March 2006 In This Issue
To open articles, click title links
Competition SUBSCRIBE & WIN: £3600 of Joemeek, Toft Audio and Studio Projects gear from PMI Audio Deadline: 2006-03-31 Up for grabs to all paid-up subscribers or new subscribers is the following haul of delightful prizes: WIN CEDAR Audio Retouch Audio Restoration Software Deadline: 2006-04-30 Prizes kindly donated by CEDAR Audio
+44 (0)1223 881 778. Reviews A-D/D-A Converter
Applied Acoustics Lounge Lizard EP3 Modelled Electric Piano Instrument [Mac/PC] Most recent electric piano virtual instruments have been sample-based, but in Lounge Lizard, AAS continue to fly the flag for their physical modelling technology; version 3 offers an improved fork model, plus modelled electromagnetic and electrostatic pickups... Stereo Condenser Microphone
Monitor Controller This new unit from Coleman Audio makes a mark with its sonic integrity, despite its apparent lack of operational frills. Dave Smith PolyEvolver Keyboard Four-voice Analogue & Digital Synth
Active Nearfield Monitors
Gear Reviews, Tips and Techniques • Line 6 Echo Park and Liqua-Flange
Stomp box effects IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik Virtual Orchestra [PC/Mac] Miroslav Vitous's orchestral library was the first of its kind, and more than 10 years after its launch, has been reinvented as a self-contained virtual instrument. Is the original still the best? FM Soft Synth [Windows] Combining frequency and ring modulation with analogue-style resonant filtering, Image Line's Sytrus takes FM synthesis in new directions. Touchscreen Add-on [Mac/PC] Hate mixing by mouse? Intatouch's neat monitor add-on allows you to draw control data directly onto the screen. Portable Digital Stereo Recorder
Millennium Dual-core Pentium 4 PC Music Computer Dual-core processors hold the key to unprecedented performance with music applications. But how do systems based around Intel's Pentium D, like this one from Millennium Music, compare with their AMD-based rivals? Pitch & Time Manipulation Software [Windows] If you need a new way of adapting the feel of a loop, or you want decent pitch-shifting and time-stretching on a budget, Psoft's inexpensive utility might be for you. Hot New Releases • Big Fish Audio First Call Horns Auto-sampling Software [Windows] Like the idea of having all your hardware synth sounds in a software sampler, but can't be bothered to do the necessary programming? Fear not, Sample Robot will do it for you... Virtual Workstation Synth [PC/Mac]
Vocal Processor
Portable Powered PA System We test this affordable complete vocal PA you can carry from the car to the stage in one trip! Live Sound Acoustic Bass Microphone System Amplifying an acoustic bass on stage is far from straightforward — indeed, the difficulties involved have been known to make players swap to an electric. Could this new AMT mic/preamp system be what upright bassists have been waiting for? Chris Trimby: Monitor Engineer Mr Monitor The award-winning Chris Trimby not only tours with top artists and spends summers working the major festivals but also mixes live sound for TV music shows, including BBC TV's Top Of The Pops, proving how varied and interesting a career as a monitor engineer can be. We find out how it all happened and what's involved... Professional Noise-isolating Earphones Etymotic Research, leading makers of high-quality earphones, recommend their ER4S model for in-ear stage-monitoring use. We find out whether hearing is believing. Buyer's Guide Stage gear takes a lot more punishment than studio equipment, so investing a few quid in suitable protection for it has to be worth considering. But what do you need to know before buying? Powered PA System This premium German-made PA aims to offer a genuine hi-fi approach to live sound reproduction. But is it worth the investment? 12-channel Powered Mixer This traditionally-designed mixer/amp packs quite a punch, with 1400W of power under the hood, and also boasts very sturdy construction and built-in digital effects. The Science and the Magic If you've been to a large gig or a festival in recent years, you've no doubt had the pleasure of hearing line arrays of loudspeakers in action. But why are line arrays the current 'best practice' in large-scale PA, how did they evolve, and will they ever filter down to more modest gig venues? | People + Opinion Producing Hip-Hop Miami is now a hip-hop centre to rival New York and LA, and Cool & Dre are two of its most active beatmakers, songwriters and producers. Crosstalk: Don Buchla replies... Readers Writes Synth pioneer Don Buchla took issue with some points raised by our review of his 200e modular synth and felt them somewhat unfair — read on and you decide. Paul White's Leader Our esteemed Editor In Chief got bored over Christmas so he decided to conduct a Studio SOS makeover on his own studio. Read all about it... Line 6: Inside the Tone Modelling Factory Marcus Ryle • Michel Doidic • Jeff Slingluff We go behind the scenes at the home of the Pod and Variax to get the latest on developments in the world of guitar modelling technology. Yann Tiersen
Sounding Off: Brave New World? John Savage This reader ditched all his old synths and hardware in favour of a shiny new all-singing, all-dancing Music PC and sof synths. Does he now regret the decision? Read on... Technique How best to use different reverbs Recording engineers have been adding artificial reverberation to recordings for many years, and have developed a variety of different ways of doing this. Home recordists now have access to modern versions of all these tools, so let's look at how they compare to each other, and how best to use each. CLASSIC TRACKS: Bob Marley & The Wailers: 'I Shot The Sheriff' Producers: Chris Blackwell, The Wailers; Engineers: Phill Brown, Tony Platt Bob Marley & The Wailers were the first Jamaican musicians to achieve world stardom. Tracked in Kingston and finished in London by Island engineers Phill Brown and Tony Platt, their breakthrough album was a truly international recording and a true reggae classic. Find out how it was recorded... Creating a Drum Editor in Logic Logic Notes & Techniques Some users of Steinberg's Cubase complain that Logic has no specialised drum editor. Little do they know that Logic lets you build your own. Intel Macs: What Do They Mean For Musicians? Apple Notes If 2003 was Apple's 'year of the notebook', 2006 is set to be the 'year of Intel', with the prospect that every Mac computer in the company's range will use an Intel processor by the end of it. Steinberg Cubase Tips & Techniques We delve into the Boolean operations in the Logical Editor, offer some tips for entering numeric values in the Transport Panel, and take a first look at Cubase running on dual-processor, dual-core systems. Making A Living From Music For Picture: Part 4 How To Make A Pitch Success! You've been invited to pitch for a job. Surely that Hollywood career now beckons? Well, no... This is just a pitch — there are others competing for the job. We look at how to maximise your chances of winning the commission... Making the change to a Dual-Core PC PC Musician If you've been waiting and wondering whether to 'go dual-core' in your next PC upgrade, which processor to choose is only one of the factors to consider. We discuss the options and implications. + Audio Files Kick drum and lead vocal present tough processing challenges in this installment's remix. On-line Mastering Services Shootout! Web Masters A new business model based around the Internet promises to make professional mastering more convenient — and much more affordable. But is on-line mastering a real alternative or a false economy? We put the UK's leading services to the test. Studio SOS: Building a DIY Vocal Booth Paul Joyner This time, the team convert a small empty room into a professional vocal booth within the space of a single afternoon! Using Reason with 8 major Audio Host Applications Reason Notes & Techniques Reason makes an ideal 'synth rack' for use with a variety of host software. We take you through the steps needed to Rewire it to 8 popular programs. Using Quantising in Digital Performer Digital Performer Notes & Techniques Quantising is all about turning your sloppy playing into rigid, computerised perfection, right? Well, no — at least, it doesn't have to be. We check out the finer points of quantising in DP and look at what it can do for your music. Using the RXP REX-file player in Sonar 5 Producer Edition Sonar Notes & Technique Now that the RXP REX-file player is bundled with the Producer Edition of Sonar 5, the creative possibilities of REX files have really opened up for Sonar users. We take a tour around RXP and discuss its features and uses. Windows Driver Model & Harbal Auto EQ PC Notes Can Harbal's new automatic track EQ solve your equalisation problems with one click? We find out, as well as exploring the mysteries of the Windows Driver Model... Digidesign (Avid) Pro Tools Tips & Techniques Once you have got your video and sync audio files into a Pro Tools Session, what do you do with them? Our short series on sound for picture concludes by explaining the ins and outs of dubbing, sound effects and Foley. Sound Advice
|
All Issues
Home |
Search |
News |
Current Issue |
Tablet Mag |
Articles |
Forum |
Subscribe |
Shop |
Readers Ads
Advertise |
Information |
Digital Editions |
Privacy Policy |
Support
Sound On Sound : Est. 1985