ART has been around for a good long while, but it’s not a company known for its monitors (that tended to be the province of sister company Yorkville Sound). With the RM5, though, that’s about to change. We found this remarkable new monitor system to be truly attention-getting, in all the right ways.

For this guitar-centric issue of Recording, we’re reviewing an often-overlooked plug-in from Universal Audio that’s fantastic on guitars. The A/DA STD-1 Stereo Tapped Delay was developed by Brainworx for UAD-2 DSP engines and Apollo/Arrow interfaces, and is based on a vintage bucket brigade delay unit which was originally released in 1980.

Toontrack’s EZkeys platform combines beautiful sampled virtual keyboards with an easy block-based track assembly system that works standalone or inside any DAW as a plug-in. You can play the instruments by hand or load MIDI files (yours or Toontrack’s) to create an arrangement. It’s easy to use, straightforward to program, and offers authentic and…

Soyuz (“Union”) is a Russian microphone company whose products are designed, manufactured, and assembled in the city of Tula. Literally everything in a Soyuz mic is of Russian manufacture, from the metalwork of the milled brass bodies to the capsules, from the Soviet-era military tubes and custom handwound transformers to the handmade wooden boxes…

Australian audio tech firm RØDE celebrated the 50th Anniversary of parent company Freedman Electronics in 2017, and rounded out its golden year by stepping into a realm where it’s never been before—audio interfacing. The Complete Studio Kit is a full package for the beginning singer/songwriter, centered around the new AI-1 audio interface.

In our April 2009 issue, Justin Peacock reviewed the 583s preamp, designed by Scott LaChapell of aptly named LaChapell Audio. Justin was very impressed with its sonic character; he described it as a “big, wide and clear sound” that also had…

RME isn’t a household name in the USA pro audio world, but it should be. For decades, its interfaces have reigned supreme in mission-critical reliability, and its innovations have entered the market and become standards without most folks…

Arturia started as a software company, creating emulations of famous synthesizers. Over the past decade, an unexpected move into hardware has led to a line of controllers and analog synthesizers that work and sound great yet don’t break the bank.

One of my first non-review articles for Recording, written over ten years ago, focused on using a thrown together remote rig for tracking a band in a large old house. This “portable” rig was made up of a Mackie 1604 VLZ mixer, an Alesis ADAT XT20 used just as an 8-channel converter…

Automated Processes, Inc. (API) has a long-standing legacy of world-class analog recording consoles and 500 Series modules. API gear is known for having a warm and distinct sonic character, heard on many legendary albums throughout music history.

Several months ago, Steinberg’s flagship DAW Cubase was upgraded significantly; it’s now at version 9. I’ve been working with it for quite a while now, and in preparation for writing this review, I’ve just re-read last year’s review of Cubase 8.5, which I called…

I cant believe it’s been five years since we first met Austria-based LEWITT Microphones. In that short time, LEWITT has built quite the lineup, with a reputation for sonically clean, technologically innovative, and visually unique microphones. The various lines of handheld…

In our previous review of Acoustica Mixcraft 7 (April 2016), we found it to be a great DAW for beginning Windows producers, yet one that had the kind of professional production (and performance) functionality that could make it useful for everyone.

Prism Sound is a UK company known for digital audio converters that are best described as “next level”; these products are found in many of the world’s top mastering studios. Prism Sound also offers a line of no-compromise multichannel solutions for the tracking and mixing studio.

The VOXBOX is one of the most impressive pieces of gear in the Manley line, released two decades ago and reviewed by producer/engineer William Wittman in our October 1998 issue. Unlike other Manley stalwarts like the SLAM!, Vari-Mu, Massive Passive, and others…

In the late 1990s, Germany’s Sound Performance Labs (SPL) introduced the Transient Designer, which has become a studio staple worldwide for altering audio sources’ attack and decay. Essentially it is a device that can enhance or lessen the sharpness of a source’s attack—

I’ve been a fan of Allen & Heath mixers since reviewing a MixWizard console nearly 20 years ago. This month we review the new ZEDi-10FX, a desktop mixer/interface with surprising hidden power.

Line 6 is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. From 1996’s AxSys digital modeling guitar amplifier, Line 6 soon expanded into pedalboards and stomp boxes with the POD amp modelers, as well as wireless systems, the Variax modeling guitars, more powerful DSP amplifiers, and audio interfaces.

While Illinois-based Shure Incorporated is iconic, compared to many mic manufacturers it’s not that prolific. Many of Shure’s models receive an occasional incremental A or B update, but the bulk of their microphone line has remained largely unchanged for years.

Mixcraft Pro Studio has been on our radar for some time. John Rossi III reviewed versions 4, 5 and 6 in previous issues, always praising it for its simplicity while pointing out its breadth and value. John wasn’t available for this review, but his previous articles reveal…

Last year in our March 2015 issue, we took our first look at Amphion with the One18 passive studio monitor. This time we are looking at the One18’s big brother, the flagship of the Amphion line — the Two18. Amphion is headquartered in Kuopio, Finland, and run by Anssi Hyvönen.

Back in February 2012 we introduced readers to Lewitt Microphones. Lewitt’s mics are a shining example of the new globally-sourced microphone paradigm. All of its mics are designed in the company’s Austrian headquarters, and then built to demanding specs with affordable Asian manufacture.

Quick — think of three film composers. If the first name that popped into your head was John Williams, then I’m almost certain the next name in your list is Hans Zimmer. And based on the multitude of copycats out there in film and games, it’s safe to say he’s one of the most influential composers of our time.

In this review, we will be looking at a unique new take on equalization from the mind of Fabrice Gabriel and his company Eiosis. Fabrice is one of the world’s foremost plug-in designers and circuit modelers. He is responsible for the design of all of the Slate Digital plug-ins…

In the world of professional audio effects, Eventide sits squarely at the top. Its history of groundbreaking digital audio equipment stretches back decades to the original Instant Phaser in 1971, with the first digital pitch shifter, 1975’s H910 Harmonizer…

Thunderbolt is the high-speed connection protocol introduced on Apple computers in 2011. Now available in two versions, it offers either 10 or 20 Gbps (yes, that’s Gigabits per second) throughput — fast enough to reduce latency on audio connections to unheard-of levels…

Sennheiser is one of the longest-standing brands in the pro audio industry, well known for wireless transceivers, headphones, and of course mics. Until very recently the company was mainly known for dynamic mics such as the classic MD 421 and MD 441…

One of the highlights of Universal Audio’s Apollo Twin interface/DSP Engine (reviewed August 2014) is its Unison preamp technology, also found in the original 8-channel Apollo. Unison uses software coupled with physical hardware to emulate the sound and characteristics of vintage mic preamps.

Santa Monica-based Apogee has been at the forefront of digital audio technology for 30 years. Since the company’s birth in 1985, it’s gone from building custom filters for early digital tape machines to creating some of the world’s first standalone A/D and D/A converters.

Back in May of 2013, I had the pleasure of introducing readers to a cutting-edge microphone from Audio-Technica known as the AT5040. The AT5040 was built from the ground up with a no-holds-barred, “money is no object” philosophy, with the goal of creating a top-shelf vocal mic…

In the history of recording consoles, few other audio desks are as shrouded in romance, mystery, and desire as the Abbey Road/EMI Studios REDD.51. Two of these valve-based desks were used in Abbey Road Studios in the 1960s.