Win Avid Music Production Studio Worth 4,440 GBP

Deadline: 2011-03-11

This month, SOS readers can win a fantastic selection of Avid goodies including a copy of Pro Tools 9, the Complete Production Toolkit 2, a new Mbox interface and an MC Control V2. Phew! And it's all worth over £4,000 — just enter before the 11th March 2011 for your chance to win.

2Box DrumIt Five

Electronic Drum Kit

Fancy a set of electronic drums that lets you create your own kits? Swedish company 2Box's debut offering could be just the thing...

Acoustic Energy ProSat & ProSub

2.1 Monitoring System

Acoustic Energy look to strengthen their foothold in the studio monitoring market with this impressive nearfield system.

Avid Pro Tools Mbox

USB Audio + MIDI Interface

Now that Pro Tools fans can choose any interface they like, do Avid's latest Mboxes offer enough to keep their users in the fold?

Big Fish Audio | Rotation Hip Hop

Sample Library

4*

Fostex PM0.4n

Desktop Monitors

Paul White checks out a solution to those studios limited on space (and finances) in need of a good set of monitors.

Line 6 Pod HD500

Guitar Amp & Effects Modeller

Line 6 were amongst the first to create realistic-sounding modelled guitar amps and effects. Does their latest offering keep them at the front of the pack?

Little Endian SpectrumWorx 2

Modular Effects Processor

If you like weird and wonderful effects, you need to enter the spectral domain &mdash and SpectrumWorx 2 will take you there in some style.

Manley MicMAID

Mic & Preamp Switcher

The patchbay remains the cornerstone of most commercial studios, but using one to patch mics into different preamps can be risky — which is where the MicMAID comes in...

Novation Ultranova

Synthesizer

The Ultranova may be a return to Novation's roots, but it's still a very forward-looking synthesizer...

Royer Labs R101

Ribbon Microphone

High-quality ribbon microphones don't come cheap, but the new R101 brings Royer quality within reach of the project-studio recordist.

Sample Magic | Soundtrack & Chill

Sample Library

4*

SE Electronics Voodoo VR1 & VR2

Ribbon Microphones

SE have aimed to combine the smoothness of ribbon mics with the high-end extension of a condenser. What witchcraft is this?

SE Electronics Voodoo VR1 & VR2 | Media

Ribbon Microphones

These audio files accompany the SE Electronics Voodoo VR1 & VR2 review that featured in SOS February 2011.

Spitfire Percussion

Sample Library

SSL X-Patch

Studio Router

Creating complex routing chains in a hybrid DAW/outboard setup presents its own set of problems — to which Solid State Logic offer this solution...

Starr Labs Ztar Z7S

MIDI Controller

Fed up with the vagaries of pitch-to-MIDI guitar, but don't have time to learn to play a keyboard? The Ztar offers clean, keyboard-like MIDI from an instrument that guitar players can relate to instantly. It could be just what you need...

Synthogy Ivory II Grand Pianos

Virtual Instrument

Synthogy's Ivory piano library was met with enormous acclaim on its release. Can its successor improve on that legacy?

The Music Producer's Handbook

Book & DVD

Matt Houghton has a read of a manual which gives all kinds of tips to those looking to get into music production.

Vital Arts Media | Plectrum

Sample Library

5*

Wave Alchemy | Drum Tools: Minimal Techno & Tech House

Sample Library

4*

Waves CLA Artist Signature Collection

Plug-in Suite

Not all of us can afford to have our tracks mixed by Chris Lord-Alge. But Waves' latest plug-in bundle might just be the next best thing...

Esquire Magazine: Ultimate Home Studio (US Edition Only)

Feature

** This article was originally printed in the US Edition of Sound On Sound only, but is available online to all subscribers. **
A no-expense-spared makeover of a Hollywood house naturally requires a top-quality home recording studio — especially if putting it together can help raise $7.5 million for charities...

Daniel Lanois & Mark Howard: Recording Neil Young's Le Noise

Interview | Producer

Neil Young has made his share of experimental albums, but his latest might be the most extreme, thanks to Daniel Lanois' revolutionary approach to live dub mixing.

David Greeves: There's No Wrong Way To Be Right...

Sounding Off

Former SOS member and ex-editor of Guitar Buyer magazine David Greeves shares his thoughts on striving for record perfection.

Playback

Readers' Music Reviewed

Zooropa * Fractal * James Parker * The Ridings * Mundane Sands * Give Chase * Anton Evans * Coral Caves * Lads O' The Fair * Floodplains

Taylor Swift Speak Now

Inside Track | Secrets Of The Mix Engineers

Taylor Swift has become country music's biggest mainstream star, thanks in part to a stellar production team. Producer Nathan Chapman and mixer Justin Niebank lift the lid on Swift's latest hit album, Speak Now.

These Spoolish Things

Leader

Paul White welcomes the development of tape emulation plug-ins.

2011 Preview

Apple Notes

2010 was a big year for Apple — so what treats are in store for 2011?

Audio Editing In DAWs

Tips & Techniques

Today's multitrack software packages give us endless flexibility to manipulate the audio we've recorded, but the possibilities can be confusing to begin with. We introduce the tools of the audio editor's trade...

Automation Modes

Steinberg Cubase Tips & Techniques

Have you ever wondered how best to use the different automation modes in Cubase? Then read on...

Creative Editing

Tips & Techniques

Whether it's getting rid of the audio you don't want or improving the audio you do want, skilled editing can be the key to making your multitrack project sound polished.

Drum Instruments

Propellerhead Reason Tips & Techniques

Discover how to tackle Reason's over-sized gorilla of a drum instrument.

Elastic Audio = Springy Sound

Avid Pro Tools Tips & Techniques

Elastic Audio in Pro Tools can do more than time-stretching: it can also be your route to some killer pitch-based mixing techniques.

Green Day: 'Basket Case'

Classic Tracks

'Do you have the time to listen to me whine?' asked Green Day in the opening lines of their song 'Basket Case'. For 16 million people, the answer was apparently 'yes'...

Join The Dots

Apple Logic Tips & Techniques

Ever thought of asking 'real' musicians to play your arrangements? Then get to grips with Logic's Score editor.

Mix Rescue Studio Rescue!

Studio SOS

Our Mix Rescue expert dips his toe in the Studio SOS waters this month, as he visit's a reader's studio, sorts out his monitoring, and takes him through strategies to improve his mixing.

Mix Rescue: The Hiram Key

Mixing & Recording Advice

Taking on a new genre is a great way to test your mixing skills, as we found out when we took on this goth track by The Hiram Key...

Mix Rescue: The Hiram Key | Media

Mixing & Recording Advice

These audio files accompany the Mix Rescue article that featured in SOS February 2011.

Route Master

Cockos Reaper Tips & Techniques

Get your audio applications talking to each other with Reaper's ReaRoute.

Track Freeze

Ableton Live Tips & Techniques

It's thermal underwear time as we look at the vagaries of track freezing in Live.

USB Data Transfer

PC Notes

You may be surprised at the data-transfer capabilities of your USB ports. Here's how to find out what you're dealing with...

Using Aux Sends & Returns

MOTU Digital Performer Tips & Techniques

Don't save your sends and returns just for global effects — DP's aux track system has other tricks up its sleeve...

X1's GUI

Cakewalk Sonar Tips & Techniques

Sonar X1 offers a very different user interface experience to previous versions — so here's a guide to the new GUI.

Off The Record (US Edition Only)

Music & Recording Industry News

** This article was originally printed in the US Edition of Sound On Sound only, but is available online to all subscribers. **
Two grassroots organisations show how their focus on the local music scene is helping studios survive in the new economic climate.

TV Music From The Inside

Notes From The Deadline

What would happen if composers were paid to pitch their ideas? It might just be the end of Western civilisation...

5 Best Buys

The Gear To Get You Filming Fast

New to the world of video production and unsure what gear to buy? Our guide to the five best options in three categories will get you started.

Adam Powell: How I Became A Music Video Director

Interview | Director

Adam Powell now directs videos for some of the UK's top talent — but it all started when he made a skate video with a borrowed VHS camera.

DSLR Bot

iOS Camera Control App

With an infra-red transmitter and DSLR Bot, your iOS device can become a remote control for video recording with Canon EOS cameras.

Panasonic Lumix GH1

Hybrid Still & Video Camera

Now available at a greatly reduced price, Panasonic's video-capable still camera is well worth a look for low-cost HD video production.

Q. Can I get rid of string buzz?

Q. Can you explain audio interface input sensitivity?

Q. If speakers have to be 'anchored', why don't mics?

Q. Should I be mixing in mono?

Q. What does the 'virtualization' PC BIOS setting do?