September 2021 Magazine Contents

This Voice Changer plug‑in is probably going to appeal more to those creating podcasts or low‑budget movies than to music producers...

The Vibraslide is a genuinely unique and impressive take on the guitar sustainer concept.

Love stompboxes but find pedal compressors frustratingly untweakable? This one’s designed with you in mind...

Behringer’s TD‑3‑MO isn’t just a TD‑3 with extra knobs: it’s a completely different instrument.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Whether you are a busy media composer or producer of song‑based music, this library is great for designing complex evolving pad/drone‑type sounds.

Drums are crucial to the sound of so many records, but they’re more complex instruments than most people imagine.

Focal’s revised Alpha‑series speakers offer serious studio monitoring at an entry‑level price.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. CAT's suite of six libraries is designed to provide sounds that fit in with cinematic soundtrack compositions, though there are applications in other musical genres such as chill, EDM and ambient.

Genelec’s high‑tech The Ones series has a new flagship model. We fire it up...

H2 aim to put the legendary sound of Olympic Studios in your 500‑series rack.

The audio files available on this page accompany my review of the...

Could this modern spin on a classic British trio be the perfect analogue front end?

If you want to separate mixed audio, this is the best game in town.

Can this open, portable device help you capture a professional vocal‑booth sound?

Korg’s Modwave is a wavetable powerhouse that can import Serum wavetables without conversion.

When Make Noise label an instrument an ‘experiment’, you know things are about to get interesting...

Modal’s SkulptSynth SE packs an awful lot of synth into a very small package.

Available through United Plugins, Muramasa Audio’s Electrum is a guitar‑style amp, speaker and pedalboard modelling plug...

A top‑tier film composer shares his coveted percussion collection. Is this the best cinematic drums library ever?

Origin Effects' latest offering is inspired by the work of the backline technicians of the ’70s and ’80s who spent time modifying amps in search of new and exciting sounds.

The affordable and stylish Spark 40 packs Positive Grid’s powerful modelling software into a convenient, portable practice amp. What’s not to like?

With RND’s famous Silk circuitry on board, this summing mixer allows you to dial in texture to taste.

The Soundbrenner Core is a smartwatch made for musicians.

SPL combine their acclaimed headphone amps with monitor control facilities and USB audio interfacing.

A long way from their rackmounted Minimoogs, Studio Electronics’ SE‑3X is a four‑filtered, paraphonic monster.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars.  This lovely little library blends beautifully with the rest of the Big Bang Orchestra range.

Warm Audio’s latest mic takes on the venerable Neumann U67. We put it to the test!

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. This Stefano Maccarelli production with vocals provided by the hugely versatile Clara Sorace, includes five multisampled Kontakt instruments, all with a Middle Eastern flavour.

In this episode, Eddie Bazil offers tips for creating a signature sound using sound design techniques and offers a range of suggestions on how drums can be processed.

In Frequency 2, Cubase 11 Pro has a powerful dynamic EQ.

Check out these audio examples which accompany the September 2021 Cubase workshop on Dynamic EQ using Frequency 2.

Producer and engineer David Bottrill is legendary for his work with Peter Gabriel, Tool, Muse, Smashing Pumpkins and Staind....

We guide you through DP’s pitch‑shifting and time‑stretching options.

Gaming is a huge industry, and the thriving indie sector provides plenty of opportunities for new composers.

When asked to pick a favourite sound that he’s worked on, English producer and mixing engineer Tim Palmer nominates the radio speaker guitar intro from Pearl Jam's ‘Black’.

Polo G could have worked with any superstar mix engineer on the planet. Instead, he chose relative unknown Todd Hurtt to mix his hit album Hall Of Fame.

Go beyond the pan pot with Logic’s Direction Mixer.

The newest version of Pro Tools offers much for both native and HDX users.

We check out Reason’s high‑res new look.

We show you how to get great results from self‑recording singers.

Get creative with Studio One’s FX Chains.

Two‑way or three‑way? Ported or sealed? Analogue or DSP‑assisted? We help you navigate the monitor maze and choose the best speakers for your studio.

I’m running my whole studio from one 13 amp socket. I should imagine the total load is no more than one kilowatt. Even at twice...

The music of Priya Ragu is, on the surface, a solo project. However, a closer look at the Sri Lankan Tamil‑Swiss artist’s work reveals a close songwriting and production partnership with her brother, Japhna Gold.

David Bessell talks to Rob Puricelli about how he was inspired by Physical Modelling and sought to explore it further using modular synths and software. 

Pop writing and production today is a team game, and the Monsters & Strangerz are one of the hottest teams around.

Buying equipment can be stressful and difficult, and never more so than in the case of loudspeakers...

Not long ago, I learned a sobering lesson about pet hates and how they can trip you up. I initially dismissed the 1010music...

In the 20 years since its introduction, AMS Neve’s 88R has proved that there is still a market for top-flight, large-format analogue consoles. In this episode, Robin Porter tells Sam Inglis how Neve built upon their design heritage to create what might be the ultimate analogue mixer.

Integrated circuits are fundamental to today’s studio hardware. And when the semiconductor industry sneezes, the music business catches a cold...