August 2020 Magazine Contents

How does the new version of Apple's entry-level laptop fare in a music and audio-based environment?

Arturia's budget keyboard controller offers tremendous value for money with its combination of an 88-note synth-action keyboard and a handy software bundle that includes the latest version of Analog Lab.

Arturia's latest instrument is a software recreation of Oberheim's pinstriped polysynth.

Continua is a three-oscillator, twin-filter analogue-style synthesizer plug‑in for Mac, Windows and iOS, and there's even an experimental Linux build too.

The USB12 is a cardioid condenser microphone that, as its name implies, connects to a computer via USB Type-B socket.

Warmth is the name of the game for these three EQs, which boast modelled Marinair transformers and a range of different virtual vacuum tubes.

SampleX brings the sound of early digital samplers to your DAW.

The NiftyBundle offers an extremely affordable gateway into the world of modular synthesis.

The Fusion Series is all about valves. It's Erica's premium offering of Eurorack modules and is dripping with extreme saturation and deep gooey darkness.

With algorithms ported from their H9 pedal system, MicroPitch is a dual pitch-shifter and a dual delay effect with modulation.

There's rather more to FabFilter's redesigned multiband saturator than a slicker GUI.

G-Sonique's Technol HN1 offers bread-and-butter techno sounds in an easy to use format and at a bargain price.

The AR1 is an algorithmic reverb supporting 64-bit VST and AU plug‑in formats on Mac and Windows.

Speaker-building is an established art, but occasionally it can still yield surprises — such as the strange and wonderful Baby Reds.

SSL's famous listen-mic compressor just got more tweakable.

MAAT's mastering equaliser models the characteristics of 12 analogue EQ designs, but leaves out their real-world drawbacks!

Mackie's first ever studio microphone proves to be an affordable all-rounder.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. Mysteria is primarily aimed at providing dark and suspenseful sounds suitable for use in a cinematic context.

Could this be the perfect partnership between vintage vibe and contemporary convenience?

Suffering for your orchestral arrangements? Divisimate can help.

PreSonus' popular Eris range has been given an XT upgrade. We put them to the test!

This studio DI box goes further than most, adding character to a range of sources.

This comprehensive four-part sample library aims to provide a complete orchestral scoring toolkit.

Is Roland's A‑88 MkII controller keyboard the perfect all-rounder?

If you thought earbuds were a compromise, think again...

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. The 32 singers of this choir sample library were recorded in soprano, alto, tenor and bass sections, each on a separate day, so you can mix and pan them as you like.

Soniccouture deliver a powerful drum sampler engine where you provide the samples.

Source Audio have managed to get the relationship between input envelope and filter response to feel very natural on this envelope-controlled filter.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. Spitfire's literature describes Entropy as delivering post-industrial soundscapes...

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. This latest addition to the ever-expanding EZX expansion library comprises two of drummer Robby Ameen's Pearl custom drum kits, set up and tuned for recording Latin-flavoured rhythms.

Reactive load boxes that also offer top-quality speaker simulation have been seriously expensive — until now...

Xaoc's Odessa aims to bring additive synthesis to the Eurorack world.

XILS Lab have recreated a classic Roland string synth, and made a few improvements to boot.

Hit the ground running with our guide to Akai's celebrated Music Production Centre.

Your DAW makes it easy to fake old-school doubling techniques, and gives you much more control than producers had in days gone by. We show you how...

We continue our exploration of DP's MasterWorks plug‑in suite.

Multiband compressors offer unique advantages over their broadband cousins — but they also present some perilous pitfalls for the unwary.

Cubase Pro's Spectral Comparison EQ makes it easy to figure out why things sound too different or too similar!

Lady Gaga's latest album was two years in the making, and marked a return to her electronic roots.

Time-alignment can help solve problems in multi-mic recordings — but it can also introduce new problems!

Max For Live's versatile MIDI CC devices open up a world of creative control.

Pro Tools 2020.5 brings some handy options for project sharing, plus enhanced EUCON integration.

In this exclusive SOS Video Feature, we talk to jungle producer Pete Cannon about how and why he’s still using Akais, Ataris and Amigas.

Studio One's Music Editor is more than just a piano roll.

Any synth can be coaxed into producing vintage-sounding patches...

Mike Senior delves into some of the most common troubleshooting tasks when dealing with acoustic guitar recordings at mixdown, and shares his own favourite processing fixes.

I've put together 11 of my personal favourite cost-cutting tips that won't burn a hole in your wallet, covering everything from monitoring and recording improvements to making your instruments play that bit better.

AMD's third-generation Ryzen chips have reignited the CPU arms race with Intel — but which is best for a music-production PC?

Welcome to Sound On Sound's regularly updated, indispensible explanations of technical terms from the fields of Recording, Audio Production, Music Technology, MIDI, Music Software, Audio Plug-ins, Mac and PC Computing, Live Sound, Acoustics, Electronics and more...

I'm looking for advice as to what I should be considering as my next move, to give me the 'oomph' for creating music that uses the best sample libraries for orchestra...

How do I tell which preamps are good and which aren't? Are there any particular specs I should I look out for?

You are that rarest of things, a musician with money to spend. Should you use that money to pay for studio time? Or invest in your own equipment and record your music at home?

Frank Zappa was as fastidious about cataloguing his recordings as he was about making them. The task of mixing this enormous archive falls to one man...

An explosive Glastonbury performance and acclaimed second album have propelled Georgia Barnes into the mainstream.

We all want our music-making tools to be intuitive. But what does that actually mean?

Robin Rimbaud, AKA Scanner, takes us on an autobiographical sonic journey as he talks about his early fascination with tape recorders, to life beyond the computer screen and his studio filled with modular and table-top synths.

It's fair to say that keytars have had bad press over the years. It's my view that this malicious campaign was started by...

SOS Technical Editor Hugh Robjohns chats to the MD of Cranborne Audio, Sean Karpowicz, about how and why he started this innovative British pro-audio manufacturer, the many business and technical challenges involved along the way, and his company's approach to product design and manufacture.