October 2011 Magazine Contents

This month JG Harding investigates the Audiofile Engineering FiRe field recorder app for iOS, MicW i436 microphone for iOS and TC Helicon Voice Jam vocal looping app for iOS.

On some levels, the idea of this sample collection is a little strange, because what we're dealing with here is,...

Paul White looks at this simple valve amp which comes with one 12AXL dual-triode preamp and an EL84 providing the output stage.

Cockos’ affordable DAW is now more customisable than ever, and there are valuable new features for media management, MIDI editing and surround mixing too.

Swedish synthesists Elektron have turned their attention to sampling — and, with characteristic individuality, have created something quite unique.

From a new and little-known Polish company come two compressors made with a “fanatical attention to detail”. Sounds intriguing...

When your live show requires plenty of punch and power, this 2000W system should give you everything you need.

In the C716, Josephson Engineering have built upon established technology with some novel ideas of their own.

Mackie have updated their MR range of affordable powered speakers, endowing these Mk2 versions with new drivers and re‑voiced amplifiers. We put them to the test...

NI’s take on the Holy Trinity of compressors adds some neat extra features that make them more versatile.

Can Rob Papen’s new virtual instrument deliver the knockout blow?

Safe Sound have already impressed us with their Dynamic Toolbox, and now they’ve brought M/S compression to the Lunchbox format.

Rumble Marching & Cinematic Drums is a collaborative project between Sample Logic and System Blue, capturing a certain...

Shure are recent arrivals in the pro headphone market. Do their new flagship cans measure up against more established names in the field?

Can the failings of mixing in software really be solved by buying more software? That’s the claim Slate Digital are making for their Virtual Console Collection.

Audio files to accompany the article.

Following the modus operandi of offering very focused and specific sample libraries, Sonokinetic have turned their attention...

Spitfire celebrate this sceptred isle with a suitably grand orchestral library.

Is one voice not enough for you? Have you always dreamed of being your own choir? Read on...

Vintage digital reverbs might not be totally realistic, but they have bags of character. Universal Audio’s latest plug‑in brings the venerated Lexicon 224 to your DSP card.

Described as 'Natural Chillout Music', Ueberschall's Nightshift features 18 song-construction kits aimed at smooth, laid‑back...

We check out this eight-channel preamp and A-D converter, the first four channels of which feature a solid-state/tube hybrid mic preamp based on the company's Twinfinity 710 and a compressor derived from their ever-popular 1176.

Whether you’re looking for a compact stage monitor or a boost for a small PA, this active speaker could help.

Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has proved to be one of his most popular and enduring works. The man at the controls, David Hentschel, tells us how it came to be.

We’re all familiar with the PC upgrade treadmill — but do recent hardware developments mean that we can now step off it?

Apple have just released their latest OS upgrade, Lion. So just how wild is the beast?

We show you how to document your projects, sets and custom devices with Live’s Lessons facility.

We introduce even more ways to spice up your drum loops in Cubase. • Read Part 1 • Read Part 3

It pays to keep your ears open for phase problems when mixing. Tackling them means you shouldn’t have to resort to radical EQ so often.

Audio files to accompany the article.

Even a basic understanding of chords, melody and harmony can help your dodgy demo become a polished production...

Audio files to accompany the article.

Paul Simon’s album So Beautiful Or So What is a dazzling return to form — and a return to working with production legend Phil Ramone.

Understand the pitch-changing options in Sonar X1 for better results with your audio.

New to Pro Tools 9? Here’s how to get the best from all the features that were HD‑only until now!

Version 6 is a new dawn for Reason users. This month, we offer some essential techniques for getting up to speed with it.

Cure those conflicting frequencies and create some space with Logic’s Match EQ.

When legendary film composer Hans Zimmer asked us to help improve the acoustics in his temporary London studio, we were only too happy to oblige!

This month, how to use software synths and samplers effectively in your DP projects.

With regard to stereo image width, is there typically a 'cap' you would place on tracks to maintain a good mono sound? Perhaps...

I have obtained a 1980s Marshall 1931 cabinet with a Fane speaker, which is rated at 75 Watts, open back. Can I put in a ...

Currently, I have a MIDI keyboard, a Mackie Spike audio interface, an Apogee Duet interface, a UA Solo 610 preamp and a ...

I'm trying to work out how much power a PA system I work with draws, and I also need to come up with a sensible 'plug‑it‑all‑...

I have a nylon‑strung Ibanez guitar, which I think I paid $200 for. The electronics in the guitar are not cutting the mustard...

Carl Cox’s latest album is available only to those who purchase a uniquely coded USB pen drive. Is this an idea that will turn the tide against file‑sharing?

If you thought your cupboards were full of faded dreams, just take a look at your old hard drives...

Back in the days when a tape machine, together with a mixer, equalled the best part of a studio, most engineers...

The creation of Beyoncé’s album 4 involved 10 studios and almost 20 producers. The one constant, apart from the singer herself, was recording engineer DJ Swivel.

Verse Metrics * Hot Red Dress * The Chris Finnen Band * The Tennis Players

• Alison Krauss & Union Station 'Paper Airplane' • Katy Perry 'Last Friday Night' • Alexandra Stan 'Mr Saxobeat'

Live sound engineer ‘Trip’ Khalaf and his colleagues talk about touring Pink Floyd’s classic 1979 album with band co-founder Roger Waters.

Fifty years ago, Wayne Moss created a studio in his Nashville garage. And while big-money, purpose-built complexes have come and gone, Cinderella Sound still thrives today.

One thing that never changes in the world of music: the people who make it usually end up getting ripped off.

The demise of the Compact Disc as the dominant music-distribution format has been slow and inevitable. But what, if anything, will replace it?