Take a powerful PC. Add a clever bit of programming, a soundcard and some samples, and you have the reality software synthesizer. Not a revolutionary concept, but wait until you hear the sounds! Martin Walker picks himself up off the floor.
Cubase VST was the MIDI+ Audio sequencing sensation of last year on the Mac, offering built-in digital effects with no additional hardware required. Now, after much work, Steinberg have succeeded in porting VST to the PC — at the same price, and, once again, with no additional hardware required. Janet Harniman-Cook is suitably impressed.
Writing audio CDs is getting easier and easier, especially with this new release for the PC from Sonic Foundry. Martin Walker rubs two files together and goes for the burn.
It may say v1.6 on the box, but the latest version of BIAS's Mac-based audio editor is stuffed with enough new features to warrant a version 2.0 tag. Paul D. Lehrman scales new heights.
Paul White studio-tests the sound engineer's dream — a TDM software plug-in for undetectably correcting vocal and monophonic instrument pitching problems.
If you've been desperately seeking a TB303 at any price, this inexpensive software, which provides the equivalent of two of the little silver dream machines, plus a virtual TR808, could be the answer to your prayers. Derek Johnson & Chris Carter find out whether it's too good to be true...
Now that the MIDI outputs of many soundcards are already occupied by playing back high-quality internal synth sounds and multi-channel samples, many musicians are finding that they need to invest in a more comprehensive MIDI interface to service the rest of their synths. Martin Walker provides a little background.
With impressive improvements in power, speed and flexibility, Digidesign's software upgrade for their flagship digital audio production system keeps them ahead of the pack. Paul D. Lehrman wonders where the catch is...
The Native Power Pack from DSP software specialists Waves gathers together several plug-ins previously only available for Mac-based TDM systems, and makes them available at a Knock-down price, instantly widening the appeal of software based processing. Janet Harniman-Cook plugs in.
The release of this tracker is welcome news for Amiga users, but it's also a glimpse of things to come on the PC platform. Amiga expert Paul Overaa puts the package through its paces.
Last year saw the proliferation of reliable, fully-featured MIDI + Audio sequencers for the IBM-compatible PC — packages which were previously the preserve of the Apple Macintosh platform. Janet Harniman-Cook takes a look at the three top PC programs in the field to see how their facilities compare.
How do Steinberg's DSP software plug-ins for their WaveLab software, now at version 1.5, compare with the industry heavyweights? Paul White unearths his nastiest recordings to find out.
There's never been a better time to burn your own CDs at home, as the price of CD writers and the necessary mastering software continues to fall. Now the Red Roaster bundle is bringing the homemade CD dream within the reach of Pentium PC owners. Janet Harniman-Cook experiences burning desires...