Midi Controller

Midi Controller

Synesthesia Unveils 'battery 3' Presets for Mandala, Showcasing Hd Drum's Unparalleled Level of Pro Audio Software Control

'The Mandala is the Best and Most High-Definition Way to Control All the Pro Audio Software Out There,' Says Mandala Inventor Vince De Franco

Laurel Canyon, Calif. - Showcasing the Mandala's unprecedented ability to control pro audio software, Synesthesia Corporation today released 50 Native Instruments Battery 3 presets for the Mandala 2.0, along with an HD Black Beauty Battery 3 Player for Mandala.

They are available now to anyone via free download from the company's website at http://www.mandaladrum.com

The presets configure drum sampler Battery 3 for use with the Mandala (Battery 3 required, and is not included with the Mandala), using only samples from the Battery 3 12GB library of more than 100 drum kits with more than 23,000 individual samples. The presets configure the Mandala pad as a straightforward MIDI controller. The Battery 3 presets also:

* Assign samples in up to seven circular trigger zones across the Mandala pad.

* Extensively use the Mandala's 128 circular strike zones to change triggering and effects parameters as drummers play, for true HD drumming.

* Cover playing styles from straightforward grooves to experimental sonics.

The HD Black Beauty Battery 3 Player for Mandala offers drummers the most accurate digital representation of an acoustic drum, via 3,360 samples of a single vintage 1970s 5x14 Super Sensitive Ludwig Black Beauty Snare Drum.

A drummer's sound changes with every strike anywhere on the surface of the Mandala, just like with an acoustic snare. Four separate players include: (1) Snare On, and (2) Snare On with Rim, each consisting of 10 zones center to edge, 20 velocity layers and 6 round robins; (3) Snare Off, and (4) Snare Off with Rim, each consisting of 4 zones center to edge, 20 velocity layers and 6 round robins.

"The Mandala drum controls pro audio software with unprecedented resolution," said Vince De Franco, Synesthesia founder and CEO, and inventor of the Mandala.

"These Battery presets really just provide an example of what drummers are capable of accomplishing with this instrument. Our goal has always been to give drummers and musicians a way to experiment and let their imaginations fly, while never losing the basic functionality that they're already comfortable with."

The Mandala works seamlessly with most major music software as a Usb Midi controller. In addition to Battery, it works with Reaktor, FXpansion BFD, Ableton Live, Propellerhead Reason and Apple GarageBand.

Mandala's Virtual Brain software is available online for free download at http://www.mandaladrum.com. Even without buying the Mandala, anyone can download the software and tinker with it - on its own, or with other PC or Mac-compatible musical devices.

Synesthesia also is producing a series of video tutorials for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. The company will make them available on its website and on YouTube later this year. The series of videos will walk users through the entire process of using the Mandala - from physically connecting the drum to a computer, to using the EZ software, on through to setting up advanced audio techniques using the pro version of the Virtual Brain software.

The Mandala 2.0 retails for $349, and is available online at http://mandaladrum.com . Each Mandala is hand-crafted and thoroughly tested before it is shipped.

About Synesthesia
Synesthesia Corporation ( http://www.synesthesiacorp.com ) is exploring new sonic terrain with the Mandala™, its patented high-def drum and synthesizer - the only electronic drum that faithfully emulates an acoustic drum, and then transcends it. A new kind of synthesizer, the Mandala offers the world's fastest trigger, precise strike detection across the entire pad, and a musical range so wide it can be the top of the line Black Beauty® Snare Drum or virtually any other instrument imaginable. The Mandala plugs into PC or Mac via USB cable, and works seamlessly with most major mixing programs. Co-developed with professional drummer Danny Carey of Tool, Mandalas are used by professionals and hobbyists the world over. Vince De Franco - inventor, physicist and musician - founded Synesthesia to develop his state-of-the-art electronic sensor technology and to use it to create products that inspire imagination and exploration. Based in Laurel Canyon, Calif., the company currently has several other products in development.

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