Canadian Musician - September/October 2020 | Page 65

Cort Gold-OC8 Nylon Classical Guitar Cort has introduced the Gold-OC8 Nylon, the first classical guitar introduced from its flagship acoustic Gold Series. The Gold-OC8 Nylon begins with an orchestra model (OM) cutaway design for those seeking playing comfort. The OM body offers a bright and stronger high-midrange emphasis that’s more suited for fingerpicking than strumming, while the Venetian cutaway allows easy access to the high frets. Cort says its use of internal hand-scalloped X-bracing delivers a richer tone and more dynamic ness than you would expect from the guitar’s smaller size. responsive- The Fishman Flex Blend System translates the guitar’s natural tones. The preamp offers an under-saddle pickup with a condenser microphone to provide the tones needed on stage. The system offers ergonomic knobs for volume, tone, and blend control, as well as a built-in tuner. The guitar features a series-first Engelmann spruce top, which exhibits a rich, full midrange with a clear, smooth top-end that’s responsive to a soft touch. Cort treats the Engelmann spruce top using a special Aged to Vintage (ATV) torrefication process that gives the guitar a big, open tone. For more information, contact Coast Music: 514-457-2555, [email protected], www.coastmusiconline.com. XILS 201 Vocoder Plug-In XILS-lab has released the XILS 201 Vocoder plug-in, which can also be used as a simple filter bank/chorus/phaser/delay/reverb multi-effect. The company says it was modeled after an ultra-rare and expensive vocoder unit. Each of the XILS 201’s two filter banks offers 20 frequency bands. Each filter bank can process the incoming signal (usually voice, but any other signal, including drums, can be processed), or the carrier signal. Musicians can use the internal analog synthesizer as a carrier, which immediately gives the X201 its characteristic and recognizable sound. Any other incoming signal can also be used, like an external synthesizer, another voice, etc. It also hosts a multiband frequency-dependent Envelope Follower engine, which will shape the signal gain according to its harmonic content. To use the XILS 201, just record a voice, even without actually singing, then choose the internal synth as the carrier. Then send MIDI notes to the carrier to make the voice sing those notes (or chords, because the engine is polyphonic). For more information, go to www.xils-lab.com. CANADIAN MUSICIAN 65