Looking like a star cruiser, or something from the film 2001 (rather than just the year), Alesis' Andromeda is the first analogue polysynth that approaches the complexity of a digital workstation. But does analogue necessarily equate to quality?
Paul White tests ATC's T16 monitors, which combine space-age looks, solid engineering and a detailed, accurate sound at a surprisingly attractive price.
With its on-the-fly tempo-matching for sample loops, Acid put a new spin on an old way of making music on the PC. Now, at last, there's a similar Mac program. Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser try out Bitheadz' Phrazer.
British computer peripherals manufacturer Cheetah ventured into the hi-tech music jungle in the 1980s and went down in budget gear history. David Harman goes on a synth safari with their MS6 analogue rack synth.
Many musicians with computer-based studios don't need lots of inputs and outputs, but that doesn't mean they're happy to put up with poor audio quality and design compromises of consumer soundcards. However a new type of affordable, high-quality soundcard is now emerging to meet this need. Martin Walker puts two or the leading candidates to the test.
Paul White explores Dynamo, a remarkable suite of virtual synths and drum machines from Native Instruments, offering all the tonality of their acclaimed Reaktor software, but without the complexity.
Quested have addressed the negative points of our previous F11 review, and incorporated a few small but significant improvements along the way. In the process, they've updated the original F11, and introduced a new passive version, the F11P.
The Samson Q1 is a dual-purpose live/project studio mic that looks similar to many hand-held dynamic stage mics and, indeed, it's this type of mic that it is designed to replace.
Rumours of a new Yamaha synth were circulating at January's NAMM show, but nothing was confirmed until a few weeks later, when SOS were invited to Yamaha's London R&D Centre. Matt Bell meets the Motif...
The Interactive Phrase Synthesizer is one of those parts of Cubase that most of us know exist, but which few have actually used. We take a look at what it can do, as well as offering some handy tips on setting up loops and introducing the idea of controlling your computer remotely...
We look at the creative potential of Logic's Touch Tracks feature and the corrective potential of the audio fade-in, as well as showing you what 'solo safe' is and why you need it.
Paul Wiffen reports on some historic developments for Mac musicians, as Apple announce their official support for the mLAN interface standard, and also comes to the rescue of more readers seeking advice.
Logic and Cubase owners have had their own dedicated SOS columns for several months — so we're now devoting space to another of the world's favourite sequencers, MOTU's Digital Performer. Long-standing DP user Robin Bigwood presents the first of this regular column.
The sampler has made its presence felt throughout modern music production, and phrase sampling in particular is the backbone of many musical styles. Oli Bell arms his loop points and explores some tricks of the trade.
Gordon Reid embarks on a journey to synthesize convincing woodwind and brass. This month, he considers how these instruments make their sounds in real life.
Modern software allows you to turn a spare PC into a synth of sampler that's perfectly tailored to the needs of your studio. Martin Walker tells you how.
The advent of digital television has opened the eyes of many more musicians to the possibility of working on music for picture. John Walden trawls the Net to see what advice is available for those who want to score.
TC‑Helicon's revolutionary VoiceCraft card for their VoicePrism processor allows the user to radically reshape the whole character of a vocal sound, adding tonal and inflectional changes that go way beyond the capabilities of current voice processors. Paul White talks technology with designer Fred Speckeen.
The standout track from Dido's debut album No Angel is known to millions as a TV theme, and is now a smash hit single in the UK. Sam Inglis talks to Pascal Gabriel, who co-wrote 'Here With Me' with Dido and his colleague Paul Statham, and programmer James Sanger, who helped to shape the final version.
Over the last 30 years Tony Platt has engineered and produced albums by some of the biggest names in music, from rock to reggae. Tom Flint talked to him about his days at the pioneering Island Studios, his work with the legendary producer Mutt Lange and his vision of the future.
SOUND ON SOUND
![Subscribe to [field_issue_date] Magazine Contents](https://www.soundonsound.com/misc/feed.png){kind=small}