rack of MIDI synths, this is the device you’re going to want to do it. And the fact that the price is TBD, well, what price saving Earth, really?

genoQs octopus tabletop sequencer [Analogue Haven]

I’ll be watching my mashed potatoes for signs that I should pre-order one. And while I’m waiting for buying advice from my starches, I’ve got plenty of other candidates. The octopus comes to us via the L.A. area’s superb analog instrument store Analogue Haven, and they’ve got plenty of other product news, too . . .

Native Instruments’ hotly-anticipated solution for playing soft synths, cataloging sounds, and performing with software in the studio and onstage is here. KORE is now available in stores and shipping, with a street around US$500 (just under US$1500 buys you KORE plus Native’s insanely massive Komplete collection of instruments as part of a special intro).

Native is also launching a US tour with the product, a set of online video demos, and a range of limited-edition intro deals.

Pictured here: what happens if you use KORE in the middle of a global thermonuclear war. That or else what happens if you plug in the wrong kind of AC adapter. (KORE Meltdown? From the KORE Tour Intro video.)

If you are getting KORE, here’s what you’ll want to know about the update and getting started using the package . . .

Like many, I’ve been eagerly anticipating trying the ultra-compact Faderfox “micromodul” controllers. They’re small enough to fit over the QWERTY keyboard on a laptop or to be propped atop a music keyboard, and are specially designed for applications like Ableton Live and Traktor DJ. With multi-function triggers, joysticks, and cross-faders on top of the usual buttons and faders, they’d appear to cover all you need to do. But while I knew the designer was planning a second generation, regular visits to his site (including one last week) didn’t prevent me from missing the announcement.

Today, Mathias tells CDM some good news:

They’re shipping worldwide this time (last release was Europe-only), with US retailers expected.

Prices will be about the same with a slight price increase. Last time around, they were EUR179 including tax.

Availability: February / March

Also new: various accessories including a slick aluminum case for porting them around. Yes, they’re MIDI rather than USB, but with MIDI ports sprouting on audio devices, USB control surfaces, and USB music keyboards, I hardly imagine that will be a problem.

Incidentally, looks like you might be able to snag a discontinued model before they run out.