Teenage Engineering presents the OP-1, a pocket size controller for your favorite software sequencer but also a synthesizer.

OP-1 stands for Operator 1. When you connect it to your laptop, it lets you control your sequencers transport with the common play, stop, rec, forward and rewind. You can use it to control your software synthesizers with the 4 rotary encoders and 16 dedicated quick keys for fast selections.

When you disconnect the OP-1 from your computer you suddenly have a stand-alone portable wonder-machine with 8 synthesizer models, 8 samplers and effects like Delay, Flutter, Filters and EQ all built in. Use all that synthesizer power to record your work with the truly unique (at present time, secret) sequencer. Teenage Engineering promises you a really cool and creative way to record your sounds and tweak them in a completely new way. Use the magic step sequencer/arpegiator to get the notes right. If that is not enough use the built in motionsensor that sense every shake or move you make and turn it into really cool sounds. Then relax and sample a beat from the built-in FM radio or memorize a tune by whistle it into the built-in microphone. Play your piece to your friends through the built-in speaker. Or...convert it right away to mp3 and mail it to them.

On the right side of the case you'll find all the neccasary connectors.

• 3.5mm input for audio/external microphone
• 3.5mm output for line out /headphones
• 3-pole power-connector for charging the internal battery or for use with power adaptor.
The power connector itself is the same as used in robotic automation applications
• USB 2.0 port for hooking up your OP to your computer transferring your recorded music
• Two holes special machined for carry strap
• Turn the machine upside-down there are two M6 holes for use with our Studio System parts.

Clavia has just announced that the OS of the Nord Wave and the Nord Electro 3 have been updated to version 2.02. Besides a few bugfixes, those new OS also include some new features as well as well as the compatibility with the Nord Sound Manager application.

For more informations, please visit their website.

RME presents the Fireface UC which is basically a Fireface 400 with USB interface.

Based on a newly developed RME Hammerfall core, the Fireface UC (USB Compact) uses the USB 2.0 high-speed bus and provides ultra-low latencies even with multiple channels. The smallest buffer offered under Windows Vista has 48 samples, under Mac OS X 14 samples.

The optimization for Windows and Mac OS X is partly based on a double firmware within the unit, realizing an optimized functionality and operation according to the currently active OS. Under Mac OS X the unit's MIDI ports are even class compliant, the Operating System therefore automatically uses its included MIDI driver.

Features:

- 18 inputs / 18 outputs
- 8 x analog I/O
- 1 x ADAT I/O or 1 x SPDIF I/O (optical)
- 1 x SPDIF I/O (coaxial)
- 2 x MIDI I/O
- Sample rates up to 192 kHz on all I/Os
- Two digitally controlled Mic Preamps in high-end quality
- Two balanced universal inputs for line and instrument signals
- SteadyClock for maximum jitter suppression and clock refresh
- Enhanced stand-alone operation with rotary encoder and front panel operation
- 54 Level Meter Peak/RMS, hardware-calculated
- TotalMix: 648-channel mixer with 42-bit internal resolution

The Fireface UC will be available in June 2009.

* Minimal latencies are not guaranteed as they depend on the specific computer and application.

Thermionic Culture unveils the Little Bustard, their second valve summing mixer which has been designed to complement the Fat Bustard valve summing mixer by increasing the number of inputs channels. The new 19" 2u Little Bustard can also be used independently by itself as a stand alone mixer.

Features include 16 input channels arranged as 6x stereo pairs with fixed gain at unity level with on/off switches, 4x mono inputs with mute switches and pan pots which can be defeated by another switch adding an extra 6dB of gain. The master output section has independent left & right 31 position output indented pots with a gain range from –17dB to +2dB.

The valve stages use a pair of ECC83/12AX7 on the gain stage, and a pair of PC86's for the output stage. The master section will also have a simple output level indicator. To create a monster-summing mixer, The Little Bustard's outputs can be plugged into the Fat Bustard's AUX inputs increasing the number of channels to 28.

Kong Audio rolls out ChineeGuanZi - the Pipe of Tristesse - to the world.

Characterized by the triste tone, GuanZi (literally means Pipe) is a one-of-a-kind double-reed instrument from China. Originated in Central Asia, like many other existing Chinese instruments, GuanZi was embraced dearly and became an integral part of Chinese instruments ever since the great Tang Dynasty (7th -10th centuries).

GuanZi was once one of the standard instruments of court music. It was also used in military and festival events, as well as monumental, burial ceremonies. It is, sometimes, considered to be too distinctive to be a team instrument though, hence resulted its slightly being overlooked today.

The combination of pitch-envelopes with keyswitching in the patch programming makes ChineeGuanZi a much lively and expressive instrument to play with. ChineeGuanZi (in G) contains legato, tremolo, and various other playing techniques. The note range is from D4 to D6.

ChineeGuanZi is now available for $60.