PAR Daily E-Reviewsletter: Voting Starts Today - 2012 PAR Excellence Awards plus Mackie, Massey Plugins, Soundcraft and Thermionic Culture

New Products - August 29, 2012 Voting Starts Now: The 2012 PAR Excellence Awards » Mackie DLM Series Loudspeakers » Massey Plugins CT5 Compressor: Updated Version » Soundcraft Si Performer Digital Mixer Series » Today's Product Review Thermionic Culture Culture Vulture By Rob Tavaglione "English manufacturer Thermionic Culture specializes in the use of valves (in the US we call them tubes), and thermionic circuits for their line of audio processors. However, thermionic circuitry does not define a singular “sound” for Thermionic Culture, not even hardly; the Culture Vulture — their flagship ‘professional distortion box’ — defies having one main character and, as such, is eminently flexible. This 2U, two-channel unit is becoming known for its highly detailed, complex control of valve distortion (from 0.2 to 98 percent THD), but it also allows the use of very minimally distorted tube saturation (via EF86, 6AS6 and 5963 tubes). This controllable density and thickness means the Vulture is potent on whole mixes (possibly even in mastering) and also stereo groups as well as individual tracks." More » Today's Blog Fashionable Music By Kelleigh Welsh "For years, many a music fan has established his or her personality through musical preference, by displaying his or her favorite artists on t-shirts, bags or by pinning small buttons onto an article of clothing. With the slogan “the music you love tells world who you are,” New York-based company Playbutton has taken this idea of self-definition through music to the next level by creating an MP3 player that doubles as a trendy fashion accessory. The idea is just what the company's name implies—it's a fashion button that you can pin to your shirt, bag or other article of clothing to display your favorite artist or band, but it also has a port to plug your headphones into and listen to a pre-made playlist downloaded onto the device." More »

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