SOUND ON SOUND
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The creative force in the modern pop music business seems, increasingly, to reside with songwriter/producers like Gary Miller, who specialise in getting the best out of artists in collaboration.
Before we've learned half the capabilities of a synth or a piece of software, it's been replaced, upgraded or discontinued...
The straightforward but effective Windows-based sequencing package Making Waves has been upgraded to include multi-channel recording, DirectX and MIDI support.
The Mellotron has had a chequered history, from '60s 'must-have' to '80s has-been, but it's survived bankruptcy and technological progress, and now it's back, in a brand-new, reworked form. We relate the story of this classic instrument, and see how the new version compares to the old.
Multi-band compression is one of the most powerful processing techniques available to the recording engineer. However, if you don't know how to apply it effectively it can just as easily ruin the sound of your entire production.
Although Native Instruments' Reaktor has offered sampling options for some time, it's taken the company a while to produce a dedicated software sampler: Kontakt. Can it make headway in what has become a crowded market?
A PC with CD burner and soundcard provides the ideal means to preserve old tape recordings or transfer your vinyl collection to CD.
Is it safe to switch all my gear off using one power switch? How can I get a vocal sound that's dry, but fits in the mix? How can I measure my soundcard's background noise level? Can I connect my keyboard's output to a mic input on my desk? How can I calculate the frequency of individual pitches? Will silica gel have a limited lifespan in my mic box?
What's the connection between SOS, a set of bagpipes and Richard Branson's round-the-world balloon escapades?
Elevata is a 16-voice polyphonic, eight-part multitimbral modelling synth from UK innovators Red Sound. But with a number of virtual analogue synths available at the same price point, does the Elevata offer enough to distinguish itself?
Do you prefer doing stereo recordings with two separate mics or with one dual-capsule mic? With their NT4 and NT5 models, Rode cater for both techniques.
Roland's new V-Bass refines the technology developed for the pioneering V-Guitar systems to meet the demands of bass players.
**** 4/5 stars. Pretty much every form of mainstream percussion is represented here in this velocity-switched sample-plus-ambience collection.
5/5 stars ***** Based on samples taken from Ludwig and Sonor kits, Drumkit From Hell offers both the individual elements of a drum kit plus ready-made jazz and rock kits recorded to the highest audio quality.
**** 4/5 stars. e-Lab set out to produce a house sample CD. All the loops are either 125 or 130bpm, thumping bass drums dominate and every other element is designed to either reinforce or unobtrusively complement that all-important rhythm.
4/5 stars **** Hollywood Edge market one of the largest sound effects libraries in the world on audio CDs; we check out two of their massive collection...
*** 3/5 Stars. Pure Tabla is based on a library of rhythmic tabla loops performed by Aref Durvesh, who has recorded with artists as diverse as Sting and Jeff Beck.
*** 3/5 stars. This CD-ROM contains just over 1800 live drum loops, fills and hits for use with any sampler or MIDI + Audio sequencer that accepts WAV files.
***** 5/5 stars. Copious use of live performances and real percussion in these loops give them much more groove than you'd associate with a dance market library...
Digital audio is now very much a part of everyday studio life, but do you ever wonder how well your system is really working?