SOUND ON SOUND
Despite cramming 48 effects and 144 adjustable parameters into a box the size of a double CD case, Ineko is remarkably simple to use.
A heavy-duty valve preamp with variable input impedance, a unique slew-rate control, and a sublime sound.
Passive nearfields from B&W, designed to balance the needs of both project-studio and hi-fi listening.
In addition to the usual dynamics and EQ facilities, this voice channel from Dbx offers physical modelling effects in the digital domain, allowing it to simulate the performance of different types of mics and mic amps.
The Roland RS202 and Multivox MS202 are two classic string synthesizers that seem to share more than a passing physical and sonic resemblance. We investigate the machines and the myths, and solve the mystery once and for all.
Analogue sequencers may seem simple devices, especially when compared to their computer-based counterparts, but they can be put to fantastically complex uses in the right hands. We plumb the hidden depths of the new Oberkorn...
**** 4 stars. Although he's served time with vintage US rockers Aerosmith, there's more to Joey Kramer's playing than a 10-ton backbeat...
Mutronics bring a blast from the past to a rack near you.
Virtual analogue plug‑in synths are now common, and as DX‑style FM was the next great leap forward for real synths, a virtual FM synth was only a matter of time. So how does FM7 measure up to the original DX?
Heavyweight TC effects processing but with a menu-free, easy-to-use, hands-on interface.
The enhanced V‑Amp 2 has more sounds and more features... for less money!
Yamaha' s cutting-edge reverberation processor uses convolution techniques to sample the ambience of real acoustic environments, allowing extremely accurate simulations.
**** Score = 4/5. Supplied as a two-CD set containing both audio and WAV-file content, the underlying concept is "the creation of grooves that enter the bloodstream as fast as possible", hence the name Intravenous.
**** Score = 4/5 stars. Celtic Instruments is a collection of 13 multisampled instruments supplied on two Giga-format CD-ROMs (which are compatible with HALion).
The new flagship of the Mindprint range provides a powerful combination of preamp, EQ and valve dynamics. Can it possibly sound as good as it looks?
Despite the obvious attractions of portable recording systems based around laptop computers, high-quality compatible audio hardware is scarce. That looks set to change, however, now that Echo Audio have adapted their popular Mona and Layla 24 interfaces for laptop use.
Roland's latest module provides the most affordable way yet to access the company's fine XV soundset, albeit with reduced polyphony and a less intuitive user interface compared to the more expensive XV5080. We weigh up the pros and cons.
The Apprentice — a keyboard-less wooden casing designed to house synth modules — is the latest addition to Analogue Systems' fully modular Integrator series of analogue synths. We test one fitted with some of the company's new modules...