Recording - July 2011 - 10

Olympus Adds High-Definition Video To Audio Field Recorder
The Olympus LS-20M is a portable recorder that captures 24-bit/96 kHz audio and 1080p HD video at the same time. The new unit offers tools for capturing, editing, and adding special effects (four are included) to video right on the recorder. The unit has a 2" color LCD for video display and a 1.46" data LCD below it, so video shooting and device parameters never interfere with one another. Three video format settings are available, including 1080p; the camera has a 5.32 megapixel image sensor and a 4.1mm autofocus lens with 4x digital zoom, with low-light and closeup shooting capability. The audio recorder works in WAV and MP3 formats with its internal stereo mic array or with an external stereo mic that uses a 1/8" TRS connection. The unit includes manual and auto-level recording, lowcut filter switch, 1/8" TRS earphone jack and amp, built-in quick audition speaker, voice activated and self-timer recording, HDMI and USB 2.0 connectors are built in, and the LS-20M comes with a 2 GB SD card, a rechargeable Li-Ion battery, USB cable, and AC adapter (the unit can also be charged via USB). Up to 32 GB SDHC cards are compatible, and an optional wireless remote is available as well. Price: $299.99 More from: Olympus Imaging America Inc., www.getolympus.com.

SPL Introduces New Power Attenuator For Guitar Amps
The Reducer is the newest guitar-amp output control product from SPL. It follows the SPL Transducer and Cabulator, which include speaker simulation, and is a purely passive attenuation system designed to connect between the amp head and speaker and dissipate power meant for the cabinet as heat. The all-passive design means that the Reducer does not affect the tone of the amp/cab combination, providing perfect overdriven tones without the volume. The amp output impedance can be set to 4, 8, or 16 ohms, and the Reduction control starts out with stepped settings and then becomes continuous. Price: $449 • More from: SPL, www.spl.info.

Guitar Hardware And Software From Line 6
The Line 6 POD HD line of floor multieffects pedals has been joined by the POD HD, a desktop guitar multieffects processor in the classic “bean” shape made famous by Line 6. The new unit offers all 22 of the new HD amp models, including emulations of Fender, Hiwatt, Supro, Gibson, Divided by 13, Dr. Z, VOX, Marshall, and many more. The models allow for fully adjustable preamp, power amp, speaker cabinet, and mic preamp. Also included are over 100 effects types, with up to eight at a time and in any order. The unit offers a 1/4" guitar input, stereo 1/4" balanced outputs, S/PDIF output, 1/4" headphone jack, XLR mic input, USB 2.0, and an FBV connector for a Line 6 foot controller. Also new from Line 6: software updates to the POD Farm lineup of amp modeling plug-ins. Version 2.5 of these programs offers compatibility with any USB audio interface (although Line 6 does still recommend its own interfaces for maximum flexibility), 64-bit support, standalone capability, and more. New features include enhanced routing and signal splitting, a drag-and-drop browser, and POD Farm Elements, plug-ins that let users load a single amp, preamp, or effect without loading multiple instances of the entire POD Farm, thus saving on CPU power. POD Farm 2.5 Platinum includes over 250 amp and effect models. A free trial version is available now, and the upgrade from version 2 is also free. Prices: POD HD, $399.99; POD Farm 2.5, $99; POD Farm 2.5 Platinum, $299 More from: Line 6, www.line6.com.
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RECORDING JULY 2011

http://www.getolympus.com http://www.spl.info http://www.line6.com

Recording - July 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - July 2011