Issue No. 38

Amplifiers, Dynamics

GTQ2 Stereo Mic Amplifier

by Aurora Audio  |  reviewed by Drew Townson

Admittedly, there are more than a couple Neve 1073 mic-pre/EQ clones out there. While one may claim to be a true reproduction, another will call itself a variation. Well it's time for those companies...

Mic Preamps

DRS-2 Stereo Mic Preamp

by Phoenix Audio  |  reviewed by Eanna Cunnane

Needing a good dual channel pre for stereo recording, I recently purchased a DRS-2 from Phoenix Audio UK. Although it's an original design, the DRS-2 has some Neve heritage; its Marconi switches are...

Acoustics

AlphaEnviro Hanging Baffles

by Acoustical Solutions  |  reviewed by Andy Hong

In the last three issues, I've reviewed a number of moveable products that I'm using in my tracking room to control acoustics. With only one live room that's suitable for full-volume tracking, I...

Accessories

90-R100-RR console desk

by Argosy  |  reviewed by Andy Hong

Studio furniture for home and project studios needs to meet different criteria than furniture for large commercial facilities. For starters, smaller studios tend to be in basements or rooms with...

Software, Virtual Instruments

Vol. 1

by Drums on Demand  |  reviewed by Larry Crane

This is a CD-ROM of stereo drum tracks (real drums, real room) recorded as WAV files at 24-bit, 44.1 kHz. There are 41 song sets with up to 33 parts (fill, chorus, etc) per song. Plus, there are solo...

Microphones

R84 ribbon microphone

by AEA  |  reviewed by Larry Crane

"More mics," that's what I always ask for when Christmas comes around. All the other tools used for recording are great, but mics are always the first in line to capture acoustic-based sounds. I'm...

Amplifiers, Direct Boxes, Signal Processors

JD7 Injector Signal Distribution Amp

by Radial  |  reviewed by Pete Weiss

Ever try to get the best of both worlds by sending a guitar signal through two amps using an A-B-Y box? I used to love this technique in theory, but every time I tried it, I was left severely...

Microphones

Convertible microphone system

by Korby  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi, Kirt Shearer

The Korby Convertible is a tube microphone body with four hot-swappable capsules that claim to sound like Neumann U 67, Neumann U 47, Telefunken Elam 251 and AKG C 12 mics. The mic is hand made, and...

Accessories, Software, Tools

Awesome DAW SUM Sampler

by 3D Audio  |  reviewed by Larry Crane

Concerned about "mixing in the box"? Want to really hear the side effects of different software mixers, analog consoles, digital consoles, bus summing? There are 29 mixing platforms here, with the "A"...

Amplifiers, Monitoring

HDS-6, HR-6

by Furman  |  reviewed by Andy Hong

This summer I had the pleasure of recording the band Ida in my studio. During "basics" tracking, the band insisted on playing as many of the instruments "live" as possible. With four band members and...

Converters, Mic Preamps

ISA 428 Pre Pack

by Focusrite  |  reviewed by Scott Craggs

The ISA 428 is Focusrite's entry in the rapidly crowding DAW front-end field. Stock, it's basically four mic preamps in a box. With the addition of an optional card, you get eight channels of 24-bit,...

Microphones

Ball microphone

by BLUE  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi, Larry Crane, Steve Silverstein

With its unusual design, the Ball mic from BLUE has generated a good deal of interest. Here are three different perspectives on the mic. ($200 street; www.bluemic.com) The BLUE Ball is a unique new...

Control Surfaces, Interfaces

Nuendo 2.0

by Steinberg  |  reviewed by David Huber

Over the last few years, a handful of DAW's have moved past puberty and have become serious, feature- packed, digital-audio production systems. One of the forerunners in this field is Steinberg's...

Effects, Signal Processors

Reverb 4000

by TC Electronic  |  reviewed by Adam Kagan

We've all become accustomed to the phrase "This is the best processor, mic, etc. for under x thousand dollars." We have also come to realize what that phrase means: The item doesn't sound quite as...

Effects, Signal Processors

SPX2000 multi-effect processor

by Yamaha  |  reviewed by Adam Kagan

Yamaha has done it again-literally. The SPX2000 has just been released and continues faithfully in the tradition of SPX90, 90II 900, 990 and SPX1000. Is there anyone out there who hasn't used an SPX...

Acoustics

MiniTraps

by RealTraps  |  reviewed by Larry Crane

In Tape Op #36, Andy Hong favorably reviewed the RealTraps bass traps. I won't go over all the details, but the basic gist is that RealTraps are flat acoustic panel treatments for recording spaces...