Published
Fri, Jan 23, 2015, 11:19
- The AudioFuse emphasizes versatility and ergonomics, and the French company's drum pad controller gains new sequencing abilities.
Arturia are rolling out two new products at the NAMM Show this weekend.
The first, a compact audio interface, was floated in a PowerPoint presentation outlining what the French company says are the pitfalls of such devices. Believing that simplicity isn't actually virtue in this context, they've installed a lot of knobs and buttons to the face of the AudioFuse, providing dedicated controls for features like per-channel gain, phantom power and output level. In terms of I/O, they've included high-end mic preamps on two XLR/balanced 1/4-inch inputs, plus two phono/line inputs, MIDI and a USB hub. It'll hit shops in the second quarter of this year.
The second is a new version of the company's BeatStep controller. Dubbed the BeatStep Pro, it's Arturia's take on a deeply functional hardware sequencer. It features two melodic sequencers and one drum sequencer; the former will do 64 steps per sequence, 16 sequences per project and 16 projects, while the latter gives the machine 16 separate tracks of sequencing. It connects to your devices via USB, MIDI, CV/gate and clock I/O that will work with an external clock generator or DIN sync. A host of other performance features, like a looper controllable by touch strip, are also included. The company says it'll be out in April, and the video below should give you a sense of what it can do.
Arturia will release the AudioFuse in Q2 2015 for an estimated retail price of $599. They'll release the BeatStep Pro in April 2015 for an estimated retail price of $299.