May 2016 Magazine Contents

Accusonus’s innovative program brings advanced DSP to bear on a familiar audio problem.

Alto’s latest PA speakers have a few unexpected tricks up their sleeves...

Both Apple’s and Microsoft’s flagship tablet devices are large, powerful and elegant. But which is best for musicians?

Auratone’s classic ‘grotbox’ is back. How does it compare with its modern imitators?

The main Accelerate title might be a bit ambiguous, but the sub-title of this Big Fish Audio sample library —...

We explore Borderlands Granular Synthesizer App for iOS, Shure MV51 iOS/USB condenser mic, and Native Instruments iMaschine 2 sequencer.

Embertone are a US sound company founded in 2012 by composers Alex Davis and Jonathan Churchill. The two self-professed ‘sample-library nerds’.

ESI’s Unik-series monitors have been extensively upgraded, and now offer even better value for money than before.

These 1950s compressors are probably the most revered — and imitated — processors in the world. But what is it that makes them so special?

Focusrite say the Red 4Pre is the pinnacle of their audio interface range. We put it to the test.

The latest version of iZotope’s best-selling restoration software adds powerful new modules, as well as a Post Production Suite bundle aimed at film and TV applications.

The Koma Elektronik Komplex combines four step sequencers in one box, yet still manages to be greater than the sum of its parts.

As studio headphones go, the Lindy HF-40s are quite inexpensive, yet they have a very respectable technical specification. Of...

With its unusual driver configuration, this active loudspeaker hopes to do away with the need for separate stage monitors.

The MF Flange and MF Chorus pedals are the latest in Moog’s Minifooger line, the initial offerings of which we reviewed...

This updated inexpensive ‘groove sketchpad’ takes the idea a few steps further, letting you create scenes: an arrangement of patterns in each of the four groups.

Created in collaboration with the makers of LA Scoring Strings, NI’s new Symphony Series instrument puts a 60-piece string ensemble at your disposal.

A normal upright piano has three strings per key in the upper registers, two for the mid octaves and usually one for the lowest octaves.

The Neumann U87 is one of the most iconic studio microphones in the world. Does Peluso’s homage do it justice?

Phonem sees wavetable synth pioneer Wolfgang Palm turn his attention to the tricky problem of vocal synthesis.

RME’s successor to their popular Babyface audio and MIDI interface is finally available. Does it live up to the company’s usual high standards?

These files accompany the Sample Shop articles in the May 2016 issue.

With options including mix-and-match ‘blue stripe’ and ‘blackface’ modes, this is far more than a simple clone of the classic UREI 1176.

With its unique dual-diaphragm design, is Shure’s latest offering the greatest advance in dynamic mic technology since the Unidyne?

Back in the 1950s, one of Shure’s most popular mics was the Model 51 Sonodyne, which had a distinctive design fashioned to...

On testing a vintage Telefunken preamp, Sonic Farm were so impressed they decided to recreate it — adding their own twist along the way...

A classic orchestral library makes a comeback in a streamlined new format.

Most of us are familiar with transient processors that can shape the attack and release characteristics of percussive sounds — but Oxford Envolution goes much further.

Although first published in 2007, I only became aware of this interesting book very recently, when I found it on a recommended-reading list for a music technology course at a UK university.

Diffusers are usually best deployed in larger rooms, but these new designs could prove useful in the smallest of studios.

This powerful vocal processor puts its controls right where you need them!

Virtual Guitarist was a landmark product in 2002 and now it’s back, reborn in a new ferric guise.

To some, music technology is simply a means to an end and the music is all that matters. To others, music technology holds some technical importance in its own right.

Live offers a number of ways to intelligently remap MIDI drum parts.

Samplitude Pro X2’s aux buses, submix buses and VCAs add up to a powerful and flexible routing system.

Cubase 8.5 introduced Retrologue 2, a powerful virtual analogue synth, and its presets are great — but rolling your own patches can be a lot of fun.

In a transition overseen by long-term collaborator Josh Gudwin, teenage prodigy Justin Bieber has become a grown-up pop star.

With integration for Music Memos, new batch processing tools and expanded multithreading support, the Logic Pro 10.2.1 update gives you more power than ever.

A directory of all media pages that hold the associated media files for May 2016 audio examples.

Our engineer reworks a busy mix, to make the chorus and outro rock like they should.

Audio files to accompany the article.

We explore the ins and outs of the new Track Freeze function in Pro Tools 12.4.

Reaper’s automation lacks a relative trim mode, but now you can add your own.

We show you how to organise your musical scrapbook in Reason.

Zwiepack: Our engineer captured one jazz session using two completely different recording techniques. Which one won the day?

Zwiepack: Our engineer captured one jazz session using two completely different recording techniques. Which one won the day?

Tie up those loose ends and declare your projects finished!

It may look like a humble point upgrade, but Studio One v3.2 brings with it some significant innovations.

Hi there, I’m using some old-style MIDI cables to connect some older synths, however I’m finding that when I plug...

I’ve been trying to get my reverb settings worked out, but when I settle on what I think sounds right two main...

I recently bought myself a pair of Event Opal speakers. I’ve only had them for about 10 days, so I’m still...

I’ve sought advice on ways to attenuate the output of a Fender 65 Reverb amp, so that I can record it at home.

Today’s electronic keyboard players have a lot going for them that guitar players should envy: no tuning problems, no need for pedal effects ...

A project that was started to help unsigned bands show solidarity with victims of the Paris attacks has grown to unite musicians, artists and film-makers from around the world. And it’s not finished yet...

A project that was started to help unsigned bands show solidarity with victims of the Paris attacks has grown to unite musicians, artists and film-makers from around the world. And it’s not finished yet...

The human head was not designed to wear two hats at a time.

This month Mike comments on work by Lalah Hathaway, Little Big Town, Alabama Shakes and Ghost, plus our Classic Mix, Bonnie Tyler's ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’    

When studio owner Martin King left London to move up North, he was swimming against the tide in many ways. However, after six years in operation, the success of EVE Studios in Stockport has justified his decision.

A tour of the legendary Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, including the room where producer Tony Visconti devised and captured the now-mythic three-gated-mic technique for David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’.

Vinyl is booming, but having it pressed can be slow and unpredictable. Enter a retro-focused Nashville studio with an ambitious business plan...

It’s only when you look back that you realise how far you’ve come...

What can studios do to protect themselves when high-profile recordings get leaked?