Subscribe & Win: Desktop Gear Bundle from Focusrite, KRK, Novation and Ableton worth over £3000 GBP

Deadline: 2008-11-30

A-Designs Hammer

Dual Three-band Equaliser

If you want 'that' analogue sound, sometimes real analogue gear is the only way you can get it — and that's what this valve EQ is all about...

AAS Strum

Virtual Guitar Modelling Instrument

Fed up with guitarists? Overwhelmed by huge sample libraries? Just plain disappointed with your own ham-fisted guitar skills? AAS's Strum Acoustic GS1 could be right up your street...

Crowley & Tripp El Diablo

Ribbon Microphone

A ribbon mic that can be used on a kick drum? Prepare to believe, as the new 'Roswellite' ribbon shows off its hardiness.

M-Audio Profire 2626

Audio & MIDI Interface [Mac/PC]

M-Audio's new interface is equipped with eight mic preamps, eight analogue outputs and an impressive range of digital I/O — all of which has been crammed into a 1U rack and given a very attractive price-tag.

Merging Technologies Pyramix Native 6

DAW Software For Windows

Like many DAW manufacturers, Merging Technologies offer a low-cost native version of their product. Despite its affordability, though, Pyramix Native 6 packs some serious editing and mixing power...

Monome 64

Control Surface

The Monome may appear to be simple, but hidden beneath its minimalist exterior are practically limitless computer control possibilities...

Prism Sound Orpheus

Audio & MIDI Interface [Mac/PC]

Prism Sound's Orpheus interface brings the company's high­end digital conversion technology within reach of the project studio owner for the first time.

Sample CDs On Test

Hot new sound library releases

• Analogue Systems Sample CD
• Big Fish Audio Nu Metal City 2
• LapJockey FlatPack 3
• Big Fish Audio Funk City 2

Sonnox Oxford SuprEsser

De-esser Plug-in For Mac & PC

Sonnox are the latest manufacturer to apply some new thinking to the humble de-esser.

SSL Matrix

Mixer & Control Surface

The almost universal trend towards using computers and hardware controllers has made business tough for the big console manufacturers — but the clever ones are fighting back with some innovative thinking, to create products that offer the best of all worlds.

Synchronia Sound Skulptor

DIY Mic Preamp System

The DIY approach to audio equipment needn't mean bargain basement, and if you apply this principle to high-end vintage gear it might just save you a small fortune — without compromising on quality.

Wavemachinelabs Drumagog 4 Platinum

Drum Replacement Plug-in

The latest incarnation of Drumagog allows you to augment a real acoustic drum performance with the sonic palette of BFD.

Zoom ZFX Control Package

Guitar Amp Simulation Software, Interface & Controller

Zoom's first computer product is a guitar amp modelling system that offers an impressive list of features at a bargain price.

Behind The Groove

Virtual Drum Instrument Developers' Round Table

More and more music producers are turning to 'virtual drummer' software to help them realise authentic-sounding drum tracks. We caught up with some of the people behind the leading applications, to find out why this new software genre has appeared and how it might develop in the future.

Digital Radio

Sounding Off

Could digital radio be better exploited for artists?

Jacob Golden

Recording Revenge Songs

With no budget to hire a studio, Jacob Golden decided to record his album anywhere and any way he could. The resulting sound is a unique exercise in the use of ambience.

Playback

Readers' Music Reviewed

Sponsored by breed-media.co.uk

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Eric Rosse

Sara Bareilles 'Love Song'

With Sara Bareilles' massive worldwide hit 'Love Song', producer Eric Rosse had to strike a delicate balance between preserving the artist's integrity and achieving mass appeal.

Too Much!

Paul White's Leader

Paul asks if it is time to go back to recording basics and focus on your skills?

Audio Vs MIDI Latency, Online Security

PC Notes

Online security, the difference between audio and MIDI latency, and a software world record attempt: all this and more in the latest instalment of PC Notes...

Choosing An Audio Interface

The SOS Buying Guide

The vast majority of computer-based musicians will need an audio interface, but with so many on the market, it can feel like an impossible task to decide which to buy. You can narrow down the choices significantly with the help of our essential guide.

Creating Your Own Reference CD

Sound Workshop

Whether you're acclimatising to a new room or speakers, or seeking benchmarks for your mix, a CD of good reference material is an indispensable tool — and it pays to think hard about what you put on it.

Digital Performer's Memory Cycle Feature

Digital Performer Notes & Technique

DP's Memory Cycle can benefit you whatever kind of music you make. We look at how to work smart and fast with this crucial feature.

Guitar Technology

Guide to Magnetic Pickups

How To Use VCA Groups

Digidesign (Avid) Pro Tools Tips & Techniques

Used correctly, VCA groups can make a big difference when you're faced with a complex mix and lots of automation.

iMac: The First 10 Years

Apple Notes

This August represents the tenth anniversary of Apple shipping the original iMac, so we take the opportunity to sit back and reminisce on how Mac technology has changed for musicians over the last decade.

Logic: Understanding Ultrabeat

Part 2: The Synthesizer Section

Ultrabeat has powers beyond simple drum pattern creation, offering a synthesis section that's the key to more varied percussive sounds and rhythmic effects.

Mix Rescue: Jacob Holm-Lupo

Strategies for better mixes

When different parts compete in a mix, it isn't always easy to decide what's most important. We take you through some strategies to achieve better separation of parts for a clutter-free mix.

Mix Rescue: September 08 Audio Files

Hear For Yourself

For our newsstand magazine buyers who do not have access to the subscribers-only eSub version of Mix Rescue, here are the URLs for the Audio files that accompany September 2008's instalment of MIX RESCUE.

Multitrack Export Revisited

Exploring Cubase 4.1's Audio Input Routing

Cubase's new routing options enable you to export multiple audio tracks in one go: we take you step by step through the process.

Paul Simon 'You Can Call Me Al' | Classic Tracks

Producer: Paul Simon • Engineer: Roy Halee

Paul Simon's Graceland album combined a huge mixture of musical styles and was recorded in studios all over the world. The man responsible for putting it all together, both sonically and physically, was Simon's long-time engineer Roy Halee. This is how he did it...

Side-chain Compression In Reason

Reason Notes & Techniques

Side-chain compression can be the difference between a flat, lifeless mix and an adrenalised floor-filler. Learn how to capture the French house sound, and add an extra little twist.

Studio SOS: James Burnham

Home studio rescue mission

Even when you're mixing completely 'in the box', a small analogue mixer can still prove really useful in the home studio, for both recording and monitoring duties...

The Yamaha NS10 Story

How A Hi-fi Speaker Conquered The Studio World

Love or hate the Yamaha NS10, this unassuming little speaker has found a place in the studios of many of the world's top producers. We trace its history, and investigate why a monitor whose sound has been described as "horrible" became an industry standard.

Q. How do I archive my recordings?

Q. My mixes suddenly sound better. Why?

Q. What is 'broadcast quality'?

Q. Which entry-level Sequencer should I choose?

SOS Podcast 007

[18min 51sec] NS10 monitors, news, tips

Paul White, Hugh Robjohns and other Sound On Sound editorial team members give their monthly run down of news, as well as imparting invaluable studio advice and tech tips. And author/designer Phil Ward tells us why the Yamaha NS10 monitor is so popular.