SOUND ON SOUND
Large-diaphragm mics don't have to be bulky and unwieldy, as this compact new contender from Audix demonstrates.
You probably know Allen & Heath as a studio mixer manufacturer, but they also specialise in high-end DJ mixing and processing. Now they have combined their studio and DJ expertise into a multi-mode analogue filter with sophisticated MIDI control.
So how is your plug-in band coming on, then? With a combination of Steinberg's Groove Agent and Virtual Guitarist plus Yamaha's Vocaloid, all that is required is a bass player. Enter, stage left, Bornemark's Broomstick Bass...
A new plug-in bundle from Dutch developer Audio Ease brings together three unique sound-shaping tools.
Absynth has always dared to be somewhat different to other software synths, and version 3 continues the grand tradition, with new effects, built-in frequency-shifting, and surround processing options.
Version 5 of Acid Pro is the first major upgrade under the Sony Media Software badge, and has taken two years to arrive. Does it keep pace with other manufacturers' loop-sequencing packages?
The latest in Roland's SP series of phrase samplers can also double as a computer and audio interface, and PC users can take advantage of a bundled Cakewalk sequencer/mixer. Is this the best SP yet? We find out...
Tascam's two new digital multitrackers are the latest in their long line of Portastudio products.
Soundscape's new range of PCI cards offers a unique combination of features, including latency-free, DSP-assisted routing and mixing, the freedom to combine VST plug-ins and DSP-based effects, and multi-client driver support for all host-based Windows recording applications.
Rolls cram a very useful nine stereo line channels and a mono mic channel into a 1U box that's targeting keyboard players.
Korg's new valve preamp and optical compressor is available not only as a stand-alone box, but also in a version which can be installed directly into either of their flagship digital multitrackers.
Flagship sequencer apps are so packed with features that it could almost be a full-time job learning the package of your choice. If your needs are simpler, why not make it easy on yourself and investigate one of many options that are more entry-level or cut-down, yet still remarkably capable?
Four new Sample Disc collections get the aural treatment from the SOS reviewers: A Fistful Of Drummers 5* • Black Grand 4* • Sounds Of The 70s 4* • Percussive Adventures 5*
Following on from their Model 2380 surround monitoring controller, SPL have now designed a stereo version with built-in talkback facilities.
This unusual effects pedal combines a bank of eight band-pass filters with an analogue-style control sequencer.
The latest instrument plug-in from IK Multimedia and Sonic Reality packages eight Gigabytes of samples, mostly from a huge range of classic synths, in IK's Sampletank front end.
Yamaha's CS80 was one of the finest analogue polysynths of all time. How close have Arturia come to modelling its classic sound in software? We put the software up against the hardware to find out...
This range of valve processors offers a variety of character sounds for the more adventurous home recordist.
Thanks to the new MD3 package, Powercore users now have access to high-end mastering tools from TC's System 6000 processor.