News

This section covers general news related to the world of piano, pianists, synths, electronic music, and musicians.

Yamaha has announced new models in its line of Disklavier E3 and E3PRO Series performance reproducing digital/acoustic grand pianos. Get our occasional newsletter... These models combine the unrivalled touch, tone, elegance and style of traditional Yamaha acoustic pianos with cutting edge digital piano features that enable the instruments to play […]

Yamaha expands Disklavier E3 digital acoustic performance reproducing pianos [NAMM13]

 in News  tagged acoustic piano / disklavier / e3 / e3pro / grand piano / namm13 / Yamaha by
Cables and connectors aren’t particularly exciting, but they are essential particularly in the evolving world of music making using tablet PCs such as the Apple iPad. Get our occasional newsletter... To this end, Yamaha has introduced its i-UX1 MIDI interface cable that enables quick, easy, seamless connection between the iPad/iPhone/iPod […]

Yamaha i-UX1 iOS to MIDI instrument connector [NAMM13]

 in News  tagged apple / cable / i-UX1 / interface / ios / ipad / iPhone / MIDI / namm13 / Yamaha by
Step Sequencer
Casio’s musical instrument department enters a new era as it announces the launch of two new professional music synthesisers. Get our occasional newsletter... First up is the XW-G1 Groove Synthesiser, targeted specifically at DJs and club performers with its interactive step sequencer and sample looper. Key features of the 61-key […]

Casio XW-G1 groove synthesiser and XW-P1 launched [NAMM12]

 in LDS / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged Casio / groove / namm12 / xw-g1 / xw-p1 by
Korg Kaossilator 2 angled front view
Korg has updated its hugely popular Kaossilator with the arrival of the Kaossilator 2. Get our occasional newsletter... Still sporting a vibrant yellow body (whether it comes in pink is another matter) it boasts a range of features including: Simple control with finger taps/slides on the integrated X-Y touchpad 150 […]

Korg Kaossilator 2 bursts into life [NAMM12]

 in LDA / LDS / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged audio / DJ / kaossilator / Korg / namm12 / portable by
Bösendorfer Klimt Artist Series grand piano
Bösendorfer has announced its Model 200 SPGK “Klimt”, the first in a new line of “Artist Series” acoustic grand pianos. Get our occasional newsletter... This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. This new model features: The Klimt model will be limited to a […]

Bösendorfer creates first “Artist Series” piano [NAMM12]

 in LDP / News / Piano  tagged Bösendorfer / grand piano / Klimt / limited edition / namm12 / the kiss by
Bösendorfer Model 155 SP acoustic grand piano
Those wanting the amazing acoustic grand piano experience but in a smaller frame size will be interested to here that renowned piano maker Bösendorfer (owned by Yamaha) has revealed its Model 155 SP. Get our occasional newsletter... As model numbers reflect the length of the piano in centimetres, it doesn’t […]

Bösendorfer Model 155 SP compact grand piano introduced [NAMM12]

 in LDP / News / Piano  tagged acoustic / Bösendorfer / grand piano / Model 155 SP / namm12 by
Yamaha EZ-220 Lighted Keyboard
Yamaha has updated its EZ-200 lighted keyboard with the introduction of the EZ-220. Compare EZ-200 and EZ-220. Get our occasional newsletter... It includes 100 preset songs designed to help beginners learn to play the keyboard. It features 392 built-in voices including realistic acoustic instruments including drums, plus synths and sound […]

Yamaha intros EZ-220 lighted keyboard [NAMM12]

 in LDS / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged beginner / ez-220 / keyboard / lighted / namm12 / tutorial / Yamaha by
Yamaha Disklavier E3 Classic DGB1KE3Classic
Yamaha has extended its range of Disklavier E3 digital pianos with the DGB1KE3Classic. Get our occasional newsletter... While it’s zero marks for the appalling product name, we should look beyond to the specs themselves. Yamaha has developed a new “Damper Drive System” which makes the E3 Classic more affordable. Yamaha […]

Yamaha intros Disklavier E3 Series DGB1KE3Classic [NAMM12]

 in LDP / News / Piano  tagged DGB1KE3Classic / disklavier / e3 / namm12 / Yamaha by
Yamaha ARIUS YDP-C71PE digital piano
Yamaha adds to its ARIUS line of digital pianos — which already include the YDP-S31, YDP-181 and YDP-V240 — with the YDP-C71PE. Get our occasional newsletter... Featuring a Graded Hammer (GH) 88-key keyboard and 3-level Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) dynamic stereo sampling system, it comes with a luxurious polished ebony […]

Yamaha intros ARIUS YDP-C71PE digital piano [NAMM12]

 in LDP / News / Piano  tagged arius / Digital Piano / namm12 / Yamaha / ydp-c71pe by
Roland FR-1x V-Accordion Red open view 1
Roland takes another step on its decade-long V-Accordion journey with the introduction of the FR-1x V-Accordion. Get our occasional newsletter... It builds upon the current FR-1 V-Accordions with the following key features: FR-1x Piano type and FR-1x Button type with stereo speaker system onboard USB memory port for Wave/MP3 player, […]

Roland intros FR-1x V-Accordion [NAMM12]

 in LDS / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged accordion / fr-1x / namm12 / Roland / v-accordion by
Roland PK-6 dynamic MIDI foot pedal top view
Roland has updated its impressive MIDI foot pedal with the introduction of the PK-6 dynamic MIDI pedal. Get our occasional newsletter... Looking much like the pedals found on an organ, this versatile piece of kit allows the keyboard player/pianist great creativity and flexibility by controlling MIDI with the feet. Compatible […]

Roland intros PK-6 dynamic MIDI pedal [NAMM12]

 in LDS / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged accessories / controller / MIDI / MIDI pedal / namm12 / pk-6 / Roland by
Roland BK-5 backing keyboard top view
Auto-accompaniment features on electronic keyboards are nothing new, but Roland believes it has stepped up the game a notch with the introduction of its BK-5 Backing Keyboard. Get our occasional newsletter... Designed for the one-man gigging keyboardist, or to use to accompany others, the BK-5 includes a powerhouse of authentic […]

Roland intros BK-5 backing keyboard [NAMM12]

 in LDS / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged backing keyboard / bk-5 / namm12 / Roland / synth by
Roland Atelier AT-900 Platinum Edition organ top view
Three years after the launch of the Atelier AT-900 organ, Roland has updated and released the flagship “platinum edition” AT-900. Get our occasional newsletter... This edition has a newly-updated cabinet design, expanded voices and additional features, including: Lustrous walnut finish Acclaimed Virtual Tone Wheel organ sound Improved and expanded Pipe […]

Roland intros Platinum Edition Atelier AT-900 organ [NAMM12]

 in News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged AT-900 / atelier / namm12 / Organ / platinum / Roland / supernatural by
Roland RP301R Digital Piano USB port
Roland has introduced the RP301 and RP301R digital pianos, both featuring its SuperNATURAL sound technology, Ivory Feel-G keyboard and a number of features designed to make piano playing more fun and rewarding. Get our occasional newsletter... We don’t have the detailed specifications for each model, but it seems that the […]

Roland intros RP301 and RP301R digital pianos [NAMM12]

 in LDP / News / Piano  tagged Digital Piano / namm12 / Roland / rp301 / rp301r / supernatural by
Roland F-120 digital piano side view lid closed
Building on the successful F-110, Roland introduces its F-120 digital pianos, which it says are ideal for pianists wanting authentic sound and touch in a compact, contemporary cabinet. Get our occasional newsletter... Key features include: SuperNATURAL Piano engine onboard Ivory Feel-G keyboard for true piano feel and touch Compact, lightweight […]

Roland intros F-120 digital piano [NAMM12]

 in LDP / News / Piano  tagged Digital Piano / f-120 / namm12 / Roland by
Roland HP507 Digital Piano USB closeup
Hot on the heels of Roland’s LX-15 announcement come three upright digital pianos in the new HP500 series. Get our occasional newsletter... By now you’ll be fairly familiar with Roland’s SuperNATURAL sound technology. It’s appeared in many of Roland’s newer digital pianos including all in the HP300 series (the HP302, […]

Roland intros HP500 Series of digital pianos [NAMM12]

 in LDP / News / Piano  tagged Digital Piano / hp500 / hp503 / hp505 / hp507 / namm12 / Roland / supernatural by
Roland LX-15 digital piano USB port close up 1
Roland has introduced its LX-15 digital piano, building on the technology found in the LX-10 and LX-10F. Get our occasional newsletter... Featuring the SuperNATURAL sound engine with Soundboard Behaviour system, it offers organic sound and expressive potential. The Acoustic Projection system delivers a natural, multi-dimensional sound, with a range of […]

Roland intros LX-15 upright digital piano [NAMM12]

 in LDP / News / Piano  tagged Digital Piano / lx-15 / namm12 / Roland / supernatural by
Roland HD-3 V-Drum drum kit snare drum
The Roland HD-3 V-Drums Lite drum kit is ideal as a starter kit for beginner drummers and anyone who wants a compact, relatively inexpensive electronic drum kit in their home. Get our occasional newsletter... It uses much of the same decade-developed technology found in Roland’s latest V-Pro series kit but […]

Roland intros V-Drums Lite HD-3 electronic drum kit [NAMM12]

 in LDS / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged drums / electronic / namm12 / Roland / v-drums by
Roland V-Drums TD-30KV drum kit
Roland continues to build on its decade-long history of V-Drums with the introduction of the SuperNATURAL-powered TD-30KV and TD-30K V-Pro Series electronic drum set. You’ll probably best know SuperNATURAL from its role in the V-Piano. Get our occasional newsletter... Key features include Behaviour Modelling and advanced sensing technology that reacts […]

Roland introduces V-Drums V-Pro Series [NAMM12]

 in News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged drums / electronic / namm12 / Roland / supernatural / v-drums / v-pro by
Native Instruments has announced that iMASCHINE is now available in the App Store for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Get our occasional newsletter... The first ever Native Instruments app is an intuitive beat sketchpad based on MASCHINE’s groove production studio concept. iMASCHINE is perfect for developing song ideas anytime, anywhere. […]

iMASCHINE for iPhone/iPad launched by Native Instruments

 in LDA / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged app / apple / iMASCHINE / ipad / iPhone / ipod touch / native instruments / pads by
Summit Audio has launched its “set and forget” TLA-100A compressor plugin featuring parallel compression, saturation control and low cut filtering. Get our occasional newsletter... At a glance: The first and only Summit Audio plug-in Easy to use Built-in parallel compression and detector filtering Each and every component carefully modeled. Modeled […]

Softube releases TLA-100A compressor plugin

 in News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged compressor / plugin / softube / tla100 by
Sound Magic has announced the availability of its Supreme Piano 2 sample pack featuring a rich Bösendorfer, a Fazioli, a Steinway and a Yamaha grand piano. Get our occasional newsletter... The Ruby Piano captures the mellow sustain and beautiful tones of a Yamaha C7 built in 1972, which has original […]

Sound Magic Supreme Piano 2 includes four stunning grand piano ...

 in News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged Bösendorfer / fazioli / sample / sound magic / Steinway / supreme piano 2 / Yamaha by
Nord has released the latest operating system upgrade for its Stage 2 series keyboards, encompassing both a range of new features as well as bug fixes. Get our occasional newsletter... The Sound Menu now includes separate settings for the Rotary’s horn and rotor speed, and acceleration/retardation time. The new version […]

Nord Stage 2 OS updated to version 1.4

 in News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged download / nord / operating system / os / stage 2 / upgrade by
Josh Charles, Casio’s Privia spokesperson, has announced his new single “Life Ain’t Fair”, co-written with Milton L. Brown. Get our occasional newsletter... Written using a Privia PX-3 digital piano Charles says, “‘Life Ain’t Fair’ is a song that speaks for what is happening to the socio-economic state of our country, […]

Josh Charles releases “Life Ain’t Fair” using Casio Privia PX-3

 in News / Piano  tagged Casio / Digital Piano / john charles / life ain't fair / privia px-3 / single by
DJs looking for some ready-to-use samples for adding spice to their mixes might want to take a look at the new DJSamplr app from PowerFX. Get our occasional newsletter... The app contains over 300 samples which are accessed via a simple ‘drum pad’ interface. All you need do is to […]

DJSamplr app released for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

 in LDA / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged apple / ios / ipad / iPhone / ipod touch / powerfx / samples / Software by
The award-winning Alchemy software comes to an Apple device near you, as Camel Audio announces an iOS version is now available to download from the App Store. Get our occasional newsletter... Here’s a run down of the main features: Touch Remote for Alchemy on Mac/PC With the Pro Upgrade ($19.99/€15.99/£13.99), […]

Alchemy Mobile comes to iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

 in LDA / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged alchemy / camel audio / ios / ipad / iPhone / ipod touch / mobile / Software / sound player by
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In crafting his latest release, The Bowie Variations, celebrated composer, pianist and session musician Mike Garson relied on the Yamaha Disklavier performance reproducing piano not only to unleash his creativity, but to singlehandedly compose and create works in ways previously unimaginable. Get our occasional newsletter... According to Garson, The Bowie […]

Yamaha Disklavier used on Mike Garson’s Bowie Variations CD

 in Musicians / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio  tagged bowie variations / disklavier / mike garson / Yamaha by
Next Saturday, 8th October, 7.30pm, Merseyside composer Alexandra Dariescu will premiere her new piano work Mesmerism at the Pacific Road Arts Centre in Birkenhead. Get our occasional newsletter... Mesmerism was commissioned from Oxton-born composer, Emily Howard, by the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra (LMO), to celebrate the orchestra’s 60th anniversary year. Mark […]

Mesmerism: Alexandra Dariescu to premiere work in Merseyside

 in Musicians / News / Piano  tagged Alexandra Dariescu / birkenhead / merseyside / mesmerism / Piano by