Pro Tools 8: The Test - The Return of the King?
Written testThe new Pro Tools has arrived armed with a bunch of new features: Elastic Pitch, thirty new plugins, five new virtual instruments - Boom (drum machine), Mini Grand (piano), DB-33 (tonewheel organ), V…
Zoom Stack Package: The Test - Tube or not tube
Written testThough the concept may not be original, Zoom has come out with an interesting interface that provides guitarists and bassists with an intuitive software/hardware setup, but with a twist: an integrate…
M-Audio BX8a Deluxe: The Test - Deluxe with a plain price
Written testAfter having updated its entire range of audio interfaces, M-Audio now looks to update its monitors, especially in the wake of their excellent high-level EXS66 monitors. These updates have had great …
Peak Pro 6 XT: The Test - BIAS at their Peak
Written testThough there are many audio editors for PC, the Mac world looks mainly to DSP Quattro, soundBlade, Audacity, WaveBurner or Peak (a non-exhaustive list), whose features range from "very basic" to "ver…
Squier Classic Vibe Series: The Test - Do you feel the vibe?
Written testSquier has been making low-cost guitars based on Fender designs since 1982. Because their early guitars have now become collector items for some, Squier is seeking to regain some of that magic with …
M-Audio Profire 2626: The Test - M-Audio Strikes Again
Written testBest Product awardWith no fewer than 26 inputs, 26 outputs, 8 integrated Octane microphone preamps, and ProTools M-Powered compatibility, the latest interface from M-Audio aims to find its niche in the category of int…
Line 6's Backtrack+Mic: The Test - Backtrack To Inspiration
Written testUnfortunately, we often realize too late that we should have recorded what we just played. How many times have you wished that you could go back in time and hit the record button right before inspira…
Fender Classics Re-issue Pedals: The Test - Classics Live Again
Written testThough not as well known for their pedals as they are for their guitars and basses, Fender has been making classic pedals for more than 50 years. Following the recent re-issue of the Fender Blender …
Novation's Nocturn: The Test - Night Controller
Written testNovation is well known for quality keyboards, MIDI controllers and synthesizers, whether it be hardware or software. Does Nocturn, the newest member of the Novation controller family, featuring the A…
Audient's Mico: The Test - The Mico Dual Preamp
Written testWhen a brand as serious as Audient comes out with a dual mic preamp with tube simulation circuitry, variable phase adjustment and digital outputs for around $1100, one thinks that this type of produc…
SKB's stageFive: The Test - The Pedal King
Written testIt’s no secret that many guitarists like effects and that some are even addicted to their pedals. But of course there comes a time when it becomes necessary to make all these small boxes easier to tr…
TC Helicon's Harmony-G: The Test - The G-Spot of Harmony
Written testAfter having delighted singers with their Voicetone pedals, TC Helicon is trying to seduce guitarist/singers with a pedal capable of simulating vocal harmonies that follow your voice and guitar playi…
Egnater's Tourmaster 4112: The Test - Heavy Weight Sound
Written testMaking tubes more accessible seems to be the trend these days: in the wake of Fender’s big hit with their 5-Watt entry-level amp, the Champion 600, and Line 6’s collaboration with Bogner to warm up i…
Olympus LS-10: The Test - Olympic Champion
Written testWhen Olympus, famous for their clout in the photography world, takes on the audio market, we get the LS-10, a portable digital recorder determined to stake its claim in new territory ...
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…
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…
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.
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…
