Issue No. 111

Monitoring

Alpha 50 Active Monitors, Alpha 80 Active Monitors

by Focal Professional  |  reviewed by Lance Jackman, Scott McChane

In a previous issue, I wrote a glowing review of Focal Professional's mid-priced Alpha 65 2-way active nearfield monitor [Tape Op #104]. The Alpha 50 is the smallest speaker...

Control Surfaces, Sequencer

BeatStep Pro Controller & Sequencer

by Arturia  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi, Suzanne Ciani

While I have a few minor quibbles, the Arturia BeatStep Pro is a super fun hardware sequencer and controller, and it's a great deal. Go price out a 16-step analog sequencer, and you'll have a hard...

Plug-Ins, Signal Processors

PSP L’otary rotary speaker plug-in

by PSPaudioware.com  |  reviewed by Dave Cerminara

PSP L'otary is an emulation of the classic Leslie 122 and 147 rotary cabinets. I've been a big fan of PSP's products since my first use of the company's fantastic rendition of the Lexicon PCM 42 delay...

Amplifiers

AHB2 power amplifier , DAC2HGC A/D converter & preamp

by Benchmark Media Systems  |  reviewed by Tom Fine

Before she joined Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick was in a band called The Great Society. They made an LP, Conspicuous Only in Its Absence, the title of which has stuck in my mind ever since I first...

Dynamics, Plug-Ins

Pro-C 2 compressor plug-in

by FabFilter  |  reviewed by Dave Hidek

FabFilter Pro-C 2 is the new and improved version of their Pro-C, a compressor plug-in that captured many hearts back in 2007, in part due to its GUI that was straight out of Star Trek: The Next...

Plug-Ins, Reverbs

ÜberMod, Freq Echo, Shimmer, Room, VintageVerb, and Plate reverb plug-ins

by Valhalla DSP  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

Valhalla DSP is a new plug-in company consisting of Sean (coding) and Kristin (graphics, marketing) Costello, who together run a small and efficient operation. There are a few things that make...

Media

Folkways Records: Moses Asch and His Encyclopedia of Sound, Richard Carlin, Peter D. Goldsmith

by Tony Olmsted  |  reviewed by Matt Frazier

Moses Asch is almost certainly the only record-label owner to have had his aspirations personally endorsed by Albert Einstein. From this auspicious encounter, Asch went on to release titles by...

Interfaces

Apollo 8p Thunderbolt 2 audio interface

by Universal Audio  |  reviewed by Dana Gumbiner

Universal Audio is back with updated versions of their well-regarded Apollo line of interfaces [Tape Op #95, #99, #101]. Let's talk about the Apollo 8p variant. Similar to its predecessor, this is a...

Plug-Ins, Signal Processors

Anthology X plug-in bundle

by Eventide  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

As I mentioned in my review of Pro Tools HD Native [Tape Op #84], when I ditched my TDM rig for a native system, I never looked back - with the one exception being the loss of the TDM-only Eventide...

Mic Preamps

B1 & B1D 500-series mic preamps

by Burl Audio  |  reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

Burl Audio is already well known and loved for its two-channel B2 Bomber AD/DA converter [Tape Op #79] and multi-channel B80 Mothership [#84], but maybe less so for its boutique all-analog audio gear....

Monitoring

5C Super Sound Cube speaker

by Auratone  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi, Andy Hong, Scott McChane

John Baccigaluppi and Scott McChane both spent time on the recently reintroduced Auratone 5C Super Sound Cube. John owns a pair of vintage 5C speakers that he's relied on for 25 years; they are...

Accessories

NC3FXX / NC3MXX-B-CRYSTAL XLR connectors

by Neutrik  |  reviewed by Allen Farmelo

While shopping around for some XLR connectors, I came across the NC3MXX-B-CRYSTAL connector from Neutrik and just laughed. A ring of Swarovski crystals embedded into a black XLR connector for $25...

Direct Boxes

Firefly tube direct box

by Radial Engineering  |  reviewed by Pete Weiss

Radial Engineering has been creating robust, well-designed, great-sounding audio boxes for decades now. The Canadian company - pioneers in the re-amping game - excels at solving problems that audio...

Microphones, Ribbon Mics

Ocean Way Audio / Cliff Mics

by RM1 ribbon mic  |  reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

New ribbon mics are everywhere these days. They have always been part of every good studio's microphone locker, but in recent years, there have been several new ideas for what a ribbon mic can be....

Interfaces

Clarett 8PreX Thunderbolt audio interface

by Focusrite  |  reviewed by Dana Gumbiner

Focusrite comes out swinging into the growing Thunderbolt interface market with this unbelievably affordable entry, the flagship in their new Clarett range of interfaces. I say "unbelievably...

Tools

GTAW4 & GTAW5 sound-hole truss-rod wrenches

by CruzTOOLS  |  reviewed by Pete Weiss

As I barrel toward the half-century mark, I find I am way more active with guitars than in the past. Not only am I playing more than usual, I'm also adjusting, setting up, fixing, and even cobbling...

Interfaces

Celesoníc US-20x20 audio interface

by TASCAM  |  reviewed by Alan Tubbs

Many, um, "experienced" readers have fond memories of their first TASCAM/TEAC analog reel-to-reel or Portastudio cassette decks, while digital whippersnappers will be more familiar with TASCAM's...

Software

FuzzMeasure 4 signal analysis software

by SuperMegaUltraGroovy  |  reviewed by Brad Williams

For acousticians and those engaged in research and development, the ability to measure attributes of rooms, speaker systems, and audio circuits is obviously invaluable. While the need for this...

Accessories

HEXT headphone extension cable

by Sonic Nuance  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

Every once in a very rare while, a new pro audio product appears that is extremely well designed and fills a very obvious need, yet somehow, the product didn't exist earlier. When you finally get your...

Dynamics

V610 Complimiter

by Spectra Sonics  |  reviewed by Garrett Haines

The V610 is an enhanced version of the classic Complimiter from Spectra Sonics. Spectra Sonics was founded by William G. Dilley in 1964 to build products for recording and broadcasting studios. Dilley...

Signal Processors

DDL-500 500-series delay

by Eventide  |  reviewed by Eli Crews

Okay, Eventide has just officially become my favorite pro audio manufacturer on the planet. I had almost finished this already favorable review, and then I got something in the mail that made me come...