March 2011 Magazine Contents

New to the world of video production and unsure what gear to buy? Our guide to the five best options in three categories will get you started.

Looking for a compact controller keyboard costing not much more than a bag of chips? Look no further...

If you want an education in all things audio, could you ask for a more qualified teacher than Alan Parsons?

Arturia have taken their Origin concept further with the addition of a keyboard and new modules. So is it now the only synthesizer you'll ever need?

Most of us probably don't give a lot of thought to our audio metering. After all, provided the signal occupies the appropriate...

Alleluia! Cinesamples Voxos surround-ready choir delivers a near-religious experience.

The FR2LE promises high-quality stereo audio capture in a small and inexpensive package. Is it perfect for location sound recording?

Should you build outboard gear to do the job as well as possible, or to meet a price point? Grace Design prefer to do the former, and it seems to be a philosophy that pays off...

Many limiters are designed to be as transparent as possible - but Inward Connections' TSL3 is built to sprinkle valve magic over your music.

Izotope's latest plug-in provides a one-stop shop for polished vocal sounds, with deeper editing available for those who need it.

KRK are well established in the world of studio monitors. Now they're expaning into the headphone market.

Kurzweil's new workstation maintains the company's reputation for solid reliability, and does so at a lower cost than you might expect...

Moog's Little Phatty has shed some pounds (in both senses of the word), but does this new, lightweight synth have what it takes to be a contender?

I've reviewed a good number of Nine Volt Audio's BPM Flex Series loop libraries now and they've been...

These nearfield ribbon monitors deliver a less fatiguing sound than some - but does smoothness come at a cost?

The new recording channel from Rupert Neve is more than just the sum of his existing Portico processor modules...

SE's new siblings employ the same capsule as previous Gemini designs - but they're very different mics...

The kalimba (aka 'thumb piano') has long been a featured sound on keyboard workstations. Also known as the sanza...

Re-amping has the potential to give us infinite choice, but is that always what we need? Studio Devil's amp modelling plug-in concentrates on getting the sound right.

These audio files accompany the Studio Devil Virtual Guitar Amp II review that appeared in SOS March 2011.

It's a hard noise to verbalise, but it sounds like this: gu‑gu‑gu‑gu‑GRNZZZZ. Yes, folks, it's the unmistakable...

Can UA's Studer plug-in really reproduce the sound of saturated multitrack tape in all its glory? To find out, we tracked down a real Studer A800, a top-flight studio and a hitmaking band...

These audio files accompany the Universal Audio Studer A800 review that featured in SOS March 2011.

World Impact: Global Percussion (12.2GB) contains around 270 percussion instruments from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe...

Paul White checks out this neat little upgraded guitar amplifier from Vox.

'Take On Me' was a huge hit, but its birth was a difficult one, taking three years, three versions and a pioneering video to finally give A-ha their first chart success.

Drawing automation data in Steinberg Cubase has creative applications that transcend simple level and pan tweaking.

Mid/Side processing is a clever technique which once learned will probably find its way into your mixes.

Drum replacement is now a routine production job in genres ranging from pop and indie to high-tempo metal, and even live sound.

With rumours of an iPad 2 on the horizon, we take a look at the effect the successful tablet has had on the market.

Is music really more likely to sell if it's louder? We come up with some hard evidence and some surprising answers.

Are your videos looking a little flat? Make light work for you and you'll soon be creating depth and mood in even budget productions.

With enough time and effort, you can get a reasonable mix from even poor recordings... but proper attention when recording will save you hours of frustration and get you a much better result much more quickly!

These audio files accompany the Mix Rescue article that featured in SOS March 2011.

Mumford & Sons have dragged acoustic music out of the folk clubs and straight to the top of the charts, with a sound sculpted by producer Markus Dravs and mix engineer Ruadhri Cushnan.

Keep the creativity flowing and discover long-lost plug-ins with a properly organised Start menu.

Sonar's EQ capabilities take a huge step forward with X1's ProChannel.

Reason's sampling instrument Kong.

To get the most from Avid's Structure sampler, you need to work with your own sounds. Here's how.

This month, the SOS team tame a couple of square rooms and help a guitarist to master his Logic DAW setup.

Tempo mapping in Reaper can be quick and easy — so switch off that click and get playing!

When mixing, it doesn't hurt to double-check what you're hearing with judicious use of Logic's visual metering toolbox.

The most important pieces of hardware in any studio are the ones on the sides of your head. We look at the amazing journey your music makes on its way to the brain...

I've just started putting my vinyl collection onto my hard drive for the purposes of backing up and preserving it. I'm...

I recently built my own home studio by converting an old garage into a well‑isolated music room of 410 x 215 x 275cm...

Winter NAMM's abundance of semi/pro-level music Apps, add-on controllers and interfaces for Apple iPad/iPhone took our Editor In Chief slightly by surprise...

Tortoise have spent the last 20 years defying the conventions of rock music — and forging a unique approach to studio recording.

Ol' Hoopty * Andy Le Fevre * Outer Space Alliance * Lounge Fly * The No-ones * Trace

Does copying classic gear devalue its designers?

Steve Brown had never produced a record or recorded live drums before he met singer-songwriter Rumer. Half a million album sales later, her faith in the partnership has paid off.

Online delivery means fewer ways for things to go wrong, but it also makes media composers more faceless than ever and robs us of some vital excuses.

Energy drinks makers Red Bull and sportswear company Converse have both recently opened their own recording studios. But what does this mean for artists and smaller recording facilities?