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John Walden puts his foot down to test-drive Zoom's GFX8 floor-mounted guitar direct recording and effects processor.

PC users have had to wait almost two years for many of the improvements which graced version 4 of Steinberg's popular sequencing package on the Mac platform. Now, however, they've leapfrogged straight to version 5, a major upgrade which incorporates all of those improvements and more. Martin Walker finds out if the wait was worthwhile.

A new PCI soundcard and breakout box system from Ego Sys combines analogue and digital audio, MIDI, and a host of synchronisation and driver options, and all without breaking the bank. Martin Walker wonders if this might be all you ever need...

Competition in the world of 16-track recording workstations is hotting up, and Akai's new DPS16 looks to be a prime contender, with its impressive user interface and 24-bit/96kHz capabilities. Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser take it for a spin.

Paul White tries out a small, but highly effective stereo compressor with some unique features.

Legend has it that Sir Alec Guiness's character in Star Wars was named after Oberheim's original OB1 synthesizer; and, like that character, the OB-series has now overcome death to reappear in virtual form. Gordon Reid finds the new OB12 more powerful than he could possibly have imagined - at the price, at least...

Hugh Robjohns tests this fully-featured, dual path channel strip, with circuitry designed by the legendary Mr Rupert Neve.

TC have come up with a new twist on the analogue synth emulation theme by providing modular oscillator, filter and envelope blocks that can be combined with VST effects. Paul White tries a few variations.

Emagic's virtual sampler provides Logic Audio users with a practical alternative to hardware-based sampling. Paul White puts it to the test.

Adaptec's Toast is already the most widely used CD-burning software for the Mac, thanks to licensing deals that have seen it given away with most CD writers. The latest update sees it now being sold as part of a tasty bundle, incorporating other useful applications and a CD labelling device. Mike Simmons finds out if it's too good to be true...

The latest Joemeek processor to benefit from the company's Meequaliser technology is the new incarnation of the VC1. Paul White racks it up...

There is a vast array of digital converters on the market, but relatively few offer 96kHz capabilities, and fewer still provide built-in sample-rate conversion. Hugh Robjohns checks out the latest offering from Digital Audio Denmark.

Two years after its launch, Roland's innovative SP808 sampling workstation has undergone a dramatic change in appearance, and also now benefits from new effects and improved Zip drive storeage. Chris Carter embarks on an affair with an EX...

We looked at Cedar's three Series X audio-restoration processors last month. This issue sees Hugh Robjohns correcting his azimuth and removing his buzzes with the two latest additions to the company's catalogue...

Tascam's MX2424 hard disk recorder aims to provide professional 24-track digital recording features at an affordable price, combining the simplicity of tape recorder-style operation with the flexibility of computer editing. Paul White finds out how well it achieves these aims.

Bitheadz' Unity DS1 is one of the best-established software samplers, and the latest incarnation offers several major new features, including DirectConnect support for use with Pro Tools. Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser sample its delights.

Auto‑Tune first started out as a TDM plug‑in (reviewed in SOS August '97), but subsequently...

Roland's impressive range of 'next generation' instruments have seen the company share a number of new technologies across a wide range of products. The latest of these is the VA7, an arranger keyboard which incorporates their revolutionary Variphrase technology. Paul Farrer makes arrangements...

Korg's Electribe family of instruments aims to combine cutting-edge dance sounds with an easy-to-use interface. Nicholas Rowland meets the latest member, the ES1 desktop sampler.

Built in to the same box as Emu's flagship Proteus 2000 comes the Xtreme Lead 1, a dance-based 64-voice, 16-part multitambral sound module with 32Mb of onboard sampled ROM sounds. But is it as powerful as it is bright? Paul Farrer finds out.