March 2004 In This Issue
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Competition WIN SSL XLogic G-Series Compressor Deadline: 2004-04-30 Solid State Logic are offering SOS readers the chance to win one of the new G-Series stereo compressors, worth approximately £2467. Reviews PC Visual Mastering Software Harbal enables you to shape the EQ of your mastered mixes to match any reference track, and by compensating for the loudness changes involved in doing so, it provides a truly neutral means of comparing the original and the treated master. Active Studio Monitors ADAM combine Hexacone woofers with advanced high-frequency ribbon drivers to create a competitive professional monitoring system. Mic Preamp & Equaliser AMS Neve have reissued one of the most revered of the '70s Neve designs, but can it still compete in the 21st century? 8-channel A-D/D-A Converter This new top-flight digital converter not only provides eight channels of simultaneous A-D/D-A conversion, but also includes soft limiting, UV22HR dithering, and flexible routing functions. Dual-pattern Tube Capacitor Mic The elegant new Valvet provides a choice of omni and cardioid polar patterns, as well as delivering the kind of transparent valve sound for which German mic technology is renowned. Music Production Sampler Rack studio samplers may be pretty much a relic of the past, at least in terms of manufacturers producing new examples, but it's not quite all software and computer RAM yet -- not if instruments such as this new one from Korg are anything to go by. MIDI Controller Keyboard MIDI controller keyboards were a minority interest a few years ago, but as more studio duties have been taken on by computers, the popularity of controllers has soared. Korg's Microkontrol adds some new tricks to the well-established concept... Sample Library • Project SAM Trumpets * Score = 5 PC/Mac USB Recording Interface It's been nearly four years since Lexicon last produced an audio interface. Does their new USB-based Omega system have what it takes to challenge the likes of Digidesign, Edirol and M Audio? Mac & PC Firewire Recording Interface M Audio have broken a price barrier with their Firewire 410, which is easily the most affordable Firewire recording interface on the market. Capacitor Microphone This affordable new large-diaphragm cardioid mic benefits from an open sound with a hint of transformer warmth. Multi-effects Processor This versatile effects processor has not only been designed for guitarists and bassists, but also for the home studio owner. Filter, Effects, Amp Modeller & Drum Box Roger Linn Design have updated their versatile instrument processor, which still produces an array of unusual effects not normally available from a single box, but is now claimed to be easier to use. Valve Microphone & Preamp TL Audio's new valve mic and preamp package takes the unusual step of integrating the preamp into the mic's power supply unit. So why take two boxes into the studio, when you can just bosh and go? Passive Monitors These new monitors may look good, but they're actually meant to sound bad! Specifically, they are designed to replace the Auratone 5C and Yamaha NS10M as the discerning mix engineer's 'grot box' of choice. Orchestral Cube & Performance Set Pro Editions The eagerly awaited upgrade from the VSL team breaks all records for size, depth and scope. Is it the be-all and end-all of orchestral sound libraries? Singing Synthesis Software For Windows Technology has threatened to put drummers and guitarists out of work, but until now, singers have been safe. Is Yamaha's Vocaloid going to change all that? Firewire Interface, Digital Mixer & Control Surface Yamaha's 01X is a digital mixer, hardware controller, audio and MIDI interface that promises an unprecedented level of integration with PC/Mac computer-based DAWs. But can this one silver box really do it all? Live Sound
| People + Opinion Sounding Off Modern technology has made DIY recording a reality, but there still comes a time when you have to defer to the professionals... John Frye: Recording Speakerboxxx/The Love Below Recording Outkast Groundbreaking Southern rap duo Outkast head into 2004 with a fistful of Grammy nominations and a chart-topping double LP to their name. Their principal engineer and studio manager John Frye pulls back the curtain on one of the year's best records. Music Producers Guild Assessments Business End Members of the UK's MPG (Music Producers Guild) offer their constructive comments about a selection of SOS readers' recordings... Nitin Sawhney: Cultural Expansion Composer/Producer/Remixer From hit solo albums to film soundtracks and remixes, Nitin Sawhney has turned his hand to almost every aspect of music production -- and his music is equally diverse, blending Indian and Western classical styles with rock, hip-hop and dance. Technique Classic Tracks: The Police's 'Every Breath You Take' Producers: The Police, Hugh Padgham • Engineer: Hugh Padgham. The Police's final studio album was both a technical and artistic tour de force, and yielded one of their most memorable hit singles. Yet the three members were unable to play in the same room without a fight breaking out, so the recording sessions proved tough going for engineer and co-producer Hugh Padgham... Composing Theme Music For Royal Gardeners TV Theme Music Is writing TV show theme music as easy as it might seem? To find out, we follow the progress of David Lowe and Paul White's music for a recent BBC series on gardeners. Reader recordings analysed Another batch of lucky SOS readers' demos wait nervously for the Doctor's prognosis. What is the verdict? Listen while you read on... Digital Microphones: A New Approach? Cutting Edge When is a digital mic really a digital mic? Cutting Edge looks at the hybrid digital/analogue technology we already have and suggests a radical new approach. Apple Notes Apple continued to demonstrate a commitment to music in January at both the San Francisco Macworld and LA Winter NAMM shows, as well as releasing G5-based Xserve machines. And this month we continue exploring the G5's performance in a musical context. Page File: The Great Controversy PC Notes We return to the great Page File controversy of 2003... as well as keeping you stocked with the usual cocktail of PC news and tips. Q & A: solutions to your problems Reader advice clinic Every day the SOS team answer dozens and dozens of phone and email questions from readers about all sorts of problems. Q & A brings together a collection of our best solutions and advice. Recording Vocals In The Computer Studio Masterclass However much you rely on a computer to provide sounds and help create arrangements, if you want to include vocals, you still need to know how to mike and record them properly in what may be a less than ideal room. We offer some tried and tested solutions... Digital Performer Notes MOTU finally have their own soft sampler, Mach Five, which is ideal for use with DP, but doesn't always work exactly as you might expect. Read on for the Performer Notes primer... Steinberg Cubase Tips & Techniques While Cubase's graphical environment makes the application easy to use, it's not always clear exactly where signals are being routed. This month, we open the virtual bonnet and take a look at signal routing in the VST 2.3 audio engine used in both Cubase SX and Nuendo 2 Nigel Helm-Nurney & Pombokiwi The intrepid SOS team travel to Nigel Helm-Nurney's London studio to help his band Pombokiwi do battle with unwanted spill, uninspiring guitar sounds, and masses of egg boxes! Sonar Notes Sync your VST effects perfectly with Sonar tempo, find out when snapshot is better than dynamic automation, and catch up with the latest Cakewalk software news. Synthesizing The Rest Of The Hammond Organ: Part 3 Synth Secrets We conclude our analysis of the fabulously complex beast that is the Leslie rotary speaker. Digidesign (Avid) Pro Tools Tips & Techniques All Pro Tools systems now come with a bundle of extra software: Reason Adapted, Live Digidesign Edition, Amplitube LE, Sampletank SE and T-Racks EQ. This month we use Live's powerful time-warping features to run tempo-shifted vocals alongside a remix. Using Hardware Effects With Your PC Software Studio PC Musician Do you use a software studio with plug-in effects but crave the effects quality that your favourite hardware processor used to provide? Well, you can have the best of both worlds... as this article explains. |
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