Reviews
Dual Microphone Preamplifier With two channels of mic preamp, a phase-alignment control, digital outputs and clean signal path, the Mico offers you an awful lot of Audient for the money.
Control Surface & Audio Interface Cakewalk’s V-Studio 700 system offers audio interfacing and very tight integration with the company’s own Sonar software, via the impressive V-Studio Console. So is it every Sonar user’s dream setup?
Virtual Electromechanical Keyboard You can’t please all of the people all of the time, Abraham Lincoln once said — but Clavia aim to prove him wrong with their new Nord Electro 3 keyboard.
Firewire Audio Interface Focusrite’s Saffire Pro interfaces already offer excellent value for money, but imagine if you could add two channels of any preamp you wanted...
Active Multimedia Monitors There are studio monitors, and there are multimedia monitors, but can one speaker perform both tasks? Genelec think it can.
Emerald Pack Plug-ins [Mac / PC] McDSP’s Emerald Pack is one of the most desirable plug-in collections out there. Two new processors extend its capabilities still further...
Small-diaphragm Condenser Microphone Unashamedly inspired by the Neumann KM84i, Mercenary Audio have tweaked their KM69 to suit their own tastes. Does it deliver the goods?
Amp Modelling & Design Software [Mac/PC] Peavey’s ReValver lets you play through a catalogue of classic guitar amps in virtual form — and if that’s not enough, you can design your own from scratch.
Modelled Piano Creating a digitally modelled piano is a fantastically difficult thing to do, but that hasn’t deterred Roland... Introducing the V-Piano — the world’s first hardware modelling piano.
Active Ribbon Microphone If you put together a classical musician turned mic manufacturer, and analogue audio legend Mr Rupert Neve, you’d expect the outcome to be something rather special — and it is.
Groove-based Software Instrument [Mac/PC] This major new free update adds innovative loop-matching features to Spectrasonics’ groove-based instrument.
Transient Designer & EQ Rangers [Mac/PC] Two of SPL’s most effective hardware studio tools are now available in native and HD plug-in formats.
Virtual Drum Instrument According to Submersible, Kitcore offers “great drum sounds without all the fuss.” We put it to the test.
Plug-in Bundle [Mac/PC] Renowned mix engineer Jack Joseph Puig employs his massive collection of vintage outboard gear on everything from the Black Crowes to Black Eyed Peas. Now, thanks to Waves, you can get your hands on some of the same goodies.
Competition
Deadline: 2009-05-31 Prize kindly donated by Glyph Technologies. Tel: +1 607 275 0345. www.glyphtech.com
Sound Advice
| People + Opinion
Recording electronica live in the studio Live performance and spontaneity are everything for Animal Collective, so capturing the magic of their unique electronic psychedelia on CD was a huge test for engineer and producer Ben Allen.
Readers’ Music Reviewed The editorial team audition another crop of your submitted tracks.
Sponsored by breed-media.co.uk
Leader Sage words from SOS Editor-In-Chief Paul White.
Lily Allen: 'The Fear' — It’s Not Me, It’s You Looking for a follow-up to her smash-hit debut album, Lily Allen ditched her many other collaborators to work mostly with LA-based producer and musician Greg Kurstin on It’s Not Me, It’s You.
Simon Langford Should a problematic dongle be allowed to cause such grief in this day and age?
Technique
Logic Notes & Techniques We offer a second set of tips to enhance your corrective and creative mixing skills.
New Mac Pros, iMacs and Mac Minis. After much recent speculation concerning Apple’s desktop trinity, the company quietly made big news this month by unveiling new Mac Pros, iMacs and Mac Minis.
Digital Performer Notes & Techniques MOTU's Digital Performer 6 hugely simplifies the task of CD burning, while at the same time allowing more complex burning tasks to be undertaken. We talk you through the options.
Producer: Van Morrison • Engineers: Shelly Yakus, Elliot Scheiner On his second solo album, Van Morrison took the production reins for the first time. Manning the desk was engineer Shelly Yakus, who tells the story of recording Moondance.
Cubase Notes & Techniques Learn how to avoid frequency clashes in your mix, with our tutorial on advanced ducking techniques in Cubase.
Hear For Yourself Links to audio files that accompany the SOS MAY 2009 Cubase article, for newsstand/bookstore readers who do not have eSub-access to the main web article.
Guitar Technology A short practical guide to getting more from the standard five-way pickup selector switch.
Reason Notes & Techniques Not only can Reason’s Thor synth be used as an effects unit for other signals, it can also act as a hub for combining instruments and devices into true modular synth structures.
Beats Ever wondered why your beats can’t compete with commercial mixes? We show you how to nail them... without losing sight of the song.
Hear For Yourself Links to the MP3 preview and high-resolution WAV files that accompany the SOS MAY 2009 Mix Rescue article, for our newsstand/bookstore readers who do not have eSub-access to the main web article.
News, Microsoft Songsmith, AMD quad-core processors, defragging Our monthly round-up of news and tips for PC musicians takes in faster AMD quad-core processors, assesses Microsoft’s innovative Songsmith program, and offers a guide to the mysteries of defragging.
Pro Tools Notes & Techniques Tempted to invest in a Pro Tools rig but don’t know where to begin? You need our handy guide to choosing a system.
Optimising a garage studio Even if you have the space and the gear, like reader Kevin Brown, you still need to know how to make the best of it. We paid a visit to help him optimise his new garage-conversion studio.
Sound Advice Songs suffering from superfluous sibilance? Study SOS’s super strategies for sorting esses...
Music Business
TV Music From The Inside Only in the perverse world of music for the media could composers be asked to rip themselves off for money. It’s time to take a stand against the rise of the 'soundalike'.
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Gear Reviews
