SOUND ON SOUND
For over a decade, Californian company Zeta have kept the flag flying for strings players who'd like to bring their skills into the synth age. Alan McClure takes a bow..
There's never been a better time to burn your own CDs at home, as the price of CD writers and the necessary mastering software continues to fall. Now the Red Roaster bundle is bringing the homemade CD dream within the reach of Pentium PC owners. Janet Harniman-Cook experiences burning desires...
Paul White tries out the SCSI version of this popular drive, and discovers lots of potential applications in the studio.
Low‑cost jack patchbays are available from a number of sources, but most tend to use the same type of budget jack socket...
Roland continue to champion the cause of the guitar synthesist, refining their respected line of guitar synths in search of the best combination of facilities, usability and price. Paul White finds out whether they've got the right balance right with the new GR30.
One of the hit synths of 1996, Waldorf's Pulse is now available in a slightly upgraded version, incorporating an external audio input and CV/gate interface. Paul Nagle sets it, squizzing and phzweeing to find out exactly what has put the Plus in the Pulse.
Finnish company Genelec have long been admired for their high-end professional monitors, but have only recently started to fix the project studio market in their sights. Hugh Robjohns checks out their smallest and most affordable active monitors yet to see if quality as given way to cost considerations...
Sony's new MDMX4 digital multitracker heralds the beginning of a conscious attempt to woo the home recording market, and uses the company's own MiniDisc technology to put a digital spin on that home studio mainstay, the compact 4-track recorder. Hugh Robjohns checks it out.
Hugh Robjohns takes a look at yet another studio unit designed to partner the new generation of digital 8-tracks, this time from a company new to the UK market.
Paul D. Lehrman discovers things he never knew about his recordings...
Philip Rees have added yet another useful little box to their popular range of MIDI problem solvers. Derek Johnson gets converted.
Success on a stick? Paul White studio tests a new back electret that would appear to combine strength with sensitivity.
When the Korg Trinity was launched more than a year ago, the list of expansions it would be able to host seemed too good to be true. Now they're all finally available, Paul Wiffen takes stock of the options.
Paul White plugs his very real guitar into a virtual amp and gets down to playing some unimaginable music.
Paul White explores the budget side of sequencing with Evolution's inexpensive keyboard and PC sequencing software bundle.
Optifile's new VCA automation system is designed to make professional quality automation affordable. Paul White finds out to what extent they've succeeded.
Software-based noise removal systems are one way of restoring defective recordings, such as vocal takes ruined by mains hum, or crackly recordings from vinyl — but such systems can be very expensive. The relatively low-cost DART Pro seeks to change all that. Panicos Georghiades and Gabriel Jacobs clean up all round.
Ten years after the K5, Kawai return to the technology which gave them the most successful implementation of additive synthesis ever, and include something of everything else they've learnt in the meantime. Paul Wiffen wonders if it all adds up...
The DSP-FX is the world's first 32-bit floating point digital effects processing system with a visual interface. It also comes on a standard ISA card for installation in a desktop PC. Dominic Hawken plugs 'n' plays.