Generalmusic Intros Top-Of-The-Line Equinox Pro
July 23, 1999 Expanding on the design of Generalmusic's Equinox 61 and 76 introduced
last year, the new Equinox Pro boasts a comprehensive feature set that
firmly establishes it as the manufacturer's flagship keyboard.
The 88-key Equinox Pro features a fully weighted, hammer action keyboard
for incredibly realistic piano action. An internal hard disk (minimum
1 Gig) is available for storing everything from patches and samples to
grooves and songs, and comes preloaded with Generalmusic's virtual PRO2
piano, which brings world-renowned Rhodes, Wurlitzer and Electric Grand
samples to the Equinox Pro. The product also features the highly-acclaimed
FFT Merge Piano Sample, complete with the manufacturer's patented Damper
Physical Model and 'Natural String Resonance' technologies
Like Generalmusic's WK8 Megastation, the Equinox Pro comes equipped with
8 MB of battery-backed sample RAM (as opposed to the 2 MB of the Equinox
61 and 76). Full SCSI implementation enables the Equinox Pro to load and
save direct from/to floppy disk, CD-ROM, SyQuest, Zip, Jaz and others,
and read samples in the following formats: Kurzweil™, Akai™,
WAV (PC), AIFF (Mac), SMP and SND. With future operating systems, other
formats will also be compatible, such as Roland™, Ensoniq™ and
E-mu™. Once imported, samples can be fully edited using the powerful
synth engine. User RAM, for samples, is expandable up to 40 MB (up to
32 MB of SIMMs, in addition to the 8 MB of battery-backed RAM).
The Equinox Pro features velocity and aftertouch, as well as generous
64-voice polyphony. Equipped with 16 MB of ROM, the synth offer over 1000
sounds as standard. Available in a stunning array, from the most traditional
to the most unique and original, these sounds were created entirely in
the USA by the industry's top programmers.
An on-board "Groove Machine" provides over 1000 fully-editable,
pre-programmed rhythms for creating dance loops and grooves. Rhythmic
ideas can be brought to life in seconds, while a "Random Groove Generator"
feature can create unusual and original patterns to inspire new song ideas.
The Equinox Pro synth engine boasts 128 digital filters with resonance
(4-pole/24 dB). A single patch can contain as many as six waveforms (a
combination of ROM or imported samples) with up to 21 independent 10-segment
envelopes and three LFOs. Furthermore, the keyboardist may layer/split
up to 16 patches at once using up to 64 waveforms.
The term "multi-timbrality" takes on a new meaning thanks to
the Equinox Pro. The allocation of its 32 available parts takes place
distinctly between real-time sounds and the independent sequencer, allowing
the simultaneous use of highly complex sounds with the 16 parts of the
sequencer. By not allowing the sequencer to steal tracks from the synth,
the Equinox Pro guarantees the availability of sounds even in the most
critical of multi-timbral situations.
The powerful on-board sequencer also allows for 16-track recordings with
a capacity of 250,000 events/16 songs, resolution of 1/192 ppq, groove
quantize and advanced microscope editing.
A drawbar organ mode, with eight physical sliders, can provide all the
nuances of the classic organs of the '60s, including Leslie simulation,
key click, overdrive and percussion. A user-programmable local/MIDI arpeggiator
also brings back a popular sound from the '70s.
Extremely versatile, the Equinox Pro synth includes 32 MIDI channels
and 16 programmable MIDI zones with eight programmable sliders, eight
assignable buttons, two wheels and three assignable pedals.
For owners of the Equinox 61 and 76, all of the previous features can
be purchased in an "Equinox Pro Upgrade" package (aside from
the 88-key fully weighted, hammer action keyboard). The hardware upgrade
kit includes a new hard disk drive, fitting kit, SCSI upgrade kit and
8 MB of battery-backed RAM, transforming the two original synth models
into the Equinox 61 Pro and 76 Pro.
And, if an Equinox 61 or 76 owner doesn't wish to upgrade his or her
synth, but wants the ability to interface with CD-ROM or Zip to import
sounds from other manufacturers, a separate SCSI kit is also sold by itself.
Suggested U.S. retail pricing is as follows:
- Equinox Pro $3695.00
- Equinox Pro Upgrade $850.00
- Equinox SCSI kit $100.00
For more information,contact Generalmusic at www.generalmusic.com. |
