November 2018 Magazine Contents

The Treadstone packs a lot of analogue synth into a very small box.

Bechstein have exhaustively sampled one of their own instruments to bring us this lavishly produced virtual piano.

The DC‑2W is based on the same principles as the original flagship Roland SDD‑320 Dimension D processor, and it can emulate both the discontinued DC‑2 pedal and the SDD‑320.

Could Boss’s latest do-it-all modelling processor form the heart of your live or recording rig?

This neat box of tricks offers a wide range of vocal effects, as well as the ability to track the pitch of a guitar or MIDI input.

Outside the big-hitter sample library/virtual instrument developers, there are a whole host of smaller, indie-style developers doing their best to compete, either by offering something unique or accessibly priced. Folio Bass is one such product...

The Erica Synths Drum Sequencer is a drum brain optimised for live performance with plenty of capacity for all your favourite patterns...

For the first product in their new Premier range, Golden Age are tackling perhaps the most famous studio mic of them all.

Gothic Instruments have assembled their Dronar modules into a one-stop-shop for soundscape creation.

Originally best known for their large-format mixing consoles, Harrison have been diversifying in recent years, launching a range of inexpensive cross-platform plug-ins under the AVA sub-brand. We explore their equaliser designed specifically for mastering applications.

HK’s latest compact line array combines ease of setup with power, portability and clarity.

The new Nectar Elements plug-in uses artificial intelligence to help you craft a polished vocal sound. Operation is simplicity itself, but what goes on behind the scenes is actually very sophisticated...

Kludge Audio’s new transformer‑ and inductor‑based modules could be just what’s needed to inject a bit of vintage vibe.

Equipped with audio recording and playback plus a four-channel mixer, the KR‑55 Pro is more than just a rhythm machine.

CenterOne v2 adds a new Center Width control which varies what is counted as belonging to the ‘centre’ component by the algorithm...

Superchord from LMDSP is a plug-in that takes the concept of piano-string sympathetic resonance as a starting point for an incredibly versatile range of riotously creative effects.

Lunastone use cascaded gain stages rather than clipping diodes to achieve their amp-like distortion. And Smooth Drive 1 claims to deliver vintage tones that are just on the edge of break-up, rather than full-on distortion.

Guitar pedals range from the very basic ‘turn a knob’ variety to those with deep MIDI implementations and layers of hidden parameters. Lunastone’s Three Stage Rocket [MIDI Version] overdrive aims to strike a balance between those extremes...

A new suite of plug-ins aims to take the compositional donkey work out of pop and EDM songwriting.

While many multi‑effects units offer a slow‑attack module, finding a discrete pedal to do the job is not so easy. Enter the Slow Engine...

O-G-SUS (Oliver Greschke) is already well known amongst iOS musicians for the excellent Elastic Drums app, but his latest offering is an effects app: Elastic FX.

This update on a popular sE design offers improved specs at a familiar price.

The Sequential Prophet X combines analogue and sample-based synthesis in one enormously ambitious and flexible instrument.

Large and complex orchestral libraries have their place, but most of the time all that many of us need is a simple-to-use product that won’t fill our hard drives with samples that may never see action...

The Entity PS's 100-percent analogue circuitry is capable of producing a huge range of percussive effects including, but not limited to: snares, claps, toms, rim shots, hats, synth percussions, zaps and blips, bass and lead sounds and even new flavours of kick-drum sounds.

Waverazor offers an aggressive take on waveshaping synthesis and some seriously deep editing.

The baby of Unity’s rock-themed monitors might be small, but its low-frequency performance is seriously impressive.

Universal Audio’s new Apollo X range sees the company pull out all the stops to best the competition — have they succeeded?

With full control and recall via a plug-in or the front panel, this hardware EQ promises full integration in a modern DAW-based setup.

Featuring the vocals of Clara Sorace in three different sets of vocal presets, Zero-G’s Electro Virtual Instrument library also includes a sizeable collection of instrument sounds: synths, guitars, leads, pads, drums, drum loops and various sound effects‑style groupings.

To mark its 50th anniversary, two bands have taken to the stage to pay homage to Wendy Carlos’s classic crossover album Switched-On Bach.

If you’re not blessed with flawless piano keyboard skills, don’t worry, Cubase can help.

We delve into Live’s sophisticated new audio delay effect, Echo.

In a world where almost everyone is mixing ‘in the box’, Mark Ralph and Clean Bandit have gone the other way.

A list of all articles that hold associated media files for November 2018 audio examples.

The brief for supplying a sound system for a youth piano concert was to make the rig look and sound as transparent as possible...

Most of the music tech software and gear we use has some concept of recording and reproducing parameter changes. We take a tour of Reason’s extensive automation facilities.

Avid’s new ‘little and often’ update strategy is delivering some really useful improvements. We look over the most recent.

Last month I wrote about techniques for handling narration in Studio One, but I did not mention a tool that...

You don’t have to play synths or ‘real’ instruments to make music: embrace the experimental, and you could use almost anything...

I want to record my drums at home but am having particular issues with noise annoying a downstairs neighbour!

My Rode NT3 mic was producing a nasty medium‑frequency buzz, and I eventually discovered that it was caused by a cheap battery. Taking the battery out and switching on my audio interface’s phantom power solved the problem...

I have a pair of Focal SM9 monitor speakers and am wanting to add a subwoofer. I’m torn between the Focal Sub‑6 and ADAM Sub‑10 Mk2 for playback/DJ’ing vinyl records in my small, treated home studio...

MsM’s bedroom studio in North London helped put grime on the map. Since then, both engineer and music have gone on to bigger things...

Can you honestly say that you use all — or even most — of the features that appear in your DAW’s drop-down menus?

The Lemon Twigs not only draw their musical inspiration from classic power-pop; they’ve also learned to record using authentic ’70s gear and techniques.

Brush up on your listening skills, as we dissect more hits from a recording and production perspective. This month: Mabel, Big Shaq, Eminem (feat. Joyner Lucas) and our classic mix is Petula Clark 'Downtown' (1965).

“...in a big band arrangement the goal is not simply to play the song with a big band, it’s to imagine something unique with it.”

In this video feature, top engineer, producer and author Sylvia Massy (Johnny Cash, Tool) gets exclusive access to the studio and meets Lester Smith, the custodian and maintenance engineer for their astonishing microphone collection.

Established in 2012, Art & Music was founded by Milan-born record producer, musician, pianist, DJ, sound engineer and label manager Bruno Carlo Oggioni, who as an artist also goes by the name of Dr Shiver.

With waveforms on screen now the norm, how do the visually impaired navigate audio production?