One of the hottest pieces of hardware gear covered at CDM (at least according to our hit counts on CDM’s original report) is now shipping. M-Audio’s Trigger Finger, a USB/MIDI control surface with 16 pressure-sensitive drum pads, 4 faders, and 8 knobs, is in stock at major outlets. I’ve tried it, and it feels great. Add in templates for Reason and Live (among others), and I’m completely sold. This thing looks like too much fun. Music123.com has it for US$199; so does
Musician’s Friend.
In other M-Audio news, Pro Tools now works with all M-Audio Delta PCI and FireWire interfaces. I was disappointed by the initial compatibility list for Digidesign’s Pro Tools M-Powered, a special version intended for use with M-Audio interfaces. (Previously, you couldn’t run Pro Tools without Digi’s hardware.) Friday, M-Audio announced it had expanded compatibility to the entire Delta PCI and FireWire lines. (Anything with FireWire on it now works with Pro Tools M-Powered.) If you’re a Pro Tools fan, this makes your choices a great deal more flexible. Presumably like Pro Tools 6.9, though, the M-Powered release shares current incompatibility with Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4. (My own feeling — my primary work environment will remain Logic Pro and Ableton Live.)