WIN Universal Audio UAD2 Solo Laptop + $1000 Plug-in voucher

Deadline: 2009-11-30

Prizes kindly donated by Universal Audio www.uaudio.com and Source Distribution www.sourcedistribution.com .

AEA RPQ

Dual-channel Microphone Preamplifier

AEA have tweaked the design of their TRP ribbon-mic preamp, already something of a favourite, to create a device that’s much more versatile — and without compromising on quality.

AudioMulch 2.0

Modular Audio Software [Mac/PC]

AudioMulch’s unique take on music creation and sound design already has many loyal fans. Will the new version 2, which adds Mac compatibility for the first time, win it a fresh army of admirers?

B-Band Ukko Pack

Contact Mics For Drums

The ability to mount mics on drum shells is nothing new, but actually being able to build them into the shells, as you can with the Finnish Ukko system, is not so common. Could this alternative method put an end to multi-miking of drum kits?

Bob Kilgore’s Harmonic Capo

Harmonics-generating Capo

DACS HeadMaster

Headphone Amp & Monitor Controller

The jobs done by DACS’ latest high-quality problem solver are essential, if not glamorous. Could the HeadMaster take charge of your studio?

Eigenlabs Eigenharp Alpha

Advanced Controller Instrument

Its makers describe the Eigenharp as “the most revolutionary new musical instrument in 60 years”. Could this bold claim be justified?

Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 DSP

Firewire Audio Interface

Focusrite expand the Saffire range with their new Virtual Reference Monitoring technology.

Grace Design SpaceBar

Microphone Mounting Bar

JBL LSR 2300

Monitor Speakers

JBL have a reputation for clinically precise monitors, but this time they’ve come up with something a little smoother...

M-Audio Axiom Pro 49

MIDI Controller Keyboard

The Axiom Pro showcases M-Audio’s controller keyboard know-how and debuts their brand-new Hyper Control technology, which is designed to make adjusting software parameters quicker and easier.

Morevox Retroverb 3

WAV Impulse Responses

MXL R77

Ribbon Microphone

Is this mic’s sonic performance as brilliant as its polished gold and chrome exterior?

Silent Peaks Peakulizer & SPK Isolator

Acoustics Accessories

Steinberg The Grand 3

Sample Library

Steinberg’s one-stop piano shop gets an overhaul from the ground up.

T-Rex Gristle Pedals

Stomp-box Effects

The New Stereo Soundbook (Third Edition)

Book Review

Tonehammer Francesca

Kontakt

Toontrack New York Studio Legacy Series Vol 2

Superior Drummer 2.0 Expander

Ueberschall Club Electro

Elastik Loop Library

Waldorf Largo

Software Synthesizer

Waldorf continue their Bond (Blofeld, etc) theme with their first software synth, Largo.

Waves Eddie Kramer Collection

Plug-in Bundle [Mac OS/Windows]

Waves’ latest plug-in collection attempts to bottle the genius of Eddie Kramer, for our benefit!

Bruce Swedien: Recording Michael Jackson

Legendary engineer on Thriller

Bruce Swedien has been the engineer of choice for Michael Jackson and his producer Quincy Jones, among many others. In a rare interview, he lays bare the techniques behind some of the superstar’s biggest hits.

Full Metal Racket!

Leader

Editor-In-Chief Paul White recommends we all keep that live vibe in our recordings...

Playback

Readers’ Music Reviewed

With a backlog of recorded material to wade through, the intrepid SOS crew brandish their Strictly Come Dancing judges' outfits and proffer their personal verdicts on another bunch of masochistic readers' hard-crafted recordings...

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Fraser T Smith

Inside Track: Tinchy Stryder

Producer and songwriter Fraser T Smith has made the unlikely journey from prog rock to grime. With Tinchy Stryder, his broad experience has paid off in the shape of three massive hit singles.

Sounding Off: Vintage Synths

Jem Godfrey

Vintage synthesizers: can you love them too much?

Digital Performer: Alternative Versions

Digital Performer Notes & Techniques

When you need to tweak or re-work a track to produce alternative versions, DP has features that make it easy.

Extreme Metal

The SOS Guide To Recording & Producing Modern Metal

Extreme metal music demands, and expects, extreme skills from producers and engineers. In Part 1 of this in-depth masterclass, we explain the techniques that go into crafting modern metal sounds.

Extreme Metal masterclass | Videos

Video interviews from Extreme Metal production masterclass [Part 1]

The following video interviews accompany this month's Extreme Metal: Recording Metal Music (Part 1) masterclass.

Intel's New i5 & i3 CPUs

PC Notes

Powerful CPUs seem to get cheaper by the day, as evidenced by Intel’s new i5 and i3 series, which promise enough grunt for even demanding musicians, but with a lower price tag than the popular i7 range.

Logic | Using Flex Time on Vocals

Logic Notes & Techniques

Part 1: Try out Logic 9’s show-stopper addition, Flex Time, which lets you manipulate audio timing as never before.

Make Your Music Pay

Apple Notes

As Apple and Spotify mark out the boundaries of the ‘sharing’ culture, copyright owners are still looking for ways to make their music pay in a digital age.

Mix Rescue Audio

Audio Examples From Mix Rescue November 2009

Mix Rescue: Bobby Nobody

Going beyong the mix

Being a mix engineer isn’t only about mixing, as we show when revamping Bobby Nobody’s track, ‘Stitch Up’.

Optimum Vocals with VX64 Vocal Strip

Sonar Notes & Techniques

Sonar 8.5’s VX64 Vocal Strip offers new possibilities for vocal processing.

Reason To Record

Reason Notes & Techniques

We help you to bring your old Reason songs into the Record era.

Region Control

Digidesign (Avid) Pro Tools Tips & Techniques

The Region List in Pro Tools is easy to overlook, but provides the most powerful way to keep track of what's in your Session.

REM ‘Radio Free Europe’ | Classic Tracks

Producers: REM, Mitch Easter, Don Dixon

REM’s first single wasn’t just an embryonic form of the style and sound that would later make them so successful, it was also a gem of the American new wave. But it took a long time coming...

Studio SOS

Taming a reflective room

This month, we tame a reflective room, tweak vocal compressors and slay the Blue Screen Of Death.

Technique Workshop | Audio

Steinberg Cubase Tips & Techniques

Links to Audio files which accompany this month's Cubase techniques article.

The Cable Conundrum

Choosing guitar cables

VariAudio: Extracting MIDI From Audio Files

Steinberg Cubase Tips & Techniques

More than just a pitch-correction tool, Cubase's VariAudio offers a means of extracting MIDI data from audio files.

Notes From The Deadline

TV Music From The Inside

The global financial meltdown would never have happened if only KPMG had modelled themselves on KPM.

Q. Can I achieve a better kick sound?

Q. How could I use Giga-format libraries in the future?

Q. What’s special about star-quad cable?

Q. What’s the best way to get started with mastering?

SOS Podcast 018

17:32 mins

Editor-in-Chief Paul White and Technical Editor Hugh Robjohns kick off with a look at hot topics in the November 2009 issue of Sound On Sound magazine, especially the Eigenlabs MIDI controller, before discussing more of the interesting recording gear from the AES New York show. Tips on bass recording, studio isolation and soundproofing complete this worthy podcast.