Computer / Software

As Intel and AMD continue to push the clock speeds and architectures of PC processors, music software developers are taking advantage of the optimisations possible, as demonstrated by Waves with the latest update to their native plug-ins.

A PC with CD burner and soundcard provides the ideal means to preserve old tape recordings or transfer your vinyl collection to CD.

Not all PC problems are down to software, and a huge range of difficulties - from occasional glitches to complete system failure - can actually be caused by hardware faults. Here's how to diagnose and cure some of the most common.

Apple's new iMac is as radical in appearance as its predecessor — but how well does it fit into the recording studio?

Windows XP is probably the most important PC operating system upgrade since Windows 95, but as always, its new features come at a cost. Should you upgrade your computer? Here's the definitive guide...

On October 25th 2001 Apple released their first non-Mac device for many years, the iPod. Apple Notes spots a vital clue which makes the iPod rather useful to the recording musician, whatever the general consumer makes of it...

TC Works' neat Mac utility allows you to turn VST plug-ins into sophisticated multi-effects combinations.

Released last year as a web-only download from Rhizomatic, the ground-breaking Absynth is now part of Native Instruments' product line, and can be used as a VST instrument plug-in.

The useful range of Atari software from Cadenza includes the Web Wizard web site creation tool, and is now free.

Shareware can be just as innovative and feature-packed as its fully commercial equivalent — take FXpansion's ambitious DR-008 sampled/synthesized drum machine, for example...

The audio side of OS X receives a big boost with the release of the first major update, as does Islington's MacExpo, as Apple themselves decide to attend their first UK show for several years.

Even when you've installed the fastest processor you can afford and masses of RAM, your PC can still end up being slow and unresponsive. Here's what you can do about it.

Upgrading your ageing Mac's processor to extend its useful working life is an appealing concept, and there are plenty of processor upgrades on the market. But what effect do they really have on musical and recording applications? We tested eight of them to find out...

EXS24 and EVP88, two of Emagic's dedicated plug-ins for Logic, are now available in scaled-down form for VST-compatible sequencers. But what has been lost in order to make the instruments work as VST plug-ins?

An exclusive first look at Emagic's new Logic Control hardware control surface, and the eagerly awaited Version 5 of Logic - a powerful combination that takes the system to a new level of functionality

Sound Forge is a very popular PC audio editor, but users have waited a long time for 24-bit support. Now it's here in version 5, along with a bundle of new features and plug-ins.

Akai introduced AKsys some months ago, providing a USB-driven, computer-based control interface for recent S-series samplers. Now at v1.7, it is becoming indispensible for anyone fed up with managing their samplers via an LCD...

Find out just how long it takes to set up a musical environment on a Powerbook, and welcome the Melodyne pitch and time software to the world of OS X, as well as discovering how Microsoft broke QuickTime and Apple fixed it...

Few recent software products have stirred as much interest as Melodyne - a program offering unique pitch, time and formant-processing features, which was created not by one of the major music developers but by a maverick Bavarian musician and his software-designer friend.

With software from an independent German writer, your Atari could make music like Mozart, or just play back MIDI files for you...

There are lots of things to consider when building your own PC, especially when transferring the contents of your hard drives to the new machine.