Reviews
Analogue Mixer, Audio Interface & DAW Controller If you want to use both a high-quality analogue mixer and a DAW control surface, you'll probably want to put them both in the same place. Well, now you can — and you get a multi-channel audio interface to boot.
Virtual Bass Instrument If you like the convenience of software bass but want a highly realistic sound, Chris Hein's lovingly sampled bass instrument could be just the ticket...
Modular Synth Wowa Cwejman is already in possession of a fine reputation for esoteric synth modules, but he hasn't run out of ideas yet. Join us as we take a tour of his latest creations...
Groove Instrument Plug-in For Pro Tools Digidesign's latest virtual instrument is a multitimbral monster devoted to chewing up loops, beats and phrases and spitting them out as finished tracks.
Active Pickups • Softube Metal Amp Room We look at a new plug-in, as well as guide you through the pros and cons of active pickups, and suggest some products that might appeal if you are upgrading.
Multi-pattern Valve Microphone This substantial tube mic comes with a generous array of accessories at a good price — but does it sound as impressive as it looks?
New releases on test Another crop of sound libraries get the SOS 'CSI' treatment:
• Best Service HipHop & RnB
• Ueberschall Adlibs
• Vienna Symphonic Library Appassionata Strings II & Chamber Strings II
• Vienna Symphonic Library Upright Bass
Active Studio Monitors These monitors may look like their more expensive siblings, but do they also share the family sound?
Reverb Processor Despite the huge advances in software reverbs in recent years, the best ones are still found on dedicated hardware units. There are very few manufacturers in this market, and we've been on tenterhooks since we heard that Lexicon were developing a new flagship hardware reverb that could be used within a DAW. So should your studio find a place for it?
Small-diaphragm Condenser Microphone A decent mic collection should include small-diaphragm condensers for their transparent, uncoloured sound. Does the updated Pulsar deserve a place in yours?
Effects Pedal The MF107 Freqbox does what Moogerfooger pedals do best — offers lashings of good old-fashioned Moog weirdness.
MIDI + Audio Sequencer For Mac OS The highlights of Digital Performer's latest incarnation include advanced comping tools, new plug-ins — and a revolutionary alternative to track and instrument freezing.
New releases • Stillwell Audio BadBussMojo
• Abbey Road Brilliance Pack
• Cableguys Filtershaper
Monitor Controller No matter how 'in the box' you go, you still need easy, transparent control over your monitoring setup, and this little box claims to do it all for a good price.
Firewire Audio Interface For Mac & PC The first fruit of the Yamaha-Steinberg union is finally with us, but does it provide the hardware/software integration that Cubase and Nuendo users have hoped for? And what is there to tempt users of other DAWs? Let's find out...
DSP Plug-in System [Mac/PC] It's been a long time coming, but the successor to Universal Audio's hugely popular UAD1 DSP card is finally with us. So is the UAD2 everything we hoped it would be?
Sound Advice
[21:58 mins] This Podcast was recorded live from the AES show in San Francisco. Hear exclusively from analogue hardware legend Rupert Neve, about his collaboration with SE Microphones; and recording engineer Bill Schnee, about his quest to bring true hi-fidelity recordings to the home market. Also, we have announcements of new products from Digidesign, Focusrite, Soundfield and SSL, as well as interviews with product specialists.
| | People + Opinion
Portishead Portishead's long-awaited third album has been one of the artistic highlights of 2008. The band's unique blend of lo-fi and hi-fi, vintage and modern is reflected in their unique approach to recording.
Leader As the recent demise of Tascam's Gigastudio has highlighted, having a piece of software that has been a major part of your life for several years suddenly cease development can be a real wake?up call.
Readers' Music Reviewed Sponsored by breed-media.co.uk
Coldplay Viva La Vida Coldplay's recent album Viva La Vida was one of the most high-profile releases of the year, and an impressive showcase for Michael Brauer's unique approach to mixing.
Tim Clukey Reel to real: the true impact of audio archival processing
Larry Klein & Helik Hadar: Recording Circus Money For his second solo album, Steely Dan's Walter Becker made the unexpected decision to apply his band's high production values and jazzy sophistication to the world of reggae...
Technique
Classic Tracks For mixing Kraftwerk's synthetic beats and simple melodies with New York rap, 'Planet Rock' can be credited with creating an entirely new genre: hip-hop. This is how it happened...
Tweaking Windows Vista For Music If you've switched to Vista, or are about to take the plunge, check out our guide to the Vista audio tweaks that work — and those that don't.
Apple Notes Audio MIDI Setup is the Mac OS X utility that allows you to set up audio and MIDI devices. This month we're going to delve into the MIDI Devices tab, in order to explain how applications work with the MIDI hardware you've connected to your Mac.
PC Notes PC Notes explains the simple measures that can reduce PC power consumption and cut your electricity bills.
Getting The Best From Digidesign's Groove Instrument Digidesign's Transfuser plug-in is a sequencer within a sequencer — not to mention a sampler, loop-slicer, synth, drum machine and effects unit! We offer some expert tips to help you get to grips with it.
Cubase Notes & Techniques If you want to group tracks in Cubase, Group channels aren't always the best option. We explore what you can and can't do with the Link Channels function.
Big up-front vocals We get to grips with a mix in which big, up-front vocals are crucial to the impact of the song, and dispense plenty of tips along the way...
Hear For Yourself Here are the links to the MP3 and WAV files that accompany the November 2008 Mix Rescue article for our newsagent readers who do not have eSub-access to the main web article.
TV Music From The Inside Get a few commissions under your belt and you might start to think you're a big name in the world of music for the media. But as far as the people who make television are concerned, there's no such thing...
Logic Notes & Techniques Logic's quantisation facilities can do lots more than just helping you to tidy up sloppy timing — although they can certainly do that. Here's a simple guide to some of the possibilities.
Sonar Notes & Techniques Sonar was one of the first DAWs to take looping seriously — which means that you'll find plenty of tools for making loop-based music easier.
Help & Advice We help singer-songwriter Jamie Knight make the most of his recording space, and advise on separation when recording multiple sources simultaneously.
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Gear Reviews
