Launched under their Audiotrak badge, ESI's Prodigy 192 audio card provides support for 24-bit and 192kHz audio plus optional digital and MIDI I/O. But the really good news for software-based musicians is that it also provides a low-cost route to the company's EWDM drivers and Direct Wire technology.
Options are growing in number for electronic musicians who want to perform live, and the latest real-time loop manipulation tool, Cycling '74's Radial, promises a new and uniquely intuitive user interface.
We take a journey through a new software instrument that aims to put the distinctive sound of the famous ARP Odyssey analogue synth into your computer.
What if an instrument could combine the realism of a sampler with the complete control over its sounds that only a true synth can offer? That's what the long-awaited Hartmann Neuron claims to do. We put it to the test...
As recording software gets more and more complicated, French developers Intuitive Works are taking a different tack with their first product, emphasising ease of use and ergonomic design.
Korg's CX3 digitally modelled combo organ went down a storm when we reviewed it some two years ago. Now it's time to find out if the dual-manual BX3 is twice as good.
A new nearfield satellite and subwoofer system for stereo or surround applications, using infinite-baffle designs for a smooth frequency response and increased phase linearity.
The concept of the portable laptop-based studio is enticing, but you still need a musical input device — hence the current popularity of compact MIDI keyboards. And although it's not the cheapest, Novation's Remote 25 has much to offer...
Does a standard PC take up too much space in your studio? Red Submarine's Mini-Sub system packs all the performance of a full-sized desktop PC into a diminutive Micro-ATX case.
Among audio professionals, the electronic AES-EBU format is widely used for digital audio transfer. The SEK'D Prodif 88 soundcard equips Windows PCs with eight channels of AES in and out at up to 24-bit/96kHz.
The ATCX really could be seen as four synths in one, as its unassuming exterior conceals not only an adaptable true analogue synthesis architecture, but also the filter characteristics of classic synths that include the Minimoog and the TB303.
Combining impressive educational resources with a huge library of MIDI files and high-quality samples in stand-alone and VST Instrument formats, Swar Systems' software promises to open up the world of Indian music to anyone with a PC or Mac.
With high-resolution digital mixers, processors and recorders now standard fare, our recordings can sometimes seem too clean and sterile. As a result, there is quite a demand for devices and plug-ins which add a little distortion or warmth to a recording. This unusual product aims to give you every tube distortion sound you could ever want!
This latest plug-in bundle from Waves combines their celebrated Renaissance Collections 1 and 2, with the added bonus of a new 'channel strip' plug-in.
Yamaha's entry-level digital mixer gets an 02R96-style makeover, providing increased digital audio resolution, improved channel and effects processing, and surround functionality.
If you want to incorporate live drumming into your sequencer-based productions, your drummer will almost certainly have to play along to some sort of click track. However, if you're not careful, it could easily end up being more a hindrance than a help.
This month we take a look at using multiple audio interfaces with DP3, the new OS X patchlist format, and practical uses for the Waveform Editor for all DP users.
Recording and mixing an album's worth of tracks is a big enough challenge, but turning the results into a consistent-sounding CD requires specialist tools and skills. The former, at least, are now available to anyone with a Windows PC...
As the Apple Music Store online music experience is unleashed on an unsuspecting world, we speculate on the reasons for the recent reduction in Powerbook prices and take a look at how plug-ins are faring under OS X.
The groundbreaking Beat Detective module in TDM Pro Tools systems offers some hugely powerful tools for manipulating the timing of recorded audio. This month we start by quantising audio material.
"When we originally mixed Avalon in stereo, I was thinking that it should be in surround,"says Bob Clearmountain. Twenty-one years on, he and producer Rhett Davies describe how they first made Roxy Music's classic album and how they finally got the chance to mix it in 5.1.
Last month we showed you how to go about recording a complete (jazz) band to stereo on location. Now let's examine the ways in which you can compile and process the different takes to make up a coherent whole.
The characteristic sound of flute-like instruments is complex — but fortunately not so complex that it can't be emulated fairly successfully with a synthesizer...
We survey developments from the recent Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, which brought to light new information concerning the future of the forthcoming 'Longhorn' version of Windows.
Music industry sources suggest that soon all CDs will have built-in copy protection, and plans are underway to fit PCs with a chip that will police audio use. Will this protect creative rights, or become a barrier to creativity?
Many record producers are content to remain out of the public eye, but Mickie Most was a household name. In a unique interview before he passed away in May, Britain's most successful hitmaker looked back over his extraordinary career.
Are computers changing the way we make music? If you're David Gledhill, the answer is an unequivocal 'yes'. Years of playing with guitar bands had left him disillusioned and on the point of giving up when he decided to experiment with recording on a PC...
When Steely Dan ended a 20-year hiatus with 2000's Two Against Nature, they took full advantage of today's digital recording tools. For their new album Everything Must Go, however, they've returned to analogue tape and live band recording. Paul Tingen reports...
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