July 2021 Magazine Contents

This book is essentially an autobiography of the author's experiences in buying and selling all manner of vintage pro‑audio equipment, combined with some fascinating history about the leading manufacturers and their products...

Antelope condense their considerable know‑how into an affordable, bus‑powered interface.

Arturia’s soft synth gets bigger and better.

We put AA’s new open-backed mixing and mastering headphones to the test.

“I believe both producing and engineering are about serving the artist’s needs to help them accomplish their goals,” writes...

EastWest/Quantum Leap unveil their expanded orchestral masterwork and built‑in orchestrator.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars.Terracotta is based around samples taken from recordings of 25 different Terracotta pots, divided into four round‑robin and four velocity layers.

Almost half a century after its initial release, Yamaha’s classic three‑way monitor remains an impressive speaker, and it pioneered the use of diaphragm materials that are still considered cutting‑edge today.

Think you’ve heard everything a compressor can do? It might be time to think again...

If you’re looking for one reverb to rule them all, HOFA’s massively comprehensive plug‑in ticks all the boxes.

Fideleater is a lo‑fi chorus, vibrato and delay pedal whose six controls can be used to access a huge palette of sounds.

If vintage samplers butter your muffin, Isla Instruments have got a full afternoon tea for you.

M‑Audio’s 88‑note controller significantly improves its bang‑per‑buck ratio.

Mackie’s latest cans prove themselves to be serious monitoring tools.

Detroit microphone maker Deni Mesanovic applies his considerable knowledge of transducers to produce an impressive debut studio speaker.

Mastering engineer Ian Shepherd’s first plug‑in has been completely redesigned — with both mastering and mixing in mind.

We try out the second coming of MXL’s affordable valve mic. Was it worth the wait?

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Rhythmus is built from over 2.5GB of samples taken from a variety of ‘found’ percussion.

Novation’s Circuit Tracks is a portable musical playground.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Performance Samples’ description of Vista as a ‘larger‑than‑life’ chamber ensemble aptly describes this beautiful‑sounding string library.

RME’s PCIe audio interface card gets a major overhaul.

Given the significant cost of this pedal, it’s probably going to appeal mainly to those who already know what to expect from it, though the limited production run may also make it of interest to collectors.

The JD‑800 is the latest instrument to join the Roland Cloud.

Roland’s venerable SPD range just keeps getting better...

ROLI’s luminous keyboard offers MPE control and a very colourful way of working.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. These high-quality WAV samples would most certainly feel at home dropped into a high‑end blockbuster movie, action trailer, or AAA video game.

Created in partnership with Empirical Labs, these two emulations form a characterful yet capable channel strip.

So far, monitor and headphone calibration systems have targeted music makers exclusively. Sonarworks’ SoundID aims to solve the problem of mix translation from the consumer end too.

The ability to analyse what you’re hearing is a vital skill for audio engineers. SoundGym is a fun way to hone that ability.

This powerful digital stompbox is far more than just a distortion pedal...

Tegeler add convenient plug‑in remote control to one of their best‑selling processors.

UA have long been among the best developers of analogue‑modelling software, so the world is expecting great things of these little boxes. Do they deliver the goods?

With 32‑bit recording, six inputs and a stereo mix facility, as well as impressive battery life, this versatile compact recorder should have wide appeal.

We consider three different approaches to running a tracking session and comping takes in Reason.

Make your mixes easier by getting the bass sound right from the start.

Paul White explains the basics of Auto-Tune and demonstrates 7 tips to help you create a variety of alternative textured soundscapes.

Cubase 11’s new SuperVision plug‑in makes it easier for Pro and Artist users to trust their ears.

We show you how to set up a multi-song mastering project.

Across 17 years and eight albums, Field Music have become one of Britain’s best-loved guitar bands. They’ve also evolved a...

In the first episode of a new column, we asked Steve Albini to choose a favourite sound from his huge back catalogue and explain how it was created.

If you’re new to recording, it often pays to keep things simple, and when it comes to guitar cabs that means learning how to get the best sound with only one microphone.

Traditionally educated in the art of recording, Bainz has had to adapt to Atlanta rap’s studio culture. Here, he talks us through his mix of Young Thug and Gunna’s hit single, ‘Ski’.

Logic’s Scripter plug‑in opens the doors to powerful custom MIDI manipulation.

Exploring the Hybrid Engine.

The Browser’s presence and impact has swelled to take in all sorts of file‑based functions and probably has a raft of features that you weren’t even aware of.

I was wondering why we put speakers in the classic triangle with the listening point at the apex?

I have an inexpensive ART P16 XLR patchbay that I’d like to reintroduce and I’m wondering whether this will degrade the quality when I’m tracking, mixing and mastering — it would potentially be the weakest link in my signal chain?

DJ, producer and remixer Dave Clarke meets a producer who’s been at the cutting edge of UK techno for more than 25 years.

Traditional hands‑on training gave Leslie Ann Jones the skills she needed to head up one of the world’s most advanced scoring stages.

The career of LA producer and engineer Mark Linett spans everything from live mixing for Frank Zappa to engineering for Randy Newman and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. We talked to him about his studio, the gear of past and present, and his extensive work remixing and remastering classic Beach Boys records.

Learning to capture Indian music in all its rich variety has been a life’s work for Sai Shravanam.

Now resident in Melbourne, Australia, this former Miloco Studios producer/engineer takes our 9-question challenge.

Michelle Moog Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation, talks to Rob Puricelli about her father's legacy.

While it’s too early to pronounce immersive music a commercial success, it would be a mistake to write it off as an attempt to repackage old ideas...

Good photography, like a good recording, comes from a mix of experience and pragmatism...

Paul White chats to Nate Baglyos and Charles Sprinkle of California-based speaker manufacturers Kali Audio.