ICYMI: We take Yamaha’s new digital saxophone for a spin

This week our testimonials were largely focused on special audio units, together with a “magic radio” and a electronic saxophone. James Trew tried out out the Vlogger Kit from Rode and speedily grew to become a admirer of the microphone, the mild dice and the windscreen filter. He also seasoned Teenage Engingeering’s OB-four, a “magic radio” that can also history loops, play FM radio and act as a turntable. Meanwhile, Jess Conditt brushed off her saxophone capabilities to play with Yamaha’s YDS-a hundred and fifty, a electronic instrument that she states is ideal stored for studio musicians. Also, Devindra Hardawar screened Studio Ghibli’s new film Earwig and the Witch… and experienced very little wonderful to say about it. Ouch.

James Trew has been seeking for a although for anything that would help him in propping his cell phone and recording an interview on the fly, and he located a great solution in Rode’s Vlogger Kit. Together with a shotgun mic, a cell phone grip, an LED mild dice (with diffuser filters) and a tripod, the kit is obtainable in an Android, iOS or universal edition. Though the universal kit won’t let you monitor audio with wired headphones, it does appear with a double cold shoe and a Rycote Lyre shock mount, so there is a trade off to look at.

In tests, James located the LED dice mild was capable to brighten up indoor videos and was completely sufficient on its own to illuminate people who do a lot of recording at night time. He also mentioned that the tripod is great and the ball and socket joint designed positioning simple, but he wished he could increase it as very well. Make no blunder, the microphone below is the star of the present — moreover, he was a huge admirer of the furry windscreen cover for the mic, which seemed hilarious still labored pretty very well. All versions of the kit retail for $149, and for the very first time, it supports USB-C connectivity for Android units.

It’s been a although since Jess Conditt played the saxophone routinely, but she was game to check out out Yamaha’s YDS-a hundred and fifty — a electronic saxophone with a matte black system, pearlescent keys and a brass complete on the bell. The YDS-a hundred and fifty is closest in measurement and shape to a soprano sax and pretty mild to keep, and it arrives with a slender carrying circumstance that can be slung around the shoulder like that of a yoga mat. It also employs 4 AAA batteries or a micro-USB electricity cable, that latter of which enables it to link to a speaker or headphones (via a stereo-mini cable) or to get enter via Bluetooth from a cell phone, pill or computer system.

There is also the YDS Controller app, which Jess located hassle-free to use to edit, enter and preserve custom made channels or any of the 73 pre-programmed voices for soprano, alto, tenor baritone or non-sax sounds. Also, the YDS-a hundred and fifty has everlasting settings for tuning, important reaction, reverb variety, and breath tension resistance and reaction. Yamaha has supposed it to be a studio instrument and Jess agreed that its vary of voices and types makes it excellent for that use (nevertheless not a great substitute for an acoustic soprano, alto, tenor or bari sax). It’s fairly high-priced at $1,078, but Jess considered it worthy of the cost offered its features and wonderful design and style.

James Trew can not pretty explain what the OB-four is, and neither can the group at Teenage Engineering. The closest they appear is contacting it a “media instrument” or “magic radio” with an angular, futuristic-still-retro design and style. Two speakers sit on the front although the carrying handle stows the FM antenna cable and the stand for the speaker. There is also a motorized “tape” dial on prime, which provides rapid-forward/rewind management and functions a little bit like a smaller turntable. The quantity dial also syncs with the quantity of your resource gadget (when related via three.5mm or Bluetooth) and can also operate as a velocity/pitch management.

James concluded that the OB-four was basically the world’s weirdest DJ resource — and he certainly experienced a great time experimenting with the speaker’s many features, in particular the looping operate. The OB-four can also rewind live radio, play points in reverse, or skim as a result of recordings. And it has a “disk” manner, which Teenage Engineering phone calls a spot for experimental features like a metronome or a karma manner with calming sounds.

James preferred equally the seem high-quality and quantity skill of the speakers themselves. Nevertheless, the companion app only offers quantity management, transport controls or enter collection. And it doesn’t have a line out, so you can not history your do the job or feed it into an additional gadget. Though its $600 cost is really steep, James is nevertheless a admirer and is enthusiastic about viewing what else it can do.

Studio Ghibli’s Earwig and the Witch is a disappointing check out

Devindra Hardawar pulled no punches when it arrived to examining Goro Miyazaki’s Earwig and the Witch CG animated movie. He identified as it an insult and a resourceful failure on each and every level. The movie, an adaptation of a Dianna Wynne Jones novel, facilities around a lady at an orphanage who is adopted by a witch and a warlock and learns about her magical powers. In spite of the resource materials, Devindra assumed the narrative felt incomplete and that the people were unlikable.

As the very first CG movie from Studio Ghibli, Earwig is an endeavor to department out into a distinctive animation sort. But Devindra mentioned it lacks the magic of a usual Ghibli movie on pretty much each and every level, together with the new music composed by Satoshi Takebe, which he located forgettable. He also wasn’t a admirer of the CG character animation, which he felt arrived off as stiff and lifeless, nevertheless the backgrounds were far more comprehensive and lush as they were drawn by hand very first. Devindra mentioned the only way for Ghibli to embrace CG likely forward is to thoroughly commit to larger, cinematic productions in the vein of Pixar.