Though the concept may not be original, Zoom has come out with an interesting interface that provides guitarists and bassists with an intuitive software/hardware setup, but with a twist: an integrated vacuum tube. In recent years there have been quite a few interface choices for guitarists and bassists, especially from line 6, but Zoom's take on this combines amp modeling software with a USB audio interface featuring a Hi-Z input with a vacuum tube. Let's take a closer look...

After having updated its entire range of audio interfaces, M-Audio now looks to update its monitors, especially in the wake of their excellent high-level EXS66 monitors. These updates have had great results on the small Studiophile AV40, so let's see what's happened to the BX8a, for which a Deluxe version was recently released.

Though there are many audio editors for PC, the Mac world looks mainly to DSP Quattro, soundBlade, Audacity, WaveBurner or Peak (a non-exhaustive list), whose features range from "very basic" to "very sophisticated". No wonder then that this software update of Peak Pro XT 6 (the extended version) by BIAS has been eagerly awaited. Let's take a closer look'

Squier has been making low-cost guitars based on Fender designs since 1982. Because their early guitars have now become collector items for some, Squier is seeking to regain some of that magic with their Classic Vibe Series. This latest series was launched to capture the "vibe" of classic Fender designs as opposed to trying to be exact reproductions of vintage models.

With no fewer than 26 inputs, 26 outputs, 8 integrated Octane microphone preamps, and ProTools M-Powered compatibility, the latest interface from M-Audio aims to find its niche in the category of intermediate-level FireWire audio interfaces. Should the competition be worried?

Are you tired of receiving boxes of chocolate every Christmas? You can't take another hand-knitted sweater from your aunt and you'd like the bottom of the tree to look a little more' musical? Here's a selection of gift ideas for your loved ones who may lack inspiration ...

OK, here we go! This is the first of our comparative software tests on time-stretching and pitch-shifting. The competitors: 26 Mac and PC programs, from big sequencers to small applications, plug-ins to audio editors

When we hear sounds in the 'real world,' they are in an acoustic space. For example, suppose you are playing acoustic guitar in your living room. You hear not only the guitar's sound, but because the guitar generates sound waves, they bounce off walls, the ceiling, and the floor. Some of these sound waves return to your ears, which due to their travel through the air, will be somewhat delayed compared to the direct sound of the guitar.

The aim of this article is to serve as a simple and straightforward introduction, or re-introduction, to the wonderful, but sometimes confusing world of modes.

With stopwatch in hand, our perception of time seems straightforward. But in everyday life we're not always watching the clock, and everyone knows that the passage of time is relative. It differs from one person to another and especially from one activity to another: An hour spent watching a great movie doesn't feel as long as an hour in traffic.