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Creative Flash
A great “first serious keyboard,”
Yamaha’s PSR-S650 boasts
FlashROM Expansion and offers
MegaVoice-enhanced styles found
on higher-end Yamaha arrangers. The
portable digital keyboard can load sample
data such as voices and drums, and
makes them instantly available in FlashROM
without reloading at each power-up. It can store up to 16
MB of sample data, which is great for augmenting the existing
set of 864 internal sounds with your own. The keyboard
also offers 181 built-in styles, and instrument voices such
as guitars and basses sound authentic using articulation
previously not playable from a keyboard. Custom tunings
(such as Arabic or Pythagorean) are available using the nine
preset scales—or create your own. MSRP: $649.
Ordering info: yamaha.com/keyboards
Clarinet Mastery
The Masters series of clarinet
mouthpieces from Vandoren represents
an entirely new approach
to the relationship between tip
opening and facing length, and
introduces some innovative
chamber-design adjustments.
Easy-blowing and responsive
with beautiful tone color across
a range of reed strengths, the
Masters mouthpiece series
includes two models—the CL4
and CL5—crowned with the
company’s MO ligature.
Ordering info: dansr.com
Smart ’Phones
Now you can customize
your personal listening
experience with four different
versions of InTune
earphones, each optimized
to play specific genres of
music. Want to hear more of
your favorite acoustic instruments
this season Try the
Jazz/Classical InTune. Do
guitar solos help raise your
holiday spirits Check out
the Rock/Blues/Country In-
Tune. Other models include
Rap/Hip Hop and Pop/Easy
Listening. Each comes with
three different ear cushion
sizes. MSRP: $24.99.
Ordering info: fuseplusyou.com
Portable Prowess
Zoom’s H2n portable
recorder is stuffed with pro
recording features. It has
five studio-quality microphones
onboard and four
recording modes: mid-side
stereo, 90-degree X/Y stereo,
two-channel surround
and four-channel surround.
The recorder’s 1.8-inch
backlit LCD display provides
clear visual monitoring,
and a built-in reference
speaker lets you play your
recordings. MSRP: $199.
Ordering info: zoom.co.jp
DECEMBER 2011 DOWNBEAT 75