July 2017 Magazine Contents

Acoustica’s alternative Windows DAW continues to evolve, with a new audio engine and some intriguing new features.

The first plug-in from Acustica’s new Diamond range recreates the master bus EQ of a master!

AKG’s new flagship headphone design offers the benefits of open-backed ‘phones in a closed-back format.

British company Aston have impressed us with their large-diaphragm mics, and now they’re tempting us with a laser-guided SDC!

New sound companies seem to spring up every day, each one bringing a fresh selection of sample library treats. One such...

Audiobus is compatible with Inter-App Audio as a host, and can make use of node apps in the same way as apps written to support Audiobus natively. Version 3 introduces two new areas of functionality: MIDI pipelines and a built-in mixer.

Bastl Instruments’ miniature modular really is very, very small indeed.

The idea behind Blackstar’s Tone:Link is that it will allow any device with an external line input to receive audio streamed by Bluetooth...

This little box puts the sound of 16 miked cabinets at your feet and, unlike convolution software, can sit between an amp and cab.

The DMSD 60 Pro looks very simple yet stylish, comprising eight small circular platforms, four intended for each speaker in a stereo setup.

Billed as both a bonkers sound mangler and a subtle mastering device, can this little grey box really deliver on both counts?

We put leading IEM specialists Etymotic Research’s new flagship design to the test.

Exponential Audio have hot-rodded their ‘character’ reverb, and the results are even more characterful!

The culmination of years of R&D, these revolutionary new speakers offer performance way beyond what you’d expect from their size.

The Klavis Twin Waves, also known as VCDO (Voltage Controlled Dual Oscillator) is a small, skiff-friendly module with a minimal interface.

Korg have created a synth production studio that works on all your devices. Could this be your new second DAW?

By giving you independent access to its front and rear diaphragms, this intriguing mic lets you change polar patterns after recording!

If you are a fan of iOS synths that allow you to get your programming hands dirty, then Layr is going to be of considerable interest.

The design aim with the True Overdrive 1 was to emulate the way valve circuitry behaves, so that the sound cleans up very naturally as you back off the guitar volume control or play quieter.

Morphagene is Make Noise’s attempt to take creative tape splicing and microsound exploration into the 21st century...

Analog Strings is a Kontakt instrument based on a dual-layer playback engine fed from sound sources that include orchestral strings, vintage synths and other sound design elements.

Most people, engineers included, have probably never heard true stereo imaging over speakers — now’s their chance...

Roland have recreated their classic vocoder at a fraction of the cost — and size.

How does this rugged, Latvian-made DI box compare with the established competition?

Squarp’s Pyramid is a versatile 64-track sequencer with a penchant for polyrhythms.

This hardware meter includes USB interfacing and a plug-in for convenient DAW integration.

Trident’s celebrated EQ is now available as a 500-series module, and what better to house it in than the company’s very own chassis?

The Vienna Symphonic team go forward into the past.

We show you why Live’s Amp and Cabinet effects aren’t just for guitarists.

Already dominant elsewhere, audio-over-IP is poised to take over the studio world. We explain how it works — and why there are so many protocols!

Behind every virtual band, there are real producers and engineers. In the case of Gorillaz, they were Anthony Khan and Stephen Sedgwick.

Craft a vintage bass guitar sound using Logic Pro X’s built-in amp modelling plug-ins.

A list of all SOS articles that hold associated media files for July 2017 audio examples.

By stepping back and taking stock, our engineer manages to rescue his own mix of guitars, bass and hurdy-gurdy for an Alt/Folk band!

Which audio interface is right for you and your Pro Tools system?

Blockbuster video game Horizon Zero Dawn took six years to make, and required its three composers to invent an entirely new sound world.

Sonar’s new MIDI Track Pane makes automation easy!

What’s the difference between a track and a channel? In Studio One, this is not a trick question...

A reader’s home-studio monitoring suffers from a lack of low end and poor stereo imaging. Can the Studio SOS team track down the cause?

Our major new series explains how to harness the power of today’s virtual orchestral instruments.

Cubase’s natural home may be the recording studio, but you can also use it for on-stage improvisation.

A new Rack Extension, Grid64g, adds X0X-style step sequencing to Reason instruments.

According to its founder, Tony Rolando, synth module-maker Make Noise was initially inspired by the desire to fill out the Doepfer product line...

Soulful electronic artist/producer SOHN shows us how he layers up, edits and processes his own vocals, and uses Auto-Tune in an unconventional way to create ear-catching textural and percussive elements.

Stay one step ahead of the robots...

Our Editor In Chief vents his wrath on those pesky wall-wart PSUs...

This month: Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki, Stormzy, Sturgill Simpson, Sarah Jarosz and our Classic Mix is Toni Braxton ‘Un-break My Heart’ (1996).

Successful library music writers are efficient, productive and reliable as well as musical — all skills you can develop too.

This remarkable French studio lay dormant for over a decade before being reborn...

The competitors you need to worry about are the ones you haven’t heard of. Yet...

Digital storage has been revolutionary — but the consequences of mishandling it can be severe.