SOUND ON SOUND
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.
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?
Blue Sky's new active studio monitors use cutting-edge cone technology and closed-box speaker loading for improved performance.
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.
An affordable new multi-pattern mic with a subtle tube sound.
Edirol's latest audio and MIDI interface fills another niche in the increasingly competitive market for USB devices.
**** Score = 4 stars. AMG add to their growing Catalyst series of sample libraries with this two CD collection.
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?
Emagic have launched two new classic keyboard emulations for Logic. We test them out.
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.
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.
Spectrasonics' massive sample-based soft synth promises to be the ultimate source for pads, atmospheres and textures.
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...
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?
This new version of Line 6's ground-breaking Pod guitar processor combines improved amp modelling with a host of high-quality effects plundered from the company's range of rack processors.
Samson seek a share of the budget microphone market with their highly competitive new large-diaphragm condenser.
Pin-matrix synths, like EMS's legendary VCS3 and Synthi A(KS), are fairly scarce these days, but Analogue Solutions' Vostok revisits the concept in a more affordable form. Is it a vintage-inspired classic, or is it just history?
The latest version of the popular VAZ software synth combines the simplicity and low cost of a preset design with some advanced options from the full-fat VAZ Modular.
Having upgraded their D16 to the D1600, Korg have now revamped the 12-track D12 to the D1200. So where does Korg's latest offering stand in the competitive digital multitracker marketplace?