Computer / Software

Bitheadz' Unity DS1 is one of the best-established software samplers, and the latest incarnation offers several major new features, including DirectConnect support for use with Pro Tools. Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser sample its delights.

Style-generation software Band-in-a-box is one of the many still-thriving music programs that started life on the Atari. These days, it's very much a home in the latest Mac- and PC-based studios, as Vic Lennard and Martin Walker discovers.

Though high-quality, real-time pitch-shifting is now becoming a reality, this technology comes with a high price tag. Many musicians will therefore continue to rely on offline processes to carry out pitch and timing manipulations. Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser do just that, with Prosoniq's Time Factory...

Physical modelling may be fashionable, but it isn't always very controllable. AAS aim to change all that for PC owners, by equipping their Tassman software synth with an easy-to-use front end. Martin Walker enters a new world of generators and resonators.

Effectively a drum machine in plug-in form, Steinberg's new LM4 offers the seamless integration with Cubase that is the boon of all VST instruments, as well as claiming far better timing than any MIDI device. Martin Walker pounds the PC beat, while Paul Ward delivers the Mac perspective.

We already have software to sort out tuning problems and now Synchro Arts are providing AudioSuite tools to cure timing problems. Paul White's musical skills prove ideal to test this software to the full!

One of the easiest ways of achieving synchronisation between music and pictures is to run both on the samecomputer. Hugh Robjohns talks to a writer of music for broadcast who does just that.

The Internet continues to offer new opportunities for artists wanting to promote their music to a worldwide audience. Simon Trask looks at who is distributing music over the Internet and the attitudes towards this new distribution medium.

Derek Johnson finds that a picture plays a thousand notes with Fractal Music Composer.

Even PC experts can find the business of setting their machines up for music pretty complicated, so it's hardly surprising that many new users are bewildered by the vast array of settings and options available. Martin Walker offers a guide through the maze...

This month Vic Lennard explains how to defragment your hard disk and discovers an impressive MP3 encoder.

Martin Walker suffers the consequences of a major hard disk failure, and attempts to recover his valuable data...

The ability to record multitrack audio with 24/96 capability is something you'd expect from any modern MIDI + Audio sequencer. SEKD's flagship software package does this and a whole lot more besides, including 5.1 and two-channel surround mixing and direct CD burning without the need for a separate application. Martin Walker finds out how it's done.

With Hinton Instruments' AudioCalc, your Atari can earn its keep helping out with essential computations in the studio. Derek Johnson finds it all adds up...

Now that so many plug-ins are available for free or cheap and easy download on-line, it's possible to build up an impressive arsenal of virtual effects without hurting your credit card. Martin Walker homes in on some of the most interesting products on offer for Mac and PC.

With the growth of digital television and affordable solutions for recording audio to picture, many musicians are keen to get into writing and recording for visual media. In this introduction to the series, Hugh Robjohns investigates basic working methods and suggests some system requirements.

This month, Martin Walker discovers some new VST instruments and helps you clean up your Registry.

There are now hundreds of software processing plug-ins available to PC musicians, but they come in various types and each behaves slightly differently. Martin Walker examines the various ways to install, manage and automate them, and the problems involved in managing presets.

The MacOS 9.0.4 updater is here — but will it suit everyone? Vic Lennard does a bit of pre-trouble shooting...

Koblo's software instruments are fun and easy to use, with brightly coloured, single-screen user interfaces. Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser try out their latest, a virtual drum machine which can be run as a stand-alone application or alongside a MIDI + Audio sequencer.

The most affordable of Steinberg's MIDI + Audio sequencing packages has just received a thorough overhaul, to the point where it now incorporates some features not yet found in the full PC version of Cubase. Maritin Walker tries out the new Cubasis VST.