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– BARRY RUDOLPH barry@barryrudolph.com<br />
ZIVIX PUC WIRELESS MIDI<br />
MACKIE CR3 AND CR4 MONITORS<br />
THE CR3 AND CR4 are Mackie's new Creative Reference Multimedia Monitors<br />
that feature studio-quality design, sound and performance in small, desktop-sized<br />
all-wood cabinets. The two models have 3- and 4-inch woofers respectively and<br />
both use the same 3/4-inch silk-dome tweeter. CR monitor models have a curved<br />
high-frequency waveguide for a wide and even stereo sound that’s well supported<br />
with good bass due in part to the rear bass port. The CRs have a front panel on/off/<br />
volume control knob that also controls the volume of headphones if plugged directly<br />
into the front of the monitors.<br />
I received a set of both the CR3 and CR4s—they are sold in pairs with one<br />
speaker containing the stereo Class-AB amplifier, master volume control, and frontmounted<br />
aux input mini-jack (for iPhones etc.) and headphone jacks. The companion<br />
passive speaker connects to the powered speaker by way of an included cable.<br />
The back panel has a master power switch and both balanced TRS and unbalanced<br />
RCA input jacks for the left and right channels.<br />
I used the CRs placed on either side of my flat panel monitor. They make a great<br />
“second opinion” comparing what my mixes sound like on smaller, more consumer-level speakers.<br />
A pair of CR3s sells for $129 MSRP and the CR4s are $199.99.<br />
http://cr.mackie.com<br />
ZIVIX’S WIRELESS LINK SYSTEM (named PUC) connects MIDI musical instruments with iOS devices.<br />
An iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch running iOS 7 loaded with music creation applications, synths or virtual<br />
instruments become “plug n’ play” wirelessly using Core MIDI over Wi-Fi with your MIDI controller or<br />
sequencer.<br />
Not only is PUC a portable wireless MIDI data transmitter system, it is an interface with a legacy<br />
5-pin DIN connector that’ll adapt any MIDI gear to trigger iOS Core MIDI devices.<br />
The PUC system will work with Garageband, Moog’s Animoog, Waldorf’s Nave and Propellerhead’s<br />
ReBirth. I can now integrate these applications from across my control room and record them into Pro<br />
Tools using the iPad’s analog (headphone) output jack.<br />
PUC connects to your legacy MIDI controller or interface with a short MIDI cable and runs on two<br />
AA-batteries. Once I programmed the proper MIDI channel out, I then set up a Wi-Fi connection from the<br />
PUC to my iPad where IK Multimedia's SampleTank started playing immediately.<br />
I like the battery-powered portability allowing me to plug the PUC directly into the studio’s MIDI interface to<br />
play my iPad. Other uses are: conveying wirelessly MIDI controller data from drum pads, DJ controller, floor pedals or<br />
sustain pedals or basic switch closures. The PUC sells for $129.99 MSRP.<br />
http://mipuc.com<br />
WD MY CLOUD EX4<br />
WESTERN DIGITAL’S MY CLOUD EX4 is a personal cloud storage system that<br />
connects directly to your wireless router, giving you direct access to its content<br />
using any computer, tablet or smartphone with Internet access. As a high-performance<br />
Network Attached Storage device (NAS) with four drive bays, you’ll have<br />
shared storage on your home network and be able to remotely access content using<br />
the WD My Cloud EX4 app or any Web browser. My Cloud makes a “peer-topeer”<br />
connection so communication between mobile device and drive is direct.<br />
Enclosed in an all-metal cabinet, the EX4 I received for review has four, hot<br />
swappable drive bays each fitted with a 2TB WD Red hard drive setup in a<br />
RAID 5. You can buy it with just two drives and add later and you can choose<br />
RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 or select spanning and JBOD modes using the Dashboard and<br />
any Web browser. Capable of holding 16 TB of storage space, you’re not likely to<br />
run out of space, but if you do you can add more by connecting a USB 3.0 drive to<br />
one of the unit’s two rear USB ports.<br />
I found the ability to upload and download Pro Tools files quickly as archival and/or as backup at the end<br />
of a session very useful. The WD My Cloud EX4 is as periodic studio backup and for streaming music and<br />
video files locally to my clients. Once they download the free smartphone app and I set them up, I can push<br />
.mp3 or .wav mixes to their phones or laptops almost instantly.<br />
As tested, the My Cloud EX4 with four 2TB drives (8TB total) sells for $749 MSRP. My Cloud EX4 also<br />
comes 16TB, 12TB and 0TB (diskless) models. The 0TB diskless model allows for expansion as you need<br />
more storage starting with just one drive.<br />
http://wdc.com/en/products/products.aspxid=1170<br />
YAMAHA ACOUSTIC CONDITIONING PANELS<br />
YAMAHA’S NEW ACOUSTIC CONDITIONING PANELS (ACP) are super-thin, low-cost acoustic treatment<br />
panels for project studios, school classrooms, houses of worship, home theaters or professional<br />
recording studios and listening rooms.<br />
These attractive, almost Zen-looking panels offer a built-in balance between the absorption and diffusion<br />
(scattering) of sound in any space. Rooms with excessive absorption sound dead and lifeless and<br />
conversely, rooms that are overly reflective blur and lessen intelligibility the sound.<br />
Measuring 3 cm deep, the Acoustic Conditioning Panels are “diffsorbers,” a combination of an absorption<br />
and diffuser panel in one. Yamaha Acoustic Conditioning Panels are easy to install anywhere using<br />
the included fittings, and greatly enhance sound clearness and balance in the range of 80 Hz to 4 kHz.<br />
http://4wrd.it/SWE360655<br />
10 October 2014 musicconnection.com
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