November 2002 Magazine Contents

BLUE's newest hand-built condenser mic is their most affordable yet, and continues their tradition for striking styling. But does it sound as good as it looks?

Following on from the success of their Xtreme Analog library, Emagic have followed up with two more discs of EXS24 sonic ammunition in the form of Xtreme Digital and Xtreme Hip-Hop.

A versatile and cost-effective modular system which can cater for stereo and surround monitoring in both nearfield and midfield applications.

Korg give their creative real-time effects processor a face-lift, adding new algorithms, extra sampling power, and tempo-matching facilities.

Despite the obvious advantages of FireWire as an audio interface protocol, MOTU have had the market to themselves. Now, however, Metric Halo's Mobile I/O looks likely to threaten their dominance, offering true portability and built-in DSP mixing.

3/5 stars. Zero-G continues its range of lower-priced 'Pure' titles with this collection of hip-hop samples of drum loops, scratch loops and turntable tricks...

This new front end from Roland combines two high-quality analogue mic preamps with digital EQ, dynamics, and physical modelling effects. Plus, you can choose to control it from its front panel or from a computer via USB.

Designed to replace the JV1010 as Roland's entry-level synth product, the XV2020 is diminutive, affordable, and crammed with those great XV sounds. But what's it like to use?

***** 5/5 stars. What does a talented bass player do after developing wrist problems? If you're Thomas Skarbye, you use the capabilities of GigaStudio to develop the ultimate bass sample library.

The sampling world, still reeling from the impact of Garritan Orchestral Strings, faces a full-scale onslaught from a fresh challenger.

Sonic Reality's new Sampletank-format library comes with a free player.

Tascam's Pocketstudio might not be quite what you'd call pocket-sized, but it does cram an MP3 digital recorder, a General MIDI sound module and comprehensive multi-effects into an impressively small space.

With their latest recording tool, Tascam aim to entice hobbyists away from their cassette multitrackers and onto their computers.

Years after releasing their successful OB series of digital drawbar organs under the Oberheim brand, Viscount have updated their take on organ modelling with the new DB series. But the march of progress seems to have executed an abrupt about-turn...

Using the same improved technology seen within the 02R96, Yamaha's DM2000 provides an upgrade path for those who need more channels, even more hands-on control, and the purest in mic preamplification.

**** 4/5 stars. We check out this pair of sampled bass guitar titles from respected German developers Yellow Tools.

Suffering from signal degradation or mains hum on your audio lines? The chances are that you're having problems with impedance matching or earth loops. However, with a little understanding and some careful planning, these gremlins can be successfully eliminated.

Is it possible to link multiple Tascam 788 recorders? How can I move files between my computers? How do I use a degausser to demagnetise tape heads? What's the difference between the Sennheiser MD421 and MD421 MkII microphone? Can you suggest a good weighted keyboard? Can I copy vinyl to CD via an S/PDIF connection? Can I use my Logic plug-ins with another sequencer? How do digital errors affect the stereo image?

A special holiday edition of our hands-on troubleshooting column comes direct from sunny Turkey, where Paul White forsakes the beach to help Murat Yucel refine his band's recording setup.

As explained last month, synthesizing the sound of an acoustic piano is difficult, but it can be done reasonably realistically, as the 1986-vintage Roland JX10 shows. We find out how Roland managed it...

An hour spent fine-tuning the performance of your soundcard can yield permanent improvements in background noise, distortion levels and frequency response.

Propellerhead Software's flexible studio package can take you in all kinds of new creative directions if you know how to get the best out of it. Let us be your guide...

All modern sequencers make it easy to enhance your arrangements with subtle tempo variations, but these facilities are often ignored.

One of the UK's most successful instrumentalists, Mike Oldfield is now embarking on a pioneering attempt to combine music and virtual reality.

It's always the music industry that gets blamed when people bemoan the state of music today; but maybe they shouldn't be so eager to point the finger...

The Avalanches' acclaimed debut album Since I Left You is composed almost entirely of samples from other records - but there's nothing lazy or unimaginative about their approach to recording...

You can please some of the people all of the time, or all of the people some of the time; but striking the best balance between the two becomes increasingly difficult as recording technology becomes more fragmented.

This series has already looked at the legalities of song ownership and how to make money from song publishing — but, as the head of your own label, you also make money from record sales. Like publishing income, however, it's not straightforward. We explain the basics...

In the 1980s and early '90s, with Yamaha's help, Korg expanded dramatically, producing some of the first affordable digital recorders and physical-modelling instruments. But it was their world-class synths, such as the M1 and Wavestation, that made them the company they are today...