What did we tell you! It’s the weekend, and the rockstars have arrived. While Roland’s Juno-Di synth and Peavey’s Revalver III update continue to fly the flag in the new gear corner, Steve Vai, Guthrie Govan and The Commitments

Oh, and please do pull up a chair (or a stool) and join us in our favourite new hobby: finger drumming. Now, where did we leave that NanoPad…

Day three highlights

VIDEO: Roland Juno-Di
We liked this performance-friendly synth so much we swung by Roland’s stand, video camera in hand, to learn more…

VIDEO: Steve Vai interviewed!
Steve granted us a private audience to talk Alien Guitar Secrets, Naked Tracks and his upcoming live DVD, Where The Wild Things Are

VIDEO: David ‘Fingers’ Haynes rocks a Korg NanoPad
A finger drumming legend shows LIMS how it’s done. Triggering Toontrack’s Superior Drummer 2.0 along the way

VIDEO: Guthrie Govan live
If you want to watch a ludicrously-talented guitarist showing off in front of dozens of awe-gurning fans, this is the video for you

VIDEO: The Commitments live at Peavey’s LIMS party
We snuck in to catch this legendary band performing Mustang Sally… long live aftershows!

VIDEO: Peavey ReValver Mk III + RTAS support
Peavey’s Tom Allen gives us a whistlestop tour of ReVavler Mk III… this time in Pro Tools!

From the basement…

Walls of sound

Travelling to LIMS 09… Robot guitar style!

If Peavey made stools… oh, hang on

‘Behind’ the scenes

Roland’s current Juno range continues to grow – the latest addition to it is the mobile and relatively affordable Juno-Di.

This performance-friendly synth is being launched at LIMS so, video camera in hand, we swung by the Roland stand to learn a little more and catch it on film.

Expect to pay £549 when it starts shipping in September.

It’s day two of LIMS 09, the rock stars are out in force and the show floor highlights are coming in thick and fast…

Fans of Apple can rejoice because we’ve got the skinny on controlling Ableton Live on your iPhone. Those who like to hit things with sticks can sit back and relax as we expose Zildjian’s grand plan to sneak in a brand new update to its Z Series without anyone noticing. And for everyone else: here’s a lesson in beatboxing and looping… yes, it’s as hard (and cool) as it sounds. Tomorrow? The live music hall opens its doors: rock ‘n’ roll!

VIDEO: Novation Automap for iPhone
This software may be one of the most affordable new products at the show (it’ll cost just a few pounds) – but is it the most intriguing?

VIDEO: Zildjian’s brand new Z3 series
The third incarnation of the Z range retains the power and projection of the Z Customs, but the cymbals are more flexible (for better playability) than their predecessors

VIDEO: DubFX beatboxing and looping
Using a Boss RC-50 Loopstation and a Boss GT-10B bass multi-effects processor. Nice.

Samson Go Mic in the wild
Designed to either clip onto the top of your laptop or sit on your desk, this portable USB mic costs $49/£43 and, quite frankly, we want one

Custom painted guitars by Inky Hollow
Is the trend for custom-painted graphic guitars making a comeback? Guitarist magazine thinks just that…

Spot the star: Pink Floyd, Cradle Of Filth and Sandi Thom
One of the wonderful things about LIMS is the abundance of rockstar royalty roaming the show floor…

Roland Announces JUNO-Di Mobile Synthesizer
This latest addition to the Juno Series is specifically designed for the musician on the go: lightweight, portable and professional

From the basement…

12-year-old blues… just don’t call it vintage

Roland Corporation U.S. is proud to announce the DP-990R Designer Piano. This new sophisticated addition offers amazing sounds and touch in a streamlined design, with an elegant polished ebony finish.

The DP-990R adds Roland’s acclaimed PHA II Ivory Feel keys, which are made of moisture-absorbent material to offer the natural look and tactile feel of real ivory and ebony. The keyboard’s escapement mechanism produces the beloved “clicking” feel of a grand piano.

The DP-990R features a world-class 88-key concert grand sound with individual multi-samples for every key. An extensive range of piano customization enables you to design your own unique piano sound by adjusting Damper, Strings, and Key-off resonance.

An onboard USB port provides add-on functionality to the DP-990. You can play along with audio files or standard MIDI files directly from the USB memory key, or layer pre-recorded music with your performances by connecting a USB CD drive (optional).

For quick and easy playback, the DP-990R comes equipped with a Roland Audio Port which allows you connect any portable music player for play-along fun.

General availability of the DP-990R is expected in July 2009.

Craig Blundell is now one of Roland’s foremost clinicians. His clinic style, performances and level of entertainment have received rave reviews in the media all over the globe and have put him ‘out there’ with some of the best clinicians, educators and session drummers in the world. Craig is currently recording in the studio with Rebel MC/Congo Natty as well as holding down the drum seat with David Cross from King Crimson. He continues to get great reviews in publications worldwide and still manages to keep on stretching the boundaries and creativity of his instrument.

At LIMS Craig will be pushing the Roland V-Drums technology to the max as well as conducting an interactive and mind-boggling demonstration which never fails to pull a massive crowd! Craig is widely regarded as one of the best and most entertaining demonstrators on the planet so this is not to be missed….even if you don’t play drums! The session will feature drums, vocals, vocal effects, loopstations, samplers and various elements of electronic percussion all played live………with help from the audience!