Image Credit: Warm Audio

Warm Audio has announced the WA-47F and WA-CX12 microphones. The WA-47F is WA’s take on Neumann’s U47 FET while the WA-CX12 finds its inspiration in the AKG C12.

Warm Audio WA-47F

Warm Audio’s WA-47F gold spluttered large-diaphragm cardioid condenser capsule is a “faithful recreation” of the popular large-diaphragm U47 FET microphone. The renowned Neumann microphone is known for handling high sound pressure levels with more than impressive accuracy.

WA state the dynamic range of the WA-47F is a whopping 130 dBa, so this microphone should be well suited to handling the high SPLs of kick drums and bass/guitar cabinets. Furthermore, its custom-tuned frequency response (20Hz-19kHz) adds a “pristine edge” to solo vocals. The manufacturer states the WA-47F also “recreates the immediate transient response” of the U47.

Going back to sound pressure, the WA-47F can handle a maximum SPL of 137dB. Conversely, a switchable 10dB pad pushes that figure up to 147dB. And a switchable low cut filter at 140 Hz stops any low-end rumble that may cause problems in the mixdown phase too. Finally, WA state the microphone has an output impedance of 150 ohms.

The WA-47 is now available for $949.

Warm Audio WA-CX12

And the second new microphone from Warm Audio is the WA-CX12. It’s an “authentic adaptation” of the AKG C12 multi-pattern tube condenser artists like The Beatles used to record their hits. WA’s adaption has nine polar patterns ranging from cardioid to omnidirectional and figure-8 with six hybrid patterns.

The microphone has a dual-diaphragm capsule made from solid brass, made to match the detail and warmth of the original. It also features a TAB-Funkenwerk transformer and a 7-pin XLR input for near-perfect signal transfer. Also, Warm Audio state that the microphone is made of premium components, and its frequency response stretches from 30 Hz-20kHz; it has a maximum SPL of 149dB, and an output impedance of 200 ohms.

In addition to this premium microphone, you’ll get a tweed carry case, a shock mount, an external power supply, and a 7-pin cable by Gotham.

The WA-CX12 is now available for $999.

Image Credit: Universal Audio

Universal Audio’s new Dream ’65, Ruby ’63 and Woodrow ’55 UAFX guitar amp emulators promise an authentic sound of iconic vintage American and British tube guitar amplifiers housed in a timeless UA design.

UA’s new line of UAFX guitar amp emulators features three pedalboard-friendly units. The Dream ‘65 Reverb, Ruby ‘63 Top Boost and Woodrow ‘55 Instrument UAFX pedals offer vintage tube amp sounds, courtesy of Universal Audio’s analog modelling technology and dual-engine processing.

UAFX Guitar Amp Emulators

Dream ’65 Reverb Amplifier -The essential American tube amp used by the Beatles, Muddy Waters, Elvis Costello, and countless others for more than 60 years.

Ruby ’63 Top Boost Amplifier – The iconic UK valve amp that defined the sound of the British Invasion, beloved by Queen, Radiohead, and U2.

Woodrow ’55 Instrument Amplifier – The legendary tweed tube amp that started it all, beloved by Neil Young, Chuck Berry, and The Eagles.

Universal Audio

Furthermore, extras specific to each amp such as custom boosts and circuit mods, tube reverb and vibrato are available through the UAFX mobile app. As a result, you can use the mobile app for an extra level of hands-on tone-tweaking. You can also personalise footswitches, save presets, and “get the same tones used by pro guitarists including Tim Pierce, Nels Cline, Cory Wong, and more” via the app too.

Additionally, each of the three pedals offers speaker cabinet, mic, and room tones thanks to UA’s award‑winning OX Amp Top Box. Each of the three UAFX pedals offers six control knobs for adjusting sound and timbre. And each pedal has toggle switches with unique options across the pedals for engaging the onboard effects and speaker cabs.

Dream ’65 Reverb Amplifier

The Dream ‘65 Reverb calls back to the clean spring reverb and vibrato of US tube amps that bands such as The Beatles favoured. It features Volume, Reverb, Output, Bass, Treble and Boost knobs, in addition to a speaker-switching toggle with GB25, Oxford and EV12 options. 

Ruby ’63 Top Boost Amplifier

Meanwhile, the Ruby ‘63 offers up the UK valve amp tones that brought us the sound of Queen and Radiohead. In addition, the speaker toggle offers different options to the Ruby with Silver, Blue and Green options. And the parameters include Volume, Cut, Output, Bass, Treble and Boost.

Woodrow ’55 Instrument Amplifier

Finally, the Woodrow ‘55 Instrument is inspired by the Tweed Deluxe amplifier and pays homage to the sounds of Neil Young and Chuck Berry. Further, you can toggle between speakers via the BlU15, JP12 and GB25 the left-hand toggle switch. And parameter controls include Volume, Mic Volume, Output, Room, Tone and Boost knobs.

You can get the UAFX Guitar Amp Emulators now for $399.

Affordable MIDI keyboard controllers are an intuitive solution if you want to be more interactive with music composition on computers. With one small MIDI keyboard controller, you can make big moves within your DAW.

Manufacturers are always making new or improving existing affordable MIDI keyboards. After all, it’s these that many beginners use as entry-level MIDI controllers and forever expand the music-making community. With that in mind, we thought it was time to present you with a list of beginner MIDI keyboards that’ll empower you to make your music production and writing journey all the more interactive in 2022.

5. Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol M32

• $139
• 32-key mini-keys
• 8 touch-sensitive control knobs
• Modulation and pitch bend touch strips
• OLED display

The first affordable MIDI keyboard on our list is the Komplete Kontrol M32. It’s a fully portable MIDI keyboard that relies on USB 2.0 bus power. Weighing only 1.45kg, it houses 32 solid mini-keys and a lot of functionality. 

Due to its size, the M32 is perfect for on-the-go musicians and producers. Though the keys aren’t the biggest and don’t support aftertouch, the controller does present you with the perfect layout for testing sounds, melodies, and more. Additionally, the OLED display is pretty informative. Like with the MPK, it provides responsive information based parameters you play with.

Another feature that finds its origins in NI’s A-series of controllers is the Smart Play feature. As a result of Smart Play, scale snapping, chord triggering and arpeggiation are all options that you can make use of easily.

Rather than including pitch and mod wheels, the M32 makes use of a pair of short touch strips that fulfil those functions instead. Nevertheless, its eight capacitive knobs, 4D encoder and variety of buttons give you the ultimate MIDI experience. For example, its variety of controls allows you to manipulate plugin parameters in the included Komplete Kontrol software. Furthermore, you can operate the Maschine software easily and manipulate parameters in your DAW’s mixer too.

4. AKAI MPK Mini MK3

• $119
• 25 velocity-sensitive keys
• 8 MPC performance pads
• 8 encoder knobs
• OLED display
• Four-way joystick for pitch and modulation control
• Onboard arpeggiator
• 1500+ sounds
• Bundled with MPC Beat & 6 virtual instruments (Bassline, Tubesynth, Electric, Hybrid 3, Mini Grand, Velvet)

Though it does retain the 25 mini keys, eight velocity-sensitive pads, the eight knobs, and the notorious thumbstick pitch bend/modulation control, the AKAI MPK MK3 does have some big differences from MK2.

For example, the key bed is Akai’s new Dynamic Gen 2 design. They’re more responsive yet quieter than previous iterations. As for the knobs, these are now a continuous rotary design compared with both absolute and relative options to the encoder knobs of the MK2. The velocity-sensitive pads are more sensitive than the MK2 model too. They’re actually the same design found in the MPC series hardware! Of course, the most obvious difference is the little OLED screen. You’ll find this screen provides you with useful feedback on controller data and MIDI channels, just to name two. No noticeable latency presents itself either, and great pressure performance when playing sustained sounds. They also have channel and polyphonic aftertouch for creating melodies and chords that emulate that of a real instrument.

The overall design of the MPK Mini MK3 has changed slightly too. The USB over MIDI port is found on the back of the unit, and the layout of the buttons has also changed too. But controlling MIDI CC messages and Program Changes from the pads is as it was in the MK2.

The MK3 also retains the joystick-style pitch bend/modulation control, and an A/B pad bank selector to switch between pad banks. There are still eight onboard preassigned presets, pad options for full velocity and note repeat, and a very fun onboard arpeggiator.

Finally, within the MPK Mini 3 Program Editor, you can tweak more settings such as MIDI channel edits and specific CC assignments too.

3. ARTURIA MiniLab MKII

• $99.99
• 25 velocity-sensitive keys
• 8 velocity-sensitive pads
• 16 encoder knobs
• Pitch and modulation touch strips
• Sustain pedal input
• Bundled with Ableton Live Lite, Analog Lab Lite and UVI Grand Piano Model D

The 25 mini keys in the Arturia Minilab MK 2 have an equally strong build quality to the previous MIDI keyboards we’ve discussed. But compared to the previous MK 1, the new unit itself looks more modern due to the transition to piano-style mini-keys. However, the keys and controls haven’t changed at all.

The Minilab has pitch and mod touch strips rather than wheels (the sensitivity of which has seen a boost), as well as 16 rotary encoders and eight trigger pads. Controls for shifting octaves up/down and switching between two pad banks the pads between two banks are also present on the unit. Furthermore, a Shift modifier allows you to switch between eight MIDI maps via the pads and the first 16 keys can select different MIDI channels. The pads themselves are both pressure and velocity-sensitive, and you can edit the colours in the MIDI Control Center too.

The 16 assignable encoders make DAW integration seamless because they make browsing and selecting presets quick and easy. Encoders one and nine double as push-buttons, but every knob is pre-mapped to the included software (Analog Lite). However, you can map the encoders and touch strips however you wish with your DAW’s MIDI Learn function. In fact, the plethora of controls on the Minilab means it’s unlikely you’ll find a plugin or virtual instrument with too many parameters for the MiniLab MkII to handle in real-time.

2. Novation Launchkey Mini MK3- best MIDI keyboard for beginners

• $99.99
• 25 velocity-sensitive keys
• 16 velocity-sensitive pads
• 8 encoder knobs
• Onboard arpeggiator
• Pitch and modulation touch strips
• Ableton Live control (including clip and scene launching)
• Fixed Chord mode for triggering chords from single notes
• MIDI Out enables connection to synths, drum machines and other MIDI hardware

Next, we have the Novation LaunchKey Mini MK 3. Novation’s MIDI keyboard for beginners has had a serious upgrade.

The Novation Launchkey Mini presents a set of 25 mini keys keyboard and 16 velocity-sensitive pads into one neat controller. 8 assignable knobs also sit above the pads. The Launchkey Mini presents “plug-and-play” compatibility with Ableton Live, so it’s a one-stop-shop for budding musicians and producers alike. In addition to Ableton compatibility, you can integrate the controller with other DAWs such as Reason and Logic.

Map your pads to a virtual drum pad and jam a beat, map the keyboard to a virtual instrument and write a melody. And you can tweak the rotary controls at the top of the hardware to adjust instrument parameters! To the left of the pads, you’ll find two touch strips for controlling pitch and modulation too.

Moreover, its small size (no bigger than the width of a laptop) allows for easy transportation. As a result, this small and lightweight design is perfect for on-the-go music-making! With its rugged build, easy transportability, and nice layout feature, the Launchkey Mk3 is rugged and coupled with its easy feature layout too.

The onboard arpeggiator and fixed chord modes are two unique selling points of the Launchkey. The arp itself has a four-octave range, a range of modes and rhythmic patterns, not to mention timing divisions! As an example, you can auto-generate variations with Mutate mode and then trigger them up and down the keyboard using Fixed Chord mode. 

Finally, you can control other hardware equipment with the MIDI output port. , too, enabling the Launchkey Mini to operate in standalone mode for use with hardware, with the arp and chord modes available. Unfortunately, this requires an adapter that is sold separately, and due to a change in format to adhere to new industry standards, existing Novation adapters for Launchpad Pro or Circuit synths will not be compatible.

1. Nektar SE25 – cheapest MIDI keyboard

• $37.57
• 25 velocity-sensitive keys
• 3 velocity curves (default, soft, hard)

Finally, we have the most affordable MIDI keyboard controller. At just 400g, this lightweight 25 mini keys MIDI keyboard will fit in your bag for easy transport. Though the controller only has basic controls, they’re essential and functional. Freely assign controls to different parameters in your DAW via MIDI Learn, and, double up controls with other functions too.

If you were to use the controller as-is with no manual mapping then its top two buttons are Octave Up and Down. Beneath are PB1 and PB2 buttons which you can use to adjust pitch bend. Bear in mind though that you can assign one of six other functions to the P-Bend controls. These include transposition, volume, panning, track or patch. To make this parameter change you’ll need to enter Setup mode which you can do by pressing the two bottom buttons until the LEDs blink. You’ll then be presented with the different options that you can select with particular keys on the keyboard.

Further down the controller sits the S button. Simply put, you can use it as a Sustain or Modulation control. But the 2 button is a bit different. You can assign Octave, Channel, Transportation, Layer, or Latch by pressing the button once. Finally, press Play and Rewind together and the buttons will function as their assigned transport controls according to the graphics in them: play, record, rewind and fast-forward.

Included is a USB over MIDI cable for computer connectivity, and the port on the controller itself is a miro-USB. If you’re looking to include a sustain pedal in your setup, you may way to choose another MIDI keyboard on our list.

The Audient EVO 16 is a 24-in/24-out device with a one-knob control system.

Please welcome what seems to be setting off the next generation of affordable audio interfaces, the Audient EVO 16! This delightful interface seems to rewrite everything we know about Audient Evo interfaces and changes the game completely.

Audient EVO 16

Eight award-winning EVO Preamps provide 58dB of microphone gain, and “advanced converter technology” provides a huge 121dB of dynamic range.

The Audient EVO 16 has two features that are really going to make an impact in digital audio. First of all, the high-resolution full-colour screen on the front of the unit. Coupled with the Motion UI (user interface) control system, this wide-angle screen displays relevant information about your session and interactions with the audio interface. Every adjustment you make is displayed on the screen in real time!

Furthermore, the screen aids in enabling the interface’s one-knob control system. As a result, the interface can determine appropriate settings without you having to worry or interfere. Notably, Audient claims that the experience is like using a smart device as you don’t need to explore different menu options as on older equipment.

EVO 16 offers the intuitive user experience, professional sound and technical quality you’d expect from parent company Audient, with plenty more I/O than its smaller counterparts. And yet it still fits firmly into the ‘affordable’ audio interface category.

Andy Allen, Marketing Director – EVO by Audient

Secondly, there’s the Smartgain feature which automatically sets the gain for all 8 input channels with the touch of a button. It’s available on the smaller EVO products too, and it’s the ideal solution for saving time when working on big sessions. For example, drummers in need of multiple microphone inputs no longer need to worry about gain staging.

Now, you can perfectly match the level of stereo pairs with the power of the lightning-quick Smartgain algorithm. Using “advanced peak analysis”, it automatically analyses, adjusts and sets your gain to the “perfect levels” in less than 20 seconds.

Finally, ADAT and SPDIF options add further room for expanding your recording workspace with up to 16 extra channels of mic preamps.

Additionally, the bundled EVO Mixer software is compatible with both MacOS and Windows. Then you’ll have more options for routing inputs & outputs, setting up ultra-low latency monitoring and much more.

All of this is housed inside a solid steel chassis sitting on non-slip rubber feet. EVO 16 will easily sit with style on a desktop, under a laptop or installed in a rack with its optional rack ears.

Audient expects to ship the EVO 16 in the second quarter of 2022 priced at $499/£400/€469.

Image Credit: Rode

While the original Rodecaster Pro was a mixing desk for podcasters, the Rodecaster Pro II is a desk for all creators – including recording artists.

The Rodecaster Pro streamlined the slog of recording multiple people at once, including over the internet via a computer or smartphone. Furthermore, content creators could add background music with ease, and onboard audio processing and enhancements allowed for professional audio creation. So the Rodecaster Pro was a one-stop-shop for hosting a podcast, really.

Now, the Rodecaster Pro 2 is expanding on the awesome feature set and presents a desk that promises to be more than capable for all creators. Rode claim you can use the Rodecaster Pro II for music production, so let’s take a look.

Make music with the Rodecaster Pro II

Fitted with a new “high-performance quad-core audio engine”, the Rodecaster Pro II has an audio resolution of 24-bit/44.1kHz.

Though the hardware looks very similar, Rode has made some changes in the name of improving functionality for recording artists. But first, let’s talk about the physical differences. The new hardware loses two fader strips and frees up more desk space. Despite the loss of these faders, just as many channels are available (9) – only you need to assign two via virtual controls. And on its rear, you’ll see Rode has included four XLR/¼” jack combo inputs rather than exclusively XLR. As a result, musicians can plug in their guitars or synths, play away and record.

For monitoring, there are four 1/4″ jacks on the RodeCaster Pro’s rear too. However, Rode states these outputs have a maximum output of only 250mW. Though not necessarily a bad thing, power-hungry headphones won’t be very satisfying to listen to. In addition, coiled cables may prove to be a nuisance as the ports are on the hardware’s rear. A pair of 1/4″ stereo speaker outputs sit next to the four headphone outputs too.

Rode has made a big point about its new preamps. With up to 76dB of input gain and a dynamic range of 113dB, your gain hungry condenser microphones should capture the intricate details of a sound source when recording to the Rodecaster Pro 2. Whereas before the Rodecaster Pro was pretty limited for musical recordings and could only really capture vocals, now there are onboard capabilities like stereo panning that enable you to capture a full space with two to four microphones. Additionally, Rode claims these preamps to be pretty quiet with an equivalent noise of -131.5dBV.

Customisation

The eight pads on the right of the interface can both trigger audio samples and send MIDI information. But you can also assign them to “mixer actions” such as fade out. A button below the 8 physical pads also allows you to switch between pad banks too. As for the mixer channels, you can reassign them however you like and map two inputs to one mixer channel. Once you are happy with your own customisation, you can save them as presets/profiles.

A small variety of audio effects are also available such as reverb and echo. Though some may find this pretty limiting so further editing in a DAW may be necessary. The hardware does have funny voice effects too, so some quirky vocal adlibs are an option…

WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity

A lot of the digital features such as WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity may not strike you as useful at first. However, artists that proactively promote themselves online by live-streaming or other means may be intrigued. For example, you can connect the Pro II to two PCs at once or your smartphone via WiFi which will make for some interesting audio routing options. And the ability to save these performances directly to SSDs and memory cards means you can repurpose that content for future use. Alternatively, an Ethernet port is also available and two USB-C ports sit next to it for smartphone and computer connectivity. You can also connect an additional MIDI controller as long as it is compatible with USB-C.

Then there’s the Bluetooth connectivity. Bluetooth on the Rodecaster Pro II supports both audio out and in. As a result, wireless monitoring is possible… but I’m not sure that’s an entirely practical means of monitoring a recording. Due to the compression that a file will experience before travelling between devices, the Bluetooth feature set may not be entirely useful for music production purposes.

Final thoughts

Upon first glance, the Rodecaster Pro II does seem primed for podcasters and streamers. Though this is true, the unit does appear to back up Rode’s promise that recording artists will find a valuable bit of kit.

The preamps provide ample gain, and the ability to customise mappings and controls allows for a workflow unique to each user. Whether you’re a solo artist looking to collaborate or in a band, the Rodecaster seems to provide the necessary tools to capture the depth and sonic clarity of a professional recording.

For $699, I think this looks like a cool all-in-one audio interface. Rode expects to be shipping “early to mid-June.”