It really is a shame that the organizers of MusikMesse decided to start the conference on April 1st. How are we supposed to take any new product announcement seriously? Take, for instance, the new Cakewalk Sonar V-Studio 100. Supposedly this compact bit of hardware functions as an interface, a control surface, a portable two-track recorder and a digital live mixer. Yeah, right. Except Cakewalk seem to have put a ton of energy into designing the online product pages for the V-Studio 100, with tons of pictures, videos and information. A lot more work was put into it then, say, the Google Auto-Pilot prank; I'm persuaded to believe this ain't no April Fool's joke.

Still, it's pretty unbelievable how flexible this thing is. Developed in partnership with Roland, and spawned from the Sonar V-Studio released last year, the V-Studio 100 wears many audio hats. When connected to a computer, the VS100 functions as an 8-in, 6-out, 24-bit audio interface and control surface. Two XLR input with phantom power provide connections for high-end microphones, while a Hi-Z input on channel one allows for direct recording of guitar and bass, and there's even a S/PDF jack for digital input. The six outputs include four balanced TRS 1/4" jacks and two unbalanced RCA outs for multiple monitor sends.

Control surface features include full transport controls, as well as a 100mm flying fader to control volume, pan or FX mix blend envelopes in the selected channel. You can also mute, solo or arm for recording form the VS100. 11 buttons and five rotary encoders can be assigned to any parameter at all through the Mackie Control protocol. An assignable footswitch can be used for punch-ins or hands-free record start. A high-contrast LCD display presents track information and volume levels.

Sonar V-Studio 100 ships with Sonar VS, the DAW-component to this hardware/software package. Besides integrating flawlessly with the VS100, Sonar VS also comes with a suite of virtual instruments and effects plugins. While the VS100 was designed for Sonar, it can be used as an interface / control surface for almost any DAW on the market, including Live, Logic, Cubase, etc.

When not connected to your computer, the V-Studio 100 becomes a high-resolution two-track recorder. Use it to record song demos or the stereo feed from a sound board directly onto SDHC high-density flash media. Dump those recording into a computer or right into your DAW. As a recorder, the VS100 provides a metronome so you can take demo or rehearsal recordings and easily integrate them into a full production back at your computer.

Standalone, the V-Studio 100 also makes a great compact, eight-channel, digital mixer. The first six channels have their pwn EQ and compression built in, and there are four types of reverb to choose from. EQ settings and level metering are displayed on the LCD screen. It's perfect for small acoustic groups or DJs.

The Cakewalk Sonar V-Studio 100 will se showing at MusikMesse from April 1st - 4th, provided it's not an elaborate ruse.