ALVA Nanoface

To celebrate the arrival of the latest ALVA Nanoface USB Audio Interface here at Millennium Music, we thought that we’d give our customers some insight into the Nanoface philosophy along with the company itself.

ALVA have been creating ‘complement’ products for their prestigious partners at RME for some time now, including breakout cables, a ‘Loopback’ tool for the RME ADI-6432 and a wide variety of reasonably priced accessories.

The Nanoface USB Audio Interface exemplifies ALVA’s passion for delivering great sound in an extremely eye-catching design, which as many of you can probably see is suspiciously similar to RME’s own Babyface 22ch USB Audio Interface.  Perfect for a wide variety of environments, including home, mobile and live, the ALVA Nanoface USB Audio Interface provides a wide selection of analogue and digital I/O connections and even sports 1 MIDI in and 2 MIDI out.

Similar to the RME Babyface, the ALVA Nanoface USB Audio Interface comes equipped with high-quality converters that easily compete with those found in interfaces twice the price.  Whilst it doesn’t come with software option dialogues or an integrated mixer, it does provide the vital ingredient of high-speed drivers that perform with minimal drop-outs and low latency.  This, along with low-noise Hi-Z and microphone preamps, ensures that users can get the most out of their recordings without fear of losing the vital detail that gives your performance an edge.

Designed from the ground-up for those that are looking for a simple, intuitive and incredibly stylish addition for their audio rig, the ALVA Nanoface USB Audio Interface is certainly one to watch out for.

Don’t miss out on yours and order now from Millennium Music.

You’d have to be living under a rock to not notice the impact Apple’s iPad tablet computer has had on day-to-day life, and I’m sure that most music technology enthusiasts have noticed that audio interface manufactures world-wide are embracing the iPad’s liberating functionality to bring new and exciting audio products to the market that promise to revolutionize the way we create music.

We here at Millennium Music pride ourselves on being at the forefront of the music technology world (since 1992 I might add) and thought we’d give our customers a roundup of the latest and greatest iPad audio interfaces available.  To make for easy reading, Part 1 of this blog will focus more on general iPad interfaces whilst Part 2 will concentrate on those dedicated for guitarist and bassists.

Tascam iXZ

Our first encounter brings us to the simple and incredibly affordable Tascam iXZ iOS Mic/Instrument Interface.  This small and extremely compact audio interface allows you to turn you iOS (iPod, iPhone and iPad) device into a portable practice, songwriting or live recording rig and comes equipped with a switchable mic/line/instrument input to suit a variety of needs.  The XLR microphone input found on the Tascam iXZ iOS Mic/Instrument Interface can even supply Phantom Power for those of us who wish to use our high-quality condenser microphones and also possesses a 1/8” headphone output for direct monitoring from your iOS device.

Our next item, the Lexicon Omega Desktop Recording Studio, is something many of us in the music tech world already know and love thanks to its high-quality converters and rich manufacturing pedigree.  However, whilst it was originally marketed as an audio interface for computers, the geniuses at Lexicon have taken full advantage of Apple’s USB Camera Connection Kit and have ensured that the Lexicon Omega Desktop Recording Studio is completely compatible with the latest generation of iPads.  With this new lease of life users are now able to record up to four channels of 24-bit / 44.1 kHz directly to their iPads via a wide variety of input connections and without the disadvantage of going through the iPad’s input jack connection.  As an added bonus, it even supports MIDI input to your favourite iPad music app.

Alesis iO Mix iPad Recorder

Setting the trend once again for things to come, the Alesis iO Mix iPad Recorder is the first device that turns your iPad into a powerful multitrack recording and mixing device.  With four XLR-1/4” combo input channels, each with trim, gain, pan and tone controls, along with switchable 48V Phantom Power for your condenser microphones and DI for recording guitars and basses without an amp, the Alesis iO Mix iPad Recorder offers a comprehensive solution for those looking to get the most out of their iPad.  Separating itself from its competitors, the Alesis iO Mix iPad Recorder also supports video output for connection to TVs and projectors making it perfect for VJs.  With a vast array of professional-standard connections, the Alesis iO Mix iPad Recorder fits perfectly into any studio or live environment and even keeps your precious iPad safe thanks to its hinged door.

Alto-Masterlink-Live-24

Our last but far from least item is Alto’s own contribution to the iOS world of audio.  The Alto Masterlink Live Series, available in 24 and 16 channels respectively, integrates a feature-packed standalone console with iPad recording, processing and analysis facilities to provide a mixing experience beyond any other mixer in its class.   Equipped with industry-leading Alesis DSP processing, low-noise preamps, three-band EQ on all mono channels and individual channel compressors, the Alto Masterlink Live Series has everything you need for live performances and rehearsals with or without an iPad.  Incorporating an iPad into this console allows users to gain access to a mass collection of software-based plug-ins via Alto’s own Live Drive App and control them intuitively thanks to the iPad’s beautiful multi-touchscreen display.  Once you’ve got everything set and ready to go, you can simply record the Alto Masterlink Live Series’ main outputs directly to your iPad.  Versatile, elegant and incredibly powerful, the Alto Masterlink Live Series brings the best of both worlds to your fingertips.

Call or email our experienced sales team and we’ll find the perfect audio-capable companion for your iPad.

Click links below for more product details:

• Tascam iXZ iOS Mic/Instrument Interface
• Lexicon Omega Desktop Recording Studio
• Alesis iO Mix iPad Recorder (link coming shortly)
• Alto Masterlink Live Series (link coming shortly)

MIDI interfacing in my experience has quite ofter featured a massive chain of devices running from the sequencers MIDI out > devices MIDI in > MIDI Thru > MIDI input then an endless repeat of that last stage. This method does work, but can bring up a wide range of issues that are easily avoidable if you use the Star System, which requires a  MIDI interface or Thru Box with enough MIDI outputs to transmit to all your devices simultaneously.

The main issues being...

1. If a device in the chain fails, then it cuts off the MIDI information to all the devices further along in the chain.

2. MIDI latency, even though incredibly small in the initial stages, can build up.

3. Signal degradation, travelling through so many devices can increase the errors transmitted in the MIDI information, causing wrong notes to be played or no notes to be played at all.

Like I said, all these issues can be avoided by using a sufficient MIDI interface, such as the MOTU MIDI Express or the M-Audio MIDI Sport featuring 9 and 4 MIDI outs respectively, plenty for a more than adequate MIDI set-up.

A lot of the time, its nice to be able to step "outside the box" when it comes to sampling and synthesis, getting more hands on and generally achieving much more sonically interesting results. If your hardware is configured correctly you can have all the benefits of  "in the box" sequencing whilst maintaining the fun and hands on approach of your hardware, the best of both worlds.

For more information on MIDI configuration, your MIDI interface options or your Synthesis options, give our High Tech department a call on 08455557070.