As you may know, we've been running a number of crazy-priced Ableton Live 9 deals for a couple of months now, whereby you can grab the full Ableton Live 9 software, PLUS a piece of professional hardware or software for (in many cases) LESS than Ableton Live 9 costs on its own! As an example:
• Ableton Live 9 software costs £339 on its own.
• In our cheapest deal, you can grab Ableton Live 9 plus a selection of Novation and Focusrite plug-in effects and instruments for JUST £179 - CLICK HERE!!!
• That's a SAVING of £160 and you get extra plug-ins!!!
For more examples of our CRAZY OFFERs, read on! You need to be quick though - these offers will end on Wednesday 22nd May 2013 (next week) at 3pm and we will not be able to offer them again. There is also limited stock and once they are gone, they really are gone.
Hello... I'm Marc... and I'm a gear junky...! I've been playing the guitar and gigging in various bands for many years and in 2012 I got myself a job at Absolute Music to feed my habit and share my passion and knowledge of the products that I know and love. I'm going to use my blog to write short reviews of some of my favourite products to hopefully help others in their quest for finding the right gear for their needs and budget.
In this review I'm going to be talking about the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB audio interface, which happens to be my interface of choice in my own home studio...
First there was the Apogee Duet... then came the Focusrite Forte! Two compact interfaces with very similar designs, detailed OLED monitoring and both boasting extremely high-quality converters and microphone preamps. But, with products of such similar specs, which do you go for?
To help solve this conundrum, the guys at Pro Tools Expert have made an extremely handy comparison video, where they discuss the physical and practical differences between the interfaces and even provide downloadable stems so that you can hear recordings from each and decide which you prefer for yourself. Very handy indeed!
One of the most exciting announcements this Spring (if not the most exciting) for synth fanatics was the news that the classic Novation Bass Station is backed in a re-worked form for the 21st century! The Bass Station II features a 25-note keyboard along with plenty of hands-on controls for tweaking your sounds to your heart's content! Although the Bass Station II is based on its brother from the 90s (and indeed, it is still fully analogue), this re-incarnation has been drastically re-worked for the modern musician.
On 24th May this year (2013) between 10am and 4pm, we will be joined in our Bournemouth pro-music superstore by an expert from Focusrite Novation who will be giving demonstrations and also answering any questions that you have on the Bass Station II. And, if you've got questions on any other Focusrite or Novation product (e.g. the new Launchpad-S or Launchkey keyboards) then the expert will be on-hand to help out and give demos.
Focusrite have just this instant announced two new USB 2.0 interfaces: the Scarlett 6i6 and 18i8. These beautiful looking devices join the existing (and very popular) family of Scarlett interfaces to make a range that should have a product to suit the needs of almost everybody!
As you can probably guess, the Scarlett 6i6 is a 6-in, 6-out device, whereas the Scarlett 18i8 is an 18-in, 8-out interface, with both being aimed at artists, producers, bands and home-studio owners. Of course, both feature a number of Focusrite's award-winning mic preamps and 24bit/96kHz conversion and both will also work with iOS devices such as the iPad using an optional Apple Camera Connection Kit (sold separately).
The 2-in 4-out Focusrite Forte is a professional USB interface that has received rave reviews since its release. Its super-clean RedNet preamps and detailed OLED monitoring display, as well as its class leading conversion have led to many reviewers declaring it superior to the popular Apogee Duet 2 and the fact that the Forte can be used on both Mac and PC platforms means that it's more universal than some of its competitors. If you're after a high-quality compact interface that can be used in the studio or on the road, then the Forte has just got to be considered!
For customers buying a Forte from today and throughout June and July, we've got some rather exciting news... during this period you can grab a Forte for just £339, equating to a saving of £60! This makes the Forte by far the cheapest interface in its class. Now that's got to be worth shouting about!
We were recently joined by Chris Calcutt from Focusrite Novation who talked us through their new Scarlett 18i20 interface! With 8 analogue inputs/mic pres, 10 analogue outputs, plus S/PDIF and ADAT connectivity, this powerful USB 2.0 interface can provide a maximum of 18 inputs and 20 outputs! It even ships with Mix Control software, which allows you to configure all the routings of the interface with ease!
Sound engineer Adrian Bushby has worked with Foo Fighters and Muse, among countless others, picking up numerous accolades along the way, including a GRAMMY in 2008 for recording the Foo Fighters album, 'Echoes, Silence, Patience, Grace' and then in 2011 for Muse's multi-platinum album 'Resistance'. (Video courtesy of Focusrite).
For a limited time you can make a HUGE saving on the professional Focusrite ISA Two dual mic preamp!
I haven't reviewed a Focusrite preamp before but there are many people out there who shout about how good their ISA One preamp (introduced in 2008) is. The ISA One is undeniably a fantastic single preamp, designed to be very portable with its compact design and carrying handle. It has been some years coming but to cater for the people that really wanted two preamps to record in stereo for example, Focusrite announced the ISA Two dual-mono mic preamp at Musikmesse 2012. With the design of the ISA Two, Focusrite went for a rackmount unit, providing two independent channels with those classic mic preamps.
Buy any new Focusrite, Novation or KRK product from us from now until 10th May and you will be eligible to enter an AMAZING competition, with a £200 voucher being given away everyday for 50 days! The first draw takes place this Friday (22nd March) and the good news is that you only need to enter once to be entered into all following prize draws! That means that if you purchase a product and enter the competition before Friday, you will be giving yourself 50 chances of winning £200, so be quick!
As you may know, we've been running a number of crazy-priced Ableton Live 9 deals for a couple of months now, whereby you can grab the full Ableton Live 9 software, PLUS a piece of professional hardware or software for (in many cases) LESS than Ableton Live 9 costs on its own! As an example:
