Reviews, tutorials and news (previously: IT Enquirer)
iZotope’s VocalSynth is a plug-in that helps you improve vocal productions, but you can just as well use it to get Dr. Who’s Daleks sound a bit more human. Of course, you can also use it to create a signature sound like Cher’s and in tandem with the Neutron plug-in’s Visual Mixer, you can create sounds that are truly unique.
In the past, we have tested and reviewed an sE Electronics V7 dynamic vocal microphone, an sE2200a large-diaphragm condenser and a RØDE NT1 condenser mic. We found the clarity and flat tone response of the V7 and the NT1 great, but they lack the warmth of the sE2200a. So, after reviewing the Universal Audio DSP-capable Arrow interface, which allows you to use a near-zero-latency Unison plug-in as a preamp that can dramatically change the sound characteristics of the mic you’re using, we wondered if it would be possible to change the sound recorded with the V7 and NT1 in such ways that they would sound more like the sE2200a without losing their own unique qualities. In other words, we wanted to know if you can make your audio sound as if it were recorded with a Universal Audio Unison tube preamp UA 610-B.
Arrow, the newest audio interface by Universal Audio has ultra-low latency input monitoring and Digital Signal Processing (DSP) on board. The Arrow is a solo processing interface, meaning it will accept all the Unison and common plug-ins from Universal Audio, but won’t be able to process as many of them as the more expensive models. The Arrow can be had for around €499.
Acoustic room correction is a process that only million-dollar studios can afford, at least that’s what many of us think. And yet, with a growing number of movies and videos playing on devices that have wildly differing sound characteristics, sound accuracy at the source is increasingly important. So, is there a system that costs less but is up to the job, nevertheless?
The already crowded audio interface market welcomes a new competitor with RØDE’s release of its first audio interface for home studio recording. It’s a 24-bit/94kHz capable device inside a gorgeous looking, small, black aluminium housing with one XLR input port, stereo headphones and RCA output ports and two rotary knobs/push buttons for setting input gain, output volume and engaging 48V phantom power and direct monitoring. I received the studio kit, which comes with an NT1 large-diaphragm microphone, a 6-metre XLR-cable, SMR shock mount and USB-C cable. A voucher inside the box lets you download a light version of Ableton’s Live app.
If you are recording audio separately when shooting a documentary, interview or movie, chances are you'll not only have to synchronise it with the footage but also edit your audio to make it sound perfect in post production. The two apps I use for this are the iZotope RX 6 Advanced Audio Editor and the …
A microphone pre-amp is meant to amplify your mic's signal, not to introduce its own noise and artefacts into the recorded results. You need a mic pre because your microphone has a signal that's too weak to be captured by a recorder. A preamplifier boosts the signal to a standard line level, which all recorders …
Continue reading "IK Multimedia iRig Pre HD is a good and inexpensive mic pre-amp"
Sound Devices released their MixPre series of audio recorders earlier this year, with the MixPre-10 the most recent to have been introduced. We had the opportunity to try out a MixPre-6, a recorder that can handle eight channels.
O8N2 Review Rare is the musical piece or movie soundtrack that is made up of one track, requiring no mixing or mastering after recording. Hence, the mixing and mastering processes are not something that you can do as an aside. iZotope has a long history of developing mixing and mastering apps that allow a master …
IK Multimedia's Syntronik is a virtual synthesiser that allows you to tap into 17 famous synthesisers, including several models by Roland and Moog. Syntronik uses advanced sampling techniques combined with a new hybrid sample and modelling synthesis engine. Add to that a new analogue modelled filter section, a very user-friendly arpeggiator and the option of having four instrument layers, each occupying their own zone of your keyboard. With over 2,000 preset sounds covering a wide selection from 38 of the most iconic and painstakingly multi-sampled vintage synthesisers and you know that Syntronik is a music 'system' that you simply must have.
