This article is part 3 of the Audio Summing Debate and we are at the half-way point in our listening test. We are going back to the AMS Neve 8816 summing mixer as it has as audio magic trick to pull out of it’s top hat of delights. This time we run the same track through the 8816 but we have engaged the 8816s secret mixing weapon, Width <W> (No actual magic was, is, nor has ever been done!)
The Audio Summing Debate - Can You Tell The Difference? Second Test - Audient ASP8024 Console Stereo Mix
This article is part 2 of the Audio Summing Debate in which we are going to put another analogue out-of-the-box hardware mixing workflow to the test to find out if you can hear the difference and if you like the difference between the “sound” of analogue hardware and an In-The-Box mix.
The Audio Summing Debate - Can You Tell The Difference? First Test - Neve 8816 16 Channels
A great many articles have been written about the pros, cons and and myths about summing in or out of the “box” in the analogue or digital domain. in this series of articles I have tried to carry out the sort of real world tests that actually means something - Does summing in the analogue world sound different/better than mixing or summing in-the-box (ITB)?
Do You Need A Measurement Microphone To Setup Speaker Calibration? We Test Sonarworks Reference 4 With Two Typical Studio Microphones To Find Out
In this article we throw the rule book out of the window. We set out to discover if it is at all possible to get a trustworthy speaker calibration profile without using a recommended measurement microphone. Is it absolutely necessary to buy a measurement microphone if you only intend to demo speaker calibration software?
FabFilter Pro-Q 3 EQ - Everything You Need To Know. Watch Our Video To See New Features In Action
In this exclusive first look video we show you a selection of new features in FabFilter Pro-Q 3 including dynamic EQ, brick wall filter slopes, per band m/s, invert gain, tilt slope, Q-gain interaction and the new analyzer which displays the full EQ spectrum from other Pro-Q 3 instances in your sessions.
Being Able To See The Curves Of An Outboard EQ Using A Frequency Analyser Helps You To Learn Its Characteristics Fast - We Test The Performance Of UnderToneAudio's MPEQ-1
UnderToneAudio’s MPEQ-1 channel strip features a Swiss Army Knife style 4 band parametric EQ section and glorious sounding mic pre. In this test we provide you an up close and personal overview of the device supported by some uninterrupted audio examples of this comprehensive outboard EQ in action.
Only 20% Of You Who Voted Successfully Identified The Real Vox AC30 Example In Our Blind ListeningTest - We Reveal The Top Guitar Amp Plug-ins That Best Emulate The Famous Vox AC30
We recently ran a poll asking you, The Production Expert Community, to take part in a unique Vox AC30 blind listening test. We provided seven audio examples with one of the clips being a real Vox AC30 recording, the other six where produced using a number of popular guitar amp plug-in emulations. The results are in!
We Test iZotope New Vocal Processing Suite Nectar 3 With The Powerful Vocal Assistant & Unmask Features - You Won't Believe Your Ears
For users of previous versions of Nectar this latest version is an absolute no-brainer. For those who regularly mix within all-in-one style plug-in chain windows, Nectar 3 could very well be the best vocal mixing suite out there, it’s worth checking out. Let us know what you think of Nectar 3.
We Test The New Steven Slate Drums 5 Drum Sampler In A Real World Recording Session
Recently, Steven and the team at Steven Slate Drums released the latest version of SSD, Steven Slate Drums 5. Now what I could do is give you a blow by blow walk through of the new and improved user interface. Or, I could tell you how wonderful the samples are and how low the CPU usage is, but no, there are plenty of other folk out there in “internet land” who are going to be doing that. What I’m going to do is let you listen to how I have been using SSD 5 in a real world session. I’ll tell you about a couple of the tweaks I have made and I’ll let you listen to a basic rock band mix with some of the different kits I really like.
Can You Identify The Real Vox AC30 Amp Example In Amongst These 6 Top Modelled Electric Guitar Amp Plug-ins? Try Our Blind Listening Test Today
Can you identify the real Vox AC30 electric guitar amp recording in amongst 6 other examples produced with some of the best guitar amp emulation plug-ins in this blind listening test?
Test - Softube's New Harmonics Dynamic Distortion Plug-in Has An Awesome DTC Feature Which Preserves The Dynamics Of Your Tracks
The masters of analog plug-in emulations Softube recently released a new suite of distortion flavours ranging a variety of common mixing saturation styles in a plug-in they’ve called Harmonics, described by Softube as a dynamic distortion tool. In this video we put Harmonics to the test across several tracks in a mix and test the new DTC features that puts back track dynamics which are often mangled when saturation and distorted.
ADAM Audio's First Attempt At Top End Studio Headphones, Are They A Hit Or Miss? We Find Out If The New SP-5 Justify The $499 Price Tag
In this review we take a close look… and of course listen to ADAM Audio’s first ever set of studio grade headphones the SP-5. Our verdict takes into consideration the high price tag, build quality, comfort and sonic performance in studio applications… In short, we like these very much… but how much and why?
Is Illusion LiquidSonic's Best Reverb Plug-in Yet? Find Out Now In Our Drum & Vocal Mixing Test
In this video we put Illusion to work on a drum mix bus and lead vocal track. The overall mix is fairly solid but there’s a sense depth missing that makes the mix in this example sound a bit two dimensional and upfront. Watch the video to hear how a couple of Illusion presets, and some quick tweaks of the controls, transforms the presentation of the drums and vocals into tastefully sculpted ambiences that frame each of the tracks.
HEDD Type 20 3 Way Monitors - How Do They Sound And How Are They To Mix On?
Having enjoyed the HEDD Type 05 two way monitors Julian tries the bigger Type 20 3 way monitors and their accompanying Lineariser plug-in. See what he made of them in this, his latest on test article.
We Find Out If The New Sontronics Corona Dynamic Microphone Run Rings Around The Competition
Believe it or not there are three, yes three main types or categories of microphone and we at Production Expert or maybe I should say I, spend a great deal of time talking about amazing Condenser and Ribbon mics and not a great deal or time talking about the type that we probably all started with and use on an almost daily basis, the Dynamic microphone. Enter the new Sontronics Corona dynamic mic. It might look like something from outer space but sounds just amazing so come with me as we take a look and listen to the new Sontronics Corona.
Is It Finally Possible To Remove A Vocal From A Mixed Song? We Test The New XTRAX STEMS 2 Separation Software By Audionamix To Find Out
Audionamix has once again taken one giant leap for audio-kind in their latest version of XTRAX STEMS 2 automatic stem creator software. It’s better than the previous version… but how much better? In this video we take XTRAX STEMS 2 for a test drive to find out if the automatic voice separation has been improved.
Test - Using The Rycote Stereo Cyclone With Sennheiser Ambeo Microphone For Ambisonics Location Recording
Tom Lowe purchased a Sennheiser Ambeo mic with a Zoom F8 recorder, but what was missing was a good windshield suitable for exterior recording in Ambisonics. In this article find out how Tom got on testing the Rycote BBG and Stereo Cyclone.
Do You Regularly Fix Inconsistent Levels In Spoken Word Recordings Using Clip Gain? Stop - Try Accusonus ERA Voice Leveler Real-Time Plug-in Instead - Watch Our Test
Accusonus, the smart developers behind many a great audio repair plug-in, have just released another string to their brilliant ERA one knob plug-in bow by adding a rather useful automatic real-time audio leveller tool. ERA Voice Leveler provides a straight forward approach to balancing inconsistent levels within dialog and voice recordings by use of a single dial.
We Try The New Solid State Logic (SSL) Fusion On Our Stereo Bus To Hear How It Can Improve Our Mixes
I was very excited to find out about the new SSL Stereo Analogue Colour processor, The Fusion and I was even more excited when the good people at SSL called me to say they were sending me one. In this article we are going to show you what the Fusion can do enabling you to see the unit, find out more about it and then hear it in the best way possible.
Krotos Audio Reformer Pro - Will It Transform Your Sound Design Workflow?
Many times, I've been in a mix or a sound design session and we've reached an impasse. No matter what we do to the sound, it doesn't match with what the director has in their head. Reformer Pro by Krotos Audio, promises to change all this by bringing live performance back to sound design, but can Krotos really transform your sound-design workflow? We put it to the test.