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Sweet Notes Early Fall 1998 Page 8
ALESIS QS6.1
A few years ago, if you wanted a CD of your music, you had to spend big bucks for just one
single disc. If you wanted data transferred from your computer to a CD-ROM, again, big bucks.
Man, am I glad that’s all changed! Today, you and I have the ability to burn our own CDs at a cost
that’s a fraction of what it used to cost in the “old days.” Whether you need one CD or a dozen or
several hundred, one company has the technology and the machines to do the job. In fact,
Microboards Technology, Inc. has some of the most versatile CD burners on the market!
If you’re looking for one duplicator that can do it all in your studio — from audio CDs to CD
ROMs to Multi Session and Mixed Mode discs — take a look at the CopyWriter A2D CD Duplication
System ($1849 list). The A2D is actually the first CD to CD stand alone duplicator with built-in
analog to digital conversion. It also features an extremely user-friendly interface, a 2.1 GB internal
hard disk and a SCSI port so you can easily connect it to any Mac or PC.
This machine is so cool, you can even plug in a mic and record, or record
from the audio line input (thanks to the A/D converters, of course). If
speed is critical, note that the A2D can read at 8X (1200 Kbps)
and write at 4X (600 Kbps), so a single 60 minute audio CD will
only take about 15 minutes to create or duplicate! And the Cue
Sheet function has Play, Delete, Swap, Move and Back commands
that allow you to change the order and alter individual audio
tracks after extracting tracks from CD or input from tape or
other analog source.
If your needs are more sophisticated — and these days,
whose aren’t? — you might want to take a close look at the
Cedar Desktop CD-R Publisher. It loads, cleans, records,
verifies and even prints labels (300x600 dpi ink jet) on up to 50 CDs automatically. The recorder
has a SCSI-2 interface, runs at speeds of 4X for super fast disc creation and the precision
robotics (you can finally tell folks you own a robot!) maximizes productivity — you just load it
and walk away. When you return, there are your CDs! Yes, its list price is $7685, but if you could
see this thing in action, I guarantee you’ll want one.
But maybe 50 CDs aren’t enough. What if you need a
duplication system that can burn up to an astounding 650 discs
per hour? Yes, the DSR-8000 CD Station ($6995 list) will
make you from one to five CDs (or even DVDs), but when high
production is needed, you can expand your five slot DSR up to
20 slots. With the unit’s Direct SCSI channel, all of the CDR
(and even DVD-R) recorders in the DSR-8000 will function as
a target writer for Mac, PC or Workstation.
If you have your CD recorders on line already, but are tired
of having to label discs by hand, look into the Signature CD
Color Printer ($1245 list) for printing 300x600 dpi ink jet
labels right on your discs that look like they were silk screened.
Call your Sales Engineer right now for more information
and (of course) your special low Sweetwater pricing on these
superior duplication systems from Microboards.
by Daniel Fisher, Director of Soundware Engineering
Back in the mid to late 80's, when I was a Synth major at
Berklee College, I used to hang around the local music stores
and lust after all the new amazing gear. For me, the most exciting
products were the ones that were actually affordable like the
original Alesis MidiVerb with its unbelievable low cost that seemed
impossible considering the features it offered.
Throughout the years Alesis has continued to stun musicians
with each new product release, bringing previously unattainable
technology to the masses and always with a jaw dropping price.
Now get ready for the Alesis QS6.1 64-Voice Expandable
Synthesizer. This 61-note keyboard, which is a heavily updated
version of the QS6, still weighs only 19 pounds but now features
the following improvements: 16 megs of uncompressed 16-bit
linear, 48kHz Sample ROM (up from 8 megs) which adds the
critically acclaimed Stereo Bosendorfer Grand Piano and also
includes all the Alesis DM5 Drums along with the LA Philharmonic
Strings and Brass as well as Keith Emerson's Modular Moog
and Hammond Organ samples. Wow!
The QS6.1 is fully expandable to up to 32 megabytes via
two PCMCIA-format ports (up from the QS6’s single port) which
let you immediately access an additional 16MB of sound ROM
without installing complicated circuit boards or waiting for disk
drives. You can use this port with any of the tasty Alesis QCards
that accommodates your musical style, whether you're into
classical, hip-hop, pop, rock, orchestral music or otherwise.
Also new are enhanced GM programming, four Edit/Control
Sliders (up from just one slider in the QS6) which can be assigned
to any parameter. Two new front panel buttons (Transpose and
Sequence Start) make live performance even easier. It even has
a faster Serial Port which can now transfer data at up to 15k
Baud (up to four times as fast as a MIDI interface!), so you can
access either Macintosh or PC platforms to get into sequencing,
notation, sample importing and downloading, editor/librarians
and multimedia authoring.
A new brighter and bigger display allows for easy visibility
in any situation, there’s an internal power supply now (no more
wall wart!) and the latest Fatar-built 61-note keyboard gives you
the best feeling synth keyboard on the market. The QS6.1 also
provides a huge selection of 640 Programs and 500 multitimbral
Mixes. If you want to use your own samples or sounds from
other sample libraries, the QS6.1 includes Sound Bridge software
that lets you import, save and playback AIFF, WAV and other
sample formats.
Knowing Alesis, you might expect that they added all these
great features for only a couple hundred dollars more than the
original QS6. But are you ready for this? They've actually reduced
the price by $100!! The new list price for the QS6.1 is now only
$999. But how does the QS6.1 sound? Well, I'm a bit biased,
seeing as how Alesis flew me to California for a while to be part
of their QS Programming Team, but I know you will be knocked
out by how much professional sound can come from this
lightweight and astoundingly priced marvel of engineering.
If the QS 6.1 sounds like a great addition to your personal
setup, I suggest you call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer today
for more information and special pricing on the 6.1 and the entire
line of exceptional Alesis QS Series synths.
— Continued from Page 7 one of the unit’s four channels. So in essence, if you need 5 to 256
different sounds at the touch of a button, the AX2 is for you. If you want a bit more traditional amp feel
and only need to switch between four different sounds, you want a Flextone. Not too tough, was it?
If you don’t do that much gigging (like me), but still want all the incredible TubeTone sound and
versatility, the Line 6 folks just introduced the world to the POD ($399 list), an awesome-sounding
tabletop direct recording tool that’s designed to deliver all the sounds of a Flextone (meaning killer
tube amp sounds) in a compact package. Line 6’s exclusive A.I.R. direct recording output even provides
outstanding cabinet/speaker/mic emulations that actually sound like real miked cabinets. This little
beauty offers a deep, inspirational sonic palette that uses exactly the same modeling technology as
Line 6’s combo amps, but without the possibility of pulling a muscle or irritating the neighbors (the
ones that go to bed at 10 P.M.). This thing is affordable, and its mind-blowing sound makes it essential
for every serious guitar player that wants to lay down the tone on tape (or hard disk).
As you might guess, we have more to tell you about these fabulous amps (we haven’t even told
you about the Floor Board and its eight switches and two pedals at $299 list). But that’s a job for
your Sweetwater Sales Engineer. True, at this point you probably already want a Line 6 product, but
trust us, as amazing as these things may seem in black and white, they’re even more incredible when
you actually plug in a guitar and play. So what are you waiting for? Pick up the phone and give us a
call for information and special low pricing on these amazing Line 6 products. — Bill Hoover
Microboards Copywriter A2D
BURN YOUR OWN CDS WITH MICROBOARDS
LINE 6 PRODUCTS
Cedar Desktop CD-R Publisher