Alesis Studio Electronics introduces airFX, an innovative musical device that processes incoming audio or generates sound effects in reaction to movement. airFX features 50 quality-preset programs that modify any audio signal from CDs and vinyl to live performance in real time. While the performance-oriented nature and high-quality effects of the product appeal to DJs, remix engineers and musicians, airFX is simple enough to be enjoyed by anyone who wants to make their own music.airFX is the first product from Alesis to incorporate patent-pending Axyz (pronounced ax-is) technology. Developed by co-founder and CEO of Alesis, Keith Barr, Axyz technology consists of an infrared beam that can be manipulated in three dimensions, along the X, Y and Z axis. Using triangulation, up to five different parameters can be controlled in each preset program.
Designed to draw more people into the world of making music, airFX is easy to operate because 'playing' it is largely based on human intuition. According to Barr, "The exciting thing about airFX is that anyone can play it - from the avid music buff who has never touched or played an instrument to the club DJ who's looking for a new sound to set him apart. Virtually anyone who wants to be part of the musical process now has the power to make music themselves and they'll find out how truly fun it is. Kids can simply hook it up to a stereo in their bedrooms, wave their hands and they've made new music. airFX makes the process seem almost magical."
airFX eliminates the learning curve associated with playing a traditional instrument or learning a piece of audio gear and provides immediate gratification. The simple interface consists of a single knob, which is used to select, engage, by-pass, freeze, and release a given effect, and an LCD that indicates the current program. 'Playing' airFX involves pressing the knob to engage the effect and then moving a hand through the invisible infrared sphere to create sounds or to alter the incoming audio signal.
The 50 preset programs include effects like panning, flanging, pitch shifting, and resonance filtering. airFX offers a host of other esoteric digital signal processing effects that include programs like Vinylizer(tm) a scratchy vinyl simulator, and a scratching effect that emulates the sound of 'rocking' a vinyl record as it plays on a turn-table. airFX also features real Sub-harmonic synthesis (which creates low frequency harmonics for very low bass sounds), vocoding, synthesizer and percussion/effect sounds. airFX program names include: Haunted Landscape, Gender Bender, Decimator, SunSpot, Tokyo Phase, Percolator, Overdrive, Psychofase, Ghost Flange, Phasors on Stun, Pitch Transporter, Snake Bite and Bow Wow.
One of the first Alesis products to feature the company's new industrial design, the unit also features stereo RCA inputs and outputs, a frequency range of 20Hz-20kHz, 24-bit converters and ships with a 9-volt DC external power supply. Alesis Corporation manufactures a full line of professional audio and musical instrument products capitalizing on its strengths in digital, analog, vacuum tube and transducer technologies. From groundbreaking ADAT digital recording technology to innovations in keyboard technology, Alesis delivers revolutionary product solutions to the music and audio production industries.