Tag: KAT

People, Performance

Remembering Ed Mann

Frank Zappa percussionist Ed Mann passed away on June 1st, at the age of 70. Mann began playing piano and objects found in the kitchen at age three and got his first drum kit at 11. He played with rock, marching, orchestra, concert, pit and big band ensembles as a teen while studying at New England Music Camp and The Hartt Music School. Ed entered the Hartt College of Music in 1972 to study with Al Lepak, where he learned and performed symphonic, jazz, experimental and 20th century music. At Hartt, Ed met and formed an immediate bond with Tommy Mariano (aka Mars) and they formed the experimental jazz band World Consort which played at arts venues throughout central New […]

Gear

New module from KAT

Alternate Mode has released a new sound module, the gigKAT GS EXT. Designed to be triggered by the company’s popular malletKAT controllers, the module replaces the gigKAT GS. The new module features an extensive percussion library including Latin, world percussion, Asian and Middle Eastern percussion as well as an Orchestral Chromatic Percussion Library. Of course, there are also large numbers of vibraphones, marimba and steel pan samples, together with guitars, keys, basses, leads and drums. Performance enhancements include a 7 dB increase in output and significantly improved dynamic range. The module has balanced TRS ¼” outputs and a ¼” headphone output jack. malletKAT owners will need to install a new GS9.5 firmware chip which is included for free, while the […]

Industry

Mario finds alternative

MIDI controller pioneer Mario DeCiutiis has announced his retirement from the Alternate Mode business he founded. In a letter to customers, DeCiutiis recalls starting working with KAT Inc back in 1985. “In 1996, I took over manufacturing of the KAT controllers and started Alternate Mode with my wife, Connie. Now at age 72, I’ve come to the decision that it’s time for someone young, ambitious and competent to take over the company,” he writes. DeCiutiis has named his nephew, Bryan Hughes, as his successor as president and CEO of Alternate Mode. “All of the folks at Alternate Mode, except Connie, will remain working at our new factory.  We really are a family-orientated company and will remain that way,” he explains, […]

Industry

E-drums year in review

Allan Leibowitz reflects on the e-drum highlights of the past year. 2021 was a hectic year for electronic percussion, with a large quantity of new product and strong demand fuelled by stay-at-home music under COVID-19 restrictions. But while demand increased, manufacturers struggled with supply chain challenges, from materials shortages to rising transport costs and freight delays. COVID-19 also impacted heavily on music industry trade shows, the traditional launching ground for new products. The annual NAMM Show in the USA was held virtually in January, with little new product buzz among e-drum manufacturers. The event is due back next year, but moving to Anaheim in June, meaning that Summer NAMM has been scrapped. Organisers cancelled Musikmesse 2021, the European equivalent of […]