February 2003 In This Issue
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Reviews Behringer Eurorack UB2442FX Pro Analogue Mixer The flagship of Behringer's newest line of mixers is a four-buss design with 26 inputs, four aux sends and an internal effects processor. Active Surround Monitoring with Bass Management Blue Sky's new active studio monitors use cutting-edge cone technology and closed-box speaker loading for improved performance. File Formats and the Internet There are many reasons why the digital delivery of media hasn't replaced traditional physical methods, but could one reason be that files just aren't very collectable? Sample Library An awful lot of blowing went into Dan Dean's new orchestral release - but is this the wind of change, or just a great deal of hot air? Hybrid Analogue/Digital Monophonic Synthesizer Dave Smith, creator of the Prophet 5 and Wavestation, moved into software synthesis in the '90s, but now he's back with what he calls 'the ultimate dongle' — a hardware analogue and digital synth. We find out if he's still evolving... USB Audio & MIDI Interface For Mac And PC Edirol's latest audio and MIDI interface fills another niche in the increasingly competitive market for USB devices. Virtual Tonewheel Organ & Clavinet For Logic Emagic have launched two new classic keyboard emulations for Logic. We test them out. Computer Consumer PC giant Evesham Technology have launched a range of PCs for music recording, based around M Audio hardware. But how do they compare with machines built by smaller music specialists? Professional Stage Piano Every pianist dreams of owning a grand piano, but is it really possible to combine the feel of a grand into a stage piano and combine it with great sounds and master-keyboard functionality? Sample-based Sound Module Kurzweil are well known for their high-quality sounds, but less so for affordable hardware in which to house them. Is the new £350 ME1 the answer? Open Source Music Software & The AGNULA Project The AGNULA project is creating what is possibly the first computer system tailored specifically for musicians - and it's all based around the Linux operating system. Modelling Synth Workstations The monotimbral K-Station offered keyboard players an affordable Novation -- but now, for a bit more money, the company have released the KS4 and KS5, which add plenty of new features, better keyboards and multitimbrality. The perfect marriage at the perfect price? We find out. Microphone Preamp A British company specialising in the maintenance and refurbishment of vintage Neve equipment have produced a new preamp design with a classic sound. FireWire Audio & MIDI Interface For Mac And PC Presonus' eight-channel FireWire interface is the first to use Yamaha's much-touted mLAN protocol. How does it compare to the proprietary driver systems developed by the likes of MOTU and Metric Halo? Software Synthesizer [Mac/PC] Spectrasonics' massive sample-based soft synth promises to be the ultimate source for pads, atmospheres and textures. Analogue Filter & Phaser These two new rack processors from Vermona offer flexible filtering and phasing with a range of interesting modulation options. Virtual Modular Synth [PC/Mac] Software instruments are now central to many recording musicians' sound palettes. Can VirSyn's Tera bring anything new to an increasingly crowded market? DirectX Drum Replacer Plug-in For PC WaveMachine Labs' sophisticated DirectX plug-in allows you to replace the sounds of individual drums with samples, while keeping the human feel of a performance. Dynamics Processor Although XTA are perhaps better known for their live sound processors, their new SIDD dynamics processor provides world-beating dynamics processing which is just as useful in the studio. | People + Opinion Duncan Bridgeman • Travels With A Laptop Studio Many people love the idea of laptop recording, but few have put it into practice like 1 Giant Leap. Their acclaimed album and DVD project was recorded on an Apple Powerbook during a six-month journey round the world - with a little help from some friends... Readers' Music submissions Jeanette Murphy = Top Demo.
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Producer and Engineer Producer and engineer Elliot Mazer is well known for his ongoing work with Neil Young, and was there at the birth of digital recording. Like Young, however, he's never been happy with the way it sounded - until now. Composing For Video Games Jack Wall is a leading light in the video game soundtrack industry, where his credits include the latest chapter in the best-selling Myst series of computer games. Illegal Downloads When it comes to digital rights management, downloading music illegally isn't really the problem - it's our obsession with it. John Scofield & Avi Bortnick Well-known jazz musician John Scofield has spent the last five years updating his sound with the help of modern technology and new collaborators - including innovative guitarist Avi Bortnick. Technique AAS Lounge Lizard; New Windows PC Notes While most PC users are still in the process of migrating to Windows XP, Microsoft are revealing details of the next major version of Windows which promises to bring some significant changes to your desktop. Project & File Management Facilities We finish our look at DP3's new comprehensive Undo functions, and begin examining the program's Project and file management facilities with a view to making large projects portable. Digidesign (Avid) Pro Tools Tips & Techniques Using DSP-based audio systems is the answer to problems of audio latency, right? Experienced mixers using digital systems - including Pro Tools TDM - will tell you there's more to the story... EXS24 MkII Features The big news in the latest v5.5 update is a completely overhauled EXS24 MkII, so what new features are there? Apple Notes If you think it's not possible to make music with VST Instruments with Logic on OS X, think again... Workshop The drum kit can be one of the most time-consuming and frustrating of instruments to record, so it's worth taking a structured approach. Running VST Instruments with Sonar Ever wanted to use all those lovely VST instruments within Sonar? Well here's how you do it! Planning Your Studio Wiring A patchbay can make your studio much quicker to use, but can also be a nightmare to set up, so here's advice on which to choose and how to connect it up for the best results. Plus, tips on building and fitting racks for your gear. Mike Burnham This month sees the SOS team in the sleepy Herefordshire town of Bromyard, helping violinist Mike Burnham with his folk recordings. Synthesizing Strings: String Machines Analogue synths can't synthesize every sound, but the attempts made to replicate the sound of orchestral strings were so successful that so-called string machines became much-loved instruments in their own right. We begin a voyage into the world of synthesized strings... PC Musician It's been 12 months since we first evaluated Windows XP as a music platform, and it now seems to be the OS of choice for most manufacturers. So should musicians who have been holding back now take the plunge and upgrade? Steinberg Cubase Tips & Techniques Cubase SX/SL offers something of a mixed bag of features for those working with video, so this month we offer some advice on what you can do — and what you can't. Music Business
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