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Deadline: 2009-06-30

Ableton Live Suite 8

Digital Audio Workstation [Mac/PC]

The challenge was to add yet more features to Live without compromising its legendary ease of use. Have Ableton succeeded?

AEA A440

Active Ribbon Microphone

Some microphones ooze quality to the extent that price almost becomes unimportant. Is AEA’s new active version of the venerable RCA 44 design one of them?

Arturia Origin

Rackmount Synthesizer Workstation

Arturia’s first true hardware synth aims to let you conveniently create your own modular system from modelled components of some of the best-loved analogues of all time. How well does it realise this ambitious goal?

Dan Dean Solo Strings Advanced

Kontakt 2 Player

Fractal Audio Axe-FX Ultra

Guitar Amp & Effect Simulator

Fractal Audio’s Axe-FX is the guitar processor with ’80s looks and 21st-century power!

Heil Sound PR40

Cardioid Dynamic Microphone

Listening to the sound from this extraordinary dynamic mic, you might be forgiven for thinking it was a ribbon or a condenser.

Lexicon Ionix FW810S

Firewire Audio Interface

The Ionix FW810S comes with built-in Lexicon monitor reverb and onboard Dbx dynamics and EQ. So does all this DSP add up to a genuine USP?

Line 6 Pod X3 Pro

Guitar Modelling Processor

In true Line 6 tradition, they’ve followed their Pod X3 and X3 Live processors with a rackmount professional version, the X3 Pro, which has enhanced I/O and a few capabilities not provided on the standard ‘kidney’ or X3 Live floor-unit versions.

Native Instruments Maschine

Groove Workstation

NI’s hybrid hardware and software beat machine promises the best of both worlds. Does it deliver?

Novation 61SL MkII

Controller Keyboard

The updated SL range rejoices in touch-sensitive knobs and sliders, and in Novation’s ingenious Automap technology.

Philtre Labs Bollywood Elements

WAV/Apple Loops

Plug-in Folder

Reviews

• D16 Silver Line
• Sonic Charge Synplant

Pro Audio DSP DSM

Multi-band Dynamics Plug-in For Mac OS

Pro Audio DSP’s first product is a novel dynamics plug-in, with applications ranging from de-essing to loudness maximising.

Prodipe Pro Ribbon 8

Active Monitors

Ribbon tweeters can yield a smooth sound, while still capably reproducing transient detail — and the Pro Ribbon range promises to do so for an attractive price.

Sample Magic Minimal Techno

Multi-format Sample Library

Sequis Motherload Elemental

Dummy Load & Speaker Emulator

SPL Rackpack

Modular Preamp & Processor System

Sound Performance Lab have developed an enviable reputation for their hardware products, and now you can buy more for less with their modular rack system.

Toontrack Drumtracker

Drum-replacement Software [Mac/PC]

Need to use samples to rescue a dodgy drum recording? Toontrack’s neat utility will generate MIDI hits and map them to the virtual instrument of your choice.

Waves GTR3 & GTR Ground

Amp Modelling Software & Foot Controller

Waves have made a rare foray into the world of hardware with the GTR Ground, designed to give hands-free control over their Guitar Tool Rack software amp simulator.

Zero-G Vocal Foundry

Multi-format Sample Library

Zoom H4N

Portable 24-bit Recorder

The H4 remains one of the most flexible of the current crop of portable 24-bit recorders, but Zoom have found plenty of room for improvement — and, more importantly, they’ve used it.

Origin Of The Species

Leader

Paul White proffers more thought-engaging words.

Playback

Readers’ Music Reviewed

Sponsored by www.breed-media.co.uk

Raphael Saadiq

Producing The Way I See It

Artist and producer Raphael Saadiq has channelled his love of classic soul records to create something convincingly vintage, yet fresh-sounding and alive.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Declan Gaffney

U2 : 'No Line On The Horizon'

The sessions for U2’s No Line On The Horizon took the idea of spontanaeity in the studio to new levels. Engineer Declan Gaffney was the man charged with creating order from apparent chaos...

Sounding Off

Mike Senior

The end of the iPod era?

Within Temptation: Producing Black Symphony

Ronald Prent, Darcy Proper & Wouter Strobbe: Blu-Ray Audio

Few artists so far have taken advantage of the Blu-Ray format’s potential to deliver stunning audio quality. A concert film by Dutch metal act Within Temptation shows what’s possible.

Classic Tracks: John Lennon ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’

Producer: John Lennon • Engineers: Roy Cicala, Shelly Yakus

Engineer Roy Cicala worked on all of John Lennon’s albums from Imagine onwards, and in ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’, recorded the only solo number one hit single of Lennon’s lifetime.

Creating Custom Touchscreen Interfaces In Logic

Logic Notes & Techniques

You'll be surprised at how cheap and easy it can be to enhance the usability of your Apple Logic setup with a touchscreen.

Cubase: Funky Guitar Processing | Audio Files

Hear For Yourself

Links to audio files that accompany the SOS JUNE 2009 Cubase article, for newsstand/bookstore readers who do not have eSub-access to the main web article.

Educational Training in GarageBand

Apple Notes

With the latest version of GarageBand, Apple have become the first company to integrate educational training into music-creation software. But is this merely a simple gimmick, or a powerful new way of learning to play an instrument?

Effective Selecting & Locating In Digital Performer

Digital Performer Notes & Techniques

The ability to move around your project quickly and easily, making fast and accurate selections for editing, can take much of the pain out of music production. We round up some of the best power-user shortcuts.

Exploring Sonar 8’s Dimension Pro Synthesizer

Sonar Notes & Techniques

Now that Dimension Pro is included with Sonar 8, it’s time to investigate how to exploit it beyond the usual sample-playback functions.

Funky Guitar Processing

Steinberg Cubase Tips & Techniques

If you want something to spice up rhythm-guitar loops to use in your funk and dance tracks, Cubase has just the Tonic

Getting Into Pro Tools

Part 2: Installation & Session Basics

Our short series on getting started with Pro Tools continues with some advice on configuring the software and your first Sessions.

Mix Rescue: Adam Bevan

Sound Workshop

Beefing up bass parts played on guitar and importing GarageBand songs into Logic are among the challenges for Mix Rescue, as we add some spice to Adam Bevan’s mix.

Mix Rescue: Adam Bevan | Audio Files

Hear For Yourself

These audio files are presented in both MP3 (for auditioning) and AIF, for more serious critical listening and comparison in your DAW software.

PC Upgrade

PC Notes

If you’ve built your own music PC in the last couple of years, you might now be finding that aspects of it need upgrading. PC Notes offers some advice.

Studio SOS: John Clark

Home recordings

We lend some practical studio advice to a seasoned pro guitarist who is rather newer to the world of songwriting and home recording.

Notes From The Deadline

TV Music From The Inside

There’s learning, and there’s education. And when it comes to music technology, the two aren’t always connected, believes Paul Farrer.

The Remix Business: Part 1

The World Of The Remixer

Remixing is a modern phenomenon that has turned into a viable way for hi-tech musicians to make money from their skills. But how do you get heard, how do you land a job, and how much should you charge to do it? We get you started with the insider’s guide.

Q. Does mono compatibility still matter?

Q. How can I improve my vocal recordings?

Q. What’s the best order for mixing?

Q. Which room should I record in?