05-13-2012 05:00
Pacifica — a name that recalls the beach, the ocean, the sun. If you like sailing, following the wind for hours armed only with your courage and a fishing-rod, you'll be disappointed by the present review: this is not a hunting/fishing magazine! We review today a guitar designed by Yamaha Guitar Development Hollywood that has been on the market since 1990. It's been 22 since the first Pacifica came to the world and I look forward to discovering the features of the new generation. It's my ocean quest!
05-05-2012 06:00
Universal Audio is a brand like no other in the pro audio world. The company has been competing in the hardware market for over 50 years with preamps, compressors and channel strips. But it has also been present in the plug-in market for about a decade with the famous UAD DSP platform. We have always wondered what would happen if Universal Audio were to combine their analog and digital technologies. Introduced at the NAMM 2012, the Apollo is the first answer. Focus on the Universal Audio interface!
04-29-2012 05:00
A soft launch last Christmas, the Les Paul Blue with roasted maple fingerboard caught our attention. Get your pick and come meet the beauty.
04-24-2012 05:00
Presented during the Musikmesse 2011, the Monotribe is the big brother of the Monotron. This standalone sound module includes one synth voice and three analog drum sounds and was conceived to change patterns while playing live. To write this review I decided to take it with me on my skiing vacations...
04-22-2012 05:00
For a long time, Ddrum was a name only synonymous with drum triggers. At its inception this made a lot of sense, but lets fast forward through the company history and development.
04-17-2012 05:00
After the launch of a remarkable string instrument series, Orange Tree Samples enriches its offering with a new virtual concert flute, among other products.
04-15-2012 05:00
This time, Fender comes from an unexpected direction! The Fender Modern Player series includes four different guitars (Marauder, Jaguar, Telecaster Plus, Thinline Deluxe) and three different bass guitars (Jazz Bass, Telecaster, Jaguar), while trying to distinguish itself from the countless Standard Stratocaster and Telecasters variations available either as reissue or special versions (with different neck width, wood type or pickups combination).
04-07-2012 06:00
Launched about two years ago, the first Studio One version impressed with its maturity. The program was stable, practical and well thought-out. It had almost nothing to envy the leading sequencing tools. Studio One has gone a long way since the first version: it was dramatically enhanced in v1.5 and now comes back with a really amazing version 2. Let's check it out.
03-31-2012 05:00
Do you feel like a cowboy? Do you like the smell of ponies and old leather? Do you like riding on a weird mount and sweltering under an old stinking hat?
03-28-2012 06:00
Arturia has been launching a myriad of products since early 2012. Among the new products you'll find an Oberheim SEM emulation with new custom features. Let's have a look at the beast...
03-25-2012 06:00
KRK —the brand with the yellow cones— took everyone by surprise at Musimesse 2011 when they announced the coming of a new three-way monitor with a 10" woofer for about $500. The weight-to-price ratio is unbeatable for a monitor speaker, but what about the specs?
03-18-2012 06:00
In an era where workstations are more powerful and complex every day, Roland has introduced a large stage synth that uses hybrid technology based on PCM, virtual analog technology and modeling of acoustic instrument behavior. Let's have a closer look...
03-15-2012 06:00
Almost exactly one year ago, I wrote a review about the Music Man Classic Stingray bass guitar. One year later, Sterling, another brand of the Ernie Ball group, presents the budget version. So my curiosity led me to review this instrument. A review that will be of interest to all of you who dream about buying a legend for half the price.
03-04-2012 05:00
Each new Reason version brings a bunch of surprises with itself, meeting some of the demands of its users. Here you have the new features Propellerhead added to Reason 6.
02-29-2012 05:00
Yamaha's new amplifier range now includes a brand new product: the THR10. It looks like a standard compact amp head. But in fact, this product holds some surprises...
02-22-2012 05:00
The name Ampeg makes bass players' ears stand up and tails wag. There is a good reason for that: launched during the 1969 NAMM, their SVT amp still has a leading position in the hearts and minds of most bass players. However, today we won't review a bass amp, but an amp conceived for six-string players. Focus on the GVT52-112 & GVT15H.
02-20-2012 05:00
The replacement for the good old Zoom H2! With the H2n, Zoom aims to offer a major upgrade of the most famous pocket recorder.
02-16-2012 05:00
On the first day of winter NAMM RME launched its new audio interface: the Fireface UCX — RME UFX's little brother. The Fireface UCX includes iPad support. Here is a snapshot review of the Fireface UCX.
02-13-2012 05:00
Somewhere between the pocket cam and pocket recorder market segments, Olympus has introduced a hybrid called LS-20M. The concept is simple: offer a full-HD pocket cam capable of recording good-quality audio, making the LS-20M the first real competitor of the Zoom Q3 HD, which is currently the only product in this market segment...
02-06-2012 05:00
When I went to pick up these beauties at AudioFanzine's editorial office, I asked myself how many Jazz and Precision basses I had already reviewed in my life as an editor. From Standard to Deluxe, Vintage, Special and Classic versions, from US to Mexican and Japanese, not to mention the Korean Series and Squier — Fender's offer is very wide and almost confusing.
02-01-2012 05:00
Yamaha pulls out all the stops with its revolutionary TCS pads in an attempt to make itself appealing to most drummers who still refuse e-drums. As a DTXPress owner and former user, the DTX540K is reminding me the feelings I had when I first left the acoustic path. Thus, I was very excited and had (too?) high expectations when I started this review. Half satisfied.
01-26-2012 05:00
sE Electronics is a Chinese-British company that was founded over 10 years ago to compete in the microphone market. Now sE Electronics has decided to enter the studio monitor market. In order to break into this market segment, the manufacturer went all the way and asked Andy Munro, a famous designer, to give an original look to its brand-new product. Egg laying has begun!
01-09-2012 06:00
Do you want a small sound card with a high quality sound, clever features, a good construction, and an affordable price? If you do, follow me to give Roland's Quad Capture a try. If you need even more, follow me too because Roland has something in store for you.
01-04-2012 05:00
Hiwatt has launched its tube series, a full range of compact amps presented as offering the typical British sound of their legendary brothers in spite of their small dimensions and their more affordable price. You can currently choose between three different output powers: 40, 20 or 10 watts. Every amp is available as a combo or head. Let's check out if their bet is successful by reviewing the T20 combo.
01-01-2012 05:00
Native Instruments has been offering a selection of its software products grouped under the brand "Komplete" for several years now. The selection is updated every year with the latest versions of several products plus some additional tools. And it offers a rather unbeatable value for money ($499).
12-25-2011 05:00
Among the host of new products introduced by Natives Instruments in September, we found a new Kontakt version. Here is a quick overview of its new features.
12-18-2011 05:00
Within a few years, Guitar Rig has become a reference in the world of guitar amps and effects simulation. The fourth version, which saw the light of day about two years ago, already brought major sound quality improvements with itself thanks to the new –however limited— Control Room feature... Can the German manufacturer surprise us with this fifth version? Read on...
12-11-2011 05:00
Two years ago, Native Instruments introduced Maschine, a kind of hybrid MPC combining software and hardware technologies. The software is now in version 1.7 and the manufacturer has also introduced Maschine Mikro — a simpler but cheaper version.
12-07-2011 05:00
Come on people now! Smile on your brother. Everybody get together. Try to love on another right now! To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the launch of Nirvana's Nevermind, Fender presents a reissue version of the guitar bought by Kurt Cobain a short time before the recording of this album.
11-29-2011 06:00
With connections on the side and on top, the brand new Fast Track C600 breaks with the typical M-Audio rack and half-rack design. Have manufacturers decided to fight their battle based not only on features but also on design ? Yes, indeed.
