Portico Series: The Test - Rupert Neve Designs Portico Series
Written testNeve. If there’s one name that causes the studio professional’s pulse to quicken, this is it! Even if the company has gone their own separate way with AMS since 1985, Rupert Neve, creator of the bran…
Line 6's M13: The Test - PODal board?
Written testLine 6 has been so strongly associated with their Pod that one almost overlooks the fact that their other line of products, stomp box modelers, have long been part of many guitarist’s (some of them f…
Learning to Read Music - Music Notation Basics
LearningIt's never too late to learn how to read music, and with a little practice and tenacity, the basics can be learned quite quickly. And because knowing how to read and write music still has its benefit…
Time (1) - Basics of Acoustics: Time (I)
LearningWith stopwatch in hand, our perception of time seems straightforward. But in everyday life we’re not always watching the clock, and everyone knows that the passage of time is relative. It differs fro…
Mackie MR8 Monitors: The Test - Mackie HRs on a Budget?
Written testMackie has a long history with monitors. The original HR824 monitors, now in MKII version, are best sellers and standard fare in many studios, large or small.
Audio-Technica's ATH-ANC3: The Test - Double Isolation?
Written testFor travelers who want to listen to their favorite music without bothering others or being bothered, using an ordinary pair of headphones doesn’t always give you total isolation. So then came along i…
Ibanez RG420EG-SBK: The Test - Spider Axe
Written testIt’s already been 25 years. You wouldn’t think so, but the RG model from our Japanese friends, Ibanez, first appeared a quarter of a century ago, and has since made its way into the Metal and shredde…
M-Audio's Fast Track Ultra: The Test - Ultra affordable
Written testM-Audio recently presented their latest addition to the Fast Track family: the Ultra, a USB audio interface with 4 Octane preamps, integrated effects, and advanced routing. Is it a worthy successor …
Wallander Instruments' WIVI Player: The Test - What's a WIVI?
Written testWhile certain sound libraries have been waging a gigabyte war, others have taken the synthesis route, such as the Wallander WIVI, who with only its few hundred megabytes takes on the sample library t…
Microphone Types - Microphones: How to choose
LearningLong the role of the professional sound engineer, choosing the appropriate microphone has now become, with the proliferation of the home studio, the task of the amateur and even the beginner. This ch…
Line 6's Micro Spider: The Test - Itsy Bitsy Spider
Written testDetermined not to let Roland’s Micro Cube and Vox’s DA5 be the only contenders for portable-amp champ, Line 6 has entered the ring with its Micro Spider.
GM, GS & XG: A Little History - MIDI: The GM Standard and its Extensions
LearningMany sound cards and synthesizers, as well as most audio software, are compatible with one of the three midi norms (GM, GS, XG). Though MIDI has long since proven its utility, the existence of differ…
Arturia's Analog Factory Experience: The Test - The Arturia Experience
Written testArturia has been showing more and more interest in software/hardware solutions, as can be seen with some of their top of the line projects, such as Origin. The editor also offers a more affordable so…
Digidesign's Velvet: The Test - Tines in Velvet wrapping
Written testElectric Pianos never seem to go out of style; and because they’ve now gone virtual, Digidesign has decided to come out with their own version of these timeless instruments.
The Test of QuikQuak's RaySpace - Reverb Construction Kit
Written testThere’s such a plethora of software reverbs, that an editor who wants to be a cut above the rest has to rely on originality. By allowing you to create any reverberating space you’d like, and to preci…