SOUND ON SOUND
Still looking for the best mic/preamp money can buy? Hugh Robjohns unearths some real gems from the USA.
Paul White gives a new patchbay a shameless (jack) plug...
Paul White forgets his Ps and Qs to concentrate on his Ss and Ts while trying out Drawmer's new MX-series de-esser.
SPL's acclaimed Vitalizer design has always been a bit harder on the wallet than other maufacturers' models — until now. Derek Johnson plugs in their new enhancer for the rest of us...
SoundBlaster cards no longer need to rely on a complete set of GM sounds crammed into 1Mb of ROM now that SoundFonts allow up to 28Mb of RAM expansion. Martin Walker feels the quality of Time Signature's new collection.
It's true; the Minimoog's back! Manufactured in Cardiff by a new company, they're designed to resemble the original as closely as possible. Long-standing Mini owner Steve Howell attended the UK launch.
Paul White, with a little help from Rachel Fletcher and Paul Farrer, gives a blow-by-blow account of a controller that allows MIDI modules to harness the power of wind.
It's a Focusrite, Jim, but not as we know it! Is it possible to deliver Focusrite quality at such an aggressively low price?
In 1995, Yamaha's Promix 01 smashed everyone's preconceptions of how much a digital mixer should cost. Now the new 01V is changing the rules again, offering features more akin to those of the three-grand 03D than the Promix 01 — and it cost £500 less than the Promix did when launched!
The high quality converters and resonant filter imbue the 16-bit Emax II with a musicality and sonic character second to none.
ART have been championing the cause of musicians on a budget for years with their great value multi-effects units. We check out their latest effort, offering true 4-in, 4-out capabilities for under £300.
Paul White takes a turn on a hardware controller box which allows knobularly-challenged GS and XG synths and soundcards to join the rotary club.
Analogue modular synths in the late '90s are something like the old bus joke — none for ages, then loads all at once. Chris Carter catches the latest arrival.
A quality acoustic piano sound in a 1U rack-mounting package? Paul Ward lifts the lid to see if there are any strings attached...
Line 6 claim to have put physical modelling technology into a combo amplifier that any guitarist will feel immediately at home with. Paul White puts their claims to the test.
Paul White clocks on for a shift in Focusrite's Tone Factory, the first of the company's new low-cost Platinum range of processors, and discovers the anarchic side of Focusrite.
Many mic preamps are marketed on the strength of the sound they claim to impart to your recordings, but the Event EMP1 is designed to sit as unobtrusively in your signal path as possible, amplifying quietly to itself. Hugh Robjohns investigates...
A few famous names have been co-opted by Korg to contribute to their first extra sound set for the Z1 physical modelling synth. Derek Johnson lends an ear.
Once upon a time, all synths were like this — discrete analogue sound-generating and sound processing modules, connected in any configuration the synthesist cared to dream up. If you like that idea, Analogue Systems are providing a new alternative to expensive antique systems. Chris Carter does the time warp again...