Gizmodo: m-audio

M-Audio's MicroTrack II Digital Audio Recorder: Rock Star Quality at a Garage Band Price

Sean Fallon — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:40:09 EST

The new MicroTrack II from M-Audio gives musicians everything they need to record music on the go. The handheld device features 2-channel WAV (BWF) and MP3 recording and playback and can copy files directly to CompactFlash cards or microdrives. There are also two 1/4-inch TRS inputs for your gear, 48V phantom-powered mic preamps, and drag-and-drop file transfer for both the PC and the Mac.

According to the manufacturer's site, the MicroTrack II is retailing for $399, which is certainly no bargain. However, I have seen it just about everywhere else for $299 — once again proving that shopping around on the internet is essential. [Product Page and M-Audio via macnn]

M-Audio Session Music Producer USB Mic With On-Board Headphone Jack

Jason Chen — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 13:50:37 EDT

M-Audio's latest Session Music Producer USB Microphone for Windows supposedly has a slight edge over similar mics, embedding an on-board headphone jack, bypassing your computer so you can get feedback latency down to just about zero. The USB Mic is undoubtedly compatible with other M-Audio products, and bundles Session recording and production software, 16-bit recording, and the ability to record two audio tracks and one instrument track simultaneously. The price: $99, which is a small price to pay to give your camwhore videos that professional touch. [M-Audio]

M-Audio Stereophile AV20, AV30, AV40 Speakers: For Musicians and Normal Folks Alike

Gizloco — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:50:07 EST

M-audio just gave me a bitchin' lap dance and at the same time showed off a new line of studio monitors (speakers) under the Studiophilie moniker. The three models—the AV20 ($99), AV30 ($129) and AV40 ($149)—cater to different needs. The AV20 feature a 2-inch woofer and a tweeter, something similar speakers from rival Bose don't currently offer. The AV30 and AV40, as you might expect, have a 3-inch and 4-inch woofer, respectively.

Oh, and they sound pretty damn good, too. – Nicholas Deleon

M-Audio

M-Audio Torq MixLab: DJ Kit For The Masses

Gizloco — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 12:00:06 EST

In today's music climate where something called "hip hop" is the regnant genre, dance fans may feel a little left out. That's why they need to man up and check out the Torq MixLab from M-Audio, a mini DJ mixing studio kit perfect for aspiring Tiestos, Above & Beyonds and ATBs. (The kit includes the X-Session Pro and Torq LE software). Compatible with both PCs and Macs, the Torq MixLab lets you slice and dice all the songs in your digital music library. The software supports two simultaneous song importations, so it's totally conceivable to mix and match "Can't Sleep" with "Tracking Treasure Down."

~~No word on how much this complete DJ kit will run you~~, but you can safely assume that it's aimed at DJ wannabes rather than seasoned pros. These devices have always been somewhat clunky in the past, but by the looks of it, M-Audio has made it pretty bulletproof. – Nicholas Deleon

Update: I've just been informed by an M-Audio mole that the Torq MixLab will hit the streets at $99, which is only about double the price of the entrance fee to most dance clubs 'round here.

Product Page [M-Audio via CrunchGear]

M-Audio's X-Session Pro Lets DJs Rock On

Louis Ramirez — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 15:06:21 EDT

Digital DJs have one more way to keep the floor-filling beats going thanks to the X-Session Pro. The USB-powered controller fuses the standard controls of a two-channel DJ mixer with the transport and pitch controls of a turntable. It may not be not be suitable for pros, but it'll let you control volume, pitch, EQ, and cueing. It'll also let you make smooth crossfades. The $129 X-Session Pro is out now for Macs and PCs. –Louis Ramirez

M-Audio X-Session Pro [via Create Digital Music]

M-Audio's Session: Available Now In a Standalone Version

Jason Chen — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 01:00:01 EDT

M-Audio's Session software can be easily described as Garageband for the PC. Up until now, you could only get a copy of it by buying a Fast Trak USB device from M-Audio. But starting today, August 15th, Session is available as a standalone purchase for $49.

Session ships with 3.5GB of loops and instrument content, and comes with an M-Audio Micro USB device that "gives users an ASIO (audio streaming in/out) driver (the industry standard for music-creation drivers)". Plus, it's pretty much guaranteed to work well with M-Audio's wide array of musical peripherals, making your PC recording that much easier. – Jason Chen

Product Page [M-Audio]

A screenshot of the Session UI after the jump.

This Week’s SkypeCast - M-Audio and the Wi-Fi Alliance

johnb — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 09:07:09 EDT

Just a reminder about this Friday's double-length hour-long Skypecast. We've got M-Audio and the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Here's the link to click at 2pm EST—Gizmodo Skypecast. And if you can't make it on Friday, you can catch the Podcast on iTunes a little later.

M-Audio's Session: Garageband For The PC

Jason Chen — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 21:30:56 EDT

Garageband for Apple is both easy to use and powerful—we've been known to whip out some ricked riffs on our bass and punch together a slammin' ballad—but the same functionality is hard to find on the PC. Until now, that is. M-Audio's new Session software is the Windows equivalent of GB, allowing you to make semi-professional to professional sounding music with little training. It even works together with select M-Audio gear for a more hands-on approach.

Making loop based music is simple with their 2 GB library of loops, and hooking up a MIDI keyboard to play a wide variety of instruments and effects makes you a true one-man band.

Comes free when you buy a Fast Trak USB for $100. – Jason Chen

Product Page [M-Audio]

M-Audio Podcast Factory

gizmodo.com — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 17:26:41 EST

M-Audio is the most punk rock music company out there. They're so gung-ho and hip, they know what's going to be big, and that's podcasting. So M-Audio has created Podcast Factory, a solution for the amateur podcaster who wants to start podcasting but doesn't know much of what to do or what to buy. Podcast Factory contains a condenser microphone, software for recording, and a 24-bit USB audio interface. If you'll be doing a lot of interviews, upgrade to Podcast Factory Deluxe, a two-microphone solution with more software and a virtual audio interface for routing Skype and VoIP calls into the bundled software. Both will be available around February at prices of $149.99 and $249.99, respectively.

Purchase info for current M-Audio Podcast Factory [Amazon]

M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96 Reviewed

Travis Hudson — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 18:42:58 EST

Listen up, podcast junkies. Go get $500, buy one of these, and make me a podcast worthy of listening to. The MicroTrack 24/96 is a pocket digital recorder that is the cat's pajamas and more. Field recording is a dime-a-dozen in less-professional media outlets, and this gadget will hopefully solve that problem. The 24/96 uses flash memory and can record in both WAV and MP3 formats. It comes with a micro mic that does an exceptional job for its size and also has the ability to use many different professional mics. It can dock and charge easily via USB, but unfortunately the battery lasts only 3-5 hours. Line in, line out, S/PDIF—this does it all, and it's small enough to easily carry around and sneak into concerts. Recording junkie? This is a must-have.

Review: M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96 Pocket Digital Recorder [O'Reilly Digital Media]

Pricing: M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96 [Amazon]

Mobile Recording with the Fast Track USB

Travis Hudson — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 17:00:40 EST

I'm talking to you, Mr. MySpace-loving indie garage band member. Now, much to your delight and the misfortune of everyone else in the world, you can record your emo power ballads wherever you damn well please. The Fast Track is a small USB-powered device that allows you to record vocals and guitar directly onto a laptop and then use the M-Audio software to produce the track right there on the fly. Then simply upload it to your MySpace and you are practically a rock star.

Fast Track USB [Red Ferret]

Pricing for M-Audio Fast Track [Amazon]

Podcast Factory Promises to Make Podcasts Even More Unbearable

tgrumet — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:48:46 EST

When Podcasting started, and there were just six channel of Adam Curry, I was hot to get in on the action. Now there are so many Podcasts that it's become the audio version of Usenet — and I never, ever, want to be able to hear the people on Usenet.

Things are going to get a whole lot worse now that M-Audio is releasing Podcast Factory. This product has everything—both hardware and software—that you need to record Podcasts with a Mac or a PC. The 2 x 2 mobile audio interface is coupled with a microphone preamp to give you 24-bit/48kHz audio fidelity and the first of the two audio channels is a dedicated XLR input for the microphone. The second channel is a 1/4-inch that toggles between instrument and line levels. You'll also get dual RCA audio outputs and a 1/8-inch stereo headphone jack. The software looks pretty dummy-proof, allowing you to edit speech, add music and sound effects, and post MP3s with RSS feeds to the Web. And a collection of music loops is also included to make your casts sound even more generic! Goes for $199. So get out there and start casting your crap today!

M-Audio Podcast Factory [biosmagazine]

Prices for M-Audio Podcast Factory [Froogle]