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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...

Two more visually distinctive rack units from Line 6, designed to model the hallowed sounds of antiquity.

The most affordable Pro Tools system ever promises trouble-free USB recording, high-quality audio hardware and the freedom to record wherever you want. Is it too good to be true?

Just when we thought large-diaphragm capacitor mics couldn't get any more affordable, along come these fiercely competitive models, with a shockmount and aluminium case thrown in just for good measure!

**** Score = 4/5. This library offers around 100 drum loops, divided into Breakbeats and Live Drums categories, plus music loops consisting of gated effects and short licks played on Rhodes, sax and upright bass...

Cutting-edge technology, incredible dynamics, but is it really a studio monitor?

We check out Sennheiser's flagship open-backed headphones, compensated to make them sound more like speakers.

We test two pairs of high-quality closed-back headphones for discerning studio users.

A plug-in card for the Yamaha AW-series workstations that combines Waves-quality DSP effects with eight channels of ADAT optical I/O.

The market for hardware samplers may be on the wane, but Emu aren't abandoning their hardware customers; their RFX32 effects/mixer card can add tremendous processing and routing power to any of their Ultra samplers.

As an all-round package for multitrack audio editing, mastering and CD burning, Steinberg's Wavelab leads the field. Does the new version 4 keep it ahead of the competition?

Antares have packed their acclaimed Auto-Tune and mic modelling processes, along with dynamics and EQ, into this 1U rack unit.

Finally the HR824 has a little brother and, like most little brothers, this one has both attitude and confidence!

The Genesis 1 is a simplified version of the Genesis 3 modelling guitar preamp/effects unit, offering a reduced feature set at a lower price.

Akai's new 24-track recording and mixing workstation continues the expansion of their DPS multitracker concept with technology derived from the company's renowned post-production machines.

After creating the ultimate harp library, has Gary Garritan managed to succeed again with the most ambitious sampled string library ever undertaken?

AT's new models prove that back-electret designs can offer performance to rival conventional capacitor mics.