SOUND ON SOUND
Roland's new flagship VS workstation again raises the stakes in the all-in-one hardware market, but has it raised them enough to rival the success of the 1680? Mike Senior finds out.
What do you get when you take three from Nineteen? A compressor, an enhancer and an effects unit... Paul White explains.
It's unusual for SOS to look at CD players, because, although most of us own at least one, they are usually...
Sony's surprise entry into the project-studio digital console market looks set to establish a new benchmark for ease of use and operational flexibility. Hugh Robjohns checks out the new DMX100.
One drawback of soundcards and soft synths is their lack of physical controllers, but Doepfer aim to bridge the gap with their diminutive PocketC. Paul Ward tries his hand...
Though high-quality, real-time pitch-shifting is now becoming a reality, this technology comes with a high price tag. Many musicians will therefore continue to rely on offline processes to carry out pitch and timing manipulations. Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser do just that, with Prosoniq's Time Factory...
Effectively a drum machine in plug-in form, Steinberg's new LM4 offers the seamless integration with Cubase that is the boon of all VST instruments, as well as claiming far better timing than any MIDI device. Martin Walker pounds the PC beat, while Paul Ward delivers the Mac perspective.
With full-sized velocity-sensitive keys and versatile control capabilities, Evolution's diminutive MK125 could find many uses as a MIDI remote keyboard. Martin Walker tries one out for size.
Roland's JV1080 and 2080 have become the bread-and-butter sound sources for innumerable MIDI studios worldwide. Now the company have introduced their successors in the shape of the XV-series. Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser test the new XV3080.
CEDAR Audio's Series X units offer a trio of phenomenally powerful audio restoration tools in neat, stand-alone boxes with simple user interfaces. Hugh Robjohns cleans up..
Waldorf's Q keyboard workstation definitely suffered by being released to the public before its operating system was completely finished or bug-free. Gordon Reid takes advantage of the release of the new Q Rack module to revisit the operating system and see how it's come on...
Paul White tries out AKG's versatile new back-electret, fixed cardioid microphone.
Dave Lockwood explains why a Class A valve guitar amp that can muster a mere six Watts is fully deserving of a place in the pages of Sound On Sound.
Tascam have updated their ubiquitous DTRS format with an affordable and compatible 24-bit modular digital multitrack. Hugh Robjohns tries out the DA78HR.
Koblo's software instruments are fun and easy to use, with brightly coloured, single-screen user interfaces. Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser try out their latest, a virtual drum machine which can be run as a stand-alone application or alongside a MIDI + Audio sequencer.
Paul White changes his manual-gearbox compressor for an automatic model to see whether performance or economy suffer.
Paul White takes a newly reincarnated Focusrite classic for a spin in his studio and discovers that sometimes, they do make things like they used to.
Hugh Robjohns tries out Roland's updated digital monitors.
MIDI interface, audio interface, effects processor, hardware control surface for software MIDI + audio sequencers... Edirol's USB-based U8 promises to be all of these. John Walden investigates.
Back in the days when spring reverbs were all that the project studio owner could afford, nobody had a good word to say about...