Gear Reviews

I first heard about CruzTOOLS from a review of one of their tools published a few years ago in Motorcyclist magazine. They are manufacturers of top-quality tools and tool kits for motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, and personal watercraft. Right around the time that I was ordering one of their...

As an integrated system with hardware controller and soft-synth designed together, Analog Factory Experience may just be the first "hybrid synthesizer". The controller is an exact physical representation of what you see on the screen with all controls mapped accordingly. (Note that an...

While working on a project at Click Studio in Stowe, VT, I was introduced to MIDI sequencing through Mark of The Unicorn's Performer in 1991. Even then, the editing possibilities seemed overwhelming as I thought, "How are you supposed to learn all this stuff?" Over the years, many of...

There's nothing like hiring a great drummer with a quality kit, recording it with a selection of killer mics, and processing the tracks through an assortment of world-class outboard gear. Unfortunately, the constraints of time and budget sometimes make this scenario impossible. XLN's...

Pop quiz. Do you record drums? Do you make a living as a recording engineer? If you answered yes to either one of these questions, you need to check out the Latch Lake Music Xtra Boom. Look, I'll warn you right now-this is much less a review and much more just one recordist telling another...

My buddy Steve Bright told me about a spanking-brand-new, hand-made distortion unit crafted in, of all places, Placerville, California-which used to be called "Hangtown" back in them Gold Rush Days. It's called the ScaryDrive and Steve told me that even though he just got it in the...

The ProAc Studio 100 is a passive two-way monitor sporting a 6.5" bass/midrange driver and a 1" soft-dome fabric tweeter housed in a traditional-looking ported cabinet. The crossover allows for typical single-input use as well as bi-wiring and bi-amping. All wiring and components are very...

When you walk into a room that seems like a cool acoustic space, do you clap your hands to hear the decay properties? Do you keep the conversation rolling while part of your brain tunes in to the resonance of the room? Do you find yourself wishing you could record the drums for your next record in...

At first glance, SuprEsser seems to be a straight-laced de-esser with a tidy user-interface centered on an orderly FFT spectral analysis display. But after time spent, you realize that even simply-presented controls, like the wide/band buttons for trigger and audio modes, allow you to perform all...

In some circles, purists scoff at the idea of replacing drums. As a drummer and a microphone addict, I understand. But the fact remains there are times when you need to augment or fix poorly-recorded tracks. (Speaking of stacking, you didn't really think those drums you hear on the radio are...

I never really set out to "review" gear, per se; it just sits around the studio until it fights its way into the workflow. I'm sure that wears out the guys who send me the stuff, but it's really my only way to give them a fair shake. Otherwise, I do this... Bring in a piece of...

Every time I record something, I am thankful that I have the right tools to simply get things rolling for the client. I don't make them stand around for hours, nor do I need the drummer to play the kick drum for an eternity before I have a sound I am ready to commit to the record. I have the...

As I've mentioned in the past, a properly positioned subwoofer can reproduce the low frequencies that the main speakers simply can't due to room geometry and placement constraints. Even if a full-range speaker has good low-end extension as measured in an anechoic chamber, once placed in a...

I started using SONAR years ago for work at home. It fit my way of working, and I've stuck with it all the way to the latest version. (Version 6 was reviewed in Tape Op #61.) SONAR remains Windows-only (though it will run on a Mac via Boot Camp), working on both 32 and 64-bit flavors of XP and...

The original R-09 was reviewed in Tape Op #63. The new HR version adds 24-bit, 96 kHz recording capability as well as numerous improvements to function and form-factor. It's always a good sign when I pack up a review unit for return and realize that I never even opened the manual. I quickly...

As its name implies, this is a modular multi-channel wiring system. It utilizes an 8-channel "core" cable, available in 5, 10, and 25 ft lengths, with DB25 terminations on both ends, plus various DB25-equipped breakouts to individual 1/4" TRS, XLR analog, XLR AES/EBU, and Bantam (TT)...

A lot of people write me asking what kind of small-diaphragm condenser to buy. To quote Craig Anderton, "That's like asking me to pick your girlfriend." But people still ask, so I'm always keeping my eyes open for a good buy. The R0DE M3 is a newer model in the R0DE line. In...

Many Tape Op readers like to tear apart gear, solder, and build things. This book is for all of you (us). Actually, anyone who is interested in a well-written, easy-to-understand explanation of electronics should consider this book. Author Hans Camenzind is a Swiss-born electrical engineer who...