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February 2003 Magazine Contents

Reviews

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    AMG Orange

    Sample Library

    Score = **** 4/5 stars. Named after Waldorf's Microwave synth of the same colour, Orange consists of 216 NN19 presets, 12 Redrum kits and 65 REX2 loops on a single CD-ROM.

    Reviews
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    AMG Seminal House

    Sample Library

    **** Score = 4 stars. AMG add to their growing Catalyst series of sample libraries with this two CD collection.

    Reviews
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    Behringer Eurorack UB2442FX Pro

    Analogue Mixer

    The flagship of Behringer's newest line of mixers is a four-buss design with 26 inputs, four aux sends and an internal effects processor.

    Reviews
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    Blue Sky System One

    Active Surround Monitoring with Bass Management

    Blue Sky's new active studio monitors use cutting-edge cone technology and closed-box speaker loading for improved performance.

    Reviews
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    Dan Dean Brass Ensembles

    Sample Library

    An awful lot of blowing went into Dan Dean's new orchestral release - but is this the wind of change, or just a great deal of hot air?

    Reviews
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    Dave Smith Evolver

    Hybrid Analogue/Digital Monophonic Synthesizer

    Dave Smith, creator of the Prophet 5 and Wavestation, moved into software synthesis in the '90s, but now he's back with what he calls 'the ultimate dongle' — a hardware analogue and digital synth. We find out if he's still evolving...

    Reviews
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    Edirol UA20

    USB Audio + MIDI Interface [Mac / PC]

    Edirol's latest audio and MIDI interface fills another niche in the increasingly competitive market for USB devices.

    Reviews
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    Emagic EVB3 & EVD6

    Virtual Tonewheel Organ & Clavinet For Logic

    Emagic have launched two new classic keyboard emulations for Logic. We test them out.

    Reviews
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    Garritan Orchestral String Lite

    Sample Library

    Score = ***** 5/5 stars. Garritan has released GOS Lite, a three-CD version of GOS available in either Akai or Giga formats using samples from the full library.

    Reviews
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    Kawai MP9500

    Professional Stage Piano

    Every pianist dreams of owning a grand piano, but is it really possible to combine the feel of a grand into a stage piano and combine it with great sounds and master-keyboard functionality?

    Reviews
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    Kurzweil ME1

    Sample-based Sound Module

    Kurzweil are well known for their high-quality sounds, but less so for affordable hardware in which to house them. Is the new £350 ME1 the answer?

    Reviews
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    Linux And Music

    Open Source Music Software & The AGNULA Project

    The AGNULA project is creating what is possibly the first computer system tailored specifically for musicians — and it's all based around the Linux operating system.

    Reviews
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    Novation KS4 & KS5

    Modelling Synth Workstations

    The monotimbral K-Station offered keyboard players an affordable Novation -- but now, for a bit more money, the company have released the KS4 and KS5, which add plenty of new features, better keyboards and multitimbrality. The perfect marriage at the perfect price? We find out.

    Reviews
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    Phoenix DRS2 mic preamp.

    Phoenix Audio DRS2

    Microphone Preamp

    A British company specialising in the maintenance and refurbishment of vintage Neve equipment have produced a new preamp design with a classic sound.

    Reviews
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    PreSonus Firestation

    Firewire Audio & MIDI Interface [Mac / PC]

    PreSonus' eight-channel Firewire interface is the first to use Yamaha's much-touted mLAN protocol. How does it compare to the proprietary driver systems developed by the likes of MOTU and Metric Halo?

    Reviews
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    ProjectSam SAM Horns

    Sample Library

    **** Score = 4/5. Many libraries offer a French horn ensemble within their menu of brass sections, but this is the first horns-only release we've come across.

    Reviews
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    Spectrasonics Atmosphere soft synth.

    Spectrasonics Atmosphere

    Software Synthesizer [Mac/PC]

    Spectrasonics' massive sample-based soft synth promises to be the ultimate source for pads, atmospheres and textures.

    Reviews
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    Studio Projects T3

    Multi-pattern Valve Microphone

    An affordable new multi-pattern mic with a subtle tube sound.

    Reviews
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    Vermona DAF1 & PH16.

    Vermona DAF1 & PH16

    Analogue Filter & Phaser

    These two new rack processors from Vermona offer flexible filtering and phasing with a range of interesting modulation options.

    Reviews
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    WaveMachine Labs Drumagog

    DirectX Drum Replacer Plug-in [PC]

    WaveMachine Labs' sophisticated DirectX plug-in allows you to replace the sounds of individual drums with samples, while keeping the human feel of a performance.

    Reviews
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    Waves Maxxbass 101 & 102

    Bass Enhancers

    The processing from the Maxxbass plug-in is now available in hardware format.

    Reviews
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    XTA DPA324 SIDD

    Dynamics Processor

    Although XTA are perhaps better known for their live sound processors, their new SIDD dynamics processor provides world-beating dynamics processing which is just as useful in the studio.

    Reviews
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    Zoom MRS1266 multitrack recorder.

    Zoom MRS1266

    Multitrack Recording Studio

    The successor to the MRS1044 has more of everything - tracks, inputs, sounds - at a very similar price. But with new fierce competition, is there still room for a Zoom?

    Reviews

Techniques

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    Composing For Video Games

    Jack Wall

    Jack Wall is a leading light in the video game soundtrack industry, where his credits include the latest chapter in the best-selling Myst series of computer games.

    Techniques
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    Cutting Edge

    File Formats & The Internet

    There are many reasons why the digital delivery of media hasn't replaced traditional physical methods, but could one reason be that files just aren't very collectable?

    Techniques
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    Recording Drums

    A Practical Guide

    The drum kit can be one of the most time-consuming and frustrating of instruments to record, so it's worth taking a structured approach.

    Techniques
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    Studio Installation Workshop: Patchbays

    Planning Your Studio Wiring

    A patchbay can make your studio much quicker to use, but can also be a nightmare to set up, so here's advice on which to choose and how to connect it up for the best results. Plus, tips on building and fitting racks for your gear.

    Techniques
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    Studio SOS: Violin Recordings

    Mike Burnham

    The SOS team visit the sleepy Herefordshire town of Bromyard to help violinist Mike Burnham with his folk recordings.

    Techniques
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    Synthesizing Strings: String Machines

    Synth Secrets

    Analogue synths can't synthesize every sound, but the attempts made to replicate the sound of orchestral strings were so successful that so-called string machines became much-loved instruments in their own right. We begin a voyage into the world of synthesized strings...

    Techniques
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    Windows XP One Year On

    PC Musician

    It's been 12 months since we first evaluated Windows XP as a music platform, and it now seems to be the OS of choice for most manufacturers. So should musicians who have been holding back now take the plunge and upgrade?

    Techniques

Sound Advice

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    Q & A February 2003

    Sound Advice: Your Technical Questions Answered

    Where can I find a good sampled Joanna? Does processing degrade the quality of digital audio? How can I avoid effects being out of phase when I use Group Tracks in Cubase? How can I get six mono outputs from my VP9000? How can I eliminate hum in my studio? What are the advantages of higher sampling rates? Can you recommend a microphone for recording a guitar?

    Sound Advice

People

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    1 Giant Leap

    Duncan Bridgeman : Travels With A Laptop Studio

    Many people love the idea of laptop recording, but few have put it into practice like 1 Giant Leap. Their acclaimed album and DVD project was recorded on an Apple Powerbook during a six-month journey round the world — with a little help from some friends...

    People
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    Paul White c.2003

    Don't Give Up Your Day Job

    Leader

    More words of wisdom proferred by SOS Editor-in-Chief Paul White.

    People
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    Elliot Mazer

    Producer and Engineer

    Producer and engineer Elliot Mazer is well known for his ongoing work with Neil Young, and was there at the birth of digital recording. Like Young, however, he's never been happy with the way it sounded — until now.

    People
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    John Scofield & Avi Bortnick

    Überjam

    Well-known jazz musician John Scofield has spent the last five years updating his sound with the help of modern technology and new collaborators - including innovative guitarist Avi Bortnick.

    People
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    Sounding Off: Illegal Downloads

    Carl Pittam

    When it comes to digital rights management, downloading music illegally isn't really the problem — it's our obsession with it.

    People

Music Business

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    Running Your Own Record Label: Part 6

    On The Record

    In Part 5 we explained how a label can create its own distribution channels by selling merchandise on the Internet. This month we examine dedicated distribution companies, and how the smaller companies can serve niche record labels.

    Music Business
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