May 2019 Magazine Contents

Described as 'compact Eurorack enclosures' by 4MS, Pods are a set of small boxes to put just a handful of modules in...

The Airpulse brand may be new to you but they're a company with some serious pedigree, as these unusual monitors prove.

For their newest speaker model, Polish monitor makers APS teamed up with experienced studio designer Troy Germano.

Arturia built their reputation on software recreations of classic synths, now they're back with one of their own.

Audient have used their considerable expertise to create an audio interface just for guitarists.

Audionamix are aiming to make the process of vocal extraction not only better, but quicker.

AudioSourceRE's innovative plug-in provides new ways to slice and dice stereo audio in real time.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Producer Eduardo Tarilonte's library provides a collection of instruments and soundscapes inspired by the sounds of Vikings and the dark ages.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. This solo violin virtual instrument will easily compete with and even surpass products emerging from much larger competitors.

This surprisingly sophisticated reverb pedal from Laney's BCC brand includes features that may even win over the ambient musicians amongst us.

The description 'boost pedal' actually does the Steelpark something of a disservice, since it's also a very sophisticated and flexible low-gain overdrive that works with your amp to recreate a variety of classic tones.

FXpansion's new soft synth boasts sensational sound and an almost unhealthy level of modulation.

Is the SKX the lightweight gigging Hammond you've always dreamed of?

If your thunderous cinematic percussion is getting out of control, you need Taiko Creator.

The Joué offers a highly configurable modular MIDI control system.

Hardware controller specialists Nektar turn their attention to software with the versatile and capable Bolt synthesizer.

In the world of microphones, Neumann's reputation is unmatched. Does their first‑ever pair of headphones live up to the name?

Two new libraries see Orchestral Tools extend their Metropolis series and take a bold leap into the world of big band jazz.

This ambitious overdrive promises to recreate the entire signal path of a valve amp in solid-state electronics.

Robaux are a relatively new German company making Eurorack modules. Their latest is the SWT16+, a 16‑track trigger sequencer...

Re-live the sound of the '70s with this classy combination of limiter and tape emulator.

As rare and expensive as it is desirable, Roland's celebrated modular system has always been out of reach for most of us, but now the company have recreated it for Eurorack.

Daniel Weiss' hardware helped convert mastering engineers to the joys of digital processing. Is it still equally desirable in plug-in format?

Described as an 'organismic synthesizer', the Lyra-8 doesn't merely produce wailing sirens, it excels at screams, drones and a great many flavours of crunchy dissonance.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. The source instrument for this library is a 21-string West African harp called a Kora.

The Sontronics range of phantom‑powered ribbon mics have just been given a major overhaul. We put them to work in a real-world recording session.

Having been impressed with how both microphones performed on a number of sources, our reviewer produced these WAV audio examples so you can hear the results for yourself.

'Good enough' is rarely good enough for SPL, as this thoroughly over-engineered preamp testifies!

Jimmy Page used Supro's small amps during Led Zeppelin's early recording career — and this Blues King 12 combo amplifier has been engineered to recreate those classic sounds.

Featuring four-track recording, overdubbing and mixing facilities, this handy recorder promises more than most...

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. What Toontrack are presenting us with here is more a collection of atmospheric sound-design patches than a virtual Bösendorfer.

Find out how to get the most out of Cakewalk's ripple edit modes.

If you're a magazine newsstand buyer and don't have access to the web articles, here are the 5 videos to accompany this issue's Cubase Pro techniques column.

Cubase Pro 10's VariAudio 3 competes with the best pitch-correction plug-ins around. Find out how by reading our article and watching the videos.

We show you how to integrate your modular soft synths with Ableton Live DAW.

Production crew TMS LDN built their career the hard way — and wrote Lewis Capaldi's smash hit 'Someone You Loved' in an afternoon.

Impact XT isn't only a drum sampler: used with loops, it makes a powerful live performance tool.

Here's how to create glassy, ambient 'shimmer' reverbs in Logic Pro X.

Listing of all SOS May 2019 issue's articles which feature accompanying media files.

Pro Tools' MIDI implementation still has a bad reputation, but the reality is now very different.

In mixing a live recording of a jazz concert, our engineer had to overcome some unusual spill-related challenges.

We show you how to keep Reason in sync with the outside world.

Our engineer has the rare chance to compare an overdubbing approach with a band-in-the-room recording — and the winner is clear!

The audio files available on this page accompany my Session Notes article in SOS May 2019 about recording a rock band...

Digital Performer has all the tools you need to sculpt the perfect vocal sound.

When you record multiple sources in one room, bleed is inevitable. And, used creatively, bleed can make good recordings even better...

I've been struggling with recording and mixing 'epic' guitar sounds. I'm after something that balances aggression with tone, but which doesn't sound too distorted... Any tips?

How should I pan my drum recordings in the mix? For instance, should the hi-hat be on the left or on the right?

Sequential founding father and synth designer Dave Smith made time at Synthplex 2019 to discuss the current state of play of the wonderful world of synthesis.

We visit the tiny home studio scoring television animation's biggest hit since The Simpsons.

In keeping with his South Yorkshire roots, this month's column returns to one of our Editor In Chief's favourite themes, which might best be described as fiscal restraint — or perhaps audio austerity...

To help you brush up on your listening skills, we examine the production of some recent hits from Panic! At The Disco, Mabel, Dan + Shay, Kacey Musgraves plus a classic Carpenters mix.

From ABC to Yes via Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Trevor Horn produced some of the most iconic records of the 1980s. In this feature video, Trevor talks about the art of record production then and now.

"I love the fact that recording and production has become so cheap."

Having the right gear is obviously crucial to the success of any recording studio, but other factors are sometimes overlooked...