Steinberg LM-4 Mark II


Steinberg LM-4 Mark II
by Jack Conrad
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LM-4 Mark II is Steinberg's upgrade to their innovative LM-4 software drum machine. The original version gave Cubase and VST users a high-powered 32-bit drum module that integrated right into their sequencing/recording/mixing programs. Its sample-accurate software, quality sounds and versatile configuration made it extremely popular. The new LM-4 Mark II adds so many new features that it's really a new module altogether. Inducements like the inclusion of 50 sets of high quality and very usable drum kit samples...over one gigabyte of samples make it a program that's hard to overlook. For PC and MAC, LM-4 Mark II supports .aiff, .wav and .sd2 (Mac only) sample files with 16, 24 and 32-bit depths.

The installation is easy and straightforward. Minimum system requirements for PC are at least a 300 mHz P-II, 98 O/S (SE, ME or 2000) and a VST 2.0 host application like Cubase VST 3.7 or later and 64 mB of RAM. (128 mB is better) Mac OS users will need a 300 mHz G3 with OS 8.0 or later, 64 mB of RAM and a VST 2.0 host application.

The eighteen drum pads can be programmed to play stock kits or layered with up to 20 samples per pad. Drag n' drop samples are supported in Cubase 5.0 or later. If you've got to have something really different you can reverse the playback of a sample at the touch of a virtual button. There's the Bitcrusher feature that lowers the bit rate from one to 15 bits (lo-fi).

The new editing section helps you customize individual drum pads and their samples with Envelope (Attack, Delay, Sustain and Release) as well as Pitch, Volume and Velocity controls. You can assign signal outputs to one of three stereo outs or one of the six mono outputs. Since the LM-4 Mark II is integrated into your VST system, all you mixer's resources (efx, panning, etc.) are available as well. Each module of the Mark II (you can load up to eight in Cubase if you've got the CPU horsepower) has 64 voice polyphony.

A welcomed VST tool, LM-4 Mark II sells for $149 MSRP and existing LM-4 owners can upgrade to Mark II for $49. The LM-4 Mark II XXL, at $199 MSRP, adds another gig of samples for 70 additional drum kits. The sounds are from BitBeats XXL Compilation and Wizoo Electronic/Acoustic Drums. For more information, contact Steinberg North America, 9200 Eton Ave. Chatsworth, CA 91311 phone 818-678-5100 or go to www.us.steinberg.net

Jack Conrad, bass-playing former touring member of The Doors and The Beach Boys bands, ex-studio musician and co-writer of three top ten hits with cuts by The Babys, Heart and Three Dog Night.

Edited by: Barry Rudolph

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