SOUND ON SOUND
This new Beyer model doesn't sacrifice quality in its quest to be a truly versatile all-rounder.
After vocals, acoustic guitar must be the most popular thing to poke a mic at — at least in a typical home studio — yet it isn't always the easiest instrument to record, because as soon as you find that magic sweet spot, the player moves! Does SE's latest mic offer a solution?
RME pass down some of the excellent features of their Fireface 800 to the more affordable 400 model, but have they cut any corners in doing so?
Middle & Sides processing offers unique mastering possibilities, such as the ability to de-ess a centrally panned vocal without affecting panned cymbal sounds. Brainworx's new plug-in combines an innovative M&S matrix with mastering-quality EQ and processing.
We take another look at the impressive Portico range, focusing on a compressor-limiter and a unique tape-emulation processor.
Keyboard workstations have always been something of a Korg speciality, ever since they created the concept almost 20 years ago with the M1. Does their latest offering, the M3, live up to its pedigree?
If you want other people to hear your surround mixes, you'll need to encode them into a consumer format. Pro Tools users have a choice of software for this purpose. Which should you choose?
Combining multitimbral sample playback, loop tempo matching, synthesis, multi-effects and an 8GB sound library, is Plug Sound Pro the only software sound source you need alongside your DAW?
• Toontrack EZ Drummer Expanders: Vintage Rock, Drumkit From Hell, Latin Percussion • Pendle Poucher Dulcitone 1884 • Big Fish Audio Groove Planet
Hands-on control of your DAW can speed up your workflow considerably, but what if you don't want or need a console-sized controller? Enter the Presonus Faderport...
Sony's Sound Forge is one of the best-known PC stereo editing packages around, and version 9 brings with it a new world of multi-channel editing possibilities.
Ground loops are the bane of many people's home studios. If you're suffering, this little black box from Hall Electronic Devices offers a neat solution.
Can a $40 dollar shareware application take on the giants of the music software world and win? With its remarkable flexibility, advanced feature set and responsive development team, Cockos's Reaper has the potential to do just that. Check it out...
• Behringer iAxe393 USB Guitar • Digitech CF7 Chorus Factory
Roland already have one of the best-loved vocoding keyboard instruments to their name, in the shape of the vintage VP330 Vocoder Plus. Is their 2007 take on the same concept destined for similar classic status?
Synthetic Music Systems have a unique approach to designing modular synths that are both high in quality and, wait for it, low in price. Let's investigate...
This convenient acoustic screen doesn't have to be used just for vocals, and is a versatile and effective tool for home-studio recording.
The latest version of Image Line's affordable FL Studio music software adds a powerful resampling editor and processor, plus some neat plug-ins.