First off, we’re not too sure about Skullcandy as a company, so we warn you that the following product may or may not be actually available. The info on Skullcandy’s website is dodgy, and no one from the organization has returned our communications.

That said, the Mark Frank Montoya MP3 Player / DJ Headphones are pretty dope if you’re a music-lovin’ snowboarder like MFM. Mark rides for Nitro and has an Xtra Large personality.

According to SKullcandy, the Mark Frank Montoya MP3 Integrated Player Headphone is the closest thing to injecting your music directly into your skull. (Which they think is a good thing –Ed.) For the first time ever, Skullcandy introduces a DJ style headset with a built-in, detachable 512MB MP3 player. Listen to your music wirelessly through 40mm power drivers, or pull the player, slide on the battery pack, and transform it into a mini portable MP3 player for use with any headset. This is a very cool concept and has been done before with other headphones, but none with the DJ vibe.

Features:
• 40mm power driver
• DJ style headset with 90 degree swivel earcups
• Auxiliary audio jack with detachable connection cable
• Built-in detachable MP3 player with direct USB upload/download
• Optional battery pack instantly turns the built-in MP3 into a portable MP3
• 512MB Flash memory for music or data
• LCD display with backlight

This is the actual copy from Skullcandy’s website:
Out of stock till Feb. 1th 2007
Mark Frank Montoya MP3 Integrated Heaphones 512mb
Product avalable early January.

So is it early January 2008? Or tomorrow, or what?? We don’t think they even know…

The Skullcandy Mark Frank Montoya MP3 Player / DJ Headphones cost $229.95 if they actually exist. More information ont the Skullcandy Mark Frank Montoya MP3 Player / DJ Headphones.

Defective Records has released Major Malfunction, a new Ableton Live distortion plug-in that allows you to easily mangle, glitch, slice and dice your audio stream, in either subtle or extreme ways. Major Malfunction syncs itself to the Ableton Live tempo automatically, and processes the incoming audio in a number of different user-specified ways, or even randomly selected ways. It was created in Cycling ‘74 Pluggo by Dan Nigrin, a strapping lad who likes to FSU.

Features:
• Realtime VST/AU plugin effect
• Global volume and dry/wet mix parameters
• Almost every parameter can be automated and controlled via MIDI
• 6 different DSP effects, including “pass through” available to choose from
• Each DSP effect has 4 preset slots, individual volume and stereo pan controls
• 8 different 64 step patterns can be stored in preset slots, and saved to disk

Defective Records’ Major Malfunction costs $10 and is available now for Mac OS X. A free demo is also available. More information on Defective Records Major Malfunction.

Reloop has released a special limited edition of their RP-6000 MK 6 professional turntable. The Limited has a new ceramic white varnish finish and white control panel housed in a heavy-duty chassis. Its integrated equalizing pre-amp facilitates Line or Phono signal output, making this luxury turntable compatible with any mixing console and amplifier without having to be grounded. It also has a unique, adjustable torque which can be set in any range between 2.5 and 4.5 kg/cm.

Specs:
• Model: 3 speeds, fully manual
• Drive: Quartz-controlled UPPER TORQUE direct drive
• Speed: 33 1/3, 45 and 78 rpm
• Start-up torque: 2500 – 4500 g/cm
• Dimensions: 450 x 160 x 353 mm
• Weight: 11.0 kg
• Comes with slipmat, headshell and pickup arm illumination

Features:
• Quartz-controlled DJ turntable with UPPER TORQUE direct drive
• Adjustable start-up torque (2.5 kg/cm – 4.5 kg/cm)
• Fine ceramic white finish
• Phono and Line output (no grounding necessary)
• Direct hook-up of turntable and motor for maximum stability
• Adjustable start/stop speed (0.2 – 6 sec.)
• Brushed aluminium finish – Metal casing
• Extra heavy design
• Height-adjustable S-shaped pickup arm with anti-skating
• Pitch range +/- 10%, +/-20% & +/- 50%
• Easy-to-exchange freely revolving stylus illumination with super bright LED
• Quartz lock
• Safety mains switch
• Forward and reverse motion switch
• Additional start/stop button for vertical installation
• Rubber ply to reduce vibration and ambient noise
• Detachable mains and cinch cable
• Immersed connection cavity for easy case installation
• Shock-absorbing feet

More information on the RP-6000 MK 6.

EastWest has introduced Quantum Leap Pianos, a new library that was recorded with three user controllable microphone positions for each piano.

Every sample was recorded in a proper piano environment with vintage Neumann microphones, a vintage Neve 8078 console, and Meitner analog-to-digital converters. More than half a million dollars’ worth of pianos are included in this collection, including a $225,000 Bechstein D-280 Concert Grand, the same kind of piano engineer/producer Ken Scott used to record Elton John, David Bowie, and Supertramp. EastWest invited Scott to engineer the Bechstein’s close-mic’d recordings to provide users with a cutting, dynamic pop/rock piano sound, in addition to the variety of other piano sounds included in the collection. Other pianos featured in the library include a Steinway D Concert Grand, a Bösendorfer 290 Concert Grand, and a Yamaha C7.

The Quantum Leap Pianos library is packed with 270 GB of content at 24-bit/44.1k resolution, the largest and most detailed piano collection ever created. Using lossless compression, the instruments, if all installed, use 140 GB of hard disk space. The sample management system offers 50 percent more efficiency compared to other piano collections.

Users can install one, two, three or all four pianos on their computer’s hard drive. Three microphone positions are included per piano for maximum flexibility. Ten to 16 velocities are offered per note (and again in soft pedal, sustain pedal, and soft sustain) and every piano offers 16 distinct staccato velocities.

Repetition samples are taken from 180 BPM performances for a true repetition sound and are not simply an alternate take. The software detects true repetitions. Pedal resonance was recorded for every note at multiple velocities, as well as with the soft pedal down. Proprietary resonance was captured on the Bösendorfer. True multi-velocity soft pedal samples with and without sustain pedal are also included, as well as release samples with software envelope follower.

Articulations on each piano include: sustain; sustain pedal; soft pedal; soft pedal with sustain pedal; repetitions; repetitions with sustain pedal; staccato; pedal resonance; and release trails. Additional features include: stereo swap possible in software; mic position mixing in software; lid position simulation; articulation matrix for quick and straightforward loading; powerful streaming engine with (reportedly) the “highest polyphony counts”; and superior reverb impulses recorded by Prof. Keith O. Johnson and Nick Phoenix.

EastWest’s Quantum Leap Pianos costs $495 and will be available at the end of March 2007. More information on EastWest Quantum Leap Pianos.