Reviews
Digital Mic Preamp This unassuming device has a price that makes it look like a bargain alongside competitors of similar quality.
Enhancement Processors Behringer offer highly affordable excitement in the shape of two new sub-£100 rack processors.
USB Interface [Mac/PC] Until now, there has been no ultra-portable hardware option for Pro Tools users who want to edit and mix on the go. The M Box 2 Micro seeks to fill that gap.
Digital Audio Workstation Software [Mac/PC] Nowadays, we expect software to be able to change the tempo of recorded audio, but the latest version of Pro Tools integrates this functionality in a new and impressive fashion.
Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone This high-definition omni mic has been designed specifically to work in high-SPL environments, but it is surprisingly good on quieter sound sources too.
Nearfield Active Monitors Can you expect decent project-studio performance from monitors costing under £300? Let's find out...
Vox AmPlug • Soundtech Lightsnake • Vox AmPlug modelling headphone amp
• Soundtech LightSnake audio interface cable
Virtual Drum Instrument [Mac/PC] If you dream of the ultimate sampled drum kit, and you have a cutting-edge computer to run it, Mixosaurus’s Kit A might be your Holy Grail.
Virtual Guitar Instrument Music Lab impressed us with the playability and sound quality of their virtual acoustic guitar instrument, Real Guitar — and now they've gone electric...
Software Sampler [Mac/PC] It's over five years since Native Instruments released the original version of their flagship soft sampler, and its third incarnation takes the Kontakt concept even further, with a streamlined user interface, a new waveform editor and a massive sample library.
Surround Panning System For Pro Tools LE You can’t mix in surround on Pro Tools without shelling out for an HD rig. Or can you?
Visualizer Analysis Tools & SEQ Linear Phase Equalisers [Windows] We test a selection of impressive and affordable Windows mastering tools from NuGen Audio.
Singing Synthesis Software [PC] Yamaha’s Vocaloid technology has now been upgraded to version 2 and Sweet Ann, from PowerFX, is the first virtual singer based on the new release. So just how much further forward have Yamaha moved their intriguing vocal synthesis technology?
Sample Shop • Zero-G Carnival Drums: The Spirit of Brazil
• Best Service Drums Overkill
Buyer's Guide If recording a real piano isn't for you, there's no shortage of very convincing software alternatives.
Virtual Drummer Instrument [Mac/PC] It's been a long time coming, but has the latest version of Steinberg's Groove Agent been worth waiting for?
Dual Compressor Limiter Summit Audio's high-end designs are known for their quality and longevity — so is their new compressor a classic in the making?
Compressor & EQ Plug-ins [Mac/PC] API’s renowned hardware processors have gone virtual...
Competition
Deadline: 2008-01-31 Prize kindly donated by M-Audio USA
 M Audio +1 626 633 9050
Deadline: 2008-01-31 Prize kindly donated by Sibelius and M-Audio UK
Sibelius Software +44 (0)20 7561 7999 M-Audio +44 (0)1923 204 010
Deadline: 2008-02-28 Proze kindly donated by IAG.
Sound Advice
| People + Opinion
The Art Of Record Production One of the most successful writer/producers of his generation shares his advice on getting the best from artists and forging a career in an uncertain music industry.
Paul White's Leader Our Editor In Chief ponders why monitors sound different from each other and what you can do to compensate...
Readers’ Music Reviewed More readers tracks undergo the editorial staff treatment! Sponsored by breed-media.co.uk
Inside Track: 'This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race' The unsung production hero behind Fall Out Boy, described as “emo’s first superstars”, tells us how he shaped the lead single from 2007’s smash hit album, Infinity On High.
Reader Comments Make trade fair... and bag a bargain!
Simon Posford & Benji Vaughan Younger Brother brings together two of the Twisted label’s biggest names. We visited Simon Posford’s studio in a bid to uncover the secrets of psytrance...
Technique
Producer: Al Kooper • Engineers: Al Kooper, Rodney Mills In 1973, a band from Florida and California went to a studio in Georgia to record a song, provoked by a Canadian, about Alabama - and managed to define the sound of Southern rock while they were at it.
Digital Performer Notes & Techniques With so many exciting features on offer in modern DAWs, it's easy to overlook less glamorous things that you need every day. A prime example is proper monitoring — not sexy, but a crucial factor in successful multitrack recording.
Sonar Notes & Techniques One of the new features added in the Sonar 7 update is a very flexible step sequencer. We investigate its features and suggest some ways to make the most of it.
Apple Notes Leopard is finally with us — but while it promises improvements for general Mac users, will it offer anything to musicians and audio engineers other than incompatibility?
Logic Notes & Techniques The newest version of Logic features powerful new effects, alongside improvements to existing ones. We explore what they have to offer.
Hear For Yourself Here are links to the audio files from January 2008's MIX RESCUE article, for those readers who buy the magazine from the newsagent and don't wish to type in all the long URLs.
Track: Let Me Go This month we tame a vocal that varies in dynamic range, and look at ways to create 'bigness' in the mix without overcooking levels.
Reason Notes & Techniques Following last month's introduction to the Thor synthesizer, we embark on a patch-building project and explore several of the key features of Reason 4's new synth...
Distributing Surround Mixes On The Net Until now, huge file sizes and the need for dedicated equipment have prevented the distribution of surround mixes over the Internet. That could be about to change...
PC Musician Some music applications will completely fail to take advantage of the multiple cores of a modern CPU — but which ones, and why? We find out, and advise on how you can make best use of however many cores your PC has.
More PC News, Tools & Guidance You might think you can hear that one sequencer sounds better than another, but are you fooling yourself? Your PC can help you find out. But first, if you're thinking of building a new computer, read on...
All You Need To Know To Capture A Great Acoustic Piano Sound With the number of high-quality sample libraries around these days, recording a real piano can feel like a lost art. For those times when only the real thing will suffice, here's how to do it justice.
Hear For Yourself Here are links to the audio files from January 2008's PIANO RECORDING article, for those readers who buy the magazine from the newsagent and don't wish to type in all the long URLs.
Workshop This month, we perform some audio alchemy on a home studio room that also has to double for other purposes.
Cubase Notes & Techniques It's so easy to reach for the same audio plug-ins time after time — but MIDI plug-ins such as Arpache can bring something different and shouldn't be overlooked.
| 
Gear Reviews
