AIAIAI TMA-2 Studio & Studio XE
78 / COMPUTER MUSIC January 2022
> reviews / mini reviews
A rapid-ire round-up of hardware, samples, and much more
mini reviews
Web focusrite.com
Gear 10-in/4out USB interface
Chip shortages seem to be the order of the day
these days – they have even hit the car industry
in the news of late, and the music technology
world is not immune. Focusrite’s chip shortage
came by way of a ire at the factory that supplied
them, so the company have decided to
re-engineer their Clarett interfaces and added a
‘+’ to let the world know.
While the basics are the same, specs have
improved, so these already premium-quality
Mac and PC USB audio interfaces have stepped
up a gear. This mainly comes by way of new
converters which deliver a greater dynamic
range and lower the noise loor, and means that
you should be able to capture more detail and
hear an impressive depth on the output. The
range that launched back in 2015 (on
Thunderbolt and then USB in 2018) was already
overlowing with stats and quality, so really,
we’re talking about ine improvements.
In practice the Clarett+ 2Pre on test performs
admirably; that low noise loor really does
capture as much detail as we require and lower
distortion igures help tame everything. That all
said, we’ll have to believe the stats as we can’t
compare the ‘+’ with the original Clarett (which
we were impressed with anyway), so don’t go
throwing out your original to upgrade!
We are especially impressed with vocal and
guitar recordings thanks to Focusrite’s famous
Air feature which replicates the sound of the
famous ISA preamps, and lifts a range of high
frequencies. Yes, that sounds like an EQ but
there’s something Air does to the presence of
these sounds which subtly lifts them in a mix
without overpowering everything; great to have
as an option but perhaps it’s not one to overuse.
Otherwise Clarett+ 2Pre comes packed with
everything else you might expect: two combi
mic/line-ins with preamps, four outs, MIDI and
ADAT (to increases connectivity to 10-in/4 out).
There’s a good bundle of software – including
Control which allows you to conigure
everything – and iOS connectivity via USBC. A
great interface, if on the pricey side.
n 9 / 1 0 n
Focusrite
Clarett+ 2Pre
£440
N e k t a r
SE25 £39
Web nektartech.com
Gear USB mini MIDI keyboard
Nektar’s SE25 just
about manages to
wrap enough
controls around its
25 mini keys to be
one of the smallest
and most lexible
MIDI keyboards on
the market, and sells for almost silly money. It’s light in weight,
comes with a USB cable for power and is bundled with Bitwig’s
8Track software, a very decent DAW as proven by you when we
gave it away a few issues back and got a fabulous response!
Connections and controls are at a minimum, but two of the
buttons are assignable to several key controls, and it’s easy to
implement. The S button acts either as Sustain or Modulation,
using keys on the keyboard to select which. The 2 button is
assignable, again by way of keys on the ‘board, but opens up
more performance or MIDI options. You will have to dig a little
deep in the manual to learn how to program in depth, but hats
of to Nektar for doing everything so well in such a small device.
SE25 packs a lot more punch than its size promises, slots in
nicely in front of your laptop and gives you an unprecedented
level of control at this price point and level of portability. A great
mobile controller, simple as that.
n 9 / 1 0 n
AIAIAI
TMA-2 Studio &
Studio XE
£200 & £160
Web aiaiai.audio
Gear Closed back modular headphones
Danish manufacturer AIAIAI’s TMA2
concept allows you to build your own
headphones from modular parts. You get
four types of speaker unit (one wireless),
ive types of over- or on-ear pads, four
headbands and more to make up your
custom purchases. To make it easier, there
are also pre-made versions, of which the
Studio and Studio XE are speciically
tailored for music production.
Despite being modular – so you can still
upgrade them – these both feel well built.
The more expensive Studio phones
feature more comfortable earpads but are
slightly heavier; the XE’s might be better for longer listening
sessions. Both are closed back so good for isolation and mixing.
However it’s the sound that will deine your phones and for
that you need accuracy, as you do with studio monitors. Here
you pay that bit more for it as we think the more expensive
Studios deliver better results, with the XEs having an enhanced
low end which will be better for listening and enjoying rather
than mixing. Decent, then, and we love the modular concept.
n 8 /10n
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