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Author Archive
![Hardwire TR-7 Tremolo/Rotary pedal]()
The Hardwire TR-7 Tremolo/Rotary pedal ($139 street) is a remarkably versatile—and in many ways ingenious—sound modulation tool. Tremolo is, of course, one of the classic guitar effects and was once a standard feature on tube amps. The TR-7 provides a basic tremolo effect, but also models vintage Fender and Vox tremolos, a Leslie rotary speaker cabinet, a UniVibe effect, a dual tremolo and a panning stereo version called VibroPan. The basic tremolo modulation is inspiringly warm and initially the most compelling sound. It’s hard not to feel like a Nick Cave sideman strumming surly, warbling chords. The Opto (Fender) and Bias (Vox) modes are a revelation, too. They take a little longer to get a feel for, but once their sound clicks, you won’t want to turn them off again. The other modes are a little more esoteric, but a lot of fun to play with. The stereo input and output offers the user a lot of different options for routing dual signals in and routing them to different sources. VibroPan especially benefits from being plugged into two amps, as does the rotary function. And yes, the TR-7 has tap tempo. The ingenious element of this pedal is the “modify” […]... Click on the title for more
![Steinberg Cubase 6 Overview]()
Cubase has fueled my musical creativity and assisted my recording sessions for 20+ years, while anticipating many trends and creating industry standards like the VST and ReWire systems. It’s been an exciting and jaw dropping experience to see it grow from a rather simple MIDI sequencer to the current fully featured Digital Audio Workstation. As expected, the new Cubase 6 supports an unlimited number of tracks up to 192 kHz, 5.1 surround, and offers flexible routing and full automatic delay compensation. One really exciting feature of this new version is the new toolset for multi-track editing, which will make life much easier for all those who record (and spend hours editing) multi-track performances of drums, guitars and/or even vocals. This new feature not only offers multi-tracktransient, tempo detection and drum replacement functions, but also multi-track phase-accurate audio quantization – and you should know by now how crucial phase is in the recording realm. Also, the new take-comping system provides a fast and effective way to paste together the best parts from various takes and effortlessly build the perfect one. For extra audio editing options, the AudioWarp system allows time-stretching and pitch-shifting in real time, including automatic tempo detection, and VariAudio […]... Click on the title for more
![10 New Pedals from Akai]()
Akai is taking a big step into the guitar effects pedal market with the announcement of their Analog Custom Shop line: a collection of 10 pedals that aim for ’boutique’ sound at an affordable price. Building on the success of the E2 Head Rush delay, the Analog Custom Shop pedals feature true-bypass switching and mirror-polished metal chassis at a price range from $100-$200. The lineup includes some of the usual suspects: Compressor, Chorus, Flanger, Analog Delay, Blues Overdrive, and Phase Shifter. However, Akai has done a bit of tweaking to add extra versatility to the Tri-Mode Overdrive, Deluxe Distortion, Tri-Mode Fuzz, and Tri-Mode Distortion. The ‘Tri-Mode’ pedals have a three-way switch that allow you choose which distortion circuit to use: flick the switch up for a diode circuit, down for an LED circuit, and the center position will give you a combo of the two. The Deluxe Distortion (pictured below) gives you additional tonal variety with a three-way EQ toggle, in addition to the adjustable frequency knobs, that shapes the input to the distortion circuit. Expect to see all 10 of these all-analog pedals available soon. –Mike Bauer... Click on the title for more
![A Pocket-Sized Listening Environment]()
Focusrite has paired their VRM (Virtual Reference Monitoring) technology with a simple headphone interface, giving you multiple references for your mix and simulating high quality listening environments and speakers through your headphones. The VRM Box ($99) uses impulse responses of 10 professional studio monitors, combined with mathematical models of 3 room types to recreate an array of different listening scenarios on your headphones. The room choices include Professional Studio, Living Room, and Bedroom Studio, and you can adjust the listening position in each room in and around the sweet spot. The professional monitor selection includes Auratones, Genelecs, Yamaha NS-10s, KRKs and ADAMs, among other industry-standard models. There are also VRM models of 5 consumer and hi-fi speakers, so you can hear what your mix sounds like on a flat-screen television, or computer desktop speakers. Note that the VRM technology cannot make your iPod earbuds sound just like Genelec 1031’s – the better quality headphones you use, the more accurate the reproduction of the speaker model and room type will be. The box itself connects through USB and features a large volume control, 1/4″ TRS headphone output, and an LED that indicates whether the signal processing is bypassed or not. While […]... Click on the title for more
![Moogify your iPhone with Filtatron]()
Moog Music brings high quality sound-shaping to Apple devices with the Filtatron – a real-time audio effects app that’s easy to have fun with and comes packed with features. While it’s not a synth, the Filtatron combines filtering and effects to manipulate the sound from the on-board oscillator, sampler, or line/microphone input. The interface has input knobs for each of these sources, allowing the use any combination of the three at once. You can import any song or sound file into the sampler, and record audio of unlimited file size at 16bit, 44.1kHz quality – then transfer your files between the Filtatron and your computer, or with other compatible apps. The Filtatron is driven by the Moog Ladder Filter, “the same filter that gives Moog instruments their warm, thick character.” In addition to a number of controls for this filter such as resonance, cutoff, and lowpass/highpass, you can modulate it with an LFO featuring five waveforms or an Envelope Follower (the image below shows the main Filtatron controls). You can also add overdrive, feedback, or tape-style delay to your sounds using the Amp and Delay effects modules included in the app, and control them in real time using X/Y pads. The […]... Click on the title for more
![Studio Projects CS5 Review]()
As a rule, I love large diaphragm condensers because condensers tend to be very accurate and the large diaphragm gives their sound a really desirable smoothness. But cheaper mics can sound harsh or they can lack that true-to-life accuracy. So you pay for quality, right? Yes, but you don’t always have to pay too much for quality. Studio Projects has developed a well-deserved reputation for delivering serious quality at seriously affordable prices. And the flagship of their CS mic line, the CS5 is no exception with a great tone, a host of cool features and a price tag of only $350. First off, I plugged the CS5 in and was struck by how full and rich the tone was just when I spoke into it. Tonally, it definitely did not fall in line with the slew of cheap, harsh-sounding condensers on the market. It does, however, have a pleasing high-frequency openness that can help a vocal pop or give drums a nice cut in the mix. It’s the kind of airiness that you look for from condensers. I ended up shooting it out on drums, acoustic guitar and vocals with my older CAD Equitek E-200 (a similar large diaphragm FET […]... Click on the title for more
![Stutter Edit Plugin and a new Nord introduced at NAMM]()
Gigging musicians will want to check out the Nord Piano 88, which has been designed with live performance in mind. This new 88 key stage piano from Nord weighs in at just 39.6 pounds, but it’s heavy on features. In addition to 24 banks of 5 programs totaling 120 different program possibilities, it includes modeling of sympathetic string resonance and authentic pedal noise, which capture the realism of an acoustic upright or grand piano. The factory sounds loaded into the piano memory can also be exchanged and replaced with new sounds from the Nord piano library, which are free and downloadable from the Nord website through the Piano 88’s USB connectivity. MIDI over USB is also available with this unit, in addition to standard 5-pin MIDI connectors. The Nord Piano 88 feature set includes the standards as well, with three bands of EQ, three amp models, six reverb algorithms (two each of stage, hall, and room), and an effects library with the usual suspects. Some handy global and panel options on the unit: the transpose feature, with a range of -6 to +6 semitones, and Kbd touch, which allows you to alter the velocity response of the piano. Finally, the […]... Click on the title for more
![More NAMM 2011: Rupert Neve Portico Plugins and AKG Groove Pack]()
Steinberg is teaming up with Rupert Neve Designs to release the first plugins modeled after Rupert’s Portico Series analog gear. The 5043 Compressor and 5033 EQ will both be available in VST and AU formats, for a price not yet announced. “Particularly known for designing all-analog signal processing equipment, Rupert Neve has been looking for the right technology to port his legendary designs to the digital domain. With Yamaha’s Virtual Circuitry Modeling (VCM) technology, this coveted intention was able to be realized, evolving to an alliance between Yamaha, Rupert Neve Designs and Steinberg. The very first plug-ins incorporating VCM technology emulating analog Portico hardware are now the RND Portico 5033 equalizer and RND Portico 5043 compressor. “With the Yamaha VCM technology, we’re able to pick up the amazing quality of musicality and accuracy that was inherent in the original Rupert Neve Designs Portico modules,” states Rupert Neve.” The 5043 Compressor plugin will follow the controls of the hardware unit, with threshold, ratio, attack, release, and gain, as well as the option to switch between feed-forward and feed-back compression. The 5033 EQ is a five-band equalizer, with three fully parametric bands and a low and high shelf. Also announced at NAMM […]... Click on the title for more
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