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Richie Hawtin DE9
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Via new recording advances and automation techniques, Richie Hawtin uses his new-found freedom to release a stunning surround sound mix. DE9: TRANSITIONS, the third part of the DE9 series that started with Decks, EFX & 909 (1999) and was followed by DE9: Closer to the Edit (2001), is easily Hawtin's best mix release to date. LISTEN!
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From the production duo that set dancefloors alight with "Shake It" comes a track that gives the summer season a sweet wave goodbye. "I Watch You" provides an enticing build up with an energetic bassline and a hooky vocal. LISTEN!
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November 10, 2005

../ Native Instruments Readies Guitar Rig 2

Native Instruments, is preparing to release Guitar Rig 2, the follow up to their successful guitar processing software/hardware combination, on November 30, 2005. When Guitar Rig debuted, it caused an instant sensation inside and outside the guitar community. Finally there was a comprehensive solution for the guitarist who wanted to delve deeply into processing beyond the four knobs on a stomp pedal. Native Instrument's (NI) inclusion of a hardware pedal rig cemented the deal by offering an all-in-one product that other software manufacturers neglected. Outside the guitar community, electronic musicians were ecstatic that there was finally software which could emulate all those gritty effects which took hours of tweaking to obtain. However, beyond this exciting new release, Guitar Rig 2 reveals the company's strategy for the future.


Guitar Rig 2 Software Interface
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Guitar Rig 2's Main Window - Loop Machine is on the bottom left


Despite several technical glitches at the recent AES show in New York City which brought the press demo to a standstill, the presentation was all about Guitar Rig 2. Fun loving CEO, Daniel Haver, didn't even mention Traktor 3, NI's other recent announcement, instead he focused on Guitar Rig 2 and its well-constructed, aluminum counter part, Rig Kontrol 2. Haver, mentioned more than once that "the foot controller was made entirely by Native Instruments." The prior Rig Kontrol was made in a partnership with Stanton, a partner of NI's in Final Scratch. Haver beamed like a proud father when one of his assistants revealed the new Rig Kontrol from under a cover to the enthusiastic crowd.

Guitar Rig was one of those Native Instruments products that fired on all cylinders in its first incarnation. Intelligently designed on all fronts with stellar sound quality, Guitar Rig has been the secret weapon in many artists production arsenal - adding some meat to a guitar lead or lifting a mediocre synth patch into the stratosphere. Version 2 has an enormous selection of gear to create provocative mind-bending sounds. Select from an arsenal of 8 amps, 15 guitar and 6 bass cabinets, 4 rotary speakers, 9 microphones with adjustable positioning and 35 killer effects, as well as several modulation components including step sequencers, LFOs, envelop followers and multi-step envelops. Combine that with an intuitive drag and drop rack interface and your ready for some serious tweaking.


Kontrol Rig 2 Foot Controller
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Rig Kontrol 2 - Sleek aluminum chassis looks right out of a James Bond movie


Remember Lexicon's old JamMan delay module which allowed a musician to loop riffs on the fly and then add new loops to build up a massive rocking jam? Well, NI incorporated a JamMan into Guitar Rig 2! Dubbed Loop Machine, it works similar to JamMan allowing a guitarist, drummer or keyboardist to gradually build up entire sections by adding one loop on top of another. Very cool!

However, even with all the enhancements, Guitar Rig 2 is all about the foot controller. Rig Kontrol 2 makes a huge leap forward in technology. It features a 24-bit/96kHz USB 2.0 stereo audio interface and preamplifier with two 1/4" TRS inputs. Yes two! You can now attach two sources to the Rig Kontrol and process them both with the software. Each source has its own gain control with LED signal indicators. The unit also features MIDI I/O and is powered completely by the USB bus.
Guitar Rig 2 will be available on November 30, 2005 for $579. To learn more hit www.nativeinstruments.com

The Future: Native Instruments is now in the hardware business. By developing and manufacturing Rig Kontrol 2 solely under the Native umbrella, the company is now poised to debut other controllers and instruments under the NI moniker. It doesn't take much imagination to see what's coming next, a controller for Traktor 3. Even with the mind-blowing Allen & Heath Xone: 3D becoming available in the first quarter of next year, at close to $3000 US, it certainly won't be for the average DJ who doesn't want to mortgage their home to own one.
This leaves the market open for a new NI Traktor controller. We've been critical of Traktor in the past, but version 3 seems to have addressed several long running complaints to mature into a solid and reliable offering. If Native can develop a DJ controller with Kontrol Rig's quality construction, make it truly fun to use and drop it for around $500 bucks, then they will make many of their competitors quite nervous. We asked CEO Daniel Haver during AES if Native Instruments was a little apprehensive about competing in the hardware business - he just give us a wink and a big smile.

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Experiments In Sound
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As the name correctly implies, Experiments In Sound, is Futuremusic's latest endeavor for pushing electronic music technology to the very edge of what's possible. Experiments In Sound grew out of Futuremusic's avant-garde events in New York City that featured DJ's taking mixing and live sound reinforcement to a whole new level with the very latest gear and software.

Now Experiments In Sound has become The Ultimate Mix Contest...

After the tremendous success of our groundbreaking The Next Big Thing DJ Contest, Futuremusic has decided to once again create a new paradigm...
Learn more about Experiments In Sound!

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Futuremusic Presents... The Next Big Thing

Futuremusic wants to thank everyone who participated in The Next Big Thing 2004. John Digweed, Beatport, Alienware, M-Audio, Native Instruments, IK Multimedia, PVDJ, PK Graphics, Ableton, The DubHouse, Propellerheads, Technics, FreeFloat, The Church, PCDJ and every DJ who entered this year's event thank you. From the sheer number of quality mixes, we can tell you that dance music is thriving in the United States. The amount of outstanding talent and creativity really blew us away, and every DJ who's putting their heart, mind and soul behind the music is a winner. John Digweed has made his decision and the winner is...

Think you got skills?? Then start practicing! The Next Big Thing 2005 will kick off at the end of the summer!!

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