Reviews
2.1 Monitoring System If you demand brutal and revealing precision from your monitors, read on...
Digital Combo, Tonewheel & Pipe Organ The Nord C2 takes the Hammond, Farfisa and Vox emulations of its C1 predecessor and plunges headlong into the Baroque with a very impressive pipe organ.
Microphone Preamplifier & Compressor Empirical Labs, purveyors of some of the most versatile compressors around, apply their dynamics expertise to a mic preamp.
Mic Preamp & Distortion Processor Hell-bent on achieving truly demonic distortion, we put Evol Audio’s oddball processor through its paces.
For Mac OS & Windows The inventive spirit of one of the industry’s true individuals, Stephen St. Croix, lives on in Intelligent Devices’ unique effects plug-ins.
Notation Software [Mac OS/Windows] MakeMusic’s popular notation package strides forward into a new decade, adding a host of useful features.
Real-time Programming Toolkit For Ableton Live Ableton Live’s ‘devices’ offer powerful tools for mangling sounds in live performance. But what if you could mangle the devices themselves?
Modelled Virtual Piano Pianoteq tackles the virtual piano problem in megabytes rather than gigabytes, and offers flexibility that its multisampling competitors can’t match.
Software Sampler It’s got a bigger sample library and some whizzy new features, but what Kontakt 4 really wants to do is make your life easier...
3 vital plug-ins • Elysia Mpressor
• GSI VB3
• PSP Old Timer
Microphone & Acoustic Shield SE aim to deliver a complete vocal recording package for the project studio on a budget — do they deliver?
Audio Editing Software For Windows Sony’s heavyweight audio production package celebrates reaching double figures with the addition of DAW-style ‘event editing’ and CD compilation.
Virtual Drum Instrument Drumcore’s come a long way, and version 3 makes it easier than ever to use pro drummer performances on your tracks.
Software Instrument Host Ensemble Pro opens up VSL’s hosting technology to third-party instruments and allows 32-bit and 64-bit Mac and Windows systems to communicate over a network, spreading the software instrument load.
Competition
Deadline: 2010-02-28 3 superb prizes: (1st) MXL Genesis tube condenser; (2nd) MXL V89 large-diaphragm condenser; (3rd) MXL 550/551R mic bundle. Prizes kindly donated by Musictrack, the UK distributor of MXL products: www.musictrack.co.uk
Sound Advice
| People + Opinion
Producing Arctic Monkeys As frontman with Queens Of The Stone Age, Josh Homme is arguably the biggest name in rock music. So how would he tackle a move into the producer’s chair with British indie superstars Arctic Monkeys?
Leader Editor-in-Chief Paul White ponders where 2010's new tools will lead us...
Adrian Keefe Music technology forums: the case against.
Technique
The Sound Of Tubes, Tape & Transformers Analogue warmth seems to be the Holy Grail in these digital days. But what is it, why does it hold such appeal, and how can you use it to enhance your recordings?
iPhone Music Apps Some of the musical iPhone apps now available are much more useful than their tiny prices suggest...
Pro Tools Notes & Techniques Automation in Pro Tools goes way beyond the usual volume, pan and mute controls. We look at what else you can automate, and what’s changed in Pro Tools 8.
Producers: Ritchie Cordell, Kenny Laguna, Glen Kolotkin • Engineer: Glen Kolotkin Joan Jett’s heartfelt reworking of the Arrows’ ‘I Love Rock & Roll’ became an international hit in 1982 and turned her career around. Glen Kolotkin tells us how it happened.
Cubase Notes & Techniques Last month, we introduced Cubase’s VST Expression facility. Now it’s time to build your own multi-articulation instrument.
Audio Examples From Cubase Techniques February 2010
Digital Performer Notes & Techniques DP7’s new guitar plug-ins offer a fresh set of tones, and a contrasting approach to third-party alternatives.
Logic Notes & Techniques There are sure to be times when you need to export multitrack Logic files to other platforms. We explain the options.
Technique: Bass Guitars In The Mix 10 concise tips to achieving a better bass sound in your mixes.
Achieving a Dr Dre style sound We go hip-hop this month, as we aim for a Dr Dre-style sound with Preslin Davis’ track ‘Side Effects’, and highlight the importance of artist-engineer dialogue.
Audio Examples From Mix Rescue February 2010
Finding synth presets, music from images, PC advice Find that elusive synth preset when you can’t remember its name, generate music from your own images, and catch up with the latest PC news bites.
Reason Notes & Techniques Build sophisticated multi-tap and modulated delay treatments using Reason’s flexible devices.
Inside Track: Muse 'The Resistance' Britain’s biggest name in mixing, Mark ‘Spike’ Stent has achieved international success in almost every genre. With Muse’s latest album, The Resistance, he was dealing with rock at its most epic.
Sonar Notes & Techniques Recording a solo performer requires a different approach from recording a band, and different ways of using Sonar.
EQ, Compression & Reverb This month, we tame a strange space, record a sitar and dispense a little wisdom on EQ, compression and reverb, as we sort out Dominik Johnson’s home studio.
Music Business
TV Music From The Inside It doesn’t do to get too precious about audio quality. In fact, sometimes a bit of lossy compression might be just what your music needs.
| 
Gear Reviews
