September 2020 Magazine Contents

This classy USB mic offers a useful range of polar patterns.

Based on impulse responses, Spaces incorporates profiles of some of Bob Clearmountain's favourite rooms and echo chambers, along with some of the processing used on many of his hit records.

Logic Pro X 10.5 introduces a raft of new features and remains exceptional value for money.

Arturia's audio interfaces just keep getting better.

With added functionality and improved specs, this great preamp just got better.

These two plug‑ins bring you the spirit of their 'unobtainium' hardware counterparts!

Many of the features that won live sound engineers over to digital desks also have huge potential in the studio. We check out some of the best options.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Primarily aimed at media composers, Trails is best described as a blend of playable instrument, rhythm/pulse creation and abstract sound design.

Undulator combines multitap delay with feedback and detuning, alongside a multi-waveform tremolo whose depth and speed can themselves be modulated.

Need a flexible, on-the-go keyboard? Look no further...

IK's Z‑Tone products put the user in control of pickup, impedance and load variables, by equipping a high-quality preamp with the means to adjust the input impedance to best suit the instrument.

We bask in the reflective glory of a rather special algorithmic reverb generator.

Best known for their high-end guitar reverb effects pedals, the company has recently ported their reverb algorithm into software.

The third generation Launchkey offers versatile control over hardware and software alike.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. This tasteful 60GB library is the flagship of the Organic Samples range and consists of violin, viola and cello solo instruments recorded at the Teldex Scoring Stage, Berlin, from five mic positions.

From subtle warmth to full-on modulated mayhem, this plug‑in covers a lot of ground.

This Brainworx EQ is inspired by esoteric mastering hardware.

Scaler 2 is just the thing to get you out of a songwriting rut.

The newest addition to the Quantum range offers a plethora of I/O and excellent latency performance for a very reasonable price.

Studio One continues to battle the big hitters with a broad range of enhancements and new features.

This remote-controllable preamp boasts some unusual features aimed largely at the live-sound market.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. CGM is an impressive beast. With over 850 instruments and presets included, there's plenty to explore even before you dig into the multitude of possibilities offered by the powerful front-end.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. This expansion pack for Spectrasonics Omnisphere is described by its Polish creators as a collection of ambient sounds inspired by the sea.

SubBass Doctor 808 is designed to add sub-bass to sounds that already reside in the sub-50Hz low-frequency register.

Looperator takes any audio source and slices it into 16 steps, applying a series of effects to any step that include filters, stutters, slices, distortion, tape stops, volume modulation and looping.

The Viennese maestros go intergalactic with their full-scale orchestra range.

Though small and quiet, this stereo combo is big on possibilities...

Yamaha look to reclaim their stage keyboard crown with two world-class live instruments.

Future-proof your projects. We examine the archival options for users of Cubase Elements, Artist or Pro.

The latest version of DP includes some powerful timing & tempo-manipulation tools.

Grammy Award-winning engineer and producer Dom Morley chats with Sam Inglis about the art and craft of recording and mixing vocals.

Distortion can be a surprisingly useful mix effect, if you know what you're doing. Mike Senior reveals several common applications, and explains how to get the best results in practice.

Haim's latest album was made with a mix of old-school and modern techniques and equipment.

Here's how to prevent those pesky esses from ruining your tracks!

Everything you need to know to get your DAW talking to your modular system via your audio interface.

We explore Avid's Pro Multiband Splitter plug‑in.

The free and open-source Jamulus app lets you play along with other musicians over the Internet in real time. We guide you through it.

Reason has two completely different systems for configuring MIDI sources. We unpick some of the confusion around this to find the best ways to sequence and play Reason from external devices.

Whether you are setting up a bedroom studio or the next Abbey Road, choosing the right audio interface for your needs can be brain-meltingly difficult. Editor In Chief Sam Inglis breaks down everything you need to know into 26 bite-sized chunks!

The audio interface is at the centre of every modern studio, but how do you choose the right one for you?

I'm trying to get an old TC Reverb 6000 MkI connected digitally to my new UAD‑Apollo x8 interface to give me four stereo reverb engines...

What exactly is the crossover frequency in studio monitors, and how much attention do I need to pay to that spec?

My home studio is plagued by dust! It seems to get everywhere. Is there a 'right' way to clean this stuff?

Here are 10 ways engineers and studio owners can ensure the studio works as well for the musicians as it does for themselves.

Why is Sound On Sound publishing a major article about choosing an audio interface? Many reasons...

We talk to prolific producer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith about her ambient compositions and love of Buchla synths.

Dr Manny Fernandez has been heavily involved in development and programming for Yamaha and is best known for his FM and Physical Modelling work through their glory years of new synthesis technologies in the DX7II, SY77/99, VL1, VP1, EX5, AN1x and FS1R. More recently he has been working with the Reface DX, Montage and MODX.

The rules of heavy metal are well established, but for their latest album, Pigsx7 guitarist and producer Sam Grant added a few of his own.

Ross Orton talks to Nigel Humberstone about his transition from playing drums with Jarvis Cocker into the world of production, remixing and songwriting. His steel city stories include working with Arctic Monkeys & Working Men’s Club.

JBL Control Ones with dented grilles, sticky with fake blood, painted bright yellow for some forgotten scenery reason, are the unsung heroes of theatre audio delivery.