This has got to be one of our favourite announcements of Musikmesse 2013 so far - introducing the new Volca range from Korg. This series consists of the Volca Keys (an analogue lead machine), the Volca Bass (an analogue bass machine) and the Volca Beats (an analogue drum machine). These little synths look extremely fun and what's more, they sound awesome!!! With all three you will have the tools to create amazing analogue drums, leads and basses. Check them out in the video below.

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Genelec have announced that they will be releasing a new series of affordable, yet high-quality studio monitors. The M030 and M040 have been specifically designed for home-studio owners, DJs, and semi-professional producers. Their compact size also makes them ideal for producers that need a portable production option and they feature automatic voltage selection so are great if you're crossing continents.

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Universal Audio have just revealed a brand new Apollo audio interface with a massive 16 line level audio inputs and 16 line level audio outputs! You can even link two together to give a total I/O count of 32x32! Wow! Of course, each Apollo 16 also has a built-in UAD Quad Processor, allowing you to run Universal Audio's superb plug-ins, which model classic analogue equipment with scary accuracy! Just like with the other Apollo interfaces (the Apollo Duo and Apollo Quad), you can apply these effects in real-time to your audio signals, as well as place them in tracks within your DAW.

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It's time for another Musikmesse show in Frankfurt and so far we've already been treated to a host of exciting new releases! We will be constantly updating this article with information on the most exciting news from the show and will include links for you to find out more information on specific products where possible. So, if you want to keep up to date with all the latest Musikmesse 2013 news, this is the place to be!

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It looks like Nord have been busy little bees recently because they've only gone and released the Nord Lead 4 as well as their Nord Drum 2, Nord Pad and Nord Piano 2 HP. This synthesiser features new performance tools, new filters and new effects for the most comprehensive Nord Lead to date!

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TC-Helicon have just announced the Harmony Singer - an all-in-one pedal that will bring your vocal performance up to a professional level and you don't have to be a mix engineer to use it! The Harmony Singer features built-in vocal harmony, tone and reverb effects and when used with a guitar, it can automatically guide up to two harmony voices to that they always stay in perfect time with your playing. To top it all off, the built-in Adaptive Tone gives a professional sheen to your voice.

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The Nord Piano 2 HP is a lightweight (just 11kg!) Hammer-action 73-note keyboard that has access to both the Nord Piano Library and the Nord Sample Library, plus it features a professional effect section. In fact, the Nord Piano 2 HP is essentially a more compact version of the Nord Piano 2 HA88, featuring support for the Nord Triple Pedal (available separately), Advanced String Resonance (replicating the effect of other piano strings resonating when a note is played), USB MIDI and much more!

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Nord have just revealed a second generation model of their Nord Drum percussion synthesiser. The Nord Drum 2 has been designed for those that want to combine the playability of acoustic percussion with the sounds and synthesis options of a synth. The 6-channel Nord Drum 2 is capable of producing classic electro sounds, as well as realistic percussion hits. In addition to this, Nord have also announced the Nord Pad, which connects directly to the Nord Drum 2 with an Ethernet cable and allows you to trigger its sounds!

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Novation have just announced that they're bringing back a classic! Introducing the Bass Station II - a brand new analogue synth based on the original Bass Station but re-worked for the modern era. If you've heard the original then this will certainly excite you because this synth was capable of creating super warm bass sounds as well as screaming leads. I should know because I own one of the originals!

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Huge news for all Pro Tools (and potential Pro Tools users)... Avid have just announced version 11! Pro Tools 11 is set to feature a brand new, ultra-efficient audio engine; 64-bit performance; plus a whole bunch of new features that help you concentrate on the job at hand. In fact, Pro Tools 11 gives you exponentially more processing power than Pro Tools 10 without having to change any of your hardware! Now that's impressive! You will also be able to edit HD videos directly within the Pro Tools 11 timeline if this is your bag!

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