Gear Reviews

The SoundToys suite of plug-ins was developed by a crew of ex-Eventide gurus headed up by Ken Bogdanowicz. [See interview on previous page.] Ken and the gang have been developing plug-ins for years now, starting out early in the DAW game writing exclusively for the Pro Tools TDM platform. From the...

The Josephson Engineering C700A doesn't look like any mic you've seen before, and that's a good thing because, psychologically, you'll be expecting something new, and I promise, you won't be disappointed. It's big like a vintage mic-physically and sonically. The extra...

By now, most of you who have read this magazine know that at WaveLab, we love ribbon mics. We record a lot more acoustic instruments than electric at times, and ribbons are always employed for their natural sound. This is mainly due to the fact that we have had a Royer R-121 microphone since it was...

Violet Design is a relatively new boutique microphone manufacturer founded by Juris Zarins, part owner of a facility that once manufactured mics for BLUE. Violet's microphones are all hand made and produced exclusively in their Latvian factory (check out the virtual factory tour on their...

I came across monome in April, while trolling the web for information on step sequencers. I found myself drawn to the Spartan aesthetic of monome.org and the minimalist principles expressed there. And then there was the 40h controller itself-a user-configurable 8x8 grid of 64 backlit buttons...

Every once in a while, an idea comes along that's so elegant in principle and brilliant in execution that when you experience it, you think, "Duh!" That's the Recoil Stabilizer. What it does is so simple, and the improvement you hear is so immediate, you have to say to yourself...

As a co-owner of a small record label and several production facilities, I can understand why duplication facilities are losing business. Because of the popularity of online distribution for both final product and for demos, there's less need for physical CDs or DVDs. Even so, it's...

One might say I've become somewhat of a connoisseur of Peluso microphones. I have several of their microphones. (See my reviews in Tape Op #44, #48, #56, and #59.) At this time, my favorite Peluso is the 22 47 LE. This also comes as the 22 47 SE. The distinction between them is merely the...

The Weiss DNA1 is a 2RU-height audio restoration dynamo that performs several noise- reducing tasks via the DeClicker/DeCrackler and DeNoise modules, along with K-Stereo ambience recovery and M/S routing. All can be used alone or together in any combination there of. What makes this box really...

Seems like every time I get into a conversation about recording, it goes something like this. Me: "Blah blah room mics blah compressors blah." Them: "Yeah, cool! What program do you use-Pro Tools?" Me: "Actually, I use a program called WaveLab." Them: *blank...

The majorly major thing that's cool about this excellently-realized single-rackspace eight-channel mic+line preamp/DI/FireWire computer interface/monitor is what I'd call the "Fairy Godmother" factor: all your wishes are granted, and just enough of each one so as not to play...

Jonathan Little, the man behind Little Labs, is one of my favorite persons on the planet. He is super sweet, has a great sense of humor, hosts awesome BBQs, and he looks and acts the part of a mad scientist. His hair isn't as finger-in-the-electric-socket fuzzy as it used to be; but he's...

Apogee's all-in-one preamp, converter, and monitoring system offers all the essential features in a 1RU-height FireWire audio interface. There are eight analog inputs, four of which can handle mic, instrument, or line levels; eight analog outputs; a set of ADAT optical ports; and S/PDIF...

In a little over two years, with the success of the MA-200 (see Tape Op #55), Mojave Audio has shown what a company can do with a combination of good design, affordable manufacturing, and quality control. Mojave's second product is the MA-100 small-diaphragm tube condenser. It comes with two...

For this review, I asked two of our contributing writers to send me their thoughts on the API A2D. First up is Joel Hamilton, whom many of you know from his popular appearances at TapeOpCon and his moderating at the Tape Op Message Board, as well as his work with Elvis Costello, Frank Black...

Despite recent advances in virtual and synthesized instruments, nothing has the same sound and feel as a real piano, cello, violin, or brass section. Those with experience recording these types of instruments know you can't bring in a classically-trained player, tell them the song is in a...

When the request went out for a review on the Blue Sky Big Blue speaker system, I figured what the hell. I've been toying around with the idea of stepping up to a larger pair of speakers for some time now, and this system is a great package-tri-amped three-ways and optional subwoofers....

For Tape Op #29, I sat down and interviewed Tony Visconti, one of my producing/engineering heroes for his work with Bowie, T. Rex, U2, The Stranglers, Paul McCartney, and others. What I found was a generous, funny, charming and witty man whose calm exterior would set any recording session at ease....

Last year I reviewed the CoolSprings passive spring reverb unit by Zerotronics (Tape Op #55). Not only did I love the smooth, analog reverb sounds, I also admired the efficient design (the unit is completely passive and is intended to be connected to a mic preamp for output gain). Zerotronics main...

As the digital age showers the world with more and more buttons, knobs, switches, flashing lights, faders, cue point selectors, effects options, card slots, etc., it's nice when you find those rare machines that simply work well. To say the Xone:V6 works well is an understatement for sure....

For Tape Op #29, I sat down and interviewed Tony Visconti, one of my producing/engineering heroes for his work with Bowie, T. Rex, U2, The Stranglers, Paul McCartney, and others. What I found was a generous, funny, charming and witty man whose calm exterior would set any recording session at ease....

I'll admit, it took me a while to grok the UA DCS Remote Preamp. On paper, it didn't strike me as a piece of gear which fulfilled a specific need in my studio. In practice, however-totally different story. I'm gonna be sad when my review unit has to go! The DCS, or Desktop Console...

Here's a pair of excellent nearfields from M-Audio. The EX66 is an MTM, or midrange-tweeter-midrange active monitor, with a 1" titanium driver centered between two 6" midrange/bass drivers. Surprisingly, the monitor is designed to be stood upright as opposed to horizontal placement....

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Littlite gooseneck light systems, especially those of you doing live sound. Many sound reinforcement consoles, for example, have built-in jacks for plugging in Littlite goosenecks. The RL-10-D Raklite is a 1RU-height recessed panel with two 12"...