June 2002 Magazine Contents

**** Score = 4/5. This library offers around 100 drum loops, divided into Breakbeats and Live Drums categories, plus music loops consisting of gated effects and short licks played on Rhodes, sax and upright bass...

Built as an authentic replica of one of the all-time classic mics, this premium ribbon model from Audio Engineering Associates brings a unique character to the modern studio.

Prior to taking over the sampling world, Akai launched a hybrid analogue/digital synth with a unique interface.

**** Score = 4/5. Supplied as a two-CD set containing both audio and WAV-file content, the underlying concept is "the creation of grooves that enter the bloodstream as fast as possible", hence the name Intravenous.

The Apprentice — a keyboard-less wooden casing designed to house synth modules — is the latest addition to Analogue Systems' fully modular Integrator series of analogue synths. We test one fitted with some of the company's new modules...

The enhanced V‑Amp 2 has more sounds and more features... for less money!

**** Score = 4/5 stars. Celtic Instruments is a collection of 13 multisampled instruments supplied on two Giga-format CD-ROMs (which are compatible with HALion).

The latest addition to Boss & Roland's SP phrase sampler range, the SP505, is crammed full of sample-editing options and dance/hip-hop-oriented ROM sounds, and continues the current trend towards ever-expanding feature sets.

The most affordable Pro Tools system ever promises trouble-free USB recording, high-quality audio hardware and the freedom to record wherever you want. Is it too good to be true?

Despite the obvious attractions of portable recording systems based around laptop computers, high-quality compatible audio hardware is scarce. That looks set to change, however, now that Echo Audio have adapted their popular Mona and Layla 24 interfaces for laptop use.

Cutting-edge technology, incredible dynamics, but is it really a studio monitor?

Two more visually distinctive rack units from Line 6, designed to model the hallowed sounds of antiquity.

For applications where space or portability are at a premium, it is hard to beat this compact, two-octave MIDI master keyboard, which also incorporates eight assignable real-time MIDI controllers.

The new flagship of the Mindprint range provides a powerful combination of preamp, EQ and valve dynamics. Can it possibly sound as good as it looks?

A powerful little half-rack valve preamp including three-band EQ and a digital output with word clock as standard.

Just when we thought large-diaphragm capacitor mics couldn't get any more affordable, along come these fiercely competitive models, with a shockmount and aluminium case thrown in just for good measure!

Roland's latest module provides the most affordable way yet to access the company's fine XV soundset, albeit with reduced polyphony and a less intuitive user interface compared to the more expensive XV5080. We weigh up the pros and cons.

We check out Sennheiser's flagship open-backed headphones, compensated to make them sound more like speakers.

Heavyweight TC effects processing but with a menu-free, easy-to-use, hands-on interface.

Yamaha' s cutting-edge reverberation processor uses convolution techniques to sample the ambience of real acoustic environments, allowing extremely accurate simulations.

Not all PC problems are down to software, and a huge range of difficulties - from occasional glitches to complete system failure - can actually be caused by hardware faults. Here's how to diagnose and cure some of the most common.

The Wavestation can prove extremely frustrating to use, but can produce sounds that are almost impossible to recreate on any other instrument. So here's some hands-on advice for getting the best from Korg's Wavestation series of synthesizers.

Loudspeakers are traditionally designed for either monitor or hi-fi applications, but is there actually any difference? And just how suitable are hi-fi speakers for nearfield monitoring in the project studio? In Part 1 this month, we examine measured responses.

Having analysed the complex process by which a cymbal makes its sound, it's time to synthesize our own...

You can achieve a lot with just a computer and a soundcard, but when you want to accommodate external sound sources or record with high-quality microphones then you really need to add a hardware mixer to your setup. Here's how to hook it all together for maximum flexibility.

Direct Injection (DI) boxes can be real problem-solvers in the studio, but you have to choose the right one for the job.

Is there any benefit in optional digital converters? How can I get my MOTU FastLane to work with OMS and Cubase? Will I have problems running dual monitors on the latest Macs? Why do my final mixes always end up in mono? Is there a way to bounce mixes in Ableton Live? Can you recommend a cheap and simple PC software sampler?

For his latest solo project, innovative DJ and producer Howie B set himself a difficult challenge: to create live, improvisational dance music with a minimal setup.

Queen's seminal 1975 album and the worldwide hit from it, 'Bohemian Rhapsody', might almost have been tailor-made for surround sound. Now guitarist Brian May and engineer/surround specialist Elliot Scheiner have remixed this masterpiece for what promises to be a genre-defining DVD-Audio release.

Another 'through the keyhole' glimpse into a reader's studio reveals how it's possible to turn your hobby into a job, with a TV commission to help you on your way.

What can you do when you've reached the limits of technical innovation? According to Garbage, the answer is to go back to the basics of songwriting.

The Chairman of the UK Music Producers' Guild argues that producers should be paid performance royalties for their studio contributions, even if they don't actually play.

Roger Linn's name may be forever associated with the birth of the first serious, sample-based drum machine in 1979, but now, after years away from instrument design, he's back with a new guitar-oriented product offering rhythmic filter effects.

Even in the simplest of studios, cables breed like rabbits on Viagra. If the whole thing isn't to descend into 'cable anarchy', you have to impose some kind of order...