Missed everything that's gone on in the gear world this week? Never fear - we've got you covered.
This week, we’re checking out a limited new Octatrack from Swedish juggernauts Elektron plus a new monitor range from Berlin titans HEDD, as well as new gear from PreSonus, Bad Cat and Mr. Black.
1. Elektron Octatrack MKII Anniversary Edition
Released to the public back in 2010, the Elektron Octatrack was nothing short of a gamechanger for electronic music producers, offering eight tracks of dynamic sampling and performance inside a sleek interface perfect for the stage or the studio.
A contemporary device that excels with filthy techno, pumping house and broken beat hip-hop alike, there’s been few machines impact the world of hardware in the 21st century quite like the Octatrack, and now, Elektron are celebrating their flagship device with the Octatrack MKII Anniversary Edition.
Limited to 350 units, the MKII Anniversary Edition features an aesthetic fusion of elements from both MKI and MKII of the Octatrack, and is loaded with a bunch of unique artist content and items onto a custom 32GB CF card. It’s also wrapped up in a sweet box with artwork from Tokyo-based artist m7kenji, and comes with a matching poster to boot. Head to the Elektron website to snag one ASAP!
2. HEDD Audio MK2 Monitor Series
Berlin audio gurus have presented a massive new launch with the MK2 series of studio monitors, offering four new monitors and two subwoofers to their esteemed product range.
Featuring those killer AMT tweeters pioneered by HEDD and ADAM Audio co-founder Klaus Heinz, the MK2 range is comprised of two 2-way and 3-way monitors – the Type 05 MK2 and Type 07 MK2 being the former, and the Type 20 MK2 and Type 30 MK2 fulfilling the latter. Both variations feature the inclusion of the HEDD Lineariser, a phase linearisation tool to provide enhanced spatial reproduction and sublime impulse responses, as well as a number of filter options and analogue-digital I/O connectivity. There’s even a removable foam plug to let you choose whether you want a ported or closed back monitor – nice!
Meanwhile in sub land, the HEDD Bass 08 offers 300 watts of power into an eight inch woofer with a frequency response of 24-80 Hz, whereas the Bass 12 provides a whopping 700w of power into 12″ woofer with a frequency range of 20-80Hz. The series is set to be rolled out this January – keep your ears to the ground to find out more when they land.
3. PreSonus Eris Sub8
Speaking of low frequencies, here’s something a bit special: PreSonus have debuted their first ever subwoofer in the Eris range, providing a compact solution for producers using their smaller studio monitors to achieve all the rumble they could ever dream of.
Best paired with the Eris 3.5 and 4.5 monitors, the Eris Sub8 features an eight inch woofer with 100 watts of power, delivering a frequency response that extends all the way down to 30Hz. There’s also an input gain control and sweepable low pass filter to tune your subwoofer’s crossover frequency to match the monitors, as well as an phase inversion switch and selectable high pass filter.
The sub features stereo inputs and outputs to let you easily hook it up to an array of sources, making it suitable for producers, DJs, or even just audiophiles seeking to add a bit of low-end punch to their listening room.
4. Bad Cat Double Drive
Touted as the replacement for their popular Siamese Drive, the Bad Cat Double Drive promises a dual-sided overdrive pedal with amp-like characteristics to tap into everything from a subtle volume boost through to snarky, saturated high-gain tones.
The pedal features two independent and fully stackable channels, with controls for Gain, Tone and Output offering a no-fuss, streamlined solution for all your overdrive needs.
Considering the esteemed reputation of the Bad Cat amplifier family, we reckon there’ll be a lot of guitarists out there keen to get a piece of Double Drive action. Hear the unit in action below, and keep your eyes out for when they land with dealers soon.
5. Mr Black Analogue Chorus/Vibrato Deluxe
When it comes to boutique effects, Mr Black is a bit of a favourite here at Mixdown HQ: their tidy little enclosures and cool approach to design never fails to impress us, and they sound great to boot. Their latest offering, the Analogue Chorus/Vibrato Deluxe, sees the brand do something a little different, opting for a larger chassis to house a BBD chorus and vibrato effect.
Combining an analogue bucket-brigade chorus chip with digital control for further versatility, the Analogue Chorus/Vibrato Deluxe features four selectable Triangle, Square, Sine and Glitch/Random waveforms, with a nifty tap-tempo switch to control the rate of the digital LFO. The pedal also features a Lag control to add bucket-brigade delay, while a Shine control allows you to trim the high-frequencies should you please.
Hear the unit in action via the demonstration video below, performed by none other than the legendary Andy Martin.
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