June 2007 Magazine Contents

Alesis know a thing or two about digital recording, but what can they bring to the busy world of audio interfaces? Quite a lot, as it happens...

• Behringer iAxe393 USB Guitar • Digitech CF7 Chorus Factory

With good looks and a unique sonic character, there's plenty to commend these mics.

Can a $40 dollar shareware application take on the giants of the music software world and win? With its remarkable flexibility, advanced feature set and responsive development team, Cockos's Reaper has the potential to do just that. Check it out...

In 2002 Elektron were considered by many to have had the last word in drum machines, but now they've taken the Machinedrum concept even further with the addition of sampling. Let's explore...

Ground loops are the bane of many people's home studios. If you're suffering, this little black box from Hall Electronic Devices offers a neat solution.

The latest version of Image Line's affordable FL Studio music software adds a powerful resampling editor and processor, plus some neat plug-ins.

Combining the classic Neve sound with a software recall facility, this EQ offers the best of both worlds.

Hands-on control of your DAW can speed up your workflow considerably, but what if you don't want or need a console-sized controller? Enter the Presonus Faderport...

If you want other people to hear your surround mixes, you'll need to encode them into a consumer format. Pro Tools users have a choice of software for this purpose. Which should you choose?

This convenient acoustic screen doesn't have to be used just for vocals, and is a versatile and effective tool for home-studio recording.

Roland already have one of the best-loved vocoding keyboard instruments to their name, in the shape of the vintage VP330 Vocoder Plus. Is their 2007 take on the same concept destined for similar classic status?

• Toontrack EZ Drummer Expanders: Vintage Rock, Drumkit From Hell, Latin Percussion • Pendle Poucher Dulcitone 1884 • Big Fish Audio Groove Planet

We lend an ear to a pair of monitors from a US company just starting out in the British studio market.

Synthetic Music Systems have a unique approach to designing modular synths that are both high in quality and, wait for it, low in price. Let's investigate...

Sony's Sound Forge is one of the best-known PC stereo editing packages around, and version 9 brings with it a new world of multi-channel editing possibilities.

Tascam's revamp of their groundbreaking 2488 digital multitracker still offers unique selling points, but have the competition pulled ahead in other areas? Read on to find out...

Combining multitimbral sample playback, loop tempo matching, synthesis, multi-effects and an 8GB sound library, is Plug Sound Pro the only software sound source you need alongside your DAW?

Tricky's highly unorthodox approach to recording and making music led to the creation of one of the most unique and critically lauded records of the '90s.

For newsstand readers without subscriber access rights, here is an unlocked version of the MP3 audio files that accompany the June 2007 Cubase Notes article.

Using a gate to create rhythmic performances from sustained sounds is a classic dance music trick, but the same approach can work in almost any contemporary music style. Find out more...

The ES2 synthesizer within Logic is a powerful beast. We take a look at what it has to offer in this handy reference guide...

Live's built-in instruments are pretty sophisticated, yet retain the ease of use that is central to the Ableton philosophy. In this article we're going to look at how to make the most of the Impulse drum machine.

Anything you record into a computer takes time to reappear at your speakers. We show you ways to tackle these delays.

Despite a slow start to the year with regard to Mac-related news from Apple, there's been no shortage of Mac hardware and software announcements recently.

Sonar's Synth Rack is a great time-saving concept that has started to deliver on its full promise with version 6 of the software. However, not all aspects of it are completely obvious - so this month we'll be doing our best to put you on track with the Rack.

This month, we invited guest mix-rescuer Luke Fletcher to create an authentic '60s feel.

To avoid newsstand buyers of the magazine from having to key in long URLs by hand, here are the links to the various MP3 files that accompany the JUNE 2007 instalment of Mix Rescue.

Pro Tools doesn't support RAID arrays, but does have its own disk management features that allow you to 'stripe' audio files across multiple disks, or record additional safety copies of everything.

'Hips Don't Lie', by Shakira and Wyclef Jean, is indisputably the biggest single of the 21st Century so far. Engineer Serge Tsai was the man who brought together many diverse elements to create a colossal hit.

Cubase 4's new preset-management system falls under the PC Notes spotlight this month, as does an update to a recommended spyware-protection utility and an eye-catching yet cost-effective soft synth...

The SOS crew visit reader Chris Walker's home studio and help solve amplification problems for his tea-chest bass.

If you'd like to breathe some life into your acoustic drum recordings, here's what you need to know.

MIDI plug-ins are often overlooked, regarded perhaps as the poor relations of the more glamorous audio type, but they can give you real power-user status if you take the trouble to investigate their capabilities.

Several months have elapsed since the release of Windows Vista — so is it safe for musicians to assume that most music software and hardware is now compatible with the new OS, and upgrade? PC Musician investigates.

I know they are all dynamics processors, but what's the difference between a levelling amplifier, a limiter and a...

I have a small home setup based around a Yamaha AW4416 multitracker and a Focusrite Penta compressor. Usually, I just...

I am looking for a versatile, hardware sound module to play with my Roland GK-enabled guitar. I wish someone made a...

I have just ordered a new PC, which I am turning into a music-only machine, using software from my old workhorse computer....

I realise that it's almost impossible to name a specific model for the job, but could you tell me what type of microphone I...

Doctor Who's 2005 revival saw the TV programme and its incidental music triumphantly reinvented. Gone are the Radiophonic textures of old, replaced by a confident orchestral score that stands comparison with Hollywood's best. Composer Murray Gold talks technical at his home studio.

The editorial team assess another clutch of recordings from more willing masochists.

Ray Kurzweil brought human feeling to digital synthesis, and his ultimate goal is to achieve immortality by fusing human and artificial intelligence. In the meantime, he's returned to Kurzweil Music Systems to oversee the next generation of music technology...

Lacking creativity? A tune might be what you need...

SOS Editor-In-Chief Paul White bemoans the fact that stereo is still king and wonders how long before 'earbud surround' comes of age...