05-01-2013 05:00
Over the last years, ADAM has become a house name in the studio monitor market. The brand itself has become the symbol of ribbon tweeters. Originally focused on the highest market segment, the manufacturer progressively started to offer more affordable speakers with the A and AX series. Now, the German company goes one step further with the new F series, presented at the last Musikmesse, which combines appealing features and an affordable price. Is it a good deal?
04-14-2013 06:00
More than half of the guitarists in this world sing. Based on this survey, TC-Helicon designed the Harmony Singer, a compact pedal with reverb and 2 voice harmonies based on guitar chords. This isn’t TC-Helicon first try, so what’s new?
04-07-2013 06:00
First showcased at the NAMM show in the beginning of this year, the Sub Phatty places a maximum number of commands in the hands of its user while, at the same time, reducing the overall footprint. A winning formula?
04-06-2013 06:00
With version 4 of its “drum sampler” included in both editions of Komplete 9 and available separately, what does Native Instruments propose to do ? Answers below.
04-04-2013 06:00
Steinberg introduced the UR series a little over a year ago with the UR28M and the UR824. They’re back with an entry level unit priced at under $200 with two D-pre preamps included. Verdict?
04-03-2013 06:00
Even at its relatively young age, the iPad has already placed itself at the head of an extensive audio software library, running sequencers that are far more than simple toys. The latest arrival in this category, Cubasis from Steinberg, is not without its limitations, but has enough qualities to ensure its rightful place on the podium. See the following detailed review.
03-31-2013 06:00
For a while now, TC Electronic has been delving into its first love by bringing us new guitar pedals at a frenetic pace. Along the lines of the Toneprint series, comes a small (very small) loop effect. The keywords here are: simplicity and effectiveness.
03-27-2013 07:00
In the domain of analogue synthesizer emulation, the race for fidelity continues. The biggest breakthroughs have not necessarily originated from the top editors. One of them, Monark, is reacting with a promise of the most faithful recreation of an old analogue hero, the Minimoog.
03-23-2013 07:00
Every day that goes by it is more obvious that the famous Orange Tiny Terror turned the guitar amplification market upside down. It started a trend (a very positive one, if you ask me) for affordable, high-quality and low-power amps. In spite of the huge number of products in this segment, Orange is still the leading player when it comes to low-power tube amps.
03-16-2013 07:00
Considered a bulky iPhone by its detractors when it was first presented, the iPad has been revolutionizing the market of mobile computing ever since — and our DAWs as a consequence. A good enough reason to take a stand on the issue. Let's start with an overview of Apple's offering.
03-10-2013 06:00
A little more than one year ago, we reviewed the Duet 2, the second generation of Apogee's mobile USB audio interface with two mic inputs. With the Quartet, the Californian engineers have produced the missing link between the Duet 2 and the large Symphony I/O, that is an interface with four mic inputs and ADAT.
12-16-2012 06:00
One year ago, Apogee introduced the Duet 2, a digital audio interface with remarkable sound and finish, but only available for Mac computers. Focusrite realized that it was an opportunity and presented the Forte, a direct competitor with comparable dimensions — plus Mac and PC support! But can it really compete in terms of quality?
12-03-2012 06:00
Two years after their comeback, Novation decided to strike a new blow with the MiniNova — a small, blue synth bomb based on the UltraNova. When mini means maxi...
11-04-2012 06:00
Sony's ineradicable audio editor for PC (bought from Sonic Foundry in 2003 when its creators gave up against giants like Avid, Adobe and Apple) has just been ported to the Mac — 15 years later.
10-21-2012 06:00
It might seem incredible but, up to this day, Orange had never offered a signature amp. But now the Jim Root #4 has changed things for good! So it's time for us to put the focus on this small black animal.
09-30-2012 06:00
The launch of the Spark, which we had the opportunity to review here, generated a lot of excitement. But Blue Microphones shows no intention of stopping there and has introduced a new microphone with a quite... different look?! Reactor enriches the product range of the US brand while staying faithful to the philosophy of offering affordable, but original products. Let's dig into the details.
09-23-2012 06:00
Thanks to its partnership with Dr Dre, Monster's Beats Pro have become a grand success. But are we really talking about a new reference product here or just a fad? That's the question...
09-16-2012 05:00
Track16 is the latest addition to Motu's range of audio interfaces. The numerous features announced by the manufacturer are very appealing. Let's see how they translate in the real world!
09-09-2012 05:00
The market of guitar stompboxes is quite saturated — competition is hard, manufacturers fight against each other with new controls and serial numbers. While I was reviewing a Blues 3000, I got the features of my next mission: handcrafted, overdrive, versatility. When I saw these three words together, I jumped into my mustang and headed out west.
09-02-2012 05:00
The famous Japanese manufacturer Vestax — a major brand in the DJ world since 1977 due to the very high quality of most of its products — offers now a two-channel MIDI controller, which you can also use as a standalone mixer.
08-26-2012 05:00
The Danish manufacturer which has been very quiet these last years has decided to come back and take front stage with a new speaker model from the BM Series. The DBM50's most unique characteristic is that it has an angled front baffle and it was designed to sit on a desk. Is it a good idea?
08-19-2012 05:00
There are brands of guitar amps we see quite often in stores but we rarely try out. Any reason is good enough to skip such amps: no time, fear of the unknown, or simply no interest in testing new things. But this time, there's no excuse! I head out to the Netherlands. Rumors say Koch presents a new combo that is worth our attention. I take my hat, my whip and I head to the Netherlands.
08-12-2012 05:00
All experienced fans of long-haired distortion know the famous Soldano SLO-100 made in the 80's: this amp seduced big names in the guitar world — nobody less than Eric Clapton, Mike Landau, Lou Reed... With its mythic Crunch channel, this amp quickly became a reference product in the small electric guitar universe.
08-05-2012 05:00
When Fender launched a new amplifier featuring a new "EVH" logo and the traditional "F" next to the 5150 III logo, questions were certain to rise. Rumors said this new monster is made for metal. There are too many secrets surrounding this new amp — it's time for me to jump into my van and find out the truth.
08-01-2012 05:00
As engineers, we all have particular strengths and weaknesses. Some are musically gifted and play multiple instruments, while others naturally take to composition. However, what about the most basic of skills – our hearing?
07-29-2012 06:00
We are living in strange times where innovation efforts are aimed at recreating "vintage sounds" instead of creating new sounds. On the other hand, after reign of digital technology in the 80's and 90's, the return of analog feel is a good thing.
07-26-2012 05:00
Let's end this week with another famous name: AKG and their reference-class K 702. Our opinion about its little brother, the K 271, was pretty balanced: it has a very detailed high-end but a too weak low-frequency range. What about the K 702?
07-22-2012 05:00
The Ultrasone Pro 550 didn't convince us when we compared headphones under $150. But the brand is famous for its high-class headphones. So what about the Pro 2900, the flagship in the Ultrasone product range?
07-14-2012 06:00
Our Headphones Week continues with the Beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro, the big brother of the DT-770. Having the DT-770 as a reference, we had high expectations for the DT-880... Verdict!
07-10-2012 05:00
Second headphones review: Audio-Technica ATH-AD1000. The ATH-M50 impressed us when reviewed headphones under $150... But what about this up-market product? Audio-Technica ATH-AD1000.
