June 2000 Magazine Contents

Paul White tries out AKG's versatile new back-electret, fixed cardioid microphone.

Dave Lockwood explains why a Class A valve guitar amp that can muster a mere six Watts is fully deserving of a place in the pages of Sound On Sound.

When Emu launched their flagship Proteus 2000 sound module last year, they promised a further range of cheaper 'P1K' modules which would cater for special needs, but be expandable to full Proteus 2000 spec. The first of these modules to appear aims to recreate the classic Hammond tomewheel organ sound. Nick Magnus is impressed.

Paul White takes a newly reincarnated Focusrite classic for a spin in his studio and discovers that sometimes, they do make things like they used to.

Koblo's software instruments are fun and easy to use, with brightly coloured, single-screen user interfaces. Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser try out their latest, a virtual drum machine which can be run as a stand-alone application or alongside a MIDI + Audio sequencer.

Derek Johnson collects £200 as he passes 'Go' on his tour of one of Korg's more obscure vintage boards.

Hugh Robjohns tries out Roland's updated digital monitors.

Although it certainly does sample, Roland's breakthrough 'Variphrase Processor' is far more than just a sampler — it offers a host of 'elastic' real-time pitch-shifting and time-stretching options the like of which have never been seen before. Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser stretch the limits of sonic processong with the unique new VP9000.

MIDI interface, audio interface, effects processor, hardware control surface for software MIDI + audio sequencers... Edirol's USB-based U8 promises to be all of these. John Walden investigates.

The ability to record multitrack audio with 24/96 capability is something you'd expect from any modern MIDI + Audio sequencer. SEKD's flagship software package does this and a whole lot more besides, including 5.1 and two-channel surround mixing and direct CD burning without the need for a separate application. Martin Walker finds out how it's done.

In SOS June '99 we reviewed the original Tascam CD‑D4000, a 2U CD duplicator capable of replicating complete...

Tascam have updated their ubiquitous DTRS format with an affordable and compatible 24-bit modular digital multitrack. Hugh Robjohns tries out the DA78HR.

Paul White changes his manual-gearbox compressor for an automatic model to see whether performance or economy suffer.

Back in the days when spring reverbs were all that the project studio owner could afford, nobody had a good word to say about...

Waldorf's Q keyboard workstation definitely suffered by being released to the public before its operating system was completely finished or bug-free. Gordon Reid takes advantage of the release of the new Q Rack module to revisit the operating system and see how it's come on...

Paul White tests Yamaha's new high-end CD recorder, featuring Apogee's acclaimed UV22 noise-shaped dithering technology.

With the growth of digital television and affordable solutions for recording audio to picture, many musicians are keen to get into writing and recording for visual media. In this introduction to the series, Hugh Robjohns investigates basic working methods and suggests some system requirements.

Every pitched sound can be thought of as a collection of individual sine waves at frequencies related to the fundamental. Gordon Reid introduces a powerful method of synthesis that works by manipulating these individual harmonics.

Although 'Money' took new British R&B star Jamelia into the top 5 at the age of 17, her apparent overnight success was built on more than a year of hard work by producer Colin Emmanuel. Sam Inglis uncovers the story behind the single.

Now that so many plug-ins are available for free or cheap and easy download on-line, it's possible to build up an impressive arsenal of virtual effects without hurting your credit card. Martin Walker homes in on some of the most interesting products on offer for Mac and PC.

Veteran guitarist Carlos Santana's 1999 comeback album Supernatural has been a sales phenomenon in the US album charts. Richard Buskin spoke to engineer Glenn Kolotkin, whose association with Santana goes back to his classic albums of the '70s.

With Hinton Instruments' AudioCalc, your Atari can earn its keep helping out with essential computations in the studio. Derek Johnson finds it all adds up...

This month, Martin Walker discovers some new VST instruments and helps you clean up your Registry.

The MacOS 9.0.4 updater is here — but will it suit everyone? Vic Lennard does a bit of pre-trouble shooting...

Computer-based MIDI + Audio sequencers have been popular for several years now, but some people have never been entirely happy using a digital rodent to control their main recording hardware. John Walden looks for ways out of the mouse trap by using key commands in Emagic's Logic.

There are now hundreds of software processing plug-ins available to PC musicians, but they come in various types and each behaves slightly differently. Martin Walker examines the various ways to install, manage and automate them, and the problems involved in managing presets.

Audio metering is one of the most confusing and complex aspects of sound recording. Technical Editor Hugh Robjohns answers some of the most common questions on the topic.

I know how to wire from unbalanced outputs to balanced inputs using the old '220Ω resistor ploy' but... I am wiring up a '...

I usually quite like reading manuals, incrementally absorbing many simple but valuable facts and concepts in a short...

I recently bought a Roland VS1680EX, and was looking to buy a CD‑R drive to do both backups and masters. I was told...

SOS meets another reader in their home studio.

Dave Shapton explores copyright issues raised by new digital media and the effect of emerging technologies on the way that music is distributed.

Whether your bag is pop, jazz, or classical music, or even if you just watch TV occasionally, you've almost certainly heard Richard Niles's work. Mike Senior talks to one of the most versatile men in modern music.

Danish company TC Electronic have been at the forefront in developing new and more realistic reverb algorithms. Most recently, they've been putting their energies into overcoming the particular problems associated with artificial reverb for surround sound. Thomas Lund, TC's Programme Manager, explains their approach to Paul White.

Wayne Rowley wishes that Windows was more musician-friendly and turns to BeOS as a possible alternative...

The traditional ways of attracting the attention of record companies are becoming ever more difficult to pursue, and if you don't have a well-connected manager, you might think that you don't stand a chance. As Robin Morley found, however, a little ingenuity and industry knowledge can do a lot for you...

Can you believe it? This month Big George is temporarily lost for words.