May 2023 Magazine Contents

Disrupter is an experimental, performance‑driven, 303‑style sequencer with innovative randomisation features that you can still control when needed.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. Vintage Country is a collection of both playable instruments and performance loops designed to capture the authentic sound used in, well, vintage country recordings.

Simon Taylor’s latest book presents an easy‑to‑follow approach to in‑the‑box mastering aimed at the novice or nervous would‑be mastering engineer.

It’s equalisation, Jim... but not as we know it!

Croatia‑based manufacturer DryBell’s Module 4 design aims to recreate the famous Orange Squeezer compressor.

This boutique compressor sounds every bit as classy and characterful as it looks.

These audio examples accompany the review of the Electric & Company EC5B Limiting Amplifier in the SOS May 2023 issue.

FabFilter go back to their roots with a brand‑new version of their Twin soft synth.

Fracture Sounds serve up a trio of intimate piano sample libraries: Woodchester Piano, Midnight Grand and Glacier Keys.

There’s more to this vintage vibe machine than dirt, wow and flutter!

KIT’s latest collaboration with Blackbird Studio brings us their take on the Neve 1073.

Lauten Audio’s LA‑120 is not so much a pencil mic as an entire box of crayons!

This classy vocal mic brings studio sound quality to the stage.

Lewitt dare to be different with their first foray into the world of audio interfaces.

There’s a lot to like about MiMU’s unusually gelatinous take on granular synthesis.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars. A huge 362GB collection of complex, playable, largely chromatic long drones created by Alexander Hacke of Einstürzende Neubauten.

Do you really need another filter plug‑in? We didn’t think so either — until we tried this one!

Ever wanted to run already recorded signals through a guitar amp or stompbox? One of these boxes could be all you need...

Rode’s new desktop mic gives you a broadcast‑ready sound out of the box.

Roland’s SH‑4d is an ambitious amalgam of synth and sequencer in a battery‑powered box.

Is Roland’s SPD‑SX Pro the best percussion pad you can buy?

Meet the Seaboard Rise 2, the squishy sequel to ROLI’s original expressive keyboard controller.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. Sound Dust’s Felt Dulcitone is a rather oddball instrument created by abusing a dulcitone portable keyboard.

Spitfire’s new symphonic double‑bill combines two complete orchestras and a host of extras.

HALion is back, and it’s bigger, better and FMier than ever!

Wobbler2 adds a drum synthesizer to the Wobbler LFO module that was released in 2018.

This isn’t the first virtual Leslie speaker plug‑in — but it might just be the best one yet!

Magma offers a one‑stop shop for analogue‑style attitude and warmth.

Yamaha’s new all‑in‑one speaker packs a lot of sound into a portable package.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. This library is a collection of drum samples from seven‑time Grammy‑winning recording/mixing engineer John ‘Yosh’ Jaszcz, whose credits include George Clinton and Bootsy Collins.

With its Raiser plug‑in, Cubase Pro can raise hell with your drum sounds!

These four audio examples illustrate the ideas discussed in the Cubase workshop in SOS May 2023.

Despite being over 30 years old, ADAT Lightpipe remains the number one way to add more inputs and outputs to your DAW.

Grammy-winning Samuel Dixon picks his favourite sound from the records he’s made, focusing on Australian singer‑songwriter Meg Washington’s track ‘Switches’.

High‑end outboard is an essential part of Prash Mistry’s mixing and mastering setup — as heard on Kali Uchis’ hit album Red Moon In Venus.

Novation’s Launchpad controllers offer hands‑on control over Logic’s Live Loops.

We tend instinctively to think of audio‑rate oscillators as sound‑generating circuits and low‑frequency oscillators (...

When should you Commit your audio, and when should you Freeze it?

In allowing you to create feedback loops, Reaper gives you access to a world of creative effects.

These four audio examples illustrate the ideas discussed in the Reaper workshop in SOS May 2023.

We revisit Reason’s venerable virtual analogue, Subtractor.

Standard test signals can be incredibly useful when configuring and aligning audio equipment — and we’ve created a set of properly calibrated test files just for you! Read on to find out how to use them and where to find them.

Get your hands on these SOS Audio Test Files which accompany our SOS May 2023 workshop.

We explore the mixing possibilities offered by Studio One’s console.

The studio should be a place of calm, but it’s hard to relax when your financial security and self‑worth are constantly on the line.

What’s the best technique, or combination of methods, for refreshing the high end when pitching-down samples?

I have a 500‑series setup which includes some mic preamps that I’d like to wire up to a jack patchbay, is it possible to block phantom power?

Are you forever having to untangle your mic leads? Sandwich bags might just be the answer...

Created on sequencers, synths and drum machines in a basement bunker beneath Somerset House, London, LoneLady talks to Caro C about the making of her third studio album Former Things.

Peter Wade talks to Paul White about his route into the industry, from starting out as an electronics engineer through to opening his own valve amp repair company, Revalver.

Born and raised in Colombia, engineer and producer Maria Elisa Ayerbe speaks to SOS about her career and influences.

The economics of hardware goods are familiar, but how do manufacturers factor prices for plug-ins?

As an immature, financially irresponsible man‑child with lingering delusions of rockstardom, I have a modest collection of guitars...

Ricky Damian is a Grammy Award-winning Engineer/Producer who’s worked with artists such as Mark Ronson, Lady Gaga, Sam Smith, Adele, Dua Lipa, Yebba, Jorja Smith and Sampha.