START ME UP!
Five awesome new products to get your gear engine revving this month…
BLACKSTAR LIVE LOGIC MIDI CONTROLLER
1 The british amp gurus have made a departure here– but it’s a welcome one. A six-button controller for use with with any music hardware or software with midi compatibility. The potential here is to make life with MIDI easier as a guitarist on stage and in the studio – whether that’s with your Dawo ra san interface for your Midi-compatible pedals. Blacks tar’ s software also makes changing its functions simple. £129,blackstaramps.com
STERLING BY MUSIC MAN JARED DINES STINGRAY
2 Theonlystingray modelwith24frets andhot-roddeddual hum bu ck ers? you tube r Jared Dines is making his de but signature model count. It’s certainly struck a chord with players as the initial run sold out fast. Expect wider availability in the fu tu re.“i wanted to make it affordable,” says Dines. And with gold hardware, a kill switch and a dual tone / volume control, it’s an eye-catcher too. $699,sterlingbymusicman.com
IK MULTIMEDIA AXE I/O SOLO
3 A more affordable and slightly streamlined version of last year’s AXE I/O is a tale of two elements; the impressive hardware interface with tone shaping tools is only part of the package. for the asking price, players also get a comprehensive software package including Amplitube 4 Deluxe with over 140 models of guitar and bass amps, cabs, pedals, mics, and more. There’s also T-racks plugins too, meaning you’ re out of excuses nottorecordnow. £264,ikmultimedia.com
NEURAL DSP ARCHETYPE: CORY WONG
4 Following plugin packs with Plini, Tosin Abasi and adam nolly get good, it’s only right that a modern maverick from the funk world gets the treatment. the software offers three amps along with a key selection of fourpre-effectsandtwo Post-effects models. D.I Funk Console, the clean machine and The amp snob will cover you from crystal clean to break-up tones, the latter styled on a dumb le Overdrive Special. $112.99,neuraldsp.com
ELECTRO-HARMONIX CNTL KNOB
5 The name sounds ominous, doesn’t it! But this mini pedal could soon become a staple of your pedalboard. It’s a small expression pedal that allows you top reset two different expression settings and use the pedal to choose between them to exploit the potential of any expression pedal inputs your other pedals may have, whether that is instant W ham my setting switches or types of delay. It also comes with atrs cable to get you started. £36,ehx.com