Volca Nubass
The Volca range of synths and drum machines has been expanding rapidly over the last year. With the addition of a modular synth and a digital drum machine, the latest offering is a valve-based bass synth which has a new-generation vacuum tube in its oscillator.
Korg claims that the oscillator uses the valve to create warm, thick sounds with a natural distortion. The classic Korg filter and sequencer that you find on all other Volcas are still present and it can be controlled via MIDI or the included sync cable.
It's very compact, battery-operated and has its own speaker, making it perfect to take anywhere and offering the opportunity for students (and teachers) to make music on the go. For more ideas on taking music out of the classroom, see this month's column on the next page.
Studio One 4.5
Speak to your dealer for educational pricing The latest version of Presonus's flagship software features a number of key updates. The vast majority of these updates are under the hood and mainly affect the basic way in which one uses the software to improve workflow.
However, one or two updates are of note – the input mixer has had a major overhaul and allows you to control the gain structure on Presonus hardware directly (if you have it). The other major update worth mentioning is an additional set of controls and functions when MIDI editing.
Reason Compact
Propellerheads, the makers of Reason, is re-releasing all of the mobile apps. The latest release is version two of the Reason app – Reason Compact. The app is free but users can purchase additional instruments within the app.
As you can see from the image, it has a cool and slick design that looks great on any mobile device. Unfortunately, it is an iOS exclusive but Propellerheads has said that it is working on an Android release, citing a desire to avoid making ‘major compromises in performance and quality’. As with most of these things, the more uniform nature of Apple's devices make it easier for companies to develop a stable app.
The latest version features two new instruments. The first is Rytmik, a simple drum machine with a number of different sounds and settings such as distortion, delay and reverb. The second is Monotone, which is a bass synth that allows you to play around with glide and resonance among other things. With these and the exisiting instruments you'll be able to create basic tracks. Plus, tracks started in the app can be exported to the desktop version of the software.
