SOUND ON SOUND
We test two hot new plug-ins: Camel Audio's Camel Space (PC VST & Mac OS X AU) and TC Electronic's DVR2 (Mac/PC Powercore).
Concrete FX's plug-ins incline towards the less well-trodden areas of sound generation, and their latest is a wavetable synthesizer that recalls the Waldorf Microwave.
Edirol's first foray into Firewire audio is a compact 10-in, 10-out device with microphone preamps, S/PDIF and MIDI.
Buying your hardware and software from the same manufacturer is usually a good bet for hassle-free recording. Steinberg's latest package bundles their Cubase SL 2 sequencer with a four-in, four-out USB interface.
Disco DSP's additive synth plug-in offers both high-quality resynthesis, with up to 256 partials per note, and a novel 'spectral display' for editing your sounds.
As well as a bundle of 50-plus effects plug-ins, Quantum FX provides all the tools you need to design your own.
Laptop users on a budget can't help but be tempted by the Audiotrak Maya 44 USB's promise of four-channel analogue I/O, low-latency ASIO drivers and multi-client support for under £100. Is it really as good as it sounds?
As recording software gets more and more complicated, French developers Intuitive Works are taking a different tack with their first product, emphasising ease of use and ergonomic design.
Making Waves have been developing their eponymous looping software to include new features such as VST Instrument support and high sample-rate recording, while retaining its core virtues of simplicity and low hardware requirements.
Your laptop computer probably already has a headphone output — but does it offer low-latency 24-bit ASIO, GSIF, MME, Direct Sound and Core Audio drivers? Echo's Indigo does.