SOUND ON SOUND
Taking over the PC Notes hot seat, Martin Walker looks at the future of the PC audio, and exposes a few problem areas for soundcards.
Mac CD-writing has a head start over the PC, but recent arrivals like the TEAC CD-R50S come with both Mac and PC CD software as standard. Martin Walker plugs one in to see if writing your own CD is as easy as people make out.
Even the best-regulated computer can suddenly turn nasty. Martin Walker guides you through the ways to recover when you're faced with a blank screen and a frozen mouse.
Power amps certainly can't be classed as particularly exciting, but they're a necessary part of the project studio, and if you've got to have one, you might as well make sure it's powerful and quiet. Martin Walker checks out one of the strong silent types...
PC utility programs are either invaluable workmates, or end up languishing in a corner of your disk drive, rarely used. In a quest to sort out the most useful items for musicians, Martin Walker subjects his PC to the ultimate test.
These days, many businesses plan to replace their computers every two years. Although bi-annual upgrades don't come easy on your wallet, in the fast-changing world of the PC-based musician, upgrades are eventually inevitable. Martin Walker advises you on how to negotiate the troubled path to DSP processing paradise..
When one of the Sony development team for the new Sony MDMX4 MiniDisc multitracker flew into the UK recently, along with the member of the product planning department, it was an ideal opportunity to find out more about Sony's plans for the home studio-based musician. Martin Walker listened in.
A system that knows when you've plugged in a new piece of kit, and which sets it up automatically, sound like a big step forward for PC owners. Unfortunately, that big step is into a chasm for many people. Martin Walker lays down some planks to get you safely across.
The arrival of audio processing software plug-ins for the PC means that the platform can now compete as a viable digital audio workstation, and the latest update to PC audio editor Sound Forge supports the use of several software-based processors. Martin Walker checks them out.
The Maxi Sound 64 is a new Plug and Play full-duplex soundcard with some pretty tasty features, cooked up by French company Guillemot International. Martin Walker tucks in.