WIN PreSonus StudioLive 16.4.2 worth 2195GBP

Deadline: 2010-07-28

Up for grabs is PreSonus' first foray into the mixer market: the StudioLive 16.4.2 digital desk. It offers 16 channels and four buses, DSP processing, plus 32-in, 18-out Firewire interfacing.
Prize kindly donated by PreSonus and Source Distribution +44 (0)20 8962 5080
www.sourcedistribution.co.uk
www.presonus.com

Alesis PalmTrack

24-bit Portable Recorder

The PalmTrack is an extremely affordable pocket-sized recorder with plenty of features — but have Alesis sacrificed quality to keep costs down?

Analogue Solutions Europa

Hardware Step Sequencer

Analogue Solutions get back to basics with their new sequencer, the Europa.

Bela D Media Retro Flute

Sample Library

3.5*

Carillon AC1 Core 4XT

Audio PC

The Carillon PC is back, but how does it measure up in the modern computer market?

Earthworks DP25C & DP30C

Snare & Tom Condenser Microphones

Despite the ubiquity of the SM57 for use on snare, there are other options — and Earthworks aim to help you capture a more natural sound.

Flux Syrah

Dynamics Processing Plug-in [Mac/PC]

Flux’s innovative dynamics processor adapts to your programme material in a much more sophisticated way than conventional compressors. But how does it sound?

Formanta Polivoks Synthesizer

The Story Of The Polivoks

The fall of the Iron Curtain revealed a surprise for Western musicians: a flourishing Soviet synthesizer industry. Its flagship instrument was crude, cheaply made, horrible to play — and sounded like nothing else...

Formanta Polivoks Synthesizer | Audio Files

Hear For Yourself

The Formanta Polivoks is becoming an increasingly familiar sound to Western ears — it is, for example, all over Franz Ferdinand’s most recent album Tonight. But for those who haven’t heard this mighty Russian beast in action, Sam Inglis created a few examples to accompany Gordon Reid’s Retrozone feature.

Galaxy Vintage D

Virtual Piano Instrument

Galaxy’s new star expands the sampled piano universe.

Hollow Sun Novachord

Sample Library

5*

Moog Taurus 3

Bass Synthesizer

The resurrection of Moog’s stellar bass synth has caused a considerable stir. Can the Taurus 3 live up to the venerable reputation of its ancestor?

MXL Genesis

Cardioid Valve Microphone

We put MXL’s Genesis through its paces alongside a much pricier model, to find out just how good a tube mic can be at this price.

MXL Genesis Mic | Audio Files

Hear For Yourself

To accompany our July 2010 Genesis review, we recorded a series of standard tests with the review mic alongside a more established mic (in this case, the AKG C12 VR).

NI Abbey Road 70s Drums

Sample Library

Looking for the essence of the ’70s sound? Vintage drum kits recorded at the world’s most famous studio might be a good place to start...

Peavey PV6 & PV8 USB

USB Mixers

These little mixers could provide the ideal starting point for would-be computer musicians — and at this price, what’s not to like?

PMC TB2S AII

Active Nearfield Monitors

PMC broke new ground a decade ago with their TB2 monitors, but the competition have been catching up. Does PMC’s new ‘activated’ design nudge them back to the front of the pack?

Progressive House

Sample Library

4*

Sample Magic Tribal Tech-House

Sample Library

3.5*

Slate Pro Dragon

Mono Compressor

What do you get if you cross an 1176 with a Distressor — and then throw in a few unique features for good measure? Enter the Dragon...

Sound Toys Decapitator & PanMan

Native Effects Plug-ins [Mac OS / Windows]

For the latest additions to their Native Effects bundle, Sound Toys have updated two vintage effects for the DAW age.

T-Rex SpinDoctor

Valve Preamplifier

Is a high-quality valve preamp in a programmable pedal just what the SpinDoctor ordered?

Tascam US2000

USB 2 Audio Interface

Tascam break from the crowd with their new USB 2 multi-channel audio interface.

Universal Audio UAD2 Massive Passive

EQ Plug-in

Universal Audio’s latest plug-in, based on Manley Labs’ classic Massive Passive EQ, is being hailed as the best emulation yet of a hardware unit. So how would it fare when we pitted it against the real thing?

Universal Audio UAD2 Massive Passive | Audio Files

Hear For Yourself

A selection of audio files comparing the Manley Massive Passive EQ hardware with the Universal Audio Massive Passive plug-in.

Faust: Hans Joachim Irmler

40 Years Of Krautrock

In 1969, Faust used their massive record company advance to build a unique studio and a collection of weird, custom-made effects units. The same experimental spirit lives on in their new album, Faust Is Last.

Plan B

Producing The Defamation Of Strickland Banks

Plan B entered the public eye as a rapper, but it’s as a soul singer that he has conquered the charts. He and his production team revisit the tortuous story behind The Defamation Of Strickland Banks.

Playback

Readers’ Music Reviewed

Sounding Off

Amos Deane

Learn to listen...

Touching From A Distance

Leader

Editor-in-Chief Paul White is fascinated by the way technology we create to do one job pulls us in other unforeseen directions...

Customise Kontakt Patches | How To Create Scripts In NI Kontakt, Part 1

Primer

The key to unlocking the power of Native Instruments’ Kontakt sampler lies in its Script Processor. Take advantage of this powerful feature to customise your Kontakt patches any way you like.

DJ’ing in Ableton Live

Ableton Live Notes & Techniques

An introduction to elementary DJ’ing in Ableton Live.

DP Control Surface

Digital Performer Notes

Fancy using the multi-touch screen of your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad as a DP control surface? Here’s how...

Dubstep Basics

An Introduction To Dubstep Production

Like drum & bass and jungle before it, dubstep showcases the inventiveness of British urban music. We explain some of its fundamental production techniques, from ‘wobbly’ bass lines to half-time drum programming.

Human League ‘Don’t You Want Me’ | Classic Tracks

Producer: Martin Rushent • Engineer: Martin Rushent

When producer Martin Rushent took the Human League’s leaden new song and turned it into pop gold, the band hated it — but that didn’t stop it from being a number one hit on both sides of the Atlantic...

iMac i7

Apple Notes

Where, oh where is the new Mac Pro? If you just can’t wait any longer for the upgrade, maybe it’s worth considering the iMac i7...

Make Your Guitar Sound ‘Shimmer’

Guitar Technology

How to make your guitar sound ‘shimmer’ using chorus and other effects.

Make Your Guitar Sound ‘Shimmer’ | Audio Files

Hear For Yourself

Find out exactly what effects Paul White is talking about in this month’s Guitar Technology.

Mix Rescue: Obscuresounds

Mixing & Recording Advice

This month, we were tasked with overhauling the sonics of a mix while still retaining the magical 'vibe' of the original. But 'chasing the demo' can be a risky tactic!

Mix Rescue: Obscuresounds | Media

Mixing & Recording Advice

These audio files accompany the Mix Rescue article that featured in SOS July 2010.

Musical Cues For Video

Steinberg Cubase Tips & Techniques

Just how do you write musical cues to match the length of a video in Cubase?

Overheating; De-clutter

PC Notes

If your PC is overheating, the solution could be as simple as getting rid of the filth — and we don’t mean pornography...

Perfect Vocals in Logic

Logic Notes & Techniques

With recent revisions to the Take feature, Logic Pro 9 now has all the tools you need to craft the perfect vocal track.

Reason/Record: Tooling Up

Reason Notes & Techniques

The Tool window is the key to some nifty sequencer manipulation in Propellerhead's Reason and Record.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Eric Valentine

Recording Slash

What’s the best way to make a classic rock album? For producer Eric Valentine and guitarist Slash, there was only one answer — use classic recording techniques and vintage gear.

Sonar: Track Template Tips

Sonar Notes & Techniques

Use track templates to give your electric guitar an acoustic sound and perk up your synths.

Studio SOS: Thomas Dibdahl

Adventures in Norway

The SOS team travel to Norway to help recording artist Thomas Dibdahl achieve the right balance between studio acoustics and his own unique views on aesthetics.

Vocal Mics

Matching Mics & Voices

No two human voices are the same, and no mic will be the perfect fit for every voice — so just how do you go about finding the best match for a vocalist?

Vocal Mics | Audio Files

Matching Mics & Voices

Hear for yourself how each mic sounded on the different vocalists.

Xpand!

Digidesign (Avid) Pro Tools Tips & Techniques

It might be a free plug-in, but the Xpand! sample player bundled with Pro Tools has some serious potential.

Notes From The Deadline

TV Music From The Inside

Want to be a media composer? Get used to being the most anonymous cog in the TV production wheel.

5 Best Buys: The Gear To Get You Filming Fast

Pocket Video Recorders | Video Lighting | Shotgun Microphones

New to the world of video production and unsure what gear to buy? Our quick one-page guide to the five best options will get you started.

Canon EOS 550D (Rebel T2i)

DSLR Still & Video Camera

Canon’s 550D (known as the Rebel T2i in the US) promises the same video quality as their acclaimed 7D, for half the price. Is this now the cheapest way to make a high-quality video?

Faking A Multi-Camera Shoot

Video Production For Musicians

If you can’t afford to shoot with multiple camcorders, it may not matter — with a little trickery and a single camcorder, you can produce pretty much the same results.

Q. Do I really need to replace my windows to reduce noise?

Q. How should I mic an accordion?

Q. Should I be time-aligning my drum tracks?

Q. Should I use faster RAM, or more RAM?

Q. Why do I sometimes see singers using two microphones on stage?

SOS Podcast 026

24:04 mins

Answers to reader questions on vocal booths, carpeted home studio walls, finding the sweet spot, Nashville tuning, EQ bracketing, and compressing on the way in are all covered by the team in Sound Advice. Paul and Hugh preview the great content you'll find in SOS JULY 2010 magazine, round-up new gear/software highlights with Tyler Massey, while Sonar Notes correspondent Craig Anderton trails the tips from his July column.