REVIEWED BY Garrett Haines
There is no catch.
That was my original review. But my editors suggested I elaborate. Many people have contacted me to ask if the Apollo was a marketing gimmick or compromised in some way. I confess to find no "catch," limitation, or shortcoming of this product, particularly at this price....
REVIEWED BY Eli Crews
At face value, Audio-Technica's new AT5040 large-diaphragm condenser looks like a standard, cylindrical, side-address mic, although the grille-to-body ratio suggests it may be a ribbon mic, since the basket is taller than what you see on your standard LDC. If you look closely through the tight,...
REVIEWED BY Garrett Haines
Focusrite named the Forte after the groundbreaking console Rupert Neve designed for Air Studios. No doubt this was in an effort to differentiate the unit from the company's popular Scarlet and Saffire lines. In person, the Forte is slightly larger than a paperback book, and it sports a solid aluminum...
REVIEWED BY Scott McChane
These days, in nearly every working class studio worth a spit, you'll find a couple of Fat Heads in the mic closet. I'm not talking about the Grammy Award winning janitor or the drummer with the head injury; I'm talking about the wildly popular Cascade Fat Head ribbon mics [Tape Op #55]....
REVIEWED BY Joseph Lemmer
I recently noticed that Amazon has a great deal on Velcro 8" x 1/2", reusable, self-gripping, cable ties. The ties are made of two-sided material - hook on one side, loop on the other - that is much thinner than the original Velcro variety, and not nearly as hooky or fuzzy in texture. I initially...
REVIEWED BY Joseph Lemmer
I bought a dual-slot Echo Express Pro for my two Universal Audio UAD-2 Quad PCIe cards [Tape Op #67, #76] and hooked it up to my Mac Mini (Mid 2011) with a Thunderbolt cable. I installed the drivers on OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), and the UAD plug-ins are working great in PreSonus Studio One Pro [#76]....
REVIEWED BY Adam Kagan
Over the past few years, Slate Digital plug-ins have become de rigueur tools for music production and mixing in the digital environment. Steven Slate also produces a couple pieces of all- analog hardware, under the Slate Pro Audio moniker, that in my opinion, have not received the attention they deserve....
REVIEWED BY Garrett Haines
In Tape Op #63, I reviewed the plans for a DIY ribbon mic sold by Rickshaw Records, the parent company of Austin DIY Ribbon Microphones. Since then, Austin launched two ribbon mic kits based on those instructions: a standard single-ribbon mono unit; and a fixed-angle, dual-ribbon coincident stereo mic....
REVIEWED BY F. Reid Shippen
This is going to be a short review. Pretty much everyone on the planet knows about Jeff Steiger's Classic Audio Products of Illinois stuff by now; these are DIY kits that began with a renewed version of the vintage API 3232 recording console preamp and then expanded out to include some unique 500-...
REVIEWED BY Pete Weiss
After cutting his teeth racking vintage channel modules, David Marquette has augmented his craft with meticulous re- creations of - and "tips of the hat" to - classic outboard gear. I've reviewed a few of his Mercury devices in the past, being particularly blown away by the Fairchild-esque...
REVIEWED BY Allen Farmelo
These days, I work with more than a few artists who use MIDI-based electro-rigs as part of their sound, including synths, sequencers, samplers, and drum machines. These rigs are fast becoming the norm on stages and in studios. In particular, two acts I work with - Elska and Graph Rabbit - have decided,...
REVIEWED BY Larry Crane
I have to admit I'm really not one of those people that lusts after recording equipment. I'm sure one reason is that I have a well-equipped studio with a lot of gear that I've amassed over the years, and at this point, there is very little I need, and I've taught myself to not want...
REVIEWED BY Andy Hong
When you're setting up for a recording session, do you automatically settle on the same mic and preamp that you've used in the past, or do you spend the time to audition and select the combination of components that best complements the performance? I think most of us strive for the latter,...
REVIEWED BY Garrett Haines
AntiCable speaker wires are a high performance yet affordable alternative to boutique speaker cables. Created by Minnesota's Paul Speltz, the AntiCable design flies in the face of just about every high-end convention (hence the name). More about that in a moment. I don't tend to get drawn...
REVIEWED BY Brandon Miller
If you're in the market for sound treatment, then you've certainly come across the Auralex name. They've been a staple in the industry for ages, and their product range is vast. Their ELiTE line is relatively new, and ELiTE ProPanels are Class A fire-rated, rigid fiberglass, sound-absorbing...
REVIEWED BY Dana Gumbiner
Here's a rugged and eminently practical MIDI controller with a great form factor, surprisingly good "feel", and an adaptable DIY programming environment. Code is made by Livid out in Austin, Texas, and it features a 4x8 grid of high- quality endless encoders with LED feedback, plus 13...
REVIEWED BY Dana Gumbiner
Most MIDI-over-USB controllers follow a somewhat standard "keyboard and pots" design paradigm. There is often an attempt made to fuse the demands of performance or composition with those of software control. Many designs struggle at this crowded intersection with overly complex user interface...
REVIEWED BY Garrett Haines
MagREELS are precision auto-centering NAB adapters for the ATR-100 series tape machines. Machined from a solid block of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy, these hubs boast concentricity and axial run-out tolerances of less than 0.003''. They are designed to speed reel changes, improve tape packing, and...
REVIEWED BY Dave Hidek
As a fan of all things FabFilter, I jumped at the chance to check out Pro-DS, a new de-esser plug-in that claims both intelligent and transparent de-essing as well as high-frequency limiting. As luck would have it, I had just tracked arguably the most sibilant vocal performance of 2012, so Pro-DS would...