July 2013 Magazine Contents

At first glance, the Max49 seems much like other controller keyboards, but it’s got a surprise up its sleeve...

Apogee Duet for iPad & Mac.

Although perhaps still regarded as a toy by some, the iPad is carving out a niche as a...

Can an all-solid-state guitar amp really use DSP to create a convincing tube-like sound and feel?

Until now, specialised multitrack digital recorders designed for capturing live shows have been niche products with hefty price tags. Will Cymatic’s LR16 change that?

DACS reformatted this classic preamp in 2011 to fit the API 500 series ‘Lunchbox’ modular format but it's only now that Hugh has found time to check it out.

Looking for a mic that stands out visually, but offers good technical performance and a classy sound? This hand-made design could well be it...

The third instalment of EastWest’s grand orchestral master plan sees the project nearing the finishing line.

These monitors fall into a price bracket between entry-level monitors and what we think of as more serious speakers.

Thinking of investing in a premium monitor controller? Here’s a selection of models to consider, with links to the SOS review where available.

If I could use one word to sum up the sound of this EQ, it would be ‘clarity’, which is a strange thing for an EQ designed to colour a signal. Read on ....

Metric Halo’s plug-ins have a large and enthusiastic following among Mac users. Can they conquer the Windows world too?

Once again, the Native Instruments team has been at Abbey Road studios, recording a couple of vintage drum kits to create a library with a unique and desirable sound character.

The new Launchpad is brighter, faster and more powerful than the original, but costs the same. What’s not to like?

Malcolm Toft’s latest brainchild enables you to turn your 500-series racks and modules into a fully modular analogue console.

Mic Preamp, EQ & Routing Modules

For their new TwoTwo range, PMC decided to work from the ground up, redesigning their famous transmission line and building new drivers from scratch. Has it all paid off?

The Australian microphone manufacturers have extended their range of mobile device microphones with this SmartLav personal 'lapel' mic.

The Realiser A8 is claimed to be able to capture the sound of any monitoring environment in the world and perfectly reproduce it through headphones. Could it be time to sell your speakers?

Konkrete 3’s barely contained weirdness sets it apart from other drum libraries, as does its unusually tweakable interface.

Boasting a catalogue that includes a full Balinese gamelan, the wonderful Array Mbira, a set of glass instruments and a Cumbrian lithophone (basically, a piano designed by a caveman), UK samplists Soniccouture revel in exotic tuned percussion.

Universal Audio’s latest plug-in is an audacious attempt to bridge the gap between the project studio and professional recording environments.

Can Waldorf’s new synth rock it? Is it easy on the pocket? We plug it into a socket...

Yamaha’s Stagepas is about as portable as a PA system can get — but how does it sound?

The chances are that, like me, you won't have seen the inside of producer Davor Devcic's home, but Lounge & Chill provides us with a pretty good idea of what the ambience must be like in his living room.

Think outside the box with a multiple monitor setup.

Quantise audio like a pro with Logic’s Flex Time.

Ken Andrews won a blind shoot-out against some of the biggest names in the mixing world. His prize: the plum job of mixing Paramore’s acclaimed comeback album.

There’s plenty to get to grips with in Reason 7, including external MIDI and Sliced Audio.

Live 9’s new audio-to-MIDI converter has some off-the-wall uses. Let us explain...

Improve your digital distribution by learning how to use metadata in Studio One.

Making multitrack live recordings has never been easier — but mixing them can still be a challenge!

Audio files to accompany the article.

As the Surface Pro hits these shores, long-time Windows users are still suspicious of Microsoft’s move towards touchscreen functionality.

Pitch correction of vocal parts is now commonplace in all but a few genres. Find out how to craft a professional-sounding result.

Audio files to accompany the article.

Multitimbral virtual instruments can address multiple mixer channels in Samplitude. Here’s how.

A repeat booking is a good chance to improve on everything that went wrong first time around!

Audio files to accompany the article.

Keeping track of your Pro Tools plug-in settings can make your life so much easier.

Don’t save Sonar X2’s TH2 Producer amp-sim just for guitars: drums, synths and vocals can all benefit too.

With a non-existent budget and some serious acoustic problems, it took some quick thinking and a generous helping of goodwill to give this revitalised community centre a functioning recording studio.

Want to fake some vocal harmony parts? Cubase 7 has a range of tools that can help you...

Audio files to accompany the article.

My two sons have been reading on forums about how crosstalk appears in headphones that share a ground connection in a single cable...

I'm an ambient musician looking for an addition to my synth collection. I'm interested in the Quasimidi Polymorph, yet they...

I recently came across a plug-in that incorporates both VU and PPM metering, and it got me thinking: what exactly is the difference between the two?

Vinyl is still the listening format of choice for many consumers. Using it as a recording format is more of a challenge!

This month the SOS staff take a listen to Grip-Like Vice, Stus Rollins, Megan Hook & The Bright Forever, Darren Lock and Gerald Krampl.

Daft Punk spent four years and over a million dollars on their quest to revisit the golden age of record production. Mick Guzauski and Peter Franco were with them all the way.

A tale of a dad, his daughter and a hit from the past.

Mike Senior analyses tracks by Robbie Williams, Swedish House Mafia, Owl City featuring Carly Rae Jepsen, Little Mix and classic mix is Coolio, Gangsta's Paradise.

Editor In Chief, Paul White has some suggestions for 'cabling common sense' !

Do we make our own luck, or does our luck make us? Either way, you need to be prepared when opportunity comes along.

This month we look inside Hollywood's Ocean Way Studios, the "Abbey Road of the West Coast".

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of MIDI, we take a look at the remarkable effect it has had on the music industry.