Accessories / Gadgets

The ART Head Amp provides simple headphone monitoring for several performers. It's built into a small folded-steel...

Does defragmenting your hard drives, including the ones you use for recording audio, really result in better PC performance? Opinion is divided, so we take a considered look at the subject, as well as testing some of the most suitable 'defragger' utilities.

I've been coming home from gigs recently with my ears ringing and I'm worried about damaging my hearing. What kind of (preferably unobtrusive) ear protection should I be looking at?

I have a Neutrik quarter-inch jack patchbay that I'm having problems with. The unit is only a few months old but already I...

Tinnitus and other permanent hearing damage are apparently reaching near-epidemic levels. To help warn people when their hearing is at risk, the hearing-protection specialists Sensorcom have produced the Soundcheck key fob.

Roland's innovative V-Synth can now be reprogrammed with a RAM card, effectively turning it into another instrument. The VC1 card turns the clock back to 1987, perfectly recreating the S&S tones of the Roland D50.

I've recently bought a couple of bits of recording gear from the US via eBay (I'm in the UK) and wondered if I have to run them off a transformer (240V to 110V) or whether they can run off 240V?

Phonic's new audio analyser is certainly portable, but how well does it work?

Computer noise can be a major problem in the computer-based studio, especially where instruments or vocals have to be recorded in the same room. This soundproof cabinet with in-built cooling system is designed to tackle such noise.

This unusual unit provides an exceptionally revealing means of metering stereo signals.

A sound engineer said the DI box only brings a level down, and won't bring it up to produce a stronger signal. I thought what DI boxes do is increase a low signal to a high signal. Who's right?

I recently bought a large-diaphragm condenser mic which came with a foam wind shield (the kind that fits over the top of the mic). Will this do a good enough job of stopping plosive blasts?

The market for software that emulates guitar amplifiers is pretty crowded these days, but Native Instruments have found a new angle with a modular program that comes with a dedicated hardware controller and interface.

I am having serious earthing problems which are making it difficult for me to record a clean guitar sound. All my leads are good, and I don't have this problem with any of my other equipment — just the guitar stuff. Could it be a problem with my domestic mains supply?

As the name suggests, FXpansion's utility allows VST effects and Instruments to be used in Pro Tools, but how well does it really work?

Multi-gigabyte sample libraries offer unprecedented realism and lots of potential for confusion. Redmatica's neat OS X utility allows Emagic EXS24 users to tame their unruly sample collections.

Samson's compact 'S'-series boxes solve a variety of studio problems without getting in the way. We check them out...

Ergonomic Computer Mouse from Designer Appliances QuillBook Review: Emagic Logic Tips & Tricks by Len Sasso.

This useful digital router can handle 12 channels of S/PDIF or ADAT optical digital I/O with full MIDI control.

Phase cancellation can play havoc with your sound if you're using multiple mics, or combining mic and DI signals. This clever little box offers a solution, providing powerful phase-alignment facilities which go far beyond those of most mixers and preamps.

Sonic Eye is a very simple yet useful troubleshooting gadget that will find many uses in both studios and live sound setups.