SOUND ON SOUND
Superficially, it may look no different from other soundcards, but Yamaha's new DSP Factory is a real TARDIS when it comes to facilities. Martin Walker explores a soundcard that's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
The Minimoog rides again thanks to Welsh company Moog Music Limited. But how close does it sound to the original? We at SOS knew opinion would be split, so we got five of our regular synth reviewers, all previous or current Mini owners, to give us their views.
Prepare to shed a tear in another near-miss tale of a desirable analogue synth swept aside by the rise of digital technology.
One of two General MIDI modules are simply a cut above the rest, and Roland's high-end Sound Canvases fit right into this category. Paul White retires to the studio with the latest in the line and dips into a seemingly limitless palette of sound...
When Yamaha Launched the A3000 a year ago their approach won quite a few fans, and now they're demonstrating their renewed commitment to sampling with a comprehensive upgrade. Chris Carter's movin' on up...
PC owners who fancy a full modular synth for less than £200 need look no further. Martin Walker connects more virtual modules than you can shake a patchchord at.
If you need to add a MIDI interface to a Mac, it has to be external — there is no Mac equivalent of a Soundblaster 16...
Over the last fifteen years or so, we have probably all gathered some awareness of the workings of digital audio systems...
128 MIDI channels would have seemed like complete overkill ten years ago, but today's multitimbral voice modules can use them up at an alarming rate. Martin Russ checks out an eight-port patchbay/interface from Opcode.
One of the most useful things any audio engineer can carry around is a test disc to check the alignment of equipment, and to...
As Lexicon introduce new processors to replace the acclaimed PCM80 and PCM90, Paul White takes a look at how these classic units have been further improved to create the PCM81 and 91.
Volume Seven in the Twiddly Bits series is a real mixed bag of performance data, loops, grooves and riffs that come under the...
This DJ mixer boasts powerful effects and BPM-driven MIDI control software. Wearing the Trousers, Paul Farrer finds out more...
If you're after sonic strangeness, ring modulation is a good place to start. Paul White finds out whether the ColOSCIL sounds as big as its name.
As the popularity of the ADAT optical 8-channel digital interface has grown, so PCI soundcards have appeared to transfer audio into this format and out of computers. Previous cards have included one optical connector, but Sonorus's STUDI/O has two, permitting 16-channel operation. Martin Walker makes light work of his optical cables.
If the best things in life are free, then perhaps Pro Tools 3.4 is one of them — Digidesign are now giving away this version of their Mac audio recording and editing software. Mike Collins looks a gift horse in the mouth.
DI boxes are essential pieces of studio kit, but they don't all do the same job. For DI'ing an electric guitar or bass that...
Janet Harniman-Cook goes great guns with the latest version of Twelve Tone's popular MIDI + Audio recording software for PC owners.
These days there are several ways of going about recording your own CDs. Paul White gives this new Marantz professional stand-alone model a spin and discovers a few advantages over using a computer and CD-ROM drive.