August 2004 In This Issue
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Competition WIN an ART Digital MPA mic pre! Deadline: 2004-09-30 First prize is a groovy ART Digital MPA mic preamp, which retails at £799, while four runners-up will each win an ART Headamp compact headphone amplifier. Reviews Allen & Heath Inpulse One (Retrozone) Sample-based Drum Computer These days primarily a mixer manufacturer, Allen & Heath have made many different kinds of gear in their time, but none is more obscure than 1985's Inpulse One. We unearth the facts about one of music technology's most forgotten rhythm computers. PC Soundcard If you need four analogue inputs and outputs, Audiotrak's 24-bit/96kHz-capable soundcard is about the most affordable option on the market. Modelling Reverb Processor Behringer's new digital effects box models the characteristics of well-known high-end and vintage reverberators. Mic Preamp This no-frills tube preamp provides a simple way to warm up your mic and line sources while recording. DAW Assignable Control Surfaces Although they started off as rugged, assignable control surfaces aimed mainly at Pro Tools, CM Labs' Motormix moving-fader and Dashboard button/jog/shuttle controllers can interface with most digital audio workstations. We put them through their paces. Semi-modular Analogue Synth Swedish company Cwejman have recognised that there is no way to build a cheap semi-modular analogue synth for mass-market sale these days (if there ever was). Enter the premium, but meticulously crafted S1 MkII... Recording Channel This premium recording channel has a big Decca-pedigree sound which belies its unassuming 1U rackmount box. Modular Spectral Effects Plug-in (Windows) As well as more-or-less conventional vocoding and pitch-shifting, DelayDots' new VST plug-in offers effects so bizarre they almost defy description. Sample Library Reviews/appraisals of the latest sample CDs: Korg Legacy Collection (Part3) Virtual Instrument/Hardware Controller It's been an unreserved thumbs-up for Korg\'s bundle of software synths so far... but will the Legacy Polysix and Legacy Cell scale the same heights in the final instalment of our three-part definitive review? Active Monitors KRK's new monitors use glass-fibre cone technology to offer a big sound for those on a budget. Lovetone Cheese Source & Meatball Analogue Effects Pedals Lovetone breathe new life into some old favourites. But can their all-analogue handmade pedals still compete with digital multi-effects and software plug-ins? Firewire Recording Interface (Mac OS) The latest addition to Metric Halo's Mobile I/O range is, like the existing MIO 2882, now available with a powerful DSP option for running audio processing plug-ins. Multi-pattern Tube Microphone This striking new vintage-style mic from Oktava not only gives a great rock vocal sound, but also offers the flexibility of multiple polar patterns. More top Plug-ins tested We test and report on another crop of highly insertable software Plug-ins: Mic Preamp & A-D Converter Combi jack/XLR connectors and ADAT connectivity help set this smart eight-channel preamp apart from the crowd. Loop-slicing Software (Windows & Mac OS X) It's been a long wait, but the original slice-and-dice loop editing program has finally made it to Mac OS X. Is it still an essential tool a decade after its original launch? Multi-pattern Microphone This new mic offers three polar patterns and a surprisingly high-end sound for the money. Dynamics Plug-in for Pro Tools & TC Powercore Sony's Oxford digital mixers are out of many people's reach, but Pro Tools and Powercore users can now get their hands on the Oxford's sophisticated processing tools. Mixing With Your Mind Book; The A/B CD Audio Comparisons CD Mixing With Your Mind Book (author: Michael Stavrou) Plug-in Effects for Mac & PC Looking to extend your sequencer's capabilities with some high-quality effects? Then you're exactly the sort of person Waves are trying to tempt with their most affordable plug-in bundle yet. Kompakt-based Virtual Sound Module (Mac/PC) These days, if your sample library is going to be a success, it seems you've got to release it with a virtual-instrument front-end. Analogue-synth fanatic and long-standing sample-library producer Ian Boddy does not disappoint with his latest creation... Live Sound Issue 1: FREE with August 2004 UK/EU edition At 50 pages, some might call Sound On Sound LIVE a magazine in its own right, but it won't cost UK and European readers a penny; it's bundled FREE when you purchase the shrinkwrapped AUGUST 2004 magazine at your local newsagent (on sale around 15 July 2004). | People + Opinion Reader's tracks commercially assessed Listen to the music while you read constructive comments from MPG (Music Producers Guild) members on SOS readers' submitted recordings. Producing Keane's Hopes And Fears Andy Green Pop band Keane made the bold decision to record an album without using any guitars at all — and the result was the chart-topping Hopes And Fears. Andy Green describes his work as producer, engineer and programmer on this unique project. Bob Bullock For his third album with Shania Twain, reclusive production legend Mutt Lange introduced an ambitious concept: different mixes and instrumentation for different markets. And as engineer Bob Bullock found, even the 'country' version left Nashville and its conventions pretty far behind... Seal How do you see the producer's role in the studio? Singer/songwriter Seal has some fairly clear ideas on the subject... Leader Paul White gets annoyed at the tendency for Operating Systems to attempt to second-guess what you want to do... and inevitably get it wrong. Unkle: Recording Never, Never, Land James Lavelle & Richard File With help from their galaxy of high-profile collaborators, Unkle have embarked on an ambitious attempt to reinvent dance music. Technique Synth Programming Workshop Although the Access Virus features one of the most knobby control surfaces amongst virtual analogue synths, there's a lot of programming flexibility available which isn't immediately obvious. We show you how to uncover the hidden possibilities? Audio Mastering In Your Computer How to achieve classy-sounding results Many home recordists hope to perfect their productions by undertaking their own mastering on their studio computer. However, few seem to achieve the classy results they're after. So how much can you realistically achieve by going it alone, and what techniques will deliver the highest-quality results? Backup Strategies for the PC Musician PC Musician It has almost certainly happened to you at some time — a crash or a damaged or deleted file that takes days of music with it. If you don't want it to happen again, read on... Clean Up Your Windows Registry PC Notes Even if you've cleaned out all references to old \nhardware from your Windows registry, it's a fair bet that it is not quite as spick and span as it could be. Housekeeping tasks and installations leave behind their own trail of junk, but fortunately it can be removed. More reader recordings analysed Think your own music is good? Listen to these tracks from SOS readers and see if you agree with the good Doctor's prognosis... Digital Performer Notes Your DP Project is safely completed and stored to hard drive, but you want to burn the whole thing to CD or post it on a web site. In the absence of an easy 'export mix' facility, what's the procedure to follow? Apple Notes Apple finally announced faster Power Mac G5 models this month, along with a new wireless music technology for use with iTunes — plus the long-awaited opening of the iTunes Music Store in the UK. Digidesign (Avid) Pro Tools Tips & Techniques We feature a bumper crop of handy tips in this month's guide to all that's good in Pro Tools... MICHAEL JACKSON 'Black Or White' | Classic Tracks Producers: Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell • Engineer: Bill Bottrell The 18-month gestation period behind Michael Jackson's Dangerous album and its lead single 'Black Or White' saw '80s studio perfectionism taken to extremes — and despite their success, the experience helped to convince co-writer, engineer and co-producer Bill Bottrell that there had to be another way to make records! Pete Keen and Nick Smith Setting up your studio in a cube-shaped room isn't a very good idea, as Pete Keen and Nick Smith found out to their cost. So the SOS team set off to Kidderminster to help find some solutions to the inevitable acoustic problems. Technical Support & How To Avoid It Diagnostic Guidelines for Self-Starters Why does software always crash irrecoverably when you are at your busiest? And why are technical support lines unable to help you when you need them most? We offer some advice on how to avoid phoning them in the first place... Steinberg Cubase Tips & Techniques It's just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right. With your hands on your hips, you bring your knees in tight. But it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane. Let's do the time-warp again? Using I/O plug-ins and compensation delay Logic Notes Find out how to use the I/O plug-in within an Output Audio object, and also learn how Logic's improved plug-in delay compensation allows some powerful new mixing techniques. Panther OS X Mac OS 10.3 (Panther) has been with us a few months, and has been dissected and evaluated to destruction in the mainstream computer press — but just how useful are its new features for Mac-based musicians and engineers? Using the Pantheon reverb & Clip linking Sonar Notes This month, fun things to make and do with the Pantheon reverb, plus how linking clips can make your life easier... Sound Advice
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