October 2012 Magazine Contents

For their 65th anniversary, AKG have released this new take on their classic D12. We put it up alongside the original to find out if it’s worthy of the name...

Audio files to accompany the article.

Audient’s modern classic is now available in a smaller format — but there’s nothing cut-down about the sound!

This “portable production system” certainly looks the part, but does its performance measure up to its dramatic styling?

What could be better than a Bettermaker? A Bettermaker made better, of course...

This new library from Big Fish Audio provides 40 loop-based construction kits targeted at mainstream chart rock genres.

Mainstream PC builders Chillblast have made an impressive debut in the music computer market.

The Nord C2D expands on the success of its predecessor with an improved Hammond emulation and the addition, for the first time, of real drawbars.

Coopersonic Audio Engineering produce a range of hand-wired effects in Nottingham, England.

Cornell are well known for their boutique guitar amps, but they've come up with a new twist...

There’s a lot of hype about mic preamps, but there has never been a reliable way to compare them — until we got hold of the world’s cleverest piano...

Many people place their monitors on a desktop, but they’re not usually designed to be used in this way — until now...

Nvelope 500 can be used either as a full-band or a two-band processor.

Eve are a very new name in studio monitoring but, as this active nearfield model proves, they’ve got a wealth of experience behind them...

The A16 Ultra MkII can add 16 channels of line-level I/O to any audio interface that features MADI or dual-ADAT ports — all in the space of a 1U box and for a bargain price!

iTrack Solo is Focusrite's first audio interface designed for use with iOS devices, although it can also be used with a computer via its USB 2 connection.

With the M902 already lauded as one of the best high-end headphone amps, what could Grace do to make it better?

iDrumTune is an app for iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad that's designed to analyse the frequency of any drum and display it on screen.

Speaker stands actually perform multiple functions, only one of which is putting your speaker in the right place.

Ambient Dubstep is part of Loopmasters' rapidly expanding artist series of sample libraries. Put together by Bristol-based producer Phaeleh, this pack is available to download in various formats.

The virtual vintage front panels of LSR Audio’s plug-ins conceal processors with plenty of personality.

Can you really mix a live show without any physical controls? If you have a DL1608 and an Apple iPad, it seems you can...

Check out the SOS roundup of 12 of the current interfaces on the market with links to the SOS review where available.

Audio examples to accompany the article.

V-Metal ultra-detailed, sampled virtual electric guitar instrument.

The market for compact, active PA speakers is a crowded one, but RCF think there’s room for one more...

Roland’s popular SPDS sampling drum pad gains an ‘X’, and a whole lot more besides, in the SPDSX.

A European company’s solo instruments blur the boundaries between virtual and real.

With some innovative concepts borrowed from photo-manipulation software, Sony aim to make spectral editing creative as well as useful.

The Audio Expert is a bold title, with an even bolder claim in its subtitle, but its 23 chapters and roughly 650 pages do constitute a fairly comprehensive...

It's a sad but true fact that most 'sound engineers' actually struggle with some of the technical and mathematical aspects...

When Toontrack's Superior Drummer 2.0 was first released, the only significant criticism that could be made was that it was...

Auria is the first truly professional multitrack recording app to hit the App Store.

With the advent of Lion and Mountain Lion, the way we save and manage documents is changing. But what does this mean for studio musicians?

With 44 million TV viewers and a 10,000-strong live audience, the Grammys are one show that you really don’t want to screw up...

If your drumming needs a little help from technology, Samplitude Pro X has the tools to fix timing.

Video tutorials to accompany the article.

We serve up another smorgasbord of Reason Rack Extensions.

Often overlooked, Apple Loops can be a hugely useful composition tool. So why not make your own in Logic?

Jeff Bhasker doesn’t usually mix his own productions or work with indie-rock bands. With Fun, he did both — and created a worldwide hit.

NI’s Maschine makes a perfect partner for Ableton Live.

Don’t be scared to trash something you’ve already recorded if it helps you to achieve a better end result...

Audio examples which accompany the article.

Get to grips with parallel processing in Studio One, and open up exciting sonic possibilities...

Audio examples to accompany the article.

Audio examples to accompany the article.

In this new column, engineers share their experiences of real-world recording sessions, explaining the decisions they made, and what went right and wrong along the way. First up, we record an indie-rock band on location...

Find out how to build a natural-sounding acoustic drum kit in Cubase’s Groove Agent One.

Avid’s Complete Production Toolkit effectively bridges the gap between HDX and native Pro Tools systems. We look at what you get for your money.

Create looper effects with longer delay times in Sonar.

Windows 8’s new GUI may take some getting used to, but the features it brings should make the effort worthwhile.

I wonder if you can help me with a relatively minor problem that seems to cause a lot of undue irritation! In my work, I tend...

I have a modest bedroom studio with way too many room reflections. I really don't want to apply any treatment to the walls,...

Editor In Chief, Paul White questions vintage gear plug-ins.

Making music used to be a solitary, nocturnal pursuit for Adam Young, aka Owl City. Now, it’s his day job — and there are co-workers involved.

Milk-Plus, Animation, The Badje, Caution Horses, Damien Calcagne, Jack Jeffery, Black Storm, Matteo Bosi.

We’re used to hearing rock albums reworked by electronic producers — but Alanis Morissette chose to do things the other way around...

Need more space? Lose the cymbals!

We examine the production of some recent releases from Paul McCartney, The Maccabees and Fun.

In 2006, Bill Putnam's famous United Western studio complex on West Sunset Boulevard was re-opened as the EastWest Studios retaining much of it's original acoustic design.

When TV composers talk about archiving, they usually mean backing up their hard drives.

Live music is more important to the industry than ever before, but there’s no reason for traditional recording studios to feel left out by this trend...