January 2012 Magazine Contents

Dynamic convolution can be used to ‘sample’ any piece of audio gear. Have Acustica succeeded in giving this advanced technology a friendly face?

This lovely mic from AEA is based on a classic RCA design from the ‘40s. It certainly looks the part, but is it worth the asking price?

Mike Watkinson takes a look at the IK Multimedia iRig MIDI interface for iOS whilst JG Harding examines the Fostex HPP1 portable DAC & headphone amplifier for iOS.

The latest addition to Arturia’s Analog Experience series takes their hybrid software/hardware synth concept even further.

A German artist’s unique instrument designs forge a new sound world.

With an all-analogue signal path and total recall courtesy of digital control, this EQ promises a lot. Does it deliver?

Test plots to accompany the article.

I've yet to clap eyes on the Kurtis Chance Big Band Orchestra, but on the evidence of this new collection of 15 construction kits (comprising around 7GB of audio)

Can a 1W tube amp really deliver a recordable tone? Blackstar think it can...

Monitor controllers aren’t just glorified volume knobs, as this latest offering from Coleman shows...

Paul White checks out this stomp-box effect from Electro Harmonix.

If you’re in the market for a portable recorder, there are plenty to choose from, with a variety of different features and at a wide range of prices...

The other mics in JZ’s Vintage range are based on classic designs of the past — but they hope this one will become a classic in its own right...

Paul White puts these guitar pickups from Kinman through their paces.

If you’re searching for the perfect match of mic and preamp, this useful gadget could help you achieve it...

Native Instruments’ flagship soft sampler continues to improve with age. We look at what’s new in version 5.

Boasting two custom drivers, are Phonak’s new universal IEMs the best monitoring solution for mixing on the move?

The StudioLive range of mixer interfaces now includes a compact 16-channel model.We find out how well it performs on the road.

We examine the Swedish soft-synth specialists’ first foray into the world of hardware: the Balance.

PSP’s latest equaliser seeks to combine analogue smoothness with digital precision.

SE Electronics have enlisted the help of renowned acoustician Andy Munro to design these striking studio monitors. Does their unique approach to speaker design pay off in the real world?

Despite never quite attaining the hip status of the Fender Rhodes, the Wurlitzer 200A electric piano has been a favourite...

Sony’s MDR range of closed‑back cans has been popular in studios for years, and now includes a new flagship model.

Soundhack’s powerful algorithms can provide high‑quality pitch‑shifting — or sonic mayhem!

Steinberg’s Sequel is one of many simple but intuitive loop‑based music programs. What’s new in version 3 — the sequel to the sequel to Sequel?

The toy‑like exterior of Teenage Engineering’s OP1 belies the versatile synth, sequencer, sampler and recorder hidden within. We retreat to our bedroom and put it though its paces...

The concept behind TK’s BC1 is simple: take a classic bus-compressor design and improve on it.

As off‑putting as I found the name of this drum expansion library (I'm pretty sure that a sample library alone isn't...

The Turbosound Milan Mi0 enters a competitive market. Can this little newcomer stand out from the crowd?

Having already given us a virtual studio multitrack tape recorder, the boffins at Universal Audio turn their attention to mastering machines.

As with other titles in Ueberschall's growing catalogue of Elastik-based collections, this is essentially a loop‑based...

It’s not the cheapest PC around and it’s not the most powerful, but this machine might just help you make better recordings.

Yamaha’s MOX range offers unusually tight integration with your DAW. Is this the way forward for synthesizer workstations?

Hugh Robjohns checks out this new speaker stand from Zaor.

With expected component shortages and the consequent rise in hard‑drive prices, what can the PC musician expect from 2012?

We demonstrate that there’s more to Live’s Grain Delay than bizarre effects.

The single ‘Downtown’ gave Petula Clark a worldwide hit and rejuvenated her career. Presiding over the session was engineer Ray Prickett, who tells us how it happened...

Save time and protect yourself from RSI by learning to edit audio in Pro Tools from the QWERTY keyboard.

The multitracks for Evanescence’s third album were so big that they required two maxed-out Pro Tools rigs to play back!

Mastering keyboard shortcuts makes Cubase easier to use and is good for your health!

Many musicians spend their lives trying to cram hundreds of tracks into just two speakers — but performing with an NSML system presents exactly the opposite challenge!

Get up and running with MOTU’s MachFive 3, an ideal software sampler partner for Digital Performer.

We aim for more punch, depth and clarity in a quirky urban track.

Audio files to accompany the article.

If hisses, clicks, thumps or hums wreck a great take, don’t panic: do something about it!

Audio files to accompany the article.

Have some phase‑switching fun in Sonar X1!

Audio files to accompany the article.

We continue our exploration of the new features and functions in Reason 6.

Record your own impulse responses with Reaper’s ReaVerb. • Read Part 1

Optimising vocal recordings and tackling some troublesome mixes are on the agenda this month, as the SOS team travel to Paul Shepherd’s studio in Nottingham.

It should be a stress-free ascent, but our Apple guru finds himself confronted with all kinds of complications when moving to the Cloud...

Take it slow with Logic Pro, as you get to grips with this vinyl effect...

Audio files to accompany the article.

Can you explain a few things about creating MP3s? I'm currently converting WAVs to 24-bit, 44.1kHz and then converting them to...

I'm looking to set up another computer alongside my main computer to slave all my CPU-draining VST instruments and effects. I'...

I've heard a lot about high-pass filtering tracks to reduce clutter at mixdown, but not as much about low-pass filtering in...

I thought I had the whole M/S thing down until I listened to a commercial record and realised their stereo image was wider...

Is there any difference between the quality of S/PDIF connections on low-end and high-end soundcards, or am I right in...

Is the customer really always right?

Ed Sheeran’s phenomenal success depended on hard work, a few lucky breaks, and the talents of long‑term co‑writer and producer Jake Gosling.

The mastering engineer's role is changing as artists explore new formats. And as Björk and Mandy Parnell discovered, what works for the iPad might not work on CD...

Lapplander * Syd Arthur * Audnoyz * Lelio Padovani * Pocket Satellite * Xavier & Ophelia

When sequencers first appeared on the scene, I was concerned that they would distract musicians, specifically keyboard...

• Rizzle Kicks 'Down With The Trumpets' • Foo Fighters 'Rope' • Christina Perri 'Jar Of Hearts' • Nicki Minaj 'Super Bass'

We all have musical skeletons in our closets, but at least media composers don’t have to wheel them out every night at Wembley Arena.

Economic uncertainty and the rise of digital distribution have taken their toll on many major studios, but there is still a future for them.