The ProActive 5.1 ($499) is a THX-certified surround monitoring system equipped with Dolby Digital and DTS hardware decoding. The ProActive 5.1 is targeted for the personal studio and can be used with PCs, home audio and recording equipment, and DVD players. The system includes Dolby Pro Logic II for creating realistic 5.1 surround sound from stereo sources.

The 450W RMS system features an 8-inch, long-throw subwoofer with a flared bass port for distortion-free low end. The front, rear, and center monitors have 3-inch drivers, with a frequency response of 100 Hz to 20 kHz. The satellite speakers are crossed over to the subwoofer at 100 Hz.

The ProActive 5.1 offers optical and coaxial S/PDIF digital inputs and discrete 6-channel analog inputs. The system includes a wireless remote, so you can adjust the monitors from anywhere in the room. Alesis; tel. (401) 295-9000; e-mail info@alesis.com; Web www.alesis.com.

The Open Labs eKo OpenSynth is a keyboard-based digital audio workstation that ranges in price from $1,995 to $5,200, depending on the features you choose. The eKo OpenSynth is powered by an industry-standard micro-ATX motherboard and comes with your choice of Windows XP or Linux operating systems, digital audio sequencer, plug-ins, and VST Instruments. You can directly access the Internet with the instrument to download new synths, plug-ins, or OS updates.

The eKo OpenSynth is available in 61-, 76-, or 88-key configurations, with Aftertouch as a standard feature. Provided are a built-in back-lit 15-inch color LCD (and support for an external 1,024 × 768-pixel monitor); a QWERTY keyboard; a touch pad; an array of programmable buttons, knobs, and sliders; and a built-in CD-RW drive for mastering and data import and export.

The eKo OpenSynth offers eight balanced ¼-inch analog inputs and outputs; a pair of balanced XLR outputs; MIDI In, Out, Thru, and a switchable Out or Thru jack; and S/PDIF I/O. You can also swap I/O modules with any supported PCI, FireWire, or USB interface. Open Labs; tel. (512) 444-4666; e-mail info@opnlabs.com; Web www.opnlabs.com.

Following the lineage of the VP-9000 Variphrase, Roland's VariOS ($1,495) hardware and software system allows musicians to process, slice, reconstruct, and build audio files into tracks in much the same way they would in MIDI sequencing. The VariOS hardware module assumes all processing duties under the control of the bundled V-Producer software (Mac/Win).

The 1U VariOS module can play as many as 14 phrases simultaneously with six multitimbral parts. A simple USB connection between the computer and the module gives V-Producer control of the hardware.

The V-Producer software lets you search your computer's hard drive for WAV and AIFF files for batch encoding and transfer to the VariOS module. Once the encoding is complete, you can build your arrangement with V-Producer using simple drag-and-drop commands.

V-Producer's GrooveScope editor lets you reconstruct loops by rearranging audio regions in a graphical editing window. Pitch, time, formant, and dynamics can be independently manipulated for each slice, all in real time and nondestructively. The PhraseScope editor can isolate the melodic content of solo vocal and instrument phrases, providing the tools to create new melodies or harmonies without pitch-shifting artifacts typical of that process. You can input melodies graphically or with a MIDI keyboard in real time. Likewise, you can tweak the VariOS module's pitch, time, and formant knobs and record the data into V-Producer.

Because VariOS supports synchronization through MIDI Clock and MTC, it can integrate with your existing digital audio sequencer. V-Producer arrangements can also be saved as Standard MIDI Files; you can export processed audio files in WAV or AIFF format for use in other programs. The VariOS module's firmware can be updated with optional PC cards from Roland, and the company claims the system can become an entirely new product just by loading new control software.

The VariOS module provides a stereo pair of unbalanced ¼-inch line inputs, two stereo pairs of unbalanced ¼-inch line outputs, a coaxial S/PDIF digital output, a stereo headphone jack, MIDI In and Out, and a USB port. Roland Corporation U.S.; tel. (323) 890-3700; Web www.rolandus.com.

ReMOTE 25 ($399) is a 25-key MIDI controller with a small footprint that features two octaves of semiweighted keys with Aftertouch. The controller can run for over 18 hours on six C batteries or it can be powered from USB or an external power supply. You can also use rechargeable batteries, which can be refreshed using the USB connector or the power supply.

The controller includes 24 buttons, 8 knobs, 8 encoders, and 8 sliders. All of the controls are user programmable. The combined pitch-bend and modulation joystick offers a choice of static or spring-loaded action. Capping off the programmable controls is an x-y touch pad that can control multiple parameters at once. A backlit blue and silver LCD shows the generated data stream in real time.

The ReMOTE 25's 64 programmable memory slots hold a number of controller templates for popular hardware and software synths, such as Propellerhead Reason, as well as software workstations and their associated plug-ins. You also receive controller templates for Novation's V-Station, KS-series, and Supernova II — series synths.

The digital audio sequencer templates provide dedicated buttons for control functions, including Start, Stop, Record, and marker placement. To keep you oriented, the unit comes with color-coded identification strips for specific applications and blank user-definable strips. The MIDI In, Out, and Thru jacks let you use the ReMOTE 25 as a 16-channel MIDI interface and keyboard controller away from the computer.

The ReMOTE 25 ships with USB drivers for Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, and XP. A Mac OS X driver should also be available by the time you read this. EBlitz Audio Labs (distributor); tel. (310) 322-3333; e-mail salesusa@novationaudio.com; Web www.novationaudio.com.

Oddity (Mac/Win, $129.95) is a VSTi software emulation of the ARP Odyssey. Oddity gives you two oscillators with sawtooth, sine, square, and variable pulse-width waveforms as well as white and pink noise. You can tune the oscillators across a 6-octave range, play them in monophonic or duophonic mode, and take advantage of the oscillator sync feature. The LFO can synchronize to the tempo of the host application. Included modules are a ring modulator, a resonant lowpass filter, a highpass filter, sample and hold, portamento, two envelope generators, and a variety of complex modulation routing options.

Unlike the Odyssey, Oddity is Velocity sensitive. Because Oddity is a collaborative effort with plug-in manufacturer Ohm Force, the instrument offers patch-morphing capabilities and a Flying Slider feature that lets you grab faders with the mouse and throw them at varying speeds. Your VSTi host application can record the slider movement.

Oddity ships with a full printed manual and five banks of 64 presets. AU, RTAS, and MAS versions are in development. Oddity runs on any Mac G4 running Mac OS 8.6, with 64 MB of RAM and a VST-compatible host program. Windows users need a Pentium III with 64 MB of RAM; Windows 98, 2000, ME, NT, or XP; and a VST-compatible host program. Q Up Arts (distributor); tel. (800) 454-4563 or (801) 486-8225; e-mail gforce@gmediamusic.com; Web www.gmediamusic.com.

The first two mics in the Audix Micro series are the M1245 ($379) and M1290 ($429). Both models offer a precision machined-brass body and black finish. Individual models offer capsules with cardioid, hypercardioid, omnidirectional, and shotgun polar patterns. The M1245 is less than 2 inches long and weighs a mere 0.6 ounces. The 3.5-inch M1290 weighs in at 1 ounce.

The Micros feature the same built-in preamp used in the SCX-series mics. Audix boasts an Equivalent Noise Level of 19 dBA, a wide dynamic range, and a signal-to-noise ratio of 75 dB. According to Audix, the M1245 has a uniform frequency response from 80 Hz to 20 kHz, and the M1290 ranges from 40 Hz to 20 kHz. Requiring phantom power of 48V to 52V, the Micros are capable of cable runs as long as 150 feet without degradation of signal or frequency response.

The mics ship in a rosewood case and come with a 12-foot cable that has a mini-XLR connector on one end, a mic stand adapter, and a snap-on foam windscreen. Optional accessories include 10- and 25-foot cables, a rubber-insulated shockmount clip, and a special clip for overhead mic positioning. Audix U.S.A.; tel. (800) 966-8261 or (503) 682-6933; e-mail info@audixusa.com; Web www.audixusa.com.

The latest addition to the Apogee Mini Series is the Mini-DAC ($1,195), a compact 192 kHz D/A converter that Apogee says is suitable for studio reference monitoring as well as high-end home audio systems. The Mini-DAC's USB port lets you interface the device directly with your computer, and the Digital Thru mode lets you interface non-USB digital devices through the Mini-DAC to your computer. This allows you to connect any 2-channel A/D converter — such as Apogee's Mini-Me, Trak2, or Rosetta — to your computer's USB port using the Mini-DAC.

The Mini-DAC supports AES/EBU, S/PDIF coaxial and optical, and ADAT Lightpipe digital inputs. Analog outputs are on balanced XLR jacks. The device also includes ¼-inch and ⅛-inch headphone jacks.

Drivers are available for Windows 98, 2000, and XP, and for Mac OS 9.1. The Mini-DAC also supports Core Audio in Mac OS X 10.2.4. Apogee Electronics Corp.; tel. (310) 915-1000; e-mail info@apogeedigital.com; Web www.apogeedigital.com.

The TM-3 ($399) from Metasonix is an analog voltage-controlled oscillator with an all-tube signal path. Containing two parallel-wired thyratron-tube oscillators, the unit dishes up a pair of sawtooth waves that you can offset with front-panel tuning controls.

According to Metasonix, the TM-3's waveform is “very imperfect” and unlike waveforms produced by any other VCO. You can soft-sync the oscillators, forcing oscillator 1 to slave to oscillator 2. The TM-3 also offers a suboctave square wave that is one octave below oscillator 2, as well as brief pulses in the same octave as oscillator 2. Adjusting the Suboctave Stability control in conjunction with the suboctave waveform can produce inconsistent and unique effects.

The TM-3 adheres to the Hz/V CV standard — each successive octave requires doubling of the control voltage — so it is compatible with vintage Korg MS-series and Yamaha CS-series synthesizers. The oscillator accepts CVs from any MIDI-CV converter with Hz/V capability, including the Synhouse MIDIJACK II, the Philip Rees Little MCV, the Kenton Pro-Solo and Pro-2000, and the Encore Expressionist. Metasonix offers a version of the TM-3 with a built-in Synhouse MIDIJACK II MIDI input ($549).

The TM-3 has two ¼-inch TRS inputs that accept CV and audio signals, as well as a ¼-inch TRS jack for audio output. Metasonix offers mounting kits for its TM-series modules that work within the Synthesis Technology MOTM, Synthesizers.com, Doepfer, Analogue Systems, and Analogue Solutions modular-synthesizer formats. Metasonix; tel. (707) 263-5343; e-mail synth@metasonix.com; Web www.metasonix.com.

Arturia's Moog Modular V (Mac/Win, $329) models all of the functions of the original Moog modular synthesizer. It can function as a standalone synthesizer or as a VST Instrument with support for ReWire. But unlike the original Moog modular, Arturia's software counterpart offers 64-note polyphony.

Arturia's sound engineers created a new algorithm (and acronym) for reproducing analog synthesizers, called True Analog Emulation (TAE). Arturia claims that TAE completely avoids aliasing and that the algorithm successfully emulates the typical instability of older hardware oscillators.

Moog Modular V has nine oscillators modeled after the Moog 921-series module and two LFOs. The synth also offers a choice of filter types based on those in the Moog 904-series: a 24 dB lowpass, a 24 dB highpass, a filter coupler, and a 20 dB multimode filter with seven modes.

The noise generator is modeled after the Moog 923 module and offers white and pink noise. The six ADSR envelope generators are modeled on the Moog 911 module. Arturia gives you a dedicated envelope for each of the two VCAs and a pan pot for stereo effects. There are 16 auxiliary VCAs with modulation inputs. Moog Modular V also includes a model of the Moog 960 step-sequencer, a 16-band filter bank with adjustable bandwidth, and stereo delay and chorus. The synth ships with more than 400 presets created by a team of sound designers that includes Celmar Engel and Wally Badarou.

Moog Modular V requires a Pentium III/500; Windows 95, 2000, ME, or XP; and 128 MB of RAM. On the Mac, you'll need a G3/500, 128 MB of RAM, and Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X 10.2. Arturia; tel. (33) 438-020-555; e-mail info@arturia.com; Web www.arturia.com.