The focusrite company released a pre-amp called the ISA110 sometime in the eighties.  It has since gained renowned as one of the most pleasant mic pres, and now focusrite announces a new version that boasts the same pre-amp topology, Lundahl LL1538 transformer, and Zobel network, all, assumingly components of the origional ISA110.

The new ISA One is a single channel mic pre with D.I. capability.  It includes a case and seems to be built with portability in mind, the top of the unit features a leather carrying strap.  Expect the unit to sound great, and retail accordingly, at about $800.

From Solid State Logic, comes a mixer designed to return this staple instrument of engineering to its former glory.  Nowadays its not uncommon to see a studio with no analoge mixer, but anyone whose sat behind a powerful mixing station can not deny the value of a hands-on approach when attempting to achieving a good audio mix.  Matrix is a SuperAnalogue™ 16 channel, 40 input mixing console with built-in signal router and multi-layer digital workstation control. It is designed to bring the soul of analogue sound into the process of digital workflow by providing the tools to work effectively in both domains simultaneously.  

Remember that movie “War Games?”  Where the harmless nerd protagonist thinks hes playing a simple video game, when, in actuality, groups of innocents are being slaughtered by his hand.  Well, imagine for a moment if that harmless nerd protagonist were you, and instead of hateful atrocities you were committing acts of thrash - with extreme prejudices.
Well Line 6 and Activision have something like that in mind regarding their teamwork developing studio integration technology for the Guitar Hero  franchises’ upcoming installment titled “World Tour.”
Still incredibly vague, the idea seems to be some kind of soft synth/ sequencer package featuring playback and editing capabilities.
the” computer entertainment system will integrate Line 6’s guitar tone technology, enabling gamers to use amps, cabs and effects from the world-renown Line 6 POD® in the game’s Music Studio.  The game’s innovative new Music Studio lets players express their musical creativity by giving them access to a full complement of tools to compose, record, edit and share their own rock ’n’ roll anthems.”So, you can release your song designed in game through an online component.  Think of it like putting demos on myspace.  Does this mean we can trade in our pro tools rigs for the PS3, I wouldn’t bet on it, not just yet anyway.

Rain - unlike Apple - builds computers for only one purpose: recording. Justin Matley has interviewed for Delicious Audio and The Deli the company’s CEO Bill Pashick. Here’s a relevant quote from the interview: “Recording your album on a mass produced computer is like using a Toyota Corolla to tow a bulldozer uphill. Companies like Dell, Apple, and HP have a very important place, but the nature of their business often means finding the cheapest parts to offer a lower price. And that works fine for a family computer built to check email and browse the web. But Rain’s customers are musicians and engineers who need to rely on their computer to push a ton of tracks and plug-ins. And that means designing from the ground up for constant abuse. ” Read the full interview here.

Room acoustics and audio treatment is a world unto itself… a world usually riddled with mathematic calculations, rocket science, and a strong dose of voodoo.  For the sake of simplicity, article space, and personally sanity, I’m not going there.  For most users, the important issues are simple things like “it works” and “it doesn’t work,” and I can say without any hesitation that Real Traps Portable Vocal Booth (PVB) works.  It’s awesome.  It works so well, I doubt I’ll ever stop using it.  Really.  It’s that cool.

The PVB is a hinged two-panel device that attaches to a microphone stand and encloses around the mic while you are recording.  It comes with an easy-to-use kit that sets up in seconds.  The panels don’t attach permanently, so it can be removed and re-purposed fast and efficiently.  This device is ideal for anyone recording in a space that is not acoustically treated, whether it’s a bedroom or a kitchen, or anything.  Even in treated spaces, the PVB will have its uses, but in an untreated environment this is easily a “must have” item.

What this ISN’T is a sound isolation device.  This will not prevent the neighbors from hearing you.  This will not prevent you from hearing the neighbors.  What it does, and does extremely well, is isolate room noise, so your recordings only pick up what you’re directing at the microphone, rather than reflections off the walls and other noise that can dirty-up recordings.  I tested this out recording vocals and a guitar amplifier inside a horrible sounding apartment and the Portable Vocal Booth excelled in both cases.  Room reverberations and echo were almost entirely absent and the recordings sounded tight and full-bodied.The PVB is not so cosmetically appealing, however.  It is large, dense, and when attached to a microphone stand, it sits very close to your face.  This wasn’t a problem for us while testing, but for people who don’t want to feel too closed in, especially if they have limited experience in the studio, use of the PVB may require some coaching.  It also completely removes line-of-sight to anyone else in the room, so forget about visual cues. This is a minor issue considering how great the PVB can benefit the over sound of your recording, but the way that it changes your workflow is worth taking into account.Overall the PVB is built well, the microphone stand attachment is incredibly sturdy and the product surpassed any of my expectations in its abilities to keep unwanted room noise from recordings without having to shell out for full room treatment.  Highly recommended.

Review: Chvad SB
Editing: Lars Casteen

Plug ins are great, and no recording engineer or producer can really do without them at this stage (ok, ok, some of you can… but what a pain without them!). One of the annoying things about plug-ins is that, because of copy protection related issues, you can’t really move them from location to location (your studio, your friend’s studio, the stage) as you would do with your favorite outboard gear processor… unless you have Muse Research’s Receptor, an outboard rack mountable processor that can host and run independently VST and RTAS effect and instrument plug ins, processing audio coming from your computer via Firewire. Having a Receptor is like adding an extra CPU to your computer AND making your plug ins portable…

Receptor can host all kind of plug-ins, and therefore can transform itself from a sampler into a guitar processor; from a drum module into a synthesizer; or from a delicate mastering tool into a screaming drawbar organ.

Muse has just presented a new Receptor, that comes with IK Multimedia Total Workstation Bundle built-in, pre-authorized, and ready to go. Featuring SampleTank 2, Sonik Synth 2, SampleMoog, SampleTron, and Miroslav Philharmonik, this is an amazing module, selling at around $2k.

Quite possibly ushering in the jump to 64 bit digital audio recording, Rain Recording is releasing a new model of audio processing bliss called the ION 64.  The unit takes its numerical namesake from the 64 bit processor, featuring dual AMD Opteron Quad Core processors (that’s 8 cores total!) allowing for 64 GigaBites of RAM power, and room for 4 Terabytes of storage.

Now thats a beast of a machine.  And if you don’t put stock into the technical jargon above, you will surely appreciate running all your plugins, your editor, sequencer, and soft synths simultaneously without stressing your CPU power.  Sluggish programs that demand immense computing power will be easily manageable by a system of this caliber.

The Ion can be customized for your needs through the Rain Recording website and starts at $3699

Soul-G, who has produced for P. Diddy, Memphis Bleek, TLC and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony has compiled his second release of loops, sounds and other hip hop centric devices to aid in your productions.

Control Freaks 2 is compatible with programs capable of handling Loops, REX/WAV/RMX and Acid extensions.

Kontrol Freaks 2 Quality Kontrol is a product of Big Fish Audio which releases affordable loop packages covering everything from traditional Indian instruments to region specific hip-hop samples.

Designed to accompany Waves GTR3 the Ground Control is a Waves device fit for stage or studio use. Featuring LED display, 11 assignable buttons, and two expression pedals; switching presets, altering effects chains, tuning, and more is made immediate via the Ground Control unit.

The versatility of the GTR allows functionality while playing or mixing, as the dual pedals can be directed to affect volume pan or other automated functions. It’s something like having two mixing sliders for your feet.

For those who are owners of Waves mercury and a Waves update plan, the Ground Control is offered at a discount, for those of you who don’t have access to a studio’s black card, maybe the more affordable GTR “solo” is the version to pursue.

Reverb is a tough little monster to get “right” and we all know that “right” is subjective. There are reverbs that are space accurate and then reverbs that “just sound good.” The Tech21 Boost R.V.B. isn’t a reverb pedal that is seeking out to model “exact spaces” but it is a reverb that, in a very big way, sounds amazing.
The Boost R.V.B. features 6 knobs for controlling tone, two ¼” instrument jacks for input and output, a switch for turning the pedal on and off and an input for a DC power supply, and like most pedals, it can also be powered with the standard 9-volt battery. The switch is a buffered bypass switch that is easy to open and close and doesn’t create any kind of “pop” or “click” when engaging the signal. Although not a “true bypass” pedal the Boost R.V.B. doesn’t mute or adversely affect the guitar tone in any perceptible way (Tech 21 supplies an interesting document on pedal bypass types HERE).

The knob controls are all pretty standard for a reverb pedal like this, with flexible mix and EQ settings, but it’s worth making special mention of two of the knobs. One of them, “Feedback,” creates an internal feedback loop of the reverberated signal, and opens up tons of interesting effects. If pushed too far you can actually create a monstrous feedback signal that quickly spirals out of control. It’s an awesome feature that allows for some pretty imaginative applications and I like the fact that Tech21 didn’t limit the amount of feedback that could be applied, instead leaving that choice up to the consumer. It is an interesting option both for those seeking more tame and musical applications and for those with more experimental purposes in mind. The other control worthy of special mention is the “Level” knob, which is responsible for the “Boost” in the pedal’s name. The knob adjusts the overall volume of the pedal’s output, allowing you to cut through a mix for big solos, if you’re interested in using the pedal for that. Personally, I just keep the in/out level at unity but this extra flexibility may be helpful for some players.

Despite the fact that this is a mono pedal, it excels and creating the illusion of space. A lot of reverbs sound like a muted decaying white noise carrying a hint of tone… they’re cloudy, muddy and in general sound very poor to me. The Boost R.V.B. doesn’t suffer from these shortcomings. I tested several pedals in the sub-$200.00 price range for my purchase and the Tech21 Boost R.V.B., a solidly built pedal meant to last, was by far the most pleasing to my ears.

Review by; Chvad SB
Edited by; Lars Casteen