Why not treat your Access Virus to some great new sounds. 384 sounds in three sets, Euphoria, Creative Distortion and Fortune and Glory. This is Simple Download with patch list and loading instructions included. The soundsets already have a great and very competative price and now you can save £3.98 by purchasing all three sets together.

These sounds cover a massive range of Genres from Electro to Dance, Trance to Urban, Rock to Minimal, Ambient to House. They are packed solid with bass, leads, pads, arps, drums and effects all with that great Access Virus Sound. Just click the image below to take you to the three pack set:-

I am new to the world of the iPad where there is now an iPad 2 and shortly arriving the iPad 3 and as a musician, I was very surprised to find out just how many Apps (applications) are out there that are so useful to me, many of them Free or very liitle – $.99 which is £0.69. One of my first thoughts as I started to investigate and move up the ladder from an iPad Muso newbie, was how do I best connect my new iOS portable music wonder to all my other MIDI equipment and the outside world? I found to my surprise that there are not many devices available and a visit to my local Apple store confirmed this leaving me with the thought that Apple have missed a golden opportunity here. I started off by looking at the IK Multimedia iRig MIDI and Line 6’s MIDI Mobilizer which they suggested in the store. These looked OK to me, were not very expensive and were small and portable and I could connect to all of my MIDI equipment. The problem seemed to be that this is all they seemed to connect to. The iPad itself has only two connections, so what about a studio setup where you want MIDI, Audio outs, USB connection, Audio In, connection for Mics and Guitars etc? Yes, you could buy more IK Multimedia iRig products that they have to connect Mics and Guitars but this leaves you with a mess of leads and connectors with limitations due to the lack of iPad connectivity. I then found the iConnect MIDI box which despite its bulky appearance seemed to be more like what I wanted. It had great MIDI connectivity and plenty of USB but unfortunately no Audio connections. Then along came the Alesis IO Dock which started me thinking that this is exactly what I need.

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE ALESIS IO DOCK?

When I first saw this product, I must admit that I did not take much notice of it. The was because I believed it to be another make of an iOS device. I was completely fooled by its images when advertised, because it was so cleverly integrated with the iPad that I thought it was one whole unit. I think this is probably the best compliment that I could possibly give this product as Alesis completely designed this from both a musician’s and iPad user’s perspective – brilliant. I should have taken more notice of the name “IO Dock” but you know what those clever advertisers are like – they make your eyes go straight to the imagery. The iPad very neatly slides into this docking station which is exactly the same size (length and Width) as the iPad. You then have the iPad fully supported, angled for good visibility and use – perfect. The IO dock is wedge-shaped creating this angled view for you and sits on four rubber feet displaying the iPad in Landscape mode. OK so let’s get it out of the box, connected up and find out what it can do.

UNPACKING AND CONNECTING UP THE ALESIS IO DOCK

As you take it out of the box you will find that it is built of hard plastic. It feels solid and sturdy enough but at the same time it feels fairly lightweight. It is smart looking black plastic which is edged in silver. It was designed for the iPad 1 so included and installed is an adapter for use with the iPad2. This is really a cradle that locks into place to take account of the iPad 2’s slimmer size. As you slide it in, it connects to the iPad connector inside the IO Dock and holds and protects the iPad. Despite the fact that the iPad is exposed on one side it is held in quite firmly and will not fall out and it doesn’t scratch the iPad in any way as you slide it in regardless of its tight fit. The only thing you have to get used to is taking out of the IO Dock. It will slide out but takes a bit of oomph to disconnect from its 30-pin connector as you slide it out. With the iPad inside it weighs 970 grams so you have some good stability as you put it down for use on its four rubber feet. The IO Dock has a mains power connection and comes with a suitable adaptor. This is also good in that it charges up the iPad as well. It is a shame that there is no indicator to say that it is connected to the dock. I suppose once it is in it either will or won’t work. There is also a Quick Start guide in the box and I know the IO Dock is simply ‘plug and play’ but I would have liked it to include more information on usage and greater specification information.

I now come to the part of connecting up. Connections are on three sides of the wedge-shaped dock with obviously none at the front as it comes down to the thin end of the wedge. It is not possible to have all of the connections out of the back without increasing the size significantly. You may have visions of cables spreading out all over your desktop from the three sides of the dock but you have to offset that a little bit by the sheer amount of connectivity that Alesis has put into this.

MAKING YOUR AUDIO  CONNECTIONS ON THE ALESIS IO DOCK

The iPad to me sounds remarkably good considering how thin it is but with the use of the two main audio outs on the IO dock connected to your own Studio setup it you get a bit of the wow factor. I tried Jordan Rudess MorphWiz App, Yamaha’s Tenori-On App the TNR-I and SynthTronica and they sounded awesome. So for Audio Outs you have two 1/4″ Balanced TRS Main Audio Output jacks located at the back that I used, and on the right-hand side is a stereo 1/4″ Balanced TRS Headphone socket with individual volume controls for Main and Headphones. For Audio inputs at the back you will find two combined XLR /1/4″ Balanced TRS sockets with individual gain controls. There is also Phantom power which is switchable for Condenser Mics and a Guitar (high-impedance) switch on Input 2. Lastly there is a 1/4″ Footswitch and the function can be assigned by Apps such as stop/start or record.

COMPLETE MIDI SECTION ON THE ALESIS IO DOCK

On the left hand side you have the MIDI section with MIDI IN and MIDI OUT din connectors and a MIDI USB connector. I connected my keyboard to this and really enjoyed the fact I could play some awesome Synth Apps like Sunrizer, and I really must get around to trying Korg’s iMS20 and of course the Animoog.

WHAT ABOUT CONNECTING YOUR ALESIS IO DOCK TO YOUR TV ?

The only connection that I have not mentioned on the IO Dock is the Video Output which is an RCA Composite and requires compatible Apps. I must say, I like this idea, especially to watch some of the TV on demand programmes for things I have missed. I was watching the first series of ‘Misfits’ via my iPad but now I can put it on my larger TV screen. I did this and the picture quality was still very good as it was on the iPad. From a musicians point of view I found I could also do this with You Tube clips which is useful from the educational perspective as well as the entertainment. All I had to do was to connect the headphone out socket to the left and right inputs on my TV and connect the Video Out socket to the Video In on the TV. Another good use you might find for this is using as a means to project images / video as a backdrop on stage with your band – awesome.

QUALITY OF CONNECTIONS ON THE ALESIS IO DOCK

This is a difficult one but I certainly found all of the connections to work well. Alesis have been established since 1980 and they manufacture professional audio and musical instrument. They have provided a variety of innovative products to date and always manage to keep the cost extremely reasonable. With the IO Dock, I would say that is exactly what you have here – great value for the money. Whilst the Inputs and Outputs are not the best you could have, they most certainly do more than a good job. I did not find any excessive noise, pops or crackles and everything sounded clear and clean.

RECORDING WITH THE USE OF THE ALESIS IO DOCK

If you intend recording, you will probably like the fact that on the IO Dock you have a direct-monitor switch, which will enable you to toggle between the incoming and playback signal on your headphones – very useful. The iPad DAW that most folk are using is the excellent Garage Band. Again compared to say the £300 Daws that you buy, here is a DAW costing £3. With the aid of the Alesis IO Dock you have a very portable recording studio at an outstanding price. You can put down your song-writing ideas out on the road or connect to other MIDI devices, with the use of the MIC and Guitar inputs you can record everything quick and easily. If you play Guitar or Bass you will like the fact that with the IO Dock’s DI input, you will be able to play and record right into Apps that have Amp-Modelling Effects. From a band point of view, you can easily record your rehearsals or use it for playing back loops, sound effects etc.

THE FUTURE AND THE APPLE iPAD IN A MUSICIANS WORLD

Well Winter NAMM has just brought us a few surprises – well four of them would you believe relating to the iPad. Alesis have just announced two more docking stations but this time with particular roles in mind. Firstly the new Alesis AmpDock aimed solely at the guitarist with control knobs on the dock and a pedalboard. For Drummers there is the Alesis DM Dock turning your iPad into a Drum Module with 13 x 1/4-inch TRS trigger inputs, all of which are dual zone. It also supports multiple choke-able cymbals including triple-zone ride, and dual-zone continuous hi-hats. From AKAI there is MPC Fly, which basically houses your iPad turning it into a hardware and software MPC – great idea. Lastly for live mixing another excellent idea which integrates the iPad with specific hardware is Mackie’s new mixer – The Mackie DL1608 16-Channel Digital Live Sound Mixer with iPad Control, so you mix on the fly, out front with just your iPad – how cool is that? OK, these are all great products and wonderful ideas but to me they are all job-specific. With the IO Dock you have an assortment of connections for many different jobs.

SUMMING UP THE ALESIS IO DOCK

There is no doubt in my mind that the IO Dock is a well-designed docking station for the iPad built to meet today’s needs on the road or the studio. It has the connectivity that you need but also acts as a suitable case to protect your iPad and provides you with a solid workstation angled for good visibility and use. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of competition at present. 2012 will no doubt see further growth in Music App development and whilst people can play on the tiny keyboards supplied in the App, musicians want to MIDI this up to their own keyboard and use the App like a hardware Synth and have the Audio blast through their own Studio Setup. This is all now possible and what I really like (compared to a PC) is that the iPad gives you fast access to many Synths. You can switch from one to another without waiting for long loading times. The best news has got to be the cost of Apps and I could not believe how low they are compared to their hardware counterparts or PC Software equivalents. If you are a Musician with an iPad then you need good MIDI and Audio connections as an absolute minimum. The Alesis IO Dock has so much more and therefore has got to me a must-have for you.

NEWS OF NEW ALESIS DOCKS FOR THE iPAD AND iPAD 2

If you want to use your iPad for a job-specific purpose then you may want to check-out the new products just announced at Namm where Alesis themselves have released two new products -The Amp Dock which is a Muti-effects Guitar Processor for the iPad and the DM Dock which is Drum Module dock for the iPad.

Remember, if you are considering purchasing an Alesis IO Dock, Amp Dock or the Drum Dock for you to take your iPad to another level in terms of audio and Midi, then please consider Absolute Music for a great price and great service. Just simply click the orange banner below to go direct to their site:-

Mackie Speakers have been around quite a few years now and I have been a few bands that have used their SRM (Sound Reinforcement Monitors) range of speakers and I must say I have always thought they do a very professional job, are reliable with a great build quality and sound great. Mackie decided to re-design them and they now have a version 2 range of SRM speakers and following my review of their cheaper Mackie Thump range, I decided to look at the SRM 450v2.

I thought that the SRM 450 (both version 1 and 2) had 15inch woofers because of the frequency range that they both cover from 45Hz – 20KHz, but they do in fact have 12 inch woofers. This frequency range is as good as many 15” active monitors on the market.

WEIGHING UP THE MACKIE SRM 450 v2

As I have said before, the weight of a speaker is becoming more of consideration when purchasing active speakers especially as they include built-in amplification which seriously adds to the burden of what you have to carry about. Today to keep the weight down companies are using injection-molded polypropylene for their cabinets The Mackie Thump with a 15 inch Woofer weighed and incredible 36 lbs. / 16.3 kg and this weight is extremely hard to beat. The SRM 450s are of a stronger build and unfortunately do weigh more. Version 1 weighed 51 lbs. / 23.2 kg and this felt a bit on the heavy side however, the Version 2 SRM 450’s are 11lbs lighter – coming in at a very acceptable 40lbs / 18 kg. The fact that they have a 12 inch woofer mean that they are slightly smaller than the 15 inch monitors from other manufacturers, combined with a great weight mean that these are a very portable option.

I really noticed this when I mounted it on a speaker pole as it felt easier due to three of its attributes; size, weight and weight distribution. The two comfortable handles on either side are positioned perfectly to provide you with this evenness as you lift – they say that the design is Asymmetrical Trapezoidal (try saying that after a few drinks). There is also a third handle on top to help with manoeuvres. With their optional extra holder bag, they pack easily in the back of your car. The sizes are:- 660 x 390 x 376 mm which is 26 x 15.4 x 14.8 inches

WHAT IS VERSION 2 ALL ABOUT?

Well apart from being 11lbs. lighter, it looks identical to its predecessor but version 2 houses a new lightweight neodymium woofer, a new heat-treated titanium compression driver and Class-D Fast Recovery amplification which allow the units to stay very cool. On top of this, the transducers have been upgraded, along with the three-inch voice coil. These improvements provide greater power with more clarity and punch than version 1 had.

TRANSDUCERS – WOOFER AND COMPRESSION DRIVER

Mackie’s main design criteria were to have studio sound quality on stage and I seriously believe that they achieved this. Version 1 type SRM450s delivered a punchy bottom to the sound, incredibly this has improved in version 2 by way of its servo feedback technology, which locks the 12 inch woofer in place with the positive and negative outputs of the amplifier to make them sound even larger. For the lower frequencies the 12 inch / 300 mm Woofer which has a 3 inch / 75mm voice coil and a frequency range of 45 Hz to 3kHz, whilst for the higher frequency range there is a heat-treated titanium 1.75 inch / 44.5 mm compression driver which has a frequency range of 1kHz to 20kHz for accurate reproduction of the Mid and Upper range. Both have a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.

AMPLIFICATION

There are two power amplifiers (Low and High) which Mackie say are “Fast Recovery” which basically allows them to quickly recover if they were driven into ‘Clipping’. The Specifications for them are: – The Low Amp produces 540 watts peak (300 watts continuous) before clipping and the High Amp produces 150 watts peak (100 watts continuous) before clipping.

Mackie also tell us that “you get a complete loudspeaker system, with complex electronics and carefully chosen components, all precisely tuned and tweaked to work together. The result is a loudspeaker with phenomenal sound quality and power, that’s completely plug-and-play and no EQ is needed”. I wouldn’t fully agree with that statement. Despite Mackie doing a great job, there are many situations which require some EQ. In my own case I have been used to a 15” woofer as some Synth sounds really have a big low-end and although these 12 inch woofers cover a similar frequency range they are not as warm as some 15 inch woofers, but with a little bit of EQ in my opinion, this can compensate to some extent for this.

With nothing plugged into the SRM450v2 I found that there is no unwanted noise or hiss, you only hear a little bit as you get anywhere between very high and maximum volume, which you are unlikely to do anyway. Also I used the SRM450v2 for a good 4 hours and it did not get warm and the sound was still very clean.

THE MACKIE CROSSOVER

Mackie explain their crossover very well given you every confidence in their product. They tell us that “the built-in electronic crossover is a 24dB / octave Linkwitz-Riley design which is more expensive than other designs but that the benefits include:- 1) Absolutely flat frequency response throughout the Bandpass without the characteristic ripple near the crossover point exhibited by other designs. 2) The sharp 24dB per octave roll-off of the filters ensures that the transducers are not reproducing frequencies outside of their capabilities. 3) The acoustic sum of the two driver responses is unity at the crossover frequency resulting in perfect power response. 4) They provide perfect phase response yielding phenomenal accuracy even at 20 feet away”.

This sounds extremely impressive but how good do these Version 2 speakers sound?

LIVE SOUND TEST

My main use is to use one as a keyboard / vocal stage monitor. As I played, the band commented on the warmth and clarity of the sound. They were able to hear my keyboards clearly through the loud guitar and drum sound on stage and I think this was partly due to Mackie’s ultra-wide dispersion of sound because no matter where you stand you get the full depth and definition of the mix. Sometimes I struggle to hear my own vocals against the power of our lead vocalist but with this Mackie, this was much more defined. I have to say, I don’t think I have had a better on-stage sound. If you can hear clearly, you can play tighter and you are more relaxed. I experienced all of these and it was a very pleasing experience. The dynamic range of my synth certainly put the SRM through its paces but it performed admirably. The other thing that I was aware of was that I had little to no feedback from my vocals during the sound-check, where it was pushed to ascertain the limit.

SETTING UP CONTROLLING THE MACKIE SRM 450 v2

You can really position/ angle these in every way possible as they have been designed to be pole-mounted from the bottom, you can fly them vertically or horizontally via their integrated M10 mounting points or use them as a wedge monitors and of course with their lighter weight now, this is so much easier.

OK so let’s have a look around the back where you will find all of the connections and controls logically laid out and clearly labelled for you. At the top of this control panel are three indicator lights for Thermal, Peak and Signal Present. The Power On/Off button has a useful addition in the form of a ‘Time Turnoff’ switch. I like this because it puts it into an energy saving mode after three minutes of silence, then cleverly reactivates if it receives an input signal. My first surprise was the fact that there appeared to be no EQ, so what have Mackie done instead? Well there is something called a ‘Contour’ button which reduces the mid-frequencies between 100Hz and 12kHz and a ‘Low-Cut’ button which allows you to roll off the bass frequencies below 75Hz. These do a good job and could be a very quick solution to playing in places where there are already high levels at these frequencies but I think I would prefer a 3 or 4 band EQ.

Also on the back panel are: – XLR Input and Thru sockets and a Level control. The XLR input can take either a line or microphone signal, which allows you to use the SRM450s as a basic vocal PA without the use of a mixer and can be adjusted with the input level control knob. I put my Shure SM58 directly in and although there is no EQ, it gave a great clear crisp sound to my voice. If you need to add more SR450v2 monitors for a larger PA, you can daisy-chain them by use of the XLR Thru socket. Lastly there is a thermal cut-out indicator that activates if the unit has been driven too hard for too long a period of time. This automatically switches it into a protected mode until it has been given time to cool down.

CONCLUSION

Well there you have it a very reliable, high output powered speaker with a great frequency range, great punchy, clean sound in a very portable nice looking package. They do not get hot, however hard you push them and at this quality level they are a great price. They have been designed to sound like monitors so that under a ‘Live’ setup they give a detailed and accurate mix but also have a fantastic ultra-wide dispersion to hear the sound clearly wherever you stand. They have a built-in protection circuitry for long life with a built-in limiter for less distortion at peak levels. You can position and mount them easily anywhere and at only 40lbs they are not going to break your back – they sound just right for me.

The Korg Kaossilator 2 Highlights:

Play the synthesizer simply by using your finger to stroke, tap, or rub the touchpad
150 built-in sounds cover every style of dance music
PCM sound engine serves up realistic drums
Scale Key and Note Range eliminates “wrong” notes
Built-in Gate Arpeggiator with adjustable gate time and swing settings
Loop Recording allows the creation of layered phrases with unlimited overdubs
Dual Loop Recording banks allow DJ-Style mutes and cross-fades
Record using the built-in mic; or use the mic input for recording of external input
MicroSD/SDHC card slot for saving loops and recorded performances
Operation linked with KORG iKaossilator for iPhone
Easy-to-read screen uses high-visibility organic EL (OEL) display
VALUE slider allows smooth parameter control
Battery operation and built-in speaker for on-the-go enjoyment

The Korg Mini Kaoss Pad 2 Highlights:

Control effects in real time using the intuitive touchpad interface
100 effect programs, ideal for DJ mixes or sound design
3 Program Memories provide instant recall of favorite effects
FX RELEASE applies a natural “tail” to the effect sound
Powerful Looper, Vinyl Break, & Ducking Comp effects borrowed from the KAOSS PAD QUAD
Use the “Hold” feature to memorize a position on the touchpad
Built-in Auto BPM detection
Internal mic plus external audio inputs
MP3 player with microSD card slot for data storage/exchange;
Perform on the mini KAOSS PAD 2 without needing any other equipment!
Support for pitch change and cue point settings allows serious DJ play.
Record your performances
6 preset loops for use as audio demos sample?Easy-to-read screen uses high-visibility organic EL (OEL) display
VALUE slider allows smooth parameter control
Battery operation and built-in speaker for on-the-go enjoyment

The 16 square trigger pads provide 127 levels of Velocity response with X-Y location and continuous pressure. There are 2 rotary sensors which allow you to scrub, trigger, stretch, pinch and play phrases and sound files, manipulate continuous controllers and more . Each rotary sensor measures angle, pressure and distance from the center.

The 9 Multi-touch touch sensitive sliders can be mapped to fader and effects controls. LEDs within each slider act as VU meters or remind you where you were. Multi-touch lets you select a length between two fingers to set stereo locations or filter resonances. Tapping a slider can mute or toggle any track or function.

The switches are located in smart groupings to select samples, fader banks, and transport controls. Each of the switches can scan up and down through files at speeds variable with your touch. Great for quickly locating that perfect fill or telling your looper you really meant it.

QuNeo is the size of an iPad and can fit in iPad accessories such as mic clips, stands and more. It works with USB, MIDI or OSC and will communicate with your favorite music software environments right out of the box. More advanced users and programmers can use the development kit and API to create their own code to respond to QuNeo’s sensor data. Hack away to control your world in ways never before possible!

With extensive additional feature sets that bring the hardware bang up to date with competitive rival plug-ins and a player’s piano feel and new controls making it all the more authentic, it covers all your bases.

Perhaps the most important addition is one of sympathetic strings, or Acoustic Resonance as it’s called here, which replicates the sounds of strings other than the ones you’re playing very gently reverberating in the background – it’s the piano ‘jangle’ that occurs when you hit an acoustic instrument’s keys hard with the sustain on, and its inclusion here can only make for a more authentic playing experience.

New features include a triple pedal that’s been engineered not only to feel like a real piano’s would, but is also capable of generating the incidental dampener sounds too – Nord describes them as ‘stomp’ and ‘sizzle’.

Nord is also making a big deal of the fact that you can replace every single sound stored within the Piano 2 HA 88, to the extent of editing full sample instruments using the included software. Selecting, editing, layering and splitting sounds with dedicated buttons should be a simplistic, common-sense experience – Nord is keen to avoid endless menu cycling, and therefore has made sure that all major functions are represented by hands-on controls. The layers, incidentally, can be slowly brought into your mix by attaching a volume pedal to the provided input.

Finally, the FX section on the Nord Piano 2 HA 88 is particularly comprehensive – you’re able to fire up amp simulations, add choruses, delays and wah-wahs, and EQ your tones to get them just-so.

It’s the quality and playing authenticity that Nord is known for, with significantly more in the way of features, and the Acoustic Resonance and redesigned pedal sounds alone are worth your attention.

Nord Piano 2 HA88 main features:

* Portable Digital Piano with 88 Hammer Action Weighted keys
* Grand, Upright and Electric Piano sounds from the Nord Piano Library
* Nord Triple Pedal included
* Advanced String Resonance
* Nord Sample Library with over 1000 instruments
* Create your own samples with the Nord Sample Editor
* Volume pedal input
* Dedicated buttons and knobs for all functions
* Effects include Phaser, Wah-wah, Flanger, Chorus, Delay, 3-band Equalizer, Amp Simulations, Compressor and Reverb

Here is a list of what the update includes:-

* Bug fixes – Various bug fixes based on direct customer feedback. “Customer First” approach ensures highest impact items are given priority. Complete list of fixes will be available upon release.

* FX Chains update – New “Mod Matrix” feature allows mapping up to four parameters to one knob, and the ability to set control ranges and invert direction. Range control is now graphical, simplifying integration with the new Mod Matrix. The new “Touch Learn” feature speeds mapping of controls.

* Rewire 64 support– 64-bit versions of SONAR X1d will be natively compatible with 64-bit ReWire applications.

* V-Studio 700 enhancements – In addition to specific bug fixes , SONAR X1d deeply integrates with the V-Studio 700 via enhanced ProChannel and FXChain integration.

* Quick Group update– Now provides Quick Group control of virtually every track and bus parameter. Highlights include full ProChannel support and creation, deletion and scrolling of aux sends.

* Keyboard Shortcut improvements – Updates have been applied to existing shortcut controls, and the keyboard shortcuts preference page now includes a search function. In addition, Key Clusters have been updated to include one-touch ProChannel access and quicker access to snap functions.

* Usability and UI improvements – Further demonstrating Cakewalk’s commitment to improving customer experience with SONAR X1, the SONAR X1d update includes many usability and interface enhancements. The improvements and enhancements include a Metronome update with beat subdivisions and indented folder tracks in the Track View.

* NEW! QuadCurve EQ – SONAR X1 Producer Expanded customers will get an updated ProChannel EQ called QuadCurve EQ. The QuadCurve EQ has an improved graph that features helpful labeling and color-coded bands as well as controls that display always visible, embedded values. Existing Gloss EQ modes have been renamed to better describe their function, and a new 4th mode has been added. This new “Hybrid” mode is an asymmetrical, dual-dependency, mode that’s extremely versatile and simultaneously suited for both clinical tasks and tonal shaping.

Availability:
The SONAR X1d free update for SONAR X1 Essential, SONAR X1 Studio, SONAR X1 Producer & SONAR X1 Producer Expanded will be available mid February via a free download from www.cakewalk.com.

The SONAR X1d update requires SONARX1c to be installed.

The Mackie DL1608 features 16 great preamps which are the same ones that are featured on the Onyx range of mixing desks. Combine this with the built-in 24-bit Cirrus Logic AD/DA converters and you have yourself one hell of a great sounding product!

What is so different with this product is that it has wireless integration with an iPad, so you can control your mix from anywhere in the venue! This means that you can control levels, pans and even plug-ins such as EQ, compression, reverb, etc. from wherever you are standing. The Mackie DL1608 supports up to 10 iPads, meaning that it can completely replace a system that up until recently would have required a bulky, heavy console and racks of gear!

In addition it has built-in DSP and is packed with a wealth of powerful plug-ins on every channel, giving you access to everything you need to create polished live mixes, without the need to spend thousands of pounds on additional hardware. From dynamic control plug-ins to EQ and effects such as reverb and delay, the DL1608 comes complete with them all!

Because the Mackie DL1608 makes use of digital circuitry, you can save mix settings with the press of a button! This allows you to store settings that are specific to individual bands, venues or songs and then instantly recall them when needed! What’s more is that if you are struggling to get an instrument to sound just right in the mix, the DL1608 comes complete with a selection of presets, so you can just scroll through and find one that brings the instrument to life before making any necessary tweaks.

You can even record your mix directly to your iPad, making it easy to archive and share a performance and you can also play music directly from your iPad, which is useful for intervals or for before a show – What a great product.

Specs:

* 16 Onyx mic preamps
* High-end Cirrus Logic® converters
* Ultra low-noise, high-headroom design
* 6 aux sends for monitor mixes
* Master L/R output for mains
* Powerful, touch-sensitive plug-ins
* 4-band EQ, gate and compression on inputs
* 31-band GEQ and comp/limiter on outputs
* Global reverb and delay
* Seamless wired to wireless mixing
* Tune the room from anywhere
* Get on stage to ring out monitors
* Personal monitor mixing
* Use up to 10 iPad devices simultaneously
* Intuitive Master Fader app
* “Grow and Glow” visual feedback
* Preset and snapshot recall
* Record the mix to the iPad for instant sharing
* Integrate music from any app into the mix
* PadLock™ feature locks down iPad for permanent installs
* Industry standard Kensington lock secures mixer
* Compact footprint saves precious workspace
* 15.5? x 11.5? x 3.9?
* 6.9 lbs / 3.2 kg