Issue No. 105

Control Surfaces, MIDI

Not Your Parents' MIDI Controllers: Review of KMI's QuNeo, 12 Step, SoftStep & MIDI Expander

by Keith McMillen Instruments  |  reviewed by Alex Maiolo

Berkeley, California's Keith McMillen Instruments (KMI) has a solid reputation for innovation in an industry sometimes known for releasing products that are often just another variation on a common...

Effects, Plug-Ins

A Swiss-Army Knife for Harmonic Distortion: Pete Weiss Reviews Soundtoys Decapitator

by Soundtoys  |  reviewed by Pete Weiss

Soundtoys Decapitator has been around for a while now, and it's one of my favorite plug-ins. I was surprised when Andy Hong asked if I wanted to review it — oddly, it had never been reviewed in...

Plug-Ins, Software

An "Abbey Road" Plug-In? G. Stanfield Reviews Waves Emulation of the EMI TG12345 Channel Strip

by Waves  |  reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

The legendary TG12345 consoles made by EMI are very rare and scattered around the world, from England to Brazil. If you have scratched the surface of recording history, you know the impact that EMI...

Mic Preamps

Crossing Through the Looking Glass: Thom Monahan Reviews Chandler's TG2-500

by Chandler Limited  |  reviewed by Thom Monahan

Sometimes, it's right in front of your face, and you just don't see it. You're working with your preconceptions and past experiences — and it takes a little time, a flat out mistake, or just...

Converters, Interfaces, Mic Preamps

?You Kids Today and Your Audio Interfaces?: Dana Gumbiner?s Review of Apogee?s Ensemble Thunderbolt 2

by Apogee  |  reviewed by Dana Gumbiner

You kids today and your audio interfaces. Back in my day, we had to trudge five miles uphill in the snow by foot to a dilapidated brick and mortar music shop, then find the one crusty, bitter employee...

Monitoring

?Not For the Street & Subway Crowd?: Andy Hong Reviews Blue?s Innovative Powered Headphones

by Blue Microphones  |  reviewed by Andy Hong

This is the most innovative headphone I've ever seen, and it sounds great. Its low-frequency reproduction is especially impressive — better than any headphone in my collection. But before we...

Effects, Mic Preamps, Signal Processors

The VT-3 Voice Transformer: A review of Roland's new hardware take on the classic vocoder sound

by Roland  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

When Roland's AIRA line was announced at NAMM last year, it was the buzz of the show, mainly for the new instruments inspired by the classic TR-808, TB-303 and SH-101. The VT-3 seemed a bit like the...

Monitoring

One15, One18, Amp100

by Amphion Loudspeakers  |  reviewed by Adam Monk

Natural, musical, clear, detailed, open — these are all buzzwords that you hear in studio monitor speaker talk. The search for new monitors can be daunting, and wading through opinions of...

Consoles/Summing, Dynamics

Nicerizer Junior summing mixer

by Phoenix Audio  |  reviewed by Adam Kagan

Last year, Phoenix Audio, well-known for their history of servicing vintage Neve gear, debuted the newest addition to their line of summing mixers. While their flagship Nicerizer 16 Mk 2 brings the...

Direct Boxes, Mic Preamps

Flexiguy FG500

by NonLinearAudio  |  reviewed by Bobby Lurie

In a galaxy long ago, it was not uncommon to spend a day or two getting a snare drum sound on a big-budget record. Numerous drums were carted to the session and the pounding "thwack" would begin. The...

LDCs, Microphones

True to the Source?: Geoff Stanfield Reviews Audiotechnica's AT5045 Side-Address Condenser Mic

by Audio-Technica  |  reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

Is that a ribbon mic? Is that a square capsule? Those are just a couple of the things I heard clients ask when seeing the new Audio-Technica AT5045. In a world of copies and recreations of classic...

Plug-Ins, Software

RX 4 Advanced, RX 4

by iZotope  |  reviewed by Larry Crane

In issue #100 of Tape Op, I extolled the virtues of iZotope RX 3 audio repair software and gave many examples of how I use this "noise reduction" plug-in suite and standalone application in tracking...

Dynamics, Effects

TBDD 500-series chorus

by TB Audio  |  reviewed by Scott Evans

Brian Horvitz is the proprietor of Boston area-based TB Audio. Brian produces DIY-inspired analog gear, some as kits and some ready to go. His TBDD is a "modern implementation" of Roland's classic...

LDCs, Microphones

600850 Lollipop-Style condenser mic

by Monoprice  |  reviewed by Joseph Lemmer

This multi-pattern, large-diaphragm condenser mic is hefty and appears to be very solidly made. It does not ping at all when flicking any part of the mic with your finger. The all-metal shockmount...