Sound On Sound UK

Sound On Sound is the world's best recording technology magazine, packed full of in-depth, independent product tests, including music software, studio hardware, keyboards and live sound (PA) gear. Every issue also includes SOS's unique step-by-step tutorial and technique columns on all the leading DAW programs, as well as insightful interviews with leading producers, engineers and musicians.

FOR THE LOVE OF MIC

Sound On Sound UK

Mackie CR3-X Active Monitors • We put Mackie’s diminutive multimedia speakers to the test.

DJ Swivel BDE Distortion Plug-in • BDE offer some interesting and useful variations on the saturation theme.

HD Instruments ZoneMatrix $80

HD Instruments ZoneMatrix Kontakt Performance Tool • ZoneMatrix transforms a single instance of Kontakt into a multi-instrument performance environment.

Beyond Kontakt

ALTERNATIVES

Trident Hi-Lo Tracking Filter For The 500 Series • PMI breathe new life into a classic dynamic EQ design.

Steinberg Backbone Drum Re-synthesizer Software • Drum re-synthesizer instrument or sound designer’s new best friend?

Apple iPad Air Tablet Computer • Is Apple’s new iPad Air the pick of the bunch?

The Eighth Amendment

Ableton Live 11 £319

Ableton Live 11 Music Production Software • Live 11 introduces new features, improves some old ones and throws in some exciting new rack devices for good measure.

Hybrid Reverb Algorithms • Here’s a quick rundown of Hybrid Reverb’s five algorithms.

How To Mic Anything • Recording an instrument you’ve not encountered before can seem daunting. Here’s a rule of thumb that guarantees a decent result every time.

One Mic Or Two?

Mic Choice

CABIN FEVER Aaron Dessner: Producing folkloreAndevermore • The pandemic gave Taylor Swift a chance to explore new musical paths, with two lockdown albums co-written and produced by the National’s Aaron Dessner.

Soft Piano

National Unity

Celestion SpeakerMix Pro £199

Celestion SpeakerMix Pro Guitar Cabinet Emulation Plug-in • If you thought IRs were the closest software could come to the sound of a real speaker, think again!

Licenses & Logging In

Talk Back • Dani Bennett Spragg

INSIDE TRACK SECRETS OF THE MIX ENGINEERS Jonathan Low • From sketches to final mixes, engineer Jonathan Low spent 2020 overseeing Taylor Swift’s hit lockdown albums folklore and evermore.

The Low Down

Erica Synths Syntrx Analogue Synthesizer • The Syntrx is not a clone, but its inspiration is clear. Can it recapture the spirit of the legendary EMS Synthi?

MIDI Implementation

Erica Synths Syntrx £2699

Round The Back

Comments From A Synthi AKS Owner

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5 Amp & Effects Modelling Software • We check out IK’s latest refresh of their popular amp and effects modelling suite.

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5

ALTERNATIVES

True Original • Legendary Studio Mics You Can Still Buy New

RME 12Mic Digitally Controlled Microphone Preamplifier • RME’s 12Mic packs 12 preamps into a single networked box.

RME 12Mic £2399

AVB Networking

Arturia V Collection 8 £539

Arturia V Collection 8 Software Instruments • V Collection 8 introduces new instruments and completely reworks some old favourites.

Analog Lab V

Acustica Audio Gainstation €149

Acustica Audio Gainstation Distortion Plug-in • The kings of dynamic convolution take on producer Mike Dean’s signal chain.

Image Line FL Studio Digital Audio Workstation • Famed for its speed of use, the latest version of FL Studio is a highly sophisticated music production...