Blue Microphone, purveyors of professional audio gear, have announced the Icicle: A USB to XLR audio adapter. This XLR-to-USB audio interface offers 48V phantom power, an analog preamp with gain control and the option to work with nearly any XLR microphone. The sound quality rests in the 16-bit / 44.1kHz range. This looks to be a quick and easy way to capture some noise with a condenser mic. The unit will be available sometime in December at a suggested retail price of $60.

You’ll have to forgive me, because I really don’t know much about this //V stuff. But anything with so many pretty lights and varied inputs must be impressive to someone in the know. For those who are, here are some specs on the V3HD FireWire Video Interface:

• HD/SD BNC connections
• Composite
• Component
• FireWire 400/800
• S-Video
• RS-422
• XLR input/output
• HDMI output

I suppose it’s all for capturing video and such (my "duh" statement for the month), and it can handle 32 simultaneous channels. Sounds impressive. No idea on pricing, and it should be available before the fourth quarter.