WIN Image Line FL Studio + VSTi bundles (worth 440 GBP)

Deadline: 2009-02-28

Prize kindly donated by Line Software. Phone +32 9 281 15 33 www.image-line.com

AKG Perception

Condenser Microphones

Can condenser mics at this price really be worthy of a name like AKG? Actually, it seems they can...

Arsenal Audio R20 & R24

Microphone Preamplifier & EQ

This new brand by revered high-end equipment manufacturers API is much more affordable than their established lines. So there must be a catch, right?

Behringer RSM Stomp-box Effects

Guitar Technology

This affordable range of digital guitar and bass effects pedals offers good, dependable results — and there are a few hidden gems as well. Read on...

Cakewalk Sonar 8

MIDI + Audio Sequencer For Windows

As well as creating some excellent new plug-ins and making operational improvements, Cakewalk have been working hard to make Sonar 8 the most CPU-efficient version yet.

Digidesign Pro Tools 8: Part 2

Digital Audio Workstation Software [Mac/PC]

As well as the new user interface, MIDI and score editors described in Part 1 of our review, Pro Tools 8 offers an impressive collection of instruments and plug-ins, new ways of working with Playlists, and even the option of surround mixing in LE.

Discovery Sound Koto

Kontakt 2 & Reason Refill

Discovery Sound are a Japanese company specialising in ethnic sounds, and in particular the traditional music of Asia. This collection focuses on the koto — the national instrument of Japan.

G-Force M-Tron Pro

Sample Library [Mac / PC]

The successor to G-Force’s popular M-Tron instrument brings dual layers and subtractive synthesis to the Mellotron party — but also manages to keep authenticity firmly in mind...

Genoqs Nemo

MIDI Performance Sequencer

Genoqs take a unique approach to hardware sequencing, as we’ve seen previosuly from their Octopus sequencer. Now they’re back with a smaller and far more affordable model: the Nemo.

Klein+Hummel O410

Active Midfield Monitors

Getting the balance right between the benefits and disadvantages of ported and non-ported speaker designs is a tricky job, and K+H do it better than most with this ported model.

Korg M3 Xpanded

Sampling Workstation

The M3 workstation, already a powerful beast, has gained impressive new features and an ‘Xpanded’ name tag. Is it now top of its class?

Line 6 BackTrack+Mic

Guitar Recorder

Line 6 BackTrack is a single-channel, Flash-memory audio recorder that’s tailored to the needs of guitar players and songwriters. Designed to sit in-line with your guitar (it has an instrument input impedance), it records everything you play as soon as audio is detected. Check out our test report...

Prominy SC Electric Guitar

Virtual Guitar Instrument

Prominy have put 64 Gigabytes of lovingly sampled Stratocaster into their SC instrument. That’s a lot of Stratocaster — so does the sonic end justify the means?

Sample Modelling The Trumpet

Kontakt Player 2

Scan Power DAW PC

Music Computer

Need more PC power? Then meet the latest offering from Scan — and the fastest PC reviewed in SOS to date.

Sonivox Steel Core

Multi-format Sample Library

Synthogy Ivory Upright Pianos

Virtual Instrument

Yamaha Pocketrak 2G & CX

Stereo Recorders

These portable digital recorders are tiny, convenient, and they look great... but are Yamaha's latest gizmos any good for musicians?

Cheap Tricks

Leader

Paul White suggests some recession-friendly tips to improve your studio.

Graham Wrench: The Story Of Daphne Oram’s Optical Synthesizer

Oramics

In the early ’60s, pioneering British composer Daphne Oram set out to create a synthesizer unlike any other. The engineer who turned her ideas into reality was Graham Wrench.

Mogwai - Recording The Hawk Is Howling

John Cummings & Gareth Jones

Six albums into their career, Glaswegian instrumental band Mogwai decided to take the producer’s chair themselves.

Playback

Readers’ Music Reviewed

The editorial team play 'Jukebox Jury' with another batch of your submitted tracks.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Bob Clearmountain

Rolling Stones 'Shine A Light' DVD

Bob Clearmountain has been the world’s premier mix engineer for three decades — but Martin Scorsese still managed to challenge him with his ideas about how the Rolling Stones in concert should be presented.

Sounding Off: Multi-gig sample libraries

Martin Walker

Multi-gigabyte sample libraries are now very much a part of the modern studio — but does bigger always mean better?

Ableton Live: Real-time Clip Modulation

Ableton Live Notes & Techniques

We return to the subject of Clip Envelopes, and discover how it’s possible to work around a Live limitation and record MIDI controller data into Clips in real time.

Apple Logic Pro: Vocal Production Part 2

Logic Notes & Techniques

Your toolkit for producing polished, contemporary-sounding vocals should include appropriate EQ techniques and subtle ambience processing. Enter the workshop...

Classic Tracks: Rick Astley ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’

Producers: Stock, Aitken and Waterman

Producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman developed a massively successful formula for making pop records — and the story of Rick Astley’s 1987 smash hit, ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, is a perfect guide to the SAW assembly line...

Conserve Space; Temporary Files

PC Notes

Are you running out of space despite having hard drives of seemingly vast capacity? Temporary junk and duplicated files could be the culprit — and PC Notes can help you search and destroy...

Creating A Sense Of Depth In Your Mix

Mix Processing Techniques

With reverb, EQ, delay and more at your disposal, enhancing the sense of front-to-back space in your mix can be a challenging affair. We take you through some tips that will give your mix a depth charge!

Cubase 4 Example Drum Maps

Download DRM Files

Here are the files that accompany SOS February 2009's Cubase 4 workshop on Drum Maps.

Drum Maps

Steinberg Cubase Tips & Techniques

Many Cubase users also own high-quality drum virtual instruments and sample libraries that aren't mapped to the GM standard. Fortunately, you can create your own dedicated drum maps.

Guitar Recording Methods In Digital Performer

Digital Performer Notes & Techniques

Achieving exactly the recorded guitar tone you’re after is easier than it’s ever been, with the facilities on offer in a DAW package such as Digital Performer...

Mix Rescue: Audio Files | James Elder & Mark M Thompson

Hear For Yourself

Here are the links to the MP3 and WAV files that accompany the SOS February 2009 Mix Rescue article for our newsstand/bookstore readers who do not have eSub-access to the main web article and don't fancy typing in all the long URL links.

Mix Rescue: James Elder & Mark M Thompson

Adding character to vocals

Adding character to a vocal with transformer emulations, multing instrument parts to vary the effects throughout the song, and tweaking the arrangement... There are no limits to a Mix Rescuer’s job!

Musical Applications

Apple Notes

With new technology on the horizon, and the growing number of musician-friendly applications appearing on the iPhone, 2009 promises to be another interesting year for Apple audiophiles.

Studio SOS: Simon Mayor & Hilary James

Taming a large, live room

Ever wondered how to tame a large, lively room without drills, nails or glue? Or how best to mount monitors without speaker stands? Then read on to find out how we helped Simon Mayor and Hilary James.

Notes From The Deadline

TV Music From The Inside

Beware of TV executives bearing publishing contracts...

50 Smart Studio Buys

Improve Your Setup Without Breaking The Bank

Even if you’re tightening your belt, you can still upgrade and improve your studio and methods — you just need to be a bit more crafty about how you spend your cash...

Q. Can digital audio cables cause ground loops?

Q. Can I record, mix and master in DSD?

Q. Which small mixers have high impedance inputs?