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Author Archive
![OktavaMod Tube Mic Upgrade Review]()
So you’re sitting at home recording a vocal track and you think, “Gee, this vocal sounds kind of harsh. And when I try to EQ it, it ends up sounding dull and unnatural. I wonder if it’s this affordable Chinese-made microphone that I’m using that’s causing the problem. Boy, I wish I had a [fill in the blank] microphone, which I can’t afford, to make it sound more balanced.” Now, what if the conversation you had with yourself went like this instead?: “… I wonder if it’s this affordable Chinese-made microphone that I’m using that’s causing the problem. Maybe I should send this mic to OktavaMod to have them modify it to create a killer mic that can hang with the best microphones on the planet!” OktavaMod is a company that offers an aftermarket upgrade service for your cheap Chinese and Russian-made microphones, and they are a hit with top professionals and home recordists alike. Michael Joly, President and Founder of OktavaMod, sent us one of his upgraded large diaphragm tube condenser mics to try out. We shot it out against some of the greatest large diaphragm condensers of all time (including the untouchably expensive vintage Neumann U67 and U47 […]... Click on the title for more
Pro recording engineers have been torturing their gear for years, pushing consoles, preamps, and outboard gear to the limit to create the sound of modern music. You can now get that sound in the box, in your mix. SoundToys‘ Decapitator gives you five flavors of classic analog sound, modeled from real analog hardware that we tweaked, twisted, and tortured in our lab. Drive it as hard as you can, and use the three tone shaping knobs to sweeten, fatten, heat-up, or squash the way you want it. The exclusive “Punish” button puts the hurt on anything you run through it, and the “Thump” switch gives you a nice kick in the low end. And finally, we’ve included a mix control so you can blend in the original sound using the parallel bussing technique like the pros, but without all the routing, and hassle. Recommended for drums and for adding subtle warmth or fat drive to vocals, and enhancing or obliterating guitar. It’s got the grit, edge, and analog mojo that helps the pros fit everything into a mix. Decapitator puts it all at your fingertips.... Click on the title for more
![PreSonus’ new DAW software: Studio One]()
PreSonus, renown for signal processors, preamps and other recording related hardware, recently entered the DAW realm with Studio One. This sequencer/recorder is intended to target musicians and engineers of all levels as a friendlier alternative to the more intimidating offerings currently considered the standards.The PreSonus team focused on creating a virtual recording environment built for intuitive use, speed, and efficiency–and yet robust enough for the most complex productions, using drag-and-drop, MIDI mapping and plug-in management, auto-configuration with PreSonus hardware, unlimited tracks and plug-ins per track, and a powerful, inventive Start page that literally puts the whole project right in your hands and, of course, top audio quality. We’ll soon have a review about this DAW, so stay tuned!... Click on the title for more
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Eventide Pitchfactor[/caption]
The PitchFactor is a “Best of” of Eventide's long history of harmonizers, and of all the 'Factor' series pedals, this one probably had to be simplified the most from its rack inspirations.... Click on the title for more
