December 2003 In This Issue
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Competition WIN Audio Technica AT3060 valve mics Deadline: 2004-01-30 2 readers get the chance to win this £399 ground-breaking tube design, which can be run directly from a phantom power source. 3rd & 4th prizes of studio headphones also to be won Reviews Dynamic/Electret Kick-drum Microphone Audio Technica have put two different capsules into the same mic, giving you a choice of different sounds for different occasions. USB PC Audio Interface Laptop users on a budget can't help but be tempted by the Audiotrak Maya 44 USB's promise of four-channel analogue I/O, low-latency ASIO drivers and multi-client support for under £100. Is it really as good as it sounds? Synthesis Modules Since the launch of their A100 modular synth in the mid-'90s, Doepfer have been quietly adding modules to the system, some fairly simple, others splendidly esoteric. We explore some of the latest... USB Interface & Controller For PC & Mac Edirol's all-in-one UR80 combines USB audio and MIDI interfaces with a fader-based control surface. Convolving Reverb Plug-in For Logic Convolving reverbs are coming down in price as more manufacturers make their own. We check out Emagic's new plug-in, which is one of the more affordable ones around, but still allows you to create your own reverbs from favourite spaces. Active Monitors Event build on their tried and tested design principles to offer two new sets of affordable active monitors. Focusrite Liquid Channel (preview) Convolving Voice Channel DSP convolving techniques now allow us to 'sample' the sound of real reverberant spaces, and even other digital reverbs. But why stop at reverb? Focusrite's Liquid Channel can be used to reproduce the effect of classic compressors and even mic preamps... Distortion Modeller For Windows PCs There's already a decent range of products providing digital emulations of vintage guitar amps, but Izotope's Direct X plug-in goes a lot further, offering no fewer than seven processing modules, and is intended to model every kind of distortion you'll ever need. Digital Multitrackers In a market populated by 16-track and 24-track machines, Korg up the ante once again with the first project-studio multitracker to offer 32-track playback. Sample Library • LA Riot: Big Rockin' Beats Volume 2 * Score = 4 Active Nearfield Monitors M Audio's new desktop active monitors offer magnetic shielding and a smooth mid-range sound. DAW Control Surface While computer software gives modern musicians an overwhelming array of new possibilities, not everyone prefers virtual, on-screen user interfaces over the traditional tactile alternatives. Building on the success of previous mixer and control surface designs, Mackie's affordable Mackie Control promises the best of the soft- and hardware worlds — but will it make you hang up your mouse? Software Plug-in For Mac & PC Novation's V-Station plug-in provided a software version of their hardware K-Station — now there's a software version of their mid-'90s hardware monophonic analogue bass synths, the BassStation and BassStation Rack... Virtual Studio for Mac & PC The success story that is the Reason software studio continues to unfold with the release of v2.5, which adds a slew of sophisticated effects and processing devices — all free to registered users. Four-channel Mic Preamp A cost-effective four-channel microphone preamp with flexible powering options well-suited to location recording. PCI Audio Interface [PC/Mac] ST Audio's DSP3000 system offers an impressive feature set for its price, boasting eight-channel 24-bit/96kHz analogue I/O with mic preamps on every channel, plus digital I/O in S/PDIF and AES-EBU formats, MIDI I/O, and the ability to function as a stand-alone analogue/ADAT digital converter. Modelling Valve Guitar Preamp This new modelling preamp achieves a variety of realistic amp tones by combining DSP processing with real analogue gain stages. Weighted-action Keyboard Synth Yamaha have taken a weighted keyboard from their latest digital pianos, added high-quality piano samples and Motif sounds, and thrown in a playback sequencer and arpeggiator, and master-keyboard facilities. Left to simmer, the S90 is the result... Live Sound
| People + Opinion Andy Barlow: Recording Between Darkness & Wonder Lamb Since Lamb first came to prominence at the height of the mid-'90s trip-hop movement, Andy Barlow and Lou Rhodes' distinctive blend of electronica and organic songwriting has gone from strength to strength. Paul White's Leader Paul White berates the over-use of effects for the increasing number of poor recordings. Technique Music Producers Guild panel Business End enables you to have your demo reviewed by a panel of producers, songwriters, musicians and managers. This month's industry panel is drawn from the MPG (Music Producer's Guild). CLASSIC TRACKS: 'Strange Days' Artist: THE DOORS; Producer: Paul Rothchild; Engineeer: Bruce Botnick Engineer and producer Bruce Botnick recorded some of the greatest artifacts of West Coast psychedelia, among them the first five albums by The Doors. Here he describes the making of their influential second album and its title track, which saw them develop their live sound through radical experimentation in the studio. Cubase 2.01 Update; Rewire Tips Steinberg Cubase Tips & Techniques This month we take a look at how you can get the most out of Cubase and Reason using Rewire, and report on the release of the significant, yet seemingly insignificant, Cubase SX 2.01 revision. Windows XP Media Center With the release in the UK of XP Media Center Edition, Microsoft aim to make Windows PCs a modern equivalent of the radiogram — the heart of a complete music and video home. entertainment system Readers Recordings Analysed Another batch of lucky SOS readers' demos wait nervously for the Doctor's diagnosis. What is the verdict? Listen while you read on... DP4 and FXpansion's VST-to-AU Adapter Digital Performer Notes A whole world of free, inexpensive or just plain great VST plug-ins opens up for DP 4 users who also run FXpansion's indispensable VST to AU Adapter. We check out how it works and round up some DP news and tips to boot. Sonar Notes Extremely flexible bussing and assignable effects controls are just two of the extra features brought to Sonar by the 3.0 upgrade and explored this month... Digidesign (Avid) Pro Tools Tips & Techniques HD Accel is the latest processor card for Pro Tools HD TDM systems. We investigate, and try to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the release. Installing A New PC Motherboard: The SOS Guide PC Musician The beauty of PCs is that they are highly upgradeable. Swapping out your old motherboard for a new one, for example, is a feasible prospect for increasing performance without buying a whole new machine. If you're considering the process, though, there's a lot to bear in mind... What To Use & How To Do It It's often necessary to work on headphones in the home studio, even when mixing. So what headphones should you choose, and how do you go about getting the best results? PC Notes Encouraging results are achieved from testing a new laptop equipped with an Intel Pentium-M processor. Could it become the centre of the PC user's ideal mobile setup? Masterclass This month, we untangle the intricacies of the XV file system, as well as tracking down some useful software utilities and web sites for Roland synth users. Clive John Recording piano was turning out to be a grand challenge in Clive John's home studio, so the SOS team headed over to sort things out. Synthesizing Tonewheel Organs: Part2 Synth Secrets If you followed last month's advice, you'll know how to synthesize a basic Hammond tone on a Roland Juno 6. But can the same technique be applied to any other synth? |
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