SOUND ON SOUND
Over the years many musicians have got started with a low-cost Creative Labs soundcard, but the latest upmarket Soundblaster Live! model is even more tempting. Martin Walker checks out the specs.
In a departure from their normal approach, Soundscape have developed a system that works inside your PC rather than outside it. Martin Walker takes a closer look at the Mixtreme environment.
If you're still under the impression that the Celeron is a type of vegetable, now's the time to find out more. Martin Walker plugs in some new processors.
The small and not-so-small time delays between a signal entering and then emerging from a computer soundcard can turn hard disk recording into a frustrating experience. Martin Walker leads us through the twists and turns of latency.
Collaboration between hardware and software developers isn't common in the world of PC music — but this month Martin Walker reports on several attempts to bridge the divide.
Subtle timing nuances play a large part in the feel of much of today's rhythm-based music. Martin Walker bangs the drum about creative use of groovy time-tweaking functions.
Audio software and PC soundcards are offering 20- or 24-bit recording capabilitiy at even more affordable prices — but whether the extra data on your hard disk will actually correspond to better sound quality depends on a host of other factors. Martin Walker tells you what you need to know when deciding if you should make the change.
This month, Martin Walker reviews PC software packages that help you check out your own studio acoustics and examine your MIDI data.
These days, high-end PC soundcards offer much more than mere audio interfacing, incorporating mixing, synthesis, sampling and often powerful onboard processing facilities. Martin Walker finds the features of Creamware's new DSP-powered Music Production Environment' impressive even by modern standards.
No-one enjoys making backups, but they are a necessary part of digital audio recording. Martin Walker explores the options, and explains their strengths and weaknesses.